Trade Anything Part 3

Tires squealed and laid rubber on the pavement when Max’s car turned the corner on his way back to Catherine’s house. Adrenaline transfused from his body into the car. The brakes took hold mere fractions of an inch from Catherine’s garage door. In his haste, Max pushed the shifter into park, but forgot to turn the engine off. Pounding on the front door brought out the neighbor directly across the street, but no one from the intended house. Not even when he yelled “Catherine, Catherine! Open up? Daphne! Daphne! Can you hear me, baby? It’s Dad. I’m here to take you home, sweetheart. Open the door! Catherine, in the name of God open this door.”

The neighbor man from across the street called out, “Mister! You’re wasting your breath! No one lives there. Moved out months ago. Went to Montana or Wyoming or some place out there. House is still for sale.”

“No, you’re wrong. I dropped my daughter off here earlier this afternoon for a birthday party. A woman named Catherine lives here with her daughter Lisa. It was Lisa’s party. Someone has to be home,” Max yelled back.

Now frantic, Max ran around to the side of the house to the gate where Catherine had shown him out. A clear view of the backyard showed no hint of a child’s party that had taken place. No lawn furniture. No picnic table. No balloons. The smallest piece of wrapping paper wasn’t to be seen. Max tried to open the gate, but it was locked from the inside. He stood there shaking the gate to keep himself from shaking. The smell of beer assaulted his nostrils. He turned  around sharply and almost elbowed the man in the face. “I don’t understand. Just a couple hours ago this backyard was filled with littler girls my daughter’s age. There were dozens of balloons around the yard. A picnic table was loaded with birthday gifts and cupcakes.”

“You must have the wrong house, Mister. Like I said, no one’s lived here in months. If people had been dropping off their kids here, I would have seen it. I live just right over there.” He made a broad gesture to his house across the street that was an indicator of the beer he had consumed. Max doubted the man would have noticed anything. The neighbor sensed the disbelief and commented, “I noticed you, didn’t I? I noticed you almost crashed the garage door even before you started yelling like a maniac. C’mon over to my place. We’ll have a beer and get this situation sorted out.”

“I don’t need a beer. I need to find my daughter.”

“I’ll help you find your daughter, but we need a plan. To make a plan I for one need a beer. C’mon. Whaddayasay? Micro-brewed.”

Max nodded his agreement. The two men walked around to the front of the house. A news van with a satellite on the roof blocked the driveway. A reporter and her cameraman approached with microphone extended.

“I understand your daughter is missing. Would you like to tell your story to our viewing audience? I’m Roberta Calef, Fox TV 5 News. I’d like to get you are the air right away so viewers can help locate your little girl. So do you think it was a kidnapping for ransom? Have the kidnappers contacted you? Folks, I am Roberta Calef Fox News and we are live on the scene of child abduction where the tragic story is still unfolding. Back to you in the newsroom.”

“I didn’t get you name?”

“You didn’t ask. Who called you? How did you know to come here?”

“I still don’t know your name?”

“Winters, Max Winters. I want, no I demand to know who called you here!”

“Mr. Winters, we don’t reveal our sources and this time I couldn’t if I wanted to. An anonymous tip. I assume it was the same person who called you.”

“No one called me. I dropped my daughter off her a couple hours ago to attend her friend’s birthday party. I planned to pick her up now.”

“Mr. Winters, this house is obviously empty and for sale.”

“It wasn’t earlier this afternoon.”

“Mr. Winters, you didn’t notice the realtor’s sign in the front yard?”

“Where did that come from? I never saw any for sale sign. I tell you I dropped my daughter off for her friend’s birthday party. The place was full of little girls having a good time. The house was not empty and there was no sign in the front yard or anywhere around here.”

“Mr. Winter’s, at the risk of sounding insensitive I must ask if you are in the habit of dropping your little girl off at houses without checking with the other parents first?”

“I didn’t just drop her off. I escorted Daphne into the party. I know the mother of the little girl. Her name is Catherine. We’ve met several times for school functions and play dates for the girls. Why are you trying to make me out to be some irresponsible bum? I am a good parent. I need to find my daughter and frankly you are wasting my time! Now if you’ll excuse me I have some calls to make.”

“Like the police, Mr. Winters? Have you even cared enough to call the police about your missing daughter?”

“I haven’t had time. I just got here minutes before you arrived and shoved a microphone in my face and asking me inane questions!”

“There you have it folks straight from the father’s mouth. His daughter is missing and he has yet to phone the police. We will keep you updated as the case develops. I’m Roberta Calef Fox News TV 5.”

“Your camera was rolling this whole time? I heard you say you were turning the telecast back to the newsroom!”

“Yes. Well, sometimes in suspicious cases like yours we get the best part of the story after the interviewee thinks it’s over. Just like I did with you now. Instead of standing here berating me, I’d find a phone if I were you and call the police. C’mon, Jim. We’ve got enough from here. Let’s get over to the station and find out what the police think of all this.”

“C’mon, buddy. Winters, is it? You can call me Giles. Giles Corey’s m’name. I think you could really do with a beer. You can use my phone.”

The neighbor man placed his arm across Max’s shoulders and guided him across the street. “Do you like micro-breweries? Well, you’re in for a treat with this one.”  As Giles pushed his front door open and stepped aside so Max could go enter the house, he caught a glimpse of a yellow balloon soaring into the sky from the backyard across the street. He smiled. “Yessir, I think you’re going to enjoy this little brew of mine. Comes from an old Massachusetts family recipe, made right here in Newtown. One of my favorites.” Giles followed his guest inside and closed the door.

“Where’s you phone?”

“What? Oh yes, the phone. It’s there in the living room next to my reading chair. Go ahead. Make yourself to home and make your call. I’ll take my time in the kitchen getting our beers.”

