The Master Plan (2009) Page 3

  Bruno went down three stairs and Dana was about to close the door when he turned around and came back. "One more thing," he said pleasantly.

  "What's that?"

  "My mother is coming to visit me around Valentine's Day. She'll be here at least a week, so clear your calendar."

  Dana's hazel eyes widened and she tried to reach out and grab Bruno's coat, but he was already bolting down the stairs.

  Bruno's mother lived in Chicago and ran the lives of her two daughters, their husbands, and their children with a firm hand. She also volunteered at a local homeless shelter and played Bingo three nights a week. Dana had met her three times in the last two years and fortunately those meetings had been brief because Angelina Bruno was even more determined than her only son to change Dana from a career woman to a housewife.

  Judy Porter's apartment was in one of the original neighborhoods in Crescent Hills. The area consisted mostly of warehouses and small businesses with buildings of wirecut red brick.

  Dana parked her car at the curb and glanced at the pizza parlor that occupied the first floor of the building. It was 9 a.m. and a sign in the window said the restaurant opened at 11. There was a wooden door next to the pizza parlor's entrance that accessed the apartments on the second and third floors of the building. When Dana had talked to Judy on the telephone the previous night, the artist told her to push the bell for apartment 2 and she would buzz her into the stairway.

  As Dana pushed the bell and waited for the buzzer to sound, she noted that like her own building this one housed four apartments.

  Within seconds the buzzer sounded allowing Dana to open the downstairs door so she could climb the steep stairs that lead to Porter's apartment. When she arrived on the landing, Judy Porter was standing in her open doorway waiting for Dana.

  "Hi," Judy said. "The place is a total mess, but come on in."

  "Thanks," Dana replied, stepping past the artist and entering the apartment.

  Judy hadn't exaggerated; the place was more than a little messy.

  "I made some coffee. Do you want some?" Judy asked.

  Dana accepted the offer and followed Judy through a cluttered living room into the kitchen. The appliances and furnishing were old and worn and the small sink was loaded with dirty pots and pans and dishes.

  Removing her coat and scarf, Dana smiled and sat down on a wobbly wooden chair at a scarred wooden table wondering if Judy Porter would be able to find a clean cup to serve the coffee in.

  Judy sighed and went to the sink. She pulled out two coffee mugs and quickly squirted dishwashing liquid into them and then rinsed them. She filled the mugs with coffee from a sleek automatic drip pot. The coffeemaker and a small microwave oven were set on the tiled counter next to the sink and looked very out of place in the old-fashioned kitchen.

  "I have sugar, but the milk went bad," Judy said.

  "That's okay. I drink it black," Dana replied. "Sit down and talk to me"

  When Dana met the artist at the gallery a few months back, she had been impressed by her energy and vitality. She was an attractive girl with long blond hair that had been parted down the middle, worked into two neat braids and pinned to the top of her head. She had worn a floor-length black dress with slits up the sides that showed a lot of her shapely legs, but the first thing one noticed about the girl were her light blue eyes. They sparkled with humor and delight as she talked about her work and the opportunities she might find as Del's protegee. Dana had been very impressed by her and the one lovely painting that was displayed that evening.

  This morning, as Judy placed the mugs on the table and sat down across from Dana, her eyes were dull and lifeless. Her hair hung straight and limp around a face that would have been completely colorless if not for the fading bruise that extended from her left eye down to her jawline. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a man's white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

  Dana studied her for a time before speaking. Then she smiled, trying to make the girl more comfortable. "I was so sorry to hear about your husband. Have you had any word on him?"

  Judy shook her head in a negative reply.

  "Have you filed a missing person's report with the police?"

  "Yes. I called the morning after Lucas disappeared, but the police said he had to be missing twenty-four hours before I could file a report. So I waited until the next day, hoping he'd show up on his own. When he didn't I went to the station and filed the report. I talked to a Detective Harrison. He was very nice, but when he saw the bruise on my face, he told me maybe I was better off not finding Lucas. I knew then that he wasn't going to look too hard for him"

  "So Lucas hit you?"

  "Not all the time," Judy said quickly. "Just once in a while when I acted crazy and he needed to calm me down."

  "Did you know you were acting crazy?"

  "Sure. It was mostly when I was working on a painting. Sometimes I get real uptight and emotional about my art. It's all I can think of and that makes me ignore Lucas and his needs"

  "And that made Lucas angry?"

  She nodded and touched her face where Lucas' fist had obviously connected with her flesh.

  "Tell me what happened the last time you saw Lucas"

  "I was working on one of my paintings and Lucas came home and asked what I was cooking for dinner. I said I had to finish the painting and he could call the place downstairs and get a pizza or something. He said he didn't want a pizza; he wanted me to cook him a regular meal. I told him I didn't have anything to cook because I was working on the painting all day and didn't get to the grocery store. That's when he got mad and hit me" Judy stopped and winced as if she were seeing her husband's fist coming at her again.

  "What happened then?" Dana asked kindly.

  "He socked me so hard I fell down and bumped against the easel. That made my painting fall on top of me. The paint was still wet and it smeared. I started screaming at Lucas that he ruined my painting. I told him to get out and leave me alone. He picked up a tube of paint and threw it at me and then he slammed out of the apartment"

  "And you haven't heard from him since?"

