Chapter Three
Callie and Frank approached Rose's front door at precisely one o'clock. The house was older but nicely maintained. Fresh paint, new window shutters. The yellowing lawn appeared to have been recently mowed and the rosebushes along the house were cut back. All signs of homeowners preparing for the winter.
Callie did wonder about those rosebushes. Planted in honor of Rose?
Frank knocked on the door and it was promptly opened by an attractive woman of thirty. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and her dark eyes studied Frank and Callie with cool interest.
Callie stuck out a hand and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Callie Hardy and this is my husband Frank. Are you Rose Schmidt?"
The woman hesitated a second then shook Callie's hand. Her grip was firm, hard, and quick. It said, let's be done with this.
"Yes, I'm Rose. Come in." Rose's tone indicated the opposite, I wish you hadn't come at all.
"Thank you," Callie gushed as she and Frank entered the overly warm house. "I know this is very short notice, but my husband and I are only in town for a few days."
Rose led Callie and Frank into a small living room. "Have a seat," she said and motioned them toward a sagging sofa.
There was a pillow and blanket on the sofa, a sign Rose's sick daughter had spent the past couple of days here. Callie moved the pillow and blanket aside and sat down. Frank sat beside her.
"I hope your daughter's feeling better," Callie said and laid a pen and notepad on her lap.
Rose sat in a worn wingchair across from the sofa. "Her temperature broke yesterday. She's in her room on the computer, catching up on the schoolwork she's missed. I was hoping to do some housework and change the sheets on her bed before I go to work tonight." Rose's look said, you are interfering with my very busy day.
"Yes, well, I won't keep you long," Callie promised. "First, let me properly introduce myself. I'm a journalist for the Evertville Newspaper."
"Evertville?" Rose gasped, her eyes growing wide.
Callie thought she saw fear in Rose's eyes. Fear of what? Callie kept her tone calm and gentle. "Yes, Evertville. Are you familiar with the town?"
Rose seemed to catch herself, seemed to realize she had given something away with her sudden surprise. "Um, yeah, I-I've been to Evertville," she stammered. "Once. Maybe twice. It's not that far from here you know. Two hours? I was at a church there .. the Catholic one. It's very pretty." After a brief pause Rose hurried to add, "A friend of mine – from high school – got married there."
"St. Paul's," Callie said with a smile. "I've been in it many times. The building is absolutely beautiful."
There were three churches in Evertville and Callie had been in all of them at one time or another doing research. Each church contained valuable records on the town's founding families. Marriage records, birth, death, and baptismal records.
Rose nodded. "Yes, St. Paul's. That's the one." Then her tone and demeanor changed. She stiffened as if readying herself for battle. "So, why are you here, Mrs. Hardy? What exactly is it you want?"
The sudden hostility startled Callie. However, she recovered quickly. "As I said on the phone, I have a couple of questions about your sister. You see, I'm writing an article on her disappearance. My husband," Callie motioned to Frank sitting beside her, "is a police officer and together we're doing a little research. Just reviewing the facts and talking to a few people."
Frank cleared his throat and leaned forward. "I'd like to clarify that this is an unofficial investigation on my part. I'm only here to lend assistance to my wife if she needs it."
Rose glared at Frank for a second. It was obvious she did not completely believe him. She switched her attention to Callie and now, there was anger in her voice. "An investigation? An article for a newspaper? I knew it. All you want is to write about my sister's tragedy and what happened to her so you can sell papers. Mom and I had enough of that years ago, people profiting off of Liz. We said, no, no more. We said we'd never do another interview ever again. In my opinion, everyone's had their chance to figure out what happened to Liz. And you know what? No one has. Liz is still missing and nobody knows why or what happened to her."
Callie let out a breath. She'd hit a nerve, a tender one. Callie had not meant to do that. This interview was going downhill fast and Callie scrambled to regain her footing. "Please Rose, I'm not here to sensationalize your sister's story or profit from it. That has never been my intention, I swear to you." Callie covered her heart with a hand as if pledging her allegiance. "I care deeply about what happened to your sister and to you and your mother. Both you and your mother had your lives changed permanently and forever. I understand that and I realize that you and your mother still grieve. I know this is hard for you emotionally, me coming here and asking questions. I know you must miss your sister terribly. How could you not? That's what I'm here to write about, the pain that persists to this day. I'm here to honor your sister's memory and if in the process of searching I unearth something that solves the mystery, then so much the better."
