The Price of Beauty in Strawberry Land (19 page)

Ronnie had a small television over the bar, which remained on mute.
 
But it didn’t matter; you couldn’t hear it over the jukebox anyway.
 
I could, at least, get some feeling for what was happening outside Humboldt.
 

“Nickie, I’ll take a Jack and Coke and could you put that TV on a Memphis channel?” I asked nicely.

“I don’t want to give you the wrong impression of our little city, but Memphis channels are all we get,” she shot back. “Do you have a special request?
 
I can manage 5 and 13 without sending Ronnie on the roof to adjust our antenna.”

“Just put it on a station that I can see. Okay?”

“No problem Mr. Reno. We’ve got ‘Guiding Light’ on one and ‘As the World Turns’ on the other. What’s your choice?”

“Channel 5 would be great – if it isn’t too much trouble.” I was being sarcastic.

At 4:30 the soap opera saga was interrupted by what was labeled a ‘Special Report’ and the headline ‘Breaking News’.
 
I, obviously, couldn’t tell what the reporter was saying, but she was standing on the steps of Memphis City Hall and holding some documents for the camera – we’ll never know what they were.
 
In a few minutes the DA appeared and made a short statement, after which we were quickly returned to ‘As the World Turns’.
 

No wonder people in this town went crazy – soap operas, game shows and Gun Smoke reruns.
 
News and world events were not something the citizens of Humboldt paid much attention to.
 
I was caught in that maze and would be forced to rely on the phone and newspapers for any news that didn’t involve cattle futures, wholesale produce prices, garden club updates or the Strawberry Festival.
 
This was their world and welcome to it.

At 4:45 Leroy called.
 
Nickie took the call.

“Get his number and I’ll call him back from the outside payphone,” I said to Nickie.

He told her he was in his office and I immediately called him back.

“Carson, it was a ‘no-show’ on the ransom pickup. Chaney followed instructions to the letter, but after waiting an hour, the FBI called it and retrieved the payoff money.”

“So – what next?” I asked.

“Chaney will wait at the hotel tonight to see if any further contact is made.
 
If not – he’ll return to Memphis tomorrow.
 
If he’s contacted after that, he will immediately notify the FBI.
 
For him, that’s it.”

“What else?”
 
There had to be more.

“Agent Giltner is assigned to the case and will be working with my office and the State Police regarding our missing Charlotte Luckey.
 
They are driving the investigation from this point forward – my hands are tied,” he sounded discouraged.

“Well, mine aren’t and I’m going to ruffle some feathers.
 
Somebody is either playing me for an idiot or playing us all for idiots – and I’ve got an idea who that somebody might be.” I was serious.

“Carson, be careful.
 
I’ll cover your back when I can – just don’t make this go somewhere it doesn’t need to go.
 
Okay?”

“I think I understand what you mean, but I only want to find that girl and find the truth.
 
I’ll keep you in the loop – promise.”

I must have had an obvious frown on my face when I walked back into Chiefs.

“Bad news?” Nickie asked.

“Bureaucracy.
 
Justice has too many doors to open before it gets delivered.”

“What?
 
Is something wrong with your drink?”

“Yes - it is empty. Please get me another.”

I didn’t have a plan – I just had ideas.
 
Phillip Chaney was hiding something – I didn’t know what, but I intended to find out.
 
He had lied to me, and I especially didn’t like that.
 
Travis Luckey was involved, but I didn’t know how.
 
Somewhere there was a common thread, but there was also a wildcard – I needed to find both the thread and the wildcard.
 
I needed a plan.

 
~

W
ith a shower, shave and change of clothes, I wandered back into the bar to wait on Liz.

“Nickie, one more Jack/Coke, and would you please sack me up a six pack of Budweiser?
 
Throw some ice in the sack too, please.”

“Wait a minute – what is that smell?
 
I know! It’s male hormone!
 
You got it coming out every pore.
 
I first confused it with after-shave, but no, it’s definitely male hormone – I have smelled it before – just not often enough!”

“Nickie, you’re funny but nuts.
 
I have a date and we are going to the drive-in movie.
 
We are going in a two seat convertible car – movie, popcorn and beer – that’s it.”

“Sure, sure. What’s the movie?”

“I have no idea.” She had me there.

“So, you’re not going for the movie and I have beer and popcorn here. You do the math.”

“Nickie, do you get the Memphis paper?” I asked.

“Sure do. We get the morning edition Commercial Appeal.
 
Usually gets here about 2PM.”

“Wait a minute.
 
Your morning paper gets here at 2PM?
 
What kind of a morning paper is that?”

“It’s the morning paper we get everyday – usually around 2PM,” she was serious.

“OK – whatever.
 
Just make sure to save me a copy – please?”

“Will do – have fun at the movies.” I think she was jealous.

~

I
t was a great evening for a drive-inn movie.
 
We had the top down on Liz’s corvette, the moon was bright, stars were out, weather was cool enough to make you snuggle, we had cold beer and some catching up to do with each other.

