She's Not There (6 page)

When Lisa entered the waiting area to invite Jeff Denison in for his next appointment, she was surprised to see another man sitting next to him.

Jeff stood. “Lisa, I’d like you to meet Eric Schindler,”

Lisa ushered the men into her office. She remembered the name Eric Schindler and realized he must be TJ’s ‘Doc’. Why would he be here with Jeff?

Schindler, about an inch shorter than Jeff, was broader, built as solidly as a wrestler. His face revealed nothing as he took a chair next to Jeff in front of Lisa’s desk. She thought she detected an odor of cigar smoke on him, a smell she hated only slightly less than the skunk spray Phanny brought in the house with her after meeting up with one of the little critters.

Jeff said, “I apologize for springing this on you. Eric’s told me about TJ and what you two are planning. I’d like to use my session today for the three of us to talk.”

She did feel like she’d had something sprung on her. “We can do that, Jeff, but first I’d like to talk to you alone.”

Eric left the room.

She asked, “Why didn’t you call me about this before just showing up with Eric Schindler?”

“You’re right. I should have called first. But Eric told me about you and TJ—what you’re doing. If there’s anything I can possibly do to find Jamie, I need to do it. I was afraid you’d say no.”

Irritated, but more at Schindler, who she was certain had orchestrated the ambush, she said, “Jeff, I understand why you feel that way, but I can’t make that decision. You should have asked TJ, not me. And I’m sorry, but finding your wife is not what this is about.”

“But it could lead to that,” he argued,

Under other circumstances, Lisa might have seen his assertiveness as positive.

Jeff said, “Eric did talk to TJ. She’ll be here in about half an hour, but Eric wanted to talk to you first.”

At least TJ would be on hand to deal with the situation. Lisa didn’t want to be responsible for anyone else’s involvement. “All right,” she said, “bring him in.”

Eric came back in with his hands in his pockets, wearing a subtle smile. Schindler, in his fifties, had a compelling rather than handsome face and his black, coarse hair had only a few streaks of gray. Lisa thought he looked uncomfortable. Good. She hoped he was feeling guilty about putting her on the spot.

He took a seat next to Jeff. “I wanted to meet you as soon as TJ told me about you, but I was afraid you might refuse to talk to me.

“The rise in missing women is horrifying, but it’s given Jeff and myself hope that we can find answers.”

Aware of the sincerity in his plea, she said, “I’m not surprised that either of you would want to take part. But I have reservations about getting anyone else involved. And TJ is the one who would decide, not me.” 

Eric sat back. “If I can’t be actively involved, maybe there are other ways I can help. TJ won’t go back on my payroll; she said this is something
she
wants to do. If nothing else I’d like to pay any necessary expenses.”

The man could be persuasive; she’d give him that. He appeared confident and in control.
A little too slick?
He’d been a doctor after all; maybe it was just that built-in professional smoothness coming through. Or arrogance.

When she didn’t speak, he continued, “Jeff and I want to help in any way we can.”

Jeff nodded, looking relieved to have someone else plead his case.

Eric met her eyes. “I’m perceived by many people as just another wife-murderer who got off on a legal loophole. I’d like to get out from under that stigma. I want whoever is responsible for abducting my wife to pay for it.”

Lisa raised an eyebrow. “I’m curious why you had to see me without TJ present.”

He leaned toward her. “Two reasons. The first was to plead my case with you. Beg, if necessary.” He smiled, his sable-brown eyes easing his rugged features. “The other is my concern about the two of you meeting with men who are known abusers and maybe even murderers. I’d be more comfortable if we could go with you, but I know TJ is going to object. She perceives herself as perfectly capable of taking care of both of you. I’m afraid if I were to voice my concern, she’d be insulted.”

“How do you know I’m not insulted?”

His eyes narrowed, as if considering her comment.

She said quickly, “We both know how TJ would react to that. As for me, I guess I hadn’t thought about the safety issue yet. Considering TJ’s background, I’m not sure your fears are necessary.”

“You’re right. And I apologize if I’ve offended you. Or TJ. Maybe I’m being old-fashioned. Or chauvinistic?” He looked at Lisa from under heavy, dark brows.