  "No, and I'm worried sick. It's been over a week now and I can't eat or sleep I'm so upset"

  "Has Lucas ever done anything like this before?"

  "No. Whenever we fight and Lucas hits me, he runs out of the house, but he always comes home in a few hours. He usually brings me flowers or some other little gift. He begs me to forgive him. I do and we make up and things are good again."

  "Do you know if there's a particular place Lucas goes when he leaves the house-a bar, a restaurant?"

  "He usually goes to the pool hall down the block. We don't have a car right now, so he can walk there. I think it's called the Pool Palace."

  "Have you checked back with Detective Harrison to see if he has any leads?"

  "No. He said he'd call me if anything turned up, but I haven't heard a word. I'm so scared that something happened to Lucas that I can't function. Del expects me to deliver more paintings for the exhibit and be interviewed and stuff, but I can't paint right now. I'm too upset"

  "What about Lucas' job? I assume you've checked with his employer."

  "He was working at a grocery store, but he got laid off. So he signed up with one of the temporary agencies and they were sending him out on jobs. He hated most of them."

  "What grocery store did he work at?"

  "It was the Sunflower store on Twelfth Avenue."

  Dana drew a pad from her purse and made a note. "I know the store. I shop there sometimes. Do you know the name of the temp agency?"

  "I'm not sure, but his last paycheck came in the mail yesterday. It's probably on there"

  "Yes, I'm sure it is. Can you get it, please?"

  Judy put her hands on the table and pushed herself to her bare feet and went off to find the piece of mail. She returned with a long white envelope in her hand. It was unopened.

  "You haven't opened it yet?"

  "N
o. Lucas didn't like me opening his mail."

  "Do you and Lucas have a joint checking account?"

  "Yes, but he took care of all our money. I'm not good with things like that."

  Dana copied down the name and address of the temp agency on her notepad and handed the envelope back to Judy. "You need to open that and deposit the check into your bank account. You also need to get a copy of the last bank statement and see what's in the account now. If Lucas left on his own, he may have taken the money from the account"

  "That's what Detective Harrison said too"

  "So did the detective check on it for you?"

  "I don't think so. If he did, he never told me what he found."

  Dana took a deep breath, she silently agreed with Detective Harrison that Judy Porter was probably better off without Lucas Porter, but the girl would need some help and guidance to stand on her own two feet again."

  "Tell me, Judy. Before you and Lucas were married, did you handle your own money?"

  "Not really. I lived at home and my dad took care of it. Not that there was much to take care of. I was in art school and not earning much"

  "Where is your dad? Can you call on him for help?"

  "He died two years ago, and my mom died when I just a baby. I really don't have any family to speak of, just Lucas and now he's-" Judy stopped as tears clouded her eyes.

  Dana quickly reached across the table and grabbed hold of her hand. "Listen to me, Judy. You've got to stop feeling sorry for yourself and take some action. I'll bet you don't even know if your rent or utilities are paid, do you?"

  "No," the artist whispered softly.

  "I want you to take a shower and get dressed. While you're doing that, I'll clean up your kitchen for you"

  "Oh, no," she protested. "I couldn't let you do that"

  "I want to," Dana insisted. "I grew up on a farm where dishes were always hand-washed so I'm an expert. After you're dressed, I'm going to take you to the bank and find out how you stand financially."

  "Why are you being so nice to me?" Judy asked.

  "Because you are important to Del Pitman and Del is a good friend of mine. He asked me to help you and that's exactly what I'm going to do"

  "Are you going to look for Lucas?"

  "Yes. I'll look for Lucas, but not until I make sure you won't get thrown out of this apartment or have your electricity turned off."

  Judy's eyes widened. "Gee, I hadn't even thought of that. Lucas-"

  "I know," Dana said, interrupting her. "Lucas took care of those things, but he's not here right now, so you and I will have to do it."

  Judy nodded and got up from the table. Dana watched her go off in what she assumed was the direction of the bathroom.

  Dana pulled up the sleeves of the brown cashmere sweater that went so well with her beige slacks and headed for the sink. As she began to stack the dishes for washing, she smiled to herself. Her mother always said that the kitchen was the center of the house and once that was in order the rest of the house and the people in it could function properly.

  Dana worked quickly and had all the dishes washed and stacked neatly in the drainer by the time Judy Porter returned to the kitchen. Dana had also wiped down the table and the counter.

  Judy looked around and almost smiled. "I didn't think it would matter, but having clean dishes does make me feel a little better."

  "Good"

  Judy's hair had been shampooed and fastened into a ponytail. She was wearing a nice blue sweater and a clean pair of jeans that hugged her hips and showed off her lithe figure. "Now what?" she asked Dana.

  "Now gather up all the mail you have in the house. We need to go through it and see if there are any outstanding bills or if there is a current bank statement I can look at "

  For the next half hour, Dana and Judy went through the mail. The bank statement for the month of January was there. The names on the account were Lucas and Judith Porter. That and the fact that the difference between the beginning balance and the ending balance was the total of the checks that had been written against the account told Dana that Lucas had probably not taken any money from the checking account. There was also a saving's account statement from the same bank, but the beginning and ending balance on that were the same except for a small amount of interest that had accumulated in January.