Max went into the living room, sat down next to the phone and dialed 9-1-1. Max thought it’s been a while since he had seen a phone with an actual dial. He was surprised the antique instrument still worked. He just replaced the receiver when his host entered the room carrying two bottles and two steins. “Sorry to intrude, but it looked like you were finished. I figured it was time for refreshments.”

“Sure. No problem. The call didn’t take long.”

“What did they say, the police I mean, if I’m not being too nosey?”

“They told me she hadn’t really been gone long enough to be a missing person. If I cared to call it a kidnapping they would send a car right over.”

“Better get these down before we’re interrupted then,” Giles said as he opened one of the bottles and poured its contents into one of the steins.

“None for me. Thanks Giles. I want to be on my game when I talk to the police.”

“What a little nip of something stronger to calm your nerves? That reporter seemed to get your goat as they say.”

“No, thanks anyway.” Max had a clear view of the house across the street from where he sat. “You really do see the whole show from here, don’t you, Giles?”

Giles said he did indeed and once again offered Max the second beer before he drank it himself.

“There are the police now. Thank you for your hospitality, Giles. I better go talk to them now.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Max looked puzzled.

“For moral support. You never know what could happen. You need a witness when dealing with the law. Believe me. I know that for a fact.”

Max shrugged and left the house.

He approached the plain clothes police officers who were standing on the driveway by now examining Max’s car.

“Thank you for coming so quickly,” Max said with his arm extended to shake hands. “I’m Max Winters. I called about my daughter Daphne.”

“Mr. Winters, we looked around a little and see no sign of any child’s party here. Are you sure this is the right house?”

“Of course I’m sure. Could I see some identification, please. Since you’re not in police uniforms and your car looks like a regular car, you understand.”

“Of course, sorry. I’m Detective John Hathorne. This is Officer Mercy Lewis. You reported that you came here to pick up your daughter after her friend’s birthday party, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I dropped her off her a couple hours ago and then returned to bring her home. As you can see, there’s no one here. Someone has taken my daughter somewhere and I want your help to get her back.”

“I understand,” Detective Hathorne replied. “We couldn’t find any proof of a party having taken place here. Are you absolutely certain we’re at the right house?”

“Of course, I am. I live only a few streets over. I know my own neighborhood for chrissakes!”

“Mr. Winters, have you been contacted by anyone claiming to have your daughter?” It was Officer Lewis who asked.

“No. I haven’t been back home. After coming back here and finding an empty house I went to the neighbor’s house across the street to call 9-1-1.”

“I can attest to that,” Giles chimed in.

“And you are?” the detective asked.

“I’m Giles Corey. The neighbor across the street with the phone.” Gile thrust out his hand. “Nice to make your acquaintances, I’m sure.”

“Mr. Corey, did you happen to notice a child’s party going on? Other people dropping off their kids?”

“No, can’t say that I did. I’ve been home all day. Well, except for a quick trip to the liquor store to buy beer. Other than that though I’ve been here the entire time. The only ruckus I witnessed was when Max pulled into the driveway there like a bat outta hell and almost crashed through that garage door there. And then he was pounding on the door and shouting some names. That’s when I come out and tried to help him.”

“Giles, really, the police don’t want to know―.”

“That’s all right, Mr. Winters. Let’s hear what the man has to say. Continue, Mr. Corey,” the detective said. “Mr. Winters was shouting names, you said? Do you know who he was calling for?”

“One name was Daphne. That I found out is the name of his little girl. There other one was Catherine. I don’t know who she is. Never heard of her before.”

“Catherine is the woman who lives, lived in that house. The party was for Catherine’s daughter Clarice.”

“You do know, Mr. Winters, this house is vacant? There’s a for sale sign right over there.”

“Yes, I see the sign now, but it wasn’t there when I brought my little girl to the party. Like I told the reporter, I had met Catherine several times before. I wasn’t handing my daughter over to a stranger.”

“Wait a minute. You’ve spoken to the press before you even notified the police department?” Officer Lewis wanted to know.

“The bitch ambushed him when he―.”

“It’s okay, Giles. Let me tell the police what happened.”

“Giles? So you two are friends?”

“No. I met him just now when he offered to let me use his phone to call you.”

“I see,” the detective said as he wrote someone in his notebook.

“Mrs. Danvers―.”

“Who’s this Mrs. Danvers,” Officer Lewis asked.

“I think we’ve talked too much out here in the street. I think we should go to the precinct and finish our conversation there, Mr. Winters. You can ride with us if you want to leave your car parked where it is.”

“I’ll drive myself, if it’s all right with you. I’ll meet you there. No reason to leave my car parked in someone else’s driveway.”

“No one lives there to mind one bit,” Giles said. “But that’s your call. I’ll just lock up and ride with you, Max.”

“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Corey. Mr. Winters is simply going to finish telling us what we need to know to begin our investigation. He’ll be home in no time.”

“You need a witness who’s on your side, Max. You’ll want me with you,” Giles Corey said as he tried to maneuver a place next to Max.

Officer Lewis blocked his path. “That you Mr. Corey, but we may have some questions for you later on. We can’t allow the pair of you to collaborate your stories right in front of us. You go on home now. We know where to find you if we need you.”

“But, Max ―.”

“I’m fine, Giles. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself any further on my behalf. Thank you for letting me use your phone.”

Those who were going to the precinct got into their respective cars and drove away while Giles watched from his chair in the picture window. He picked up the phone and dialed. “He’s on his way to the police station now.” He replaced the receiver into its place on the old style desk style phone. He told himself he had earned another beer. He agreed with himself and went to the kitchen to fetch it.