Her mind raced, trying to decide what it would mean if these two men were to be part of their search. It would certainly be a positive for Jeff, who was desperate to play a role in finding his wife. He would have to be willing to continue his therapy with someone else, of course. But there was something about Eric. Something that put her off.

The door opened and TJ entered the room. “Hey guys, what’s happenin’?”

Later that evening, TJ sat at her desk, chair turned away so she could gaze out the windows. Her ninth floor apartment east of downtown Milwaukee didn’t have a lake view, but she loved the glitter of the city’s lights after dark. She’d take that over the endless steel blue of Lake Michigan anytime.

She’d been ticked-off by Eric’s rush to talk to Jeff and Lisa without her, but the end result satisfied her. He’d made a more convincing argument to Lisa for his and Jeff’s inclusion than she could have, forcing her to admit that she and Lisa would need all the help they could get. Eric’s safety concerns were a different matter. Well-intended but unnecessary. Demeaning even. Eric knew she could take care of herself, but she’d let it go.

Results were all that mattered and with the two men along, they could move faster. Lisa’s point made sense. She and TJ had professional interviewing skills, so going out separately, each accompanied by one of the men, would get a lot more accomplished.

They’d agreed to keep the investigation to themselves as much as possible. From TJ’s point of view, they had to keep it from the MPD for now. The last thing she wanted was for Richard Conlin to find out—at least until the search bore fruit. She had no doubt that it would.

The next morning Lisa met Amanda Hawkins at the Women’s Center in Oconomowoc. They shared small talk over a cup of coffee before Amanda handed Lisa a folder containing the list of names Lisa had asked for.

“I reviewed the statistics before I met with the directors of all the Centers.

Your grad student did an excellent job; I couldn’t fault her work. I don’t know if she told you that she used to be an intern here. I had to have a talk with her before she left. Her extreme shyness makes her a poor candidate for counseling. That’s probably what kept her from coming to us with what she found.

“The meeting went surprisingly well. The powers-that-be are behind you one-hundred percent.”

Relieved, Lisa said, “I can’t thank you and the others enough. This file will be an immense help in finding out what’s causing the disappearances.” She accepted the file. “I was afraid you might have gotten some resistance.”

Amanda said, “I expected at least one of them to have reservations, but then we’re a group of women who’ve had a lot of experience with abuse. Some of us even have first-hand experience, unfortunately.

“The centers are going to revise the pamphlet they hand out to women, adding a section cautioning them about new relationships and acquaintances. It’s been long overdue for a rewrite, and now they’re going to rush it to print. That’s as far as they’re willing to go right now.”

Lisa couldn’t have asked for more from the Centers. “That’s wonderful.”

Amanda’s smile faded. “Right now there’s no certainty what we need to warn women
about
. And from the reaction in that room, they’ll have no reservations about putting out a more explicit warning if and when you learn more.”

Lisa met TJ for lunch in a McDonald’s near the bank where TJ worked. They were discouraged to see the list contained more than forty names.

TJ griped, “Man, I hope some of these ladies are back home by now. I know Rollie won’t have that many we can cross off.”

“Are we still meeting him tomorrow night?”

It was obvious TJ was upset about something. Her usual snappy talk was absent and her infectious smile missing. “I got some bad news today. Charles Morgan, Rollie’s partner, is in the hospital. He got mugged the other night outside their place and he’s real messed up. Rollie’s out of his head, not sure he’ll be up to meeting us. Don’t think he’s left the hospital since it happened.”

“My God, that’s terrible! I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah. Talked to him this mornin’. Don’t know when we’ll be able to meet with him now.’

Lisa hated to start without Roland’s input. “TJ, why don’t we go to him? We could meet him at the hospital cafeteria, give him some moral support and maybe bring him some decent food.”

TJ took a bite of the cheeseburger she’d set aside. “You’re right. Might be good for him to see us.” She grinned. “Let’s bring chicken soup.”

Saint Mary’s hospital sat on a small bluff above Lake Michigan, just east of downtown Milwaukee. Late Thursday afternoon Lisa met TJ outside the hospital cafeteria. They bought sodas and walked over to a table where Roland sat reading a newspaper.