Rose shook her head like she was shaking away cobwebs, or thoughts, or feelings. Callie saw what looked like resignation settle over Rose's features. "Sorry," Rose said, "I can come on strong sometimes. Fifteen years. It never gets easier. It's like a nightmare that never ends."
Callie nodded slowly. "I understand and I'm here to help not hurt. I only want what's best for you and your family. I might not be able to solve the mystery of what happened to your sister, but I'd like to try. If only you'll give me a chance."
Rose sighed heavily. The weight of the world seemed to rest on her shoulders. A reporter had shown up asking questions. Now she must tell her story again.
"Okay," she said, glaring at Callie through narrowed eyes. "I'll tell you my story and then I want you to leave." Her tone was hard and sharp.
"Of course," Callie said and glanced at Frank. He discreetly lifted an eyebrow as if to say, seems the best offer you're going to get.
Callie wrote on her notepad as Rose told her story, the story of what had happened the day her sister disappeared.
Rose had gotten home from school at three o'clock, her usual time. She was a freshman in high school and Liz was a junior. Liz wasn't home when Rose arrived but that wasn't unusual. Liz's boyfriend, Rudy Glynn, usually picked her up at school and they often went somewhere to eat or hang out. Their favorite place to go was a hamburger joint popular with high schoolers back then. The place was long gone now, but police later told Rose and her mother that Rudy and Liz had been seen in the hamburger joint around three-thirty ordering hamburgers and fries 'to go.' What Liz and Rudy did after that was based solely on Rudy Glynn's answers to the police. He said he and Liz went to his place and ate their food. They watched TV and made out on his couch. Then he dropped Liz off at the Walnut Creek Bed and Breakfast at seven p.m. That was the last time he saw her.
Rudy was twenty to Liz's seventeen and lived in a studio apartment. Blanche Lancaster, Liz and Rose's mom, did not approve of Rudy and made this abundantly clear to Liz every chance she got.
"He's too old for you," Blanche repeatedly told Liz.
According to Rose, her mother and sister fought frequently about the relationship. The fights were verbal. Harsh words were exchanged. Blanche called her daughter a tramp and warned her that Rudy was no good.
"He's a deadbeat with a dead end job. Mark my words, he's going to ruin your life," she often yelled at her daughter.
Blanche just as frequently bemoaned the bright future Liz was throwing away. Liz got straight As in school and would likely graduate at the top of her class next year. Unfortunately, next year never came for Liz Lancaster.
Liz was strong willed and hurled insults right back at mother in retaliation. The most cutting being, Her mother was a fine one to talk. She'd had two kids by two different men and hadn't married either one of them. Who was she to lecture Liz on men?
Rose sat in her room at night listening to these fights. She felt trapped, trapped in a life of turmoil. Callie had the distinct impression Rose had felt a bit neglected. Blanche was preoccupied with Liz and trying to pull her out of the downward spiral of her young life. That left Rose alone, sitting in her room wondering when the fighting would end.
"I love my mother. I loved my sister," Rose said. "But I hated the fighting. When those two fought, I became invisible. They forgot about me. It was like I didn't exist."
Callie's heart ached for the woman sitting across from her. Rose's high school years had not been easy. She had struggled at school while everything came easily for Liz. Liz didn't have to study half as hard as Rose did. That's why Liz was allowed to have a job. She had worked at the Bobcat Restaurant, the same place Rose now worked.
Actually, Blanche had been the first member of the family to work there. Then Liz got hired and things changed. Mother and daughter couldn't keep their bickering out of the work place. The boss said one of them had to go. It wound up being Blanche and this created more friction between the women. Now they had one more thing to fight about.
When Liz disappeared the fighting stopped. Finally. It was kind of a relief, Rose candidly admitted. She and her mother grew closer. It became them against the world, a world of reporters and police officers constantly asking questions. Rose and Blanche had stood together and weathered the storm.
Callie finished writing and stared down at her notepad. She suddenly realized Rose had never told the police this version of the story or, at least, she didn't think Rose had. There are been no mention of fights between Blanche and Liz in any of the articles Callie had read. In fact, in those articles Blanche and Liz had been presented as a loving mother and daughter. After Liz went missing, Blanche and Rose became the devoted, grieving mother and sister. They had everyone's sympathy. Liz was portrayed as a bright and shining star whose light had been prematurely extinguished.
Callie listened carefully as Rose continued. She studied Rose's facial expressions and the way she held herself. Callie thought about the tone of Rose's voice. Was that jealousy Callie detected? Had Rose been jealous of her older sister? If not jealous, then perhaps, resentful.