Skyway Drive-Inn Theater was located on Hwy 45N, just outside of town.
 
I have no idea what movie was playing, and it didn’t matter.
 
Tuesday night was not normally a busy night, but ideal weather had brought a number of people out to see the movie and enjoy the evening.

We had talked through most of the feature and I shared as much detail with Liz as I thought appropriate.
 
I wanted her to understand the situation, but not necessarily the danger that was involved.

We were half way through the beer and I had just returned with a fresh supply of popcorn when our evening went terribly wrong.
 
A person walking by our car – assumed to be headed to the concession stand – stopped and put a gun barrel in my left ear.

He said, “Please don’t say anything, just get out of the car and follow me.”

I don’t follow instructions well – as you have probably already noted.

I looked at my attacker and chuckled, “Well, hello, Mr. Luckey. Are you not enjoying the movie?
 
Can I offer you a beer?”

“Stop the bullshit Reno.
 
Unless you want yourself or this pretty lady hurt, you will come with me – understand?”

“Perfectly. I am your prisoner.”
 
I turned to Liz, “ Elizabeth, would you please call Mr. Epsee and tell him I am going to be visiting with Mr. Travis Luckey for the next little while. Tell him I’ll call when appropriate.”

Liz is upset and yelling at Travis as she is getting out of the car, “You son-of-a-bitch, you can’t do this!”
 
I put my hands up to stop her.

“Liz, it’s OK – really.
 
Travis and I are just going to go talk.
 
Go find Leroy and tell him what I just told you – everything will be fine – trust me.”

I followed Travis Luckey over to Charlotte’s 58 T-Bird and got in the passenger side.
 
We exited the theater and drove south toward town, not saying a word.
 
At Bailey Park he took the north entrance and stopped in front of the recreation pavilion.

Then he did something really weird.

He handed me his gun.

“I’m surrendering myself to you, Mr. Reno.
 
These guys are going to kill me and I simply don’t know who to trust.”

I thought for a minute. “Let’s get out of the car and go over to the playground.
 
This place is going to get busy in a few minutes, and that might give us more time to talk.”

We both sat in a swing and he told me his story.

~

H
e was in deep to Mickey – gambling debts.
 
Mickey had bailed him out of jail because he knew he couldn’t repay the debt while sitting in a cell.
 
The train ticket was a decoy to give him some alibi for what would happen next.
 
According to Travis, everything was Mickey’s plan – and he just went along with the idea.

He and Charlotte would plan her disappearance.
 
They were to meet in Bailey Park on that Friday night and disappear for a few days.
 
When the ransom was paid, he would collect a little and the rest would settle his debts with Mickey.
 
But when he got to the park, she wasn’t there, just her car.
 
 
Knowing nothing else to do, he went looking for Charlotte – without any luck.

Mickey and his thugs were watching from the sidelines - but when things went wrong and he couldn’t find his daughter, he got scared and told Mickey the deal was off.
 
That didn’t set well with the group, and they ordered him to steal Charlotte’s car and retrieve the money or he was a dead man.
 
He said he stole the car, as instructed, made the ransom delivery call to Phillip Chaney - but then went in another direction.
 
He has been in hiding since.

I asked him if he knew the whereabouts of his daughter – he said he did not.
 
She had driven her car to the park, as planned, but he had not seen or spoken to her.
 
He said, more than once, he could never harm Charlotte.

As much of an asshole as this guy was, for some reason, I believed his story.
 
But, I was sure Leroy and the FBI would have many more questions to ask.

Within five minutes the entire park was full of police cars, fire trucks and, I think, every vehicle in Gibson County that had flashing lights.
 
It took them only minutes to find us and take Travis into custody.

I was telling Leroy my story when someone hit me from behind – it was Liz.

“You bastard.
 
How could you do this?
 
I thought you were dead – and your not!
 
 
You’re sitting here in the park on a swing like a 10-year-old boy!
 
I’m going crazy and you’re playing in the park?
 
I could kill you myself!”

“Liz, calm down – I’ll explain later.
 
You did good by calling the sheriff, but did you also call all these other folks?”

“Yes, I did.
 
I called the sheriff, I called the State Police, I called the Fire Department, I called the Game Warden, I called the City Police, I even called the Governor – but he didn’t answer - I called everyone until I ran out of dimes.
 
You satisfied?”

“Yes I am. I believe you might have saved my life – thank you.”

“You are welcome, I think,” she seemed confused.
 
“Did I really save your life?”

“Yes you did and we’ll celebrate later – okay?”

“Later?
 
What’s wrong with now?” She was visibly mad at me.

“Because I need to go to Jackson.
 
But, if you promise to follow instructions and not ask questions, you can take me – if not, you can take me to get my car.
 
Your choice.”

Oddly, she seemed to think before answering. “I’ll take you and I promise no questions.
 
I’m afraid if I don’t go with you something will happen – you might need my help again – right?”