A.L. Jambor - Where's Audrey? by A.L. Jambor Read Free Book Online

new to add?”
    Mel thought about their conversation. “She didn’t like Audrey very much. She also said the guy moved in there about five months ago. She keeps a record of everything that goes on around her in a notebook. Oh, and she said her dog started barking about three months ago. Apparently, he didn’t before.”
    “Three months.”
    “Yeah. Do you think it means anything?” Mel had her own ideas, but nothing she wanted to think about.
    “It could mean he smells something he doesn’t like. Some strong smell.”
    “Oh.” She looked at her hands. She looked upset.
    “That doesn’t mean it’s a body. He could smell a dead rat. Dogs can smell anything. And it doesn’t have to be close.”
    “A rat?” Mel said.
    “Yeah. There’s water behind that park. They live there. They like to get the grapefruit that falls off the trees.”
    “Oh, God.”
    “I take it you don’t have rats where you come from?”
    “Not in my backyard, no. Mice maybe.”
    “Did she say anything else?” Conner asked.
    “No. I went to the pool and talked to some women there. They said Audrey hadn’t been to the pool since September. They didn’t seem too concerned, which pissed me off.”
    “Why?”
    “Marge said they were her friends.”
    “I think older people define friendship differently than we do,” Conner said.
    “I don’t think so. I just think that group, well, they reminded me of the mean girls in school, only old. Real polite, but totally disinterested in Audrey’s welfare.”
    Conner reached out and put his hand on hers. “We’ll find her.”
    “Why didn’t anyone check on her?” Mel asked. “How could she be out of sight for so long without someone asking why?”
    “They would have if she hadn’t paid the rent.”
    “I asked the woman at the office and she said she’d been paying her rent with money orders.”
    “That wouldn’t leave a trail. It wouldn’t matter who signed them.”
    “I wonder if she gets a check in the mail every month from Social Security,” Mel said.
    “I don’t think they get checks anymore. I think they have to have direct deposit. At least someone like Audrey would. She’s lived in the same place a long time. She had to have a checking account.”
    “And to get the money out, someone would need her signature on a check, right?”
    “Not if she had a debit card.” Conner said.
    “That’s right. Shit.”
    They ate in silence for a while, and when they were done, took their plates to the counter and left.
    “Where do you want to start?” Conner asked.
    “I want to find out if she had a passport.”
    “Then let’s go see the Clerk of Court.”
    They drove to Court Street. The county courthouse there was home to civil cases. Conner knew some of the clerks and knew this courthouse wasn’t as busy as the criminal one on 49th Street. He parked in a paid lot across the street and put in enough coins for an hour.
    They walked inside and Mel was disappointed. She thought it would be more interesting. It looked like any other office building.
    She followed Conner down a hallway and to a window that had the sign “Clerk” over it. A pleasant looking woman came to slide the window open when she saw Conner standing there.
    “Hey,” she said. “How are you?”
    “I’m good.”
    “You’re here on your day off?” she asked, noting his civilian clothes.
    “Yes, Ma’am. Penny, this is Mel. We were wondering if you could help us.”
    “If I can, sure.”
    “Mel’s aunt may have applied for a passport recently, say, within the last three months. Is there any way to look that up?”
    “I can look up the application, but that’s about it. It goes to another department and they aren’t as nice as I am.” She smiled, then turned and went back to her desk. “What’s the name?”
    “Audrey Glenn,” he shouted.
    Penny typed something into her keyboard. “I don’t see any applications in here. I’m gonna go back farther.”
    Penny went back a year and still came