Meadowlark by Sheila Simonson Read Free Book Online Page A

anorak, and boots. She looked almost like a farmer--a
morose farmer. A man's tweed cap hid the mahogany hair.
    I led her upstairs and we knocked and called. No response. I
unlocked the door.
    By that time I was half-expecting a gory corpse in the
bathroom. I was relieved not to find one. There was no trace of Hugo,
apart from his belongings. We took a good look around the living
room, and Bianca headed down the short hall.
    I surveyed the living room with a landlady's eye and decided
Hugo was a keeper, even if he was using the front room as a
bedroom. A double futon lay flat on its frame, the bedcovers drawn
up and the pillow plumped. There was no television, but he had set
up an expensive looking CD player and speakers. He had been
reading the Zen master. The book lay on the arm of an easy chair.
The furnishings had a second-hand look, but they were reasonably
tasteful and in good repair.
    I strolled to the small dining table in the corner next to the
utility kitchen. It held a placemat with a few crumbs, a salt and
pepper shaker, and a bottle of vitamin C. In the kitchen, the counter
was clean, but a bowl, a couple of spoons, and a paring knife lay in
the sink. Nothing had molded in the clean, well-stocked refrigerator.
Even the lettuce looked crisp. Staples--cereal, rice, soup,
crackers--stocked the cupboard shelves. Hugo didn't have a lot of dinnerware,
but there was plenty for one, and he had stoneware of a good plain
design. Altogether a decent bachelor establishment.
    Bianca came out of the bedroom, which he had apparently
been using as an office. Her hair was ruffled, and she clutched the
tweed cap.
    I said, "Everything looks normal to me. He told me he used
dope sometimes. Maybe he just decided to hole up in a motel on the
beach with a bong and a book. Don't pot smokers lose track of
time?"
    "Not that much time and not Hugo." She ran a hand through
her hair. "Hell and damn." She glanced around the 'bedroom.' "The
plants look okay."
    Trust a farmer. I hadn't even noticed the plants. Three neat
houseplants, one hairy, two with shiny leaves, sat on one of the wide
sills. I walked over and stuck finger in the soil supporting the hairy
plant. "Feels dry."
    "That's a succulent," Bianca said crossly.
    "Oh." I had so far avoided killing my Boston fern. Otherwise,
my relationships with plants had been fleeting. I looked at the other
sill. "Oops."
    "What?"
    Hugo had placed a small cushion on the sill. It didn't cover
the whole surface. A drinking glass sat in one corner. It held three cut
daffodils. They had wilted.
    Bianca expelled her breath with a whoosh that ruffled her
bangs. "He wouldn't leave flowers to die like that. That means he
hasn't been here in two or three days."
    "No." I had a bad feeling about the daffodils, though Jay
would probably have shrugged. Everything else looked cared-for.
"Hugo's missing, all right. Better notify the police."
    Bianca groaned. "Why did it have to happen now?"
    There was no answer.
    She looked at me, eyes intent. "Will you come to the farm
now?"
    I started to say 'yes' and caught myself. "What could I
do?"
    "Help me question the staff and the interns. Help me look for
him. You're an outsider. You might spot something. Please."
    I drew a breath. "No."
    "Keith will be at work."
    I stared. "I suppose he told you..."
    Her cheeks were red. "He didn't have to. I know Keith. You
were uncomfortable at dinner, and you left as soon as you could
afterwards."
    I caught myself again. I had been about to apologize. I did
feel sorry for Bianca, but she had chosen to seat me next to her
husband.
    My silence got to her. Her shoulders sagged. "Well,
thanks."
    "Hugo will turn up."
    Tears welled. "If he doesn't I'm dead."
    I sighed. "Look, I'll come out Saturday afternoon, if you like,
for a couple of hours. That's if he hasn't reappeared. Meanwhile, I'll
ask Jay to do some checking through the sheriff's office."
    Her face brightened. "Can he do that?"
    "He's a reserve deputy and does consulting for their