"Mom came home at ten that night," Rose said. "I was upstairs in my room listening to music. Mom yelled up that she was home. I turned off my music and yelled back that I was studying. Mom made herself something to eat and watched TV. I fell asleep and the next thing I knew it was midnight, or thereabouts, and mom was banging on my bedroom door. I woke up to mom standing over me, asking if I knew where Liz was. I could tell she was worried. I said, no, the last time I'd seen Liz was at school getting into Rudy Glynn's car. That set mom off. 'They've run off,' she said and rushed out of my room. I heard her downstairs calling the police and reporting Liz missing. I remember she told the police to check Rudy Glynn's apartment cause that was the most likely place for Liz to be."
Callie jolted down a quick note, lifted her head, and said, "Did they check Rudy Glynn's apartment?"
Rose crossed her arms and nodded. "They did. Rudy was there all by himself, asleep in his bed. The police asked him about Liz and he claimed he'd dropped her off at the Walnut Creek Bed and Breakfast at seven p.m. just like she'd asked him to. Liz had a friend that worked there, Tara. Tara was older, twenty-one I think. She worked at the Bed and Breakfast as a housekeeper and receptionist. She got off at ten that night and was supposed to give Liz a ride home."
Callie smiled to herself. This was new information and another person to interview. "I'm sure the police questioned Tara."
"Yeah, Tara said Liz was acting weird that night. Kind of antsy and nervous. Tara asked Liz if something was wrong and she said everything was fine and that she'd changed her mind that she'd decided to walk home instead of waiting for Tara. Liz told Tara she wanted to get home before mom did because she didn't want mom worrying about her. Liz left the Bed and Breakfast around eight forty-five and that was the last anyone saw of my sister."
Callie frowned. "Wasn't it raining that night? It seems odd for Liz to walk home in the rain when she could have waited and gotten a ride."
Rose shrugged and seemed to brush off the question. "It wasn't raining that hard. The storm didn't hit until one or two in the morning and the Bed and Breakfast wasn't that far from our house. Liz and I used to walk past it all the time on our way into town. That's how we got around. We walked everywhere. We must've walked that route hundreds of times in the summer."
Liz would know that route very well, Callie thought and possibly the trails around the Bed and Breakfast.
"How far would you say your house was from the Bed and Breakfast?" Callie's pen was poised and ready to write the answer on her notepad.
Rose thought it over and said, "A mile and a half. Maybe less. It usually took us thirty minutes to walk to the Bed and Breakfast. The time depended on how fast we walked and how much we talked." A tiny smile flickered on Rose's lips. Callie sensed that Rose had fond memories of those walks with her sister.
Callie ended the interview with one last question. "So the last time you saw your sister was at school at three o'clock?"
"That's the last time," Rose said with finality and stood. "I really have to check on my daughter and her bedsheets need to be washed."
Callie and Frank stood in unison. "Yes, of course," Callie said. "I'm sorry for the interruption. I hope your daughter feels better and thank you again for talking to me."
"Yes, thank you," Frank said. He took a quick look around the room and then he and Callie left.
Once they were in their car and buckling their seatbelts, Callie said, "Well, that interview did not go anything like I had expected."
Frank grinned and started the car. "They never do."
"So, what do you think?" Callie asked. "Was Rose telling the truth? I found her hard to read at times. I'm not sure what to make of her relationship with her sister. There were moments when she was talking that I got the feeling she resented her sister or .. or was jealous of her. She admitted it was a relief when her sister went missing because the fighting finally stopped."
"Well," Frank hesitated and Callie felt he was choosing his words carefully, "you know, with Liz out of the way, Rose got her mother all to herself."
Callie's eyebrows rose and then lowered into a menacing frown. She turned slightly toward her husband. "What are you saying, Frank?"
Frank waved a hand as if to dismiss his statement. "Nothing. Forget it."
But Callie couldn't forget it or dismiss it and she was certain she knew what Frank was saying – or rather – not saying. "Are you suggesting that Rose had something to do with Liz's disappearance?"
"Well, I .." Frank kept his eyes on the road and a hand on the steering wheel. "Let's just say, stranger things have happened. It's not beyond the realm of possibilities."
No it wasn't, Callie thought. And with Liz out of the way, Rose got all of her mother's love and attention. Plus, there was no more fighting.
Rose knew the route to the Bed and Breakfast as well as Liz did. Rose must have known the trails around the Bed and Breakfast equally as well. Had Rose lured Liz to the creek and pushed her in?
It was a possibility …