When he looked up, Lisa’s heart went out to him. Dressed in a loose sweatshirt over old jeans, he looked nothing like the animated man with the flashing smile she’d met on Saturday. His eyes not only had dark circles under them, they had the aching look of someone fearing they could lose a loved one.

“I promised to do this, so let’s get it done. I want to get back upstairs. Charles is still critical and they told me tonight will be the turning point.”

When TJ put her arms around him, he clung to her with tears streaming down his face. “How can this have happened? He’s always so careful!”

TJ asked, “Did they catch the guy?”

Roland’s face hardened. “No. And they probably never will. You know how the cops feel about us.”

TJ sighed, sympathetic. “I’ll make some calls. See what I can find out.”

“Thanks, TJ. But in all honesty, it was late when it happened. The street is dark along that part of the block. Charles didn’t see who attacked him because they came at him from behind.”

Lisa served the hot chicken noodle soup and put out a bag of biscuits. The three of them ate in silence.

When Roland finished eating, he said, “Thanks, I actually feel better now.” He took a deep breath. “Ok, show me what you brought.”

He pored over the names on the two sheets. “It's funny. I wouldn’t have had to worry about this at all.”

"What do you mean?”

“I had qualms about telling you which women I helped. There are some on this list that I helped, but there are also some that I happen to know aren't missing. The dates they went missing are next to their names and I know I’ve seen a few of these women since then. So I’ll draw lines through them too, and you won’t have any way of knowing which are the ones I helped out and which are the ones I’ve seen around.” He took a few minutes to peruse the list and handed it back to Lisa.

Lisa looked it over. “This leaves us with only thirty-six names to check out. It’s good of you to take time out to do this, Roland. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you two.”

TJ turned to him. “Rollie, let me stay with Charles for a couple hours so you can go home and change. Maybe grab a nap.”

“Thanks, but I’m not going anywhere till he’s out of danger. His brother and some of our friends are going to be here soon. Thanks for the offer, but don’t worry about me, I’ll have lots of support.”

“We’ll be prayin' for him.” TJ hugged him once more. After Lisa followed suit, they walked out of the cafeteria.

When they reached the parking lot, TJ asked, “Wanna go to Vinnie’s?”

“Sure. I’ll meet you there.”

Vinnie’s bar, located on the east side of downtown Milwaukee, catered to the working crowd during the week and the clubbers on the weekends; it had been a popular spot since the ‘60s.

A buffet bearing a huge spread of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres was displayed across from the bar. Lisa spotted TJ walking away from it carrying a plate heaped with its offerings. “You just ate.”

“Forgot to tell you—I got great metabolism—one of those folks that pisses everyone else off cause they can eat anything they want.”

“That does piss me off,” Lisa muttered.

They carried drinks to a booth in the back. TJ raised her glass. “Here’s to catching that son-of-a-bitch.”

“I’ll drink to that. But keep in mind, you and I won’t be doing the catching.”

“Yeah. But I been thinking and there’s something botherin’ me. Richard says any serial killer thing goin’ on is a fantasy of my overactive female imagination. But I can feel it in my gut—this ain’t some online thing like the cops are pushin’. If we was goin’ out on that limb, we’d have to ask, what would we find perched there?” 

Lisa sipped her drink. “Just speculating, I’d wonder how he’s singling them out, finding abused women to prey on. Do you think it could be a cop?”

“Sure. Or someone who works for one of the Centers, the police department or emergency services, or even a 911 operator. Or anyone with a police scanner.” She picked up a chicken wing, pointing it at Lisa. “Narrows it down to thousands.”

Lisa took out the two copies of the list. They divided the list with a minimum of squabbling, assigning half of the names to Lisa and Eric, and the other half to Jeff and TJ.

“Rollie didn’t narrow it down a whole lot,” TJ grumbled.

“Stay positive. There are eight fewer than we had before.”

TJ dabbed at her lips with a napkin. “Been thinkin’. What if Rollie’s not the only one helpin’ women out?”

Lisa took a deep breath. “I doubt that’s likely, but only because I haven’t gotten wind of even one in the area. Do you think it’s worth calling James Wilson? Feel him out on whether he knows more about it than he told me?”

TJ snickered. “Lotta women would like to feel
him
out. Least they would if he wasn’t such a prick.”

“Can’t hurt to try. I’ll give him a call.”