Silver Sparks (16 page)

Chapter
Nine

C
al shifted on the edge of the blue-flowered armchair, facing Tara Kolinowski’s parents on a similarly flowered sofa. More flowers crawled up the drapes and bordered the rug, splashy blue roses unlike anything he’d ever seen in nature. He suppressed the urge to sneeze.

Mrs. Kolinowski folded her hands in her lap. “I’m glad someone is looking into Tara’s case again. It’s so frustrating to try to get answers from a police department a hundred miles away. It seems like they forgot all about Tara.”

“Well, ma’am, like I said, this isn’t an official investigation, and I’m not with the Barringer’s Pass police. But I will be sharing any information I discover with them.”

Mr. Kolinowski leaned forward a little, legs apart as if prepared to make a quick exit if necessary. Maybe he was uncomfortable with the strange flowers, too. “Just what do you think you can discover that the other detective didn’t find?” he asked.

“I don’t know. But it can’t hurt to have a fresh pair of eyes look at the case.”

He nodded his satisfaction, and his wife said, “What can we tell you?”

“Let’s start with the names of the girls who went on the trip with Tara. I understand she worked with one of them, and the other was a friend she’d known for years?”

Mrs. Kolinowski jumped to her feet and crossed to a small rolltop desk in the corner. “I have their names and phone numbers right here,” she offered, coming back with an address book.

He copied the information and set the book on the coffee table. Mrs. Kolinowski bounced up again, put it away, then returned to the sofa, waiting for his next request.

This was great—Tara’s parents couldn’t be more cooperative. “Had Tara been to the Glacier Pass resort before?”

They looked at each other, double-checking, before shaking their heads. “I don’t think so,” her mother said. “Tara’s a good skier, and she likes to try lots of different places.”

“She usually goes to one really nice resort every year,” her husband added. “That’s all she can afford. She always has a roommate to split the cost.”

A twinge of sadness hit him—after eighteen months, Tara’s parents still spoke of her in the present tense. They were the only ones he’d encountered so far who did.

“She doesn’t have any friends in that area, anyone she might have visited?”

Tara’s father looked to his wife, as if she’d be more likely to have that answer. “No,” she said, shaking her head firmly.

He hadn’t expected she would, but it was a good way to lead into the subject he’d really come to talk about.

“Then our best bet is to talk to the people who saw Tara most recently before she went missing. I think some people connected to the case definitely deserve another look.”

Mrs. Kolinowski bit her lip and nodded encouragement.

“For instance, the local people who ski at Glacier Pass. They often meet resort guests on the slopes, then hang around to socialize with them in the evenings.” It was a polite way to refer to the men who hoped to pick up vacationing hot chicks looking for some bedtime recreation. From what he’d heard, Tara had been one of those chicks. “They might remember seeing Tara with someone they recognize.”

“Detective Sanders had a long list of people who were there the night Tara disappeared, including all the employees,” Mrs. Kolinowski said. “He told us he talked with all of them.”

Cal nodded, not wanting to imply that the Barringer’s Pass detective hadn’t done a good job. From what Cal could tell when he’d spoken with him, he had. But local cops were subject to local pressure. If the chief had told Sanders to treat the resident VIPs with kid gloves, he would have, especially without any other reason to suspect them. The scenic real estate and renowned ski slopes around Barringer’s Pass drew a lot of prominent people to the area, people who couldn’t afford to have their names attached to the investigation of a missing girl. People who paid exorbitant taxes that helped keep the local police department well staffed and driving late-model SUVs. There had been no cruisers more than two years old in the station parking lot. Depending on the ethics of the local police chief, that could buy a lot of deferential treatment.

He had to approach this carefully. “It’s possible some witnesses didn’t like the idea of being involved with an investigation. People with images to protect. But that doesn’t mean they don’t know anything, and you might want to press the police to take a second look at anyone like that. Sometimes things that seem insignificant can provide vital clues.”

Mrs. Kolinowski twisted her rings. Mr. Kolinowski appeared suddenly distracted by a clump of blue roses on the rug.

Cal pushed harder. “Some of the waitstaff at the hotel remembered Tara being with a group of people that included a couple of movie actors earlier that week. One of them said Tara seemed intent on meeting as many stars as she could.” What he’d actually said was that Tara was a slut for celebrities, but he couldn’t say that to her parents. Could hardly even think it, sitting in their flowery living room. “She’d been seen having drinks with two
CSI
actors and a rapper earlier in the week.”

“She collects autographs,” Mr. Kolinowski said stiffly.

Is that what the kids called it these days? “Yes, sir,” Cal agreed. “And she’s a pretty girl, and I’m told she likes to meet new people, so I imagine she often had conversations with the celebrities she met.”

Her mother smiled a bit too tightly. “Tara’s always been popular.”

“Did she talk with you while she was there, maybe mention any of the celebrities she’d met?”

“She e-mailed me every day. That’s what she does. She told me about meeting the
CSI
actors and that singer.” She went back to tugging on her wedding ring, sliding it back and forth on her finger. Never taking it completely off, but never leaving it alone.

“Did she happen to mention meeting Rafael De Luca?”

“No.” She shook her head emphatically.

“You recognize the name?”

“Of course, we’ve heard of him,” Mrs. Kolinowski answered for both of them.

Cal had the distinct feeling Rafe’s name had come up before, and not because they were fans of
Trust Fun Brats
. But their faces remained carefully blank. “A couple of the waiters thought they saw her with him the night before she disappeared,” he prodded.

Mrs. Kolinowski shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”

He found that hard to believe, especially if Tara had mentioned the actors and the rapper, whose names weren’t nearly as recognizable as Rafe De Luca’s. For young women interested in celebrity “autographs,” Rafe was a major coup. Certainly exciting enough to write home about, even if she left out the intimate details. “Would you possibly have those last e-mails from Tara?”