  "So," Dana said. "You have a little over seven hundred dollars in your savings account and thirty nine dollars in your checking account. All the checks written in January seem to be for January bills, rent, electric, gas and so forth. Lucas disappeared on January 29 and I doubt if he paid your rent or utilities for February."

  "He told me he couldn't pay bills until his next check came from the agency." Judy picked up the still-unopened envelope and handed it to Dana. "You open it, please."

  Dana quickly slit the envelope open with the edge of the kitchen knife she had been using as a letter opener. It was for $352.29. Dana glanced at the sheet of paper where she had listed Judy Porter's rent and utility amounts that totaled eight hundred and sixty dollars. "We'll have to go to the bank and deposit this check and transfer some of the money from your savings account in order to pay your February bills."

  "But how can we deposit Lucas' check if he's not here to sign it?" Judy asked.

  "I'll show you how," Dana said. "And since it appears that Lucas took the checkbook with him the night he left, we'll have to get money orders or counter checks from the bank to pay your bills."

  Judy covered her face with her hands, seemingly overwhelmed by the tasks Dana was outlining.

  Dana stood up. "Let's go, Judy. The sooner we get this banking business done, the sooner I can start looking for Lucas"

  it was after two when Dana got to her office. There was a message from Del Pitman with his cell-phone number. Dana called him back to report on her morning with Judy Porter.

  "First of all, Dana, let me thank you for looking into this situation for me. I owe you," Del said.

  "Good," Dana replied with a smile in her voice. "Then as soon as I get some paintings done, you can host an exhibit for me"

  "I'd be happy to, darling, but I'll bet you're still working on the landscape of your parents' farm."

  "I'm afraid so," Dana admitted. "But I'm going to hold you to that promise. Anyway, I spent the entire morning with your artist. Did you know her husband abuses her?"

  "I suspected it, but never talked to her about it "

  "Judy Porter is still wearing the bruise he gave her the night he disappeared, but she wants him back. Her apartment was a mess; she was a mess. I managed to get her cleaned up and to the bank. She had Lucas' last paycheck from the temporary agency he works for and between that and some of what was in her savings account, we got her rent and utilities paid for this month"

  "Was there any money missing from the account?" Del asked.

  "There didn't seem to be. So that leads me to believe that Lucas probably didn't run off on his own, unless he had a rich girlfriend on the side."

  "It would have to be a pretty desperate rich girl," Del told her. "Have you ever seen the lunkhead?"

  "Judy gave me a photo of him and it's obvious she doesn't love him for his looks" Dana had the photo set out on her desk. Lucas Porter's body was shaped like a pear, his face was puffy, his eyes dark and beady. He was bald on top with stringy blond fringes of hair that hung down to his slumped shoulders.

  "I've only met him once or twice and his personality borders on belligerence," Del said. "To be honest, if I'd met him first, I wouldn't have sponsored his wife."

  "Yes, you would have," Dana insisted. "I took her to the bank and to lunch and then had her show me her studio and the paintings she's working on. She is very talented"

  "She is, but if she doesn't supply me with something to sell, I've wasted a lot of time and money on her."

  "Well, that's the good news, Del," Dana told him. "We had a long talk over lunch and when I left her she was back at work in her studio."

  "You're a magician!
" he exclaimed. "How did you manage that?"

  "I told her that I would do everything I could to find Lu cas, but in return she had to hold up her end of the bargain with you. I also told her that for me, painting is therapeutic, a world that I can control. She told me earlier that when she is working on her art, she loses herself in it. I hope I made her realize that sitting around crying and worrying about Lucas is not going to bring him back. She has to find comfort in her work. I also told her that February is a short month and her rent and other bills will be due again, so she had better do something to earn some money to pay them or she'd find herself and her paintings out in the street"

  "If it comes to that I can help her financially," Del said.

  "I know that, but Judy Porter has to learn to take care of herself."

  "It sounds like you don't expect to find her husband"

  "No, I don't," Dana admitted. "I only have a few leads to follow, and if those don't give me any clues to his whereabouts, I'll be stumped"

  "What about Bruno? Will he help?" Del asked.

  "He said he would. He's talking to the detective who works missing persons for me"

  "Well, I don't care if you find the lunkhead or not. I just want my artist functioning. If she follows my directions, she can have a successful career and I can recover some of the money I've invested in it "

  "I'll check on her again tomorrow and keep you posted," Dana promised.

  Del thanked her again and hung up.

  Dana turned attention to the morning mail that had been opened and sorted by Marianne. There were a few new cases to assign to Bob or Casey. Thinking of Casey reminded Dana of the other problem she had asked Bruno to help her with the night before. She reached for her phone and dialed Casey's cell number.

  Casey answered after four rings. "Hi, Dana," she said, reading the caller ID on her phone's message screen. "What's up?"

  "Not much. I've been out of the office all morning working on something Sam asked me to look into, so I missed you this morning when you checked in with Marianne."