Page 8 of Shelter for Martina

It gave him no insight into PhilAdams, and that was one man he wanted to know more about.

Chapter 2

There wasno way of knowing how long it took her to clock out and drive from the freight facility, so Bud made sure he was there at three on the dot. The coffee was strong and hot, and he sipped at it while he went over his notes. Paying no attention to anyone around him, he suddenly noticed a shadow fall over the table and looked up. “DetectiveGriffin?”

He rose abruptly and hit the table, almost toppling his coffee cup. “Mrs.Anderson. I’m sorry—I didn’t see you come in. Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

He watched as she arranged her bag next to her in the booth’s seat and then sat down before he took his seat again. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

Bud motioned for the server to come over and in seconds, the woman had a hot, fresh cup in front of her. “Thanks for meeting me here. There are some things that have happened in the last twenty-four hours, and I’d like to talk to you about them.”

“Really? Oh, good! Yes, sure. I’d be glad to.” She seemed excited, and Bud felt sorry for her. There wasn’t anything to be excited about, but at least he had something.

“What do you know about this biological father of MartyBurgess’s? A Phil—”

“Adams,” she spat out. “Piece of shit.”

“You know him?”

“Yeah, I sure do. He’s a no good for nothin’ if ever there was one. No wonder Marty’s mama didn’t want him knowing who his dad was for all those years.”

“How long have they known each other?”

“All Marty’s life. How long has Marty known Phil is his dad? Um…” She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before she answered. “Maybe… four years? Not more than five, I don’t think.”

“And what do you know about Mr.Adams?”

“That he doesn’t hold a job, but he sure has a lot of money. And I hear he’s a womanizer, although I don’t really know about that. We don’t tend to travel in the same circles, if you know what I mean.” That pronouncement was followed with a snort, and Bud almost chuckled.

“The OhioCounty Sheriff’s Department conducted an interview with him today.”

“Yeah?”

“He says Marty and your daughter were at his house the night she disappeared.” Mrs.Anderson’s eyes went wide. “He says they got into an argument there and then left. Marty says it didn’t happen. Which do you think is telling the truth?”

She shrugged. “Who the hell knows? They’re both such liars, nothing would surprise me.” Before he had a chance to speak, she asked, “Any word on Marty?”

“None that I know of.”

“Figures. The only two people who might know where my daughter is are the two worst liars in the world. Can’t believe a thing they say. Oh, I meant to ask—was her cell phone in her car?”

“No. It wasn’t on the inventory list.” Bud pulled his folder and looked through it. “They said there were some CDs, a cigarette lighter, a box of diapers, a box of baby wipes, some snack crackers, a sippy cup, and a lot of trash from fast food places.”

“Sounds like Renita. She always was messy,” Mrs.Anderson said and sighed. She’d wrapped her hands around her coffee mug and for the first time, Bud looked closely at them. They were small and delicate, and he realized the rest of her was the same way. She wasn’t skinny, but there was nothing large about her. Based on the descriptions he’d read, her daughter probably looked a lot like her. Her strawberry blond hair framed her face sweetly and, unlike a lot of the other locals, her teeth were straight and white, not a cavity or a gap anywhere. She looked like a woman who’d had a good life until it had gotten yanked right out from under her. He was brought out of his observations when she asked, “So what now?”

“I just keep working the case and see if I can get a break somewhere. I don’t know what else to do. But I may go talk to Mr.Adams myself.”

“That would be good. Could you keep me informed?”

“Sure. No problem.”

She looked around the room and he wondered what she was checking out. “Looks a lot like the SadCafé, don’t you think?” she asked and chuckled.

To his surprise, he got her CarsonMcCullers reference immediately. Without thinking, he answered, “As long as the prices don’t go up overnight and MarvinMacy shows up.”

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