“Sorry, we didn’t save them,” Mr. Kolinowski said. “It was over eighteen months ago, you know.” His wife got the ring all the way off this time, before slipping it back over her knuckle.

Cal couldn’t imagine the parents of a missing girl deleting e-mails they’d received from her, especially her final communications with her family. He studied their faces, but they avoided his gaze.

Time to be blunt. “Apparently she talked about him quite a bit the night before. She almost certainly spent time with him Thursday.”

No reaction.

“One of the employees thought she would have willingly left with Rafe Friday night if he’d shown up again.”

Mr. Kolinowski frowned. “Conjecture.”

Mrs. Kolinowski made a fist, holding her rings in place, and didn’t look up.

Cal studied their tight-lipped expressions. “Perhaps I should speak to Rafe De Luca about it.”

“I don’t see the point,” Mr. Kolinowski rushed to say. “He wasn’t there.”

“The point is, he might have been. He was there the night before, and police say he was definitely in town that night. He might have even seen Tara leave.”

Tara’s father scowled his impatience. “Seems to me you’ve got plenty of other people who saw her Friday night. There’s no need to bother with people who
might
have been there. That’s the kind of thing that slows an investigation down.”

Cal’s neck prickled with sudden suspicion. “Is it?” he asked quietly.

He nodded sharply. “Celebrity names come up and folks get distracted from the real focus—Tara.” His voice quivered, and he took a moment to swallow back the emotion. “Look, we don’t care where Rafe De Luca was Friday night, we care where our daughter was. Where she
is
. If you can help us with that, we’d be grateful. If not, I don’t see the point in dragging other names into it and muddying the water.”

Cal’s hopes sank. The De Lucas had gotten to them.

The Kolinowskis were spouting the De Luca spin—we’re famous, Rafe’s name will just distract everyone from looking for Tara, and after all, it’s your daughter who’s the important one here.

The De Lucas knew what they were doing. They’d obviously applied enough ego stroking and feigned concern for Tara to keep Rafe’s name out of it. If the media detected even the tiniest connection between Rafe and the search for a missing girl, it would be headlines. He could end up tried and convicted in the tabloids. The De Lucas would have done whatever they could to stop that.

He stood. “Thank you for talking with me.”

Mrs. Kolinowski raised a pleading gaze to him. “You’ll call if you find out anything? Anything at all?”

“Of course.” Although they’d just reduced his chances significantly. The only progress he’d made was having his worst suspicion confirmed—Tara Kolinowski had almost certainly spent her last night on earth with Rafe De Luca. Now it was only a matter of finding her body.

Cal almost turned off the main street a block before Fortune’s Folly in order to enter the employee lot without passing the storefront. He was glad he didn’t, or he might have missed the sight of Rick Grady being interviewed by a beautiful woman on the sidewalk in front of the boarded-up window of the store. Cal stared as he crept by, traffic going even slower than usual as people gawked at the TV camera and crowds. Probably trying to spot whatever celebrity the press had cornered this time.

Cal wedged his truck into a corner of the employee lot next to a minivan sporting a satellite dish and the legend
Entertainment Tonight
. Maggie and Rick had been busy.

The back door was locked and no one responded to his knock. He pulled out his phone and called Maggie’s cell.

“Hi. I’m at the back door. Can you let me in?”

“Oh, that was you! Be right there.”

Seconds later she opened it, then shut it quickly behind him, throwing the dead bolt. She grinned, using her wrist to brush a few untidy hairs off her face, careful not to touch her face with fingers that appeared to be covered with dust and dirt. “I should have known it was you. No one else bothers to knock, they just walk right in if I don’t keep it locked.”

“The pitfalls of celebrity, huh? Where’s Amber?”

“Out front, peeking through the window at the
ET
reporter. Did you want to talk to—”

He pulled her against his chest and kissed her. She switched gears seamlessly, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back with enthusiasm. It only inflamed the growing need for her that he already had a hard time controlling. He was starting to wonder why he fought it.

He’d been wrong. Maggie wasn’t like Diane. She might have the same incredible passion for life and determination to succeed. She might be impulsive. But she listened to people she trusted, and lately that seemed to include him. She’d consulted him, weighed his advice, something Diane would never have done. Maggie might have reckless impulses, but she allowed him to temper them.

As far as talking himself into a relationship went, it was good reasoning. Plus, he was wearing down Maggie’s resistance. She seemed more interested every time he kissed her.

She pulled away now with a satisfied sigh. “You really are very good at that.”

“I can do more. What do you say we ditch the kid sister for a few hours?”

“Leave Amber on her own?”

“She’s sixteen, Maggie.”

“That’s exactly what I told the cameraman who invited her to meet him at Del Tanner’s bar tonight. She accepted, by the way.”

“Shit.” He’d been responsible at sixteen. What was with kids these days?

Maggie chuckled as he followed her into the shop area. “Were you like that at sixteen?” he asked her.

“Worse, I’m afraid. But you have your work cut out for you.”

As if to prove her point, he saw Amber stand on tiptoe as she let Rick in the front door, looking past him at someone outside. She waved and called, “’Bye, Josh, see you later!”

Like hell she would.

“Cal!” Rick interrupted Cal’s scowl as he strode across the room, more energized than Cal had ever seen him. “Great idea you and Maggie had. They went for it big-time. What do you want to bet you have at least three more stations here tomorrow morning, clamoring for interviews?”

“I didn’t know you were going to turn it into a publicity event.” He wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea, either. He’d prefer that the Rafe-and-Maggie press party died out. Instead, it seemed they’d just cranked up the excitement.