Читать книгу DARK WORK - Barbara Rush - Страница 11

Stefan Eberhardt walked briskly from the University of Tulsa law library to his BMW. It was late. He’d stayed too long, studying for the moot court competition. He’d planned to drop by his mother’s apartment again, to see if she’d ever shown up.

Truth was, Stefan was very worried. His mother, Rosa, was a buyer for Miss Jackson’s, an exclusive Tulsa department store. She traveled extensively, selecting merchandise for the store’s eclectic inventory. Stefan didn’t think too much of it when he didn’t hear from her for weeks at a time. This time, though, she’d been gone for more than two months, calling him only sporadically. In her last phone call, she seemed —- well, troubled. Rosa was always busy, always on the run, and always harried. But it seemed a little more than that. He had rehearsed that phone call in his mind a dozen times.

“Stef? It’s your mother,” she had said. Her voice sounded thin, brittle and not relaxed. Stefan could almost see her brushing her black hair away from a face lined with tension. He could hear faint music and voices in the background, with the occasional rattle of dishes. She was in a bar or maybe a restaurant.

“Hi, mom,” he had said. “Where are you?”

“I’m on my way home,” she said, not really answering the question. “I have one more errand. I will fill you in when I get there tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he had said, trying to keep her on the line, searching for a clue. “I’ve been checking on your apartment, and everything’s okay.”

“Thanks, Stef. I’ll be back in touch soon.” She sounded sad, almost defeated. Or was he imagining it?

“Are you okay, Mom?”

“I’m fine, Stef. I’ll talk to you later.” She started to hang up, and then paused. “Stef …”

“Yeah, I’m still here.”

“I love you, son. I’m very proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom. Hope you feel the same after you see my mid-term grades,” he had quipped.

And that was the end of the conversation. There was something not quite right about it. Or maybe Stef was just tired from all the late-night studying and hadn’t interpreted it correctly. That had been two days ago, though. Rosa had said she would be talking to him the next day. Yet, there was no sign that she had been to her apartment. And what was that message about, telling him she loved him? Was she just trying to encourage him in his studies, or was there something else? It was her demeanor, her tone. Something nagged at him about the conversation. She’d been stressed before, but not like this. There was something in her voice that sounded a lot like dread.

Acting from sheer impulse, Stefan had driven to the airport early yesterday morning before class. His mother always parked at Fine Airport Parking when she went out of town. He drove up and down every row of the parking lot, looking for her yellow Cadillac. It wasn’t there. Had she arrived back in town, and then driven somewhere else? Or had she even flown at all? Maybe it was a short trip, and she had driven her car, in which case she never went to the airport. But Rosa had said she was on her way home, so why wasn’t she there yet? Should he check at the store and see if her car was parked in the parking lot?

Stefan bit his lip, chastising himself for being such a worrier. His mother had been taking care of herself for a long time. She was capable of dealing with her problems. She knew he was available, if she needed help. What else could he do? Nothing.

The next morning, he was up early, reading over his notes for Contracts class and sipping coffee. His cell phone rang.

“Stefan Eberhardt?”

“Speaking.”

“This is Kevin Miller from Miss Jackson’s. I am trying to reach Rosa, and I thought you might know how to get hold of her.”

Stefan’s mouth went dry. “Where did you send her?” he asked, his voice cracking.

Something was definitely wrong. Kevin never called him.

“She’s been on vacation, and then she was going to the Buyer’s Market in Dallas,” Miller said. “She was supposed to be back in the store yesterday morning for an 8:00 staff meeting, and she didn’t show. That’s not like her. She’s usually so punctual. I asked around, and no one has heard from her. She hasn’t picked up her voice mail. So I’m just following through to see if there’s anything wrong.”

“I haven’t heard from her,” Stefan told him. “I’ve been concerned, too. She called me a couple of days ago, on her way home. I don’t think she ever made it.” What vacation? Rosa hadn’t mentioned a vacation.

“Well, it could be that she was detained in Dallas. That happens. She has to meet with manufacturers, wholesalers … you know the drill. Could be she forgot about the staff meeting. I’m not ready to send out the dogs yet.” Miller chuckled. “After all, Rosa is a busy woman. She gets involved in projects and it’s not unusual for us not to touch base for a month. I’ve been gone a lot myself.”

Did Rosa have a boyfriend? Why hadn’t she told Stefan about her vacation?

“I’ll go over to her house and scout around, see what I can find out,” Stefan said. “Your number will be on my cell phone, so I’ll call you back if I find out anything.”

Stefan hung up the phone and stared at it. Sure, Rosa was strong, but what if she was in trouble? Hadn’t it sounded like she was in trouble, the last time he talked to her?

Stefan’s father, Max, had been killed in a motorcycle accident a few months before Stefan was born. A car had swerved in front of him, causing Max to hit his brakes hard and slide sideways into the vehicle. His injuries were so extensive that he died instantly. As a result, Rosa was the only family Stefan had. Rosa’s parents lived in Hamburg and did not speak English. Max’s parents, who had never been friendly to Rosa, did not stay in touch and no one knew where they were. Rosa had moved to the United States when Stefan was a baby and became a U.S. citizen. A significant settlement was paid by the driver who killed Max. Rosa banked the money for Stefan’s education. He’d finished his undergrad studies, and was now enrolled in law school. Thanks to Max, whom he had never met, and Rosa’s wise investments, Stefan had enough for his education and just about anything else he really wanted.

Stefan took out his billfold and extracted an old snapshot his mother had given him. It was the only picture of his father he had. It was a bright day. Max and Rosa, dressed casually, were standing in the doorway of the Red Ox Inn in Heidelberg, their arms around each other. Their faces were partially shaded by the door frame. Stefan had never clearly seen what his father looked like. Rosa said, “See, he looked like you, tall and blonde and handsome.” Although their faces were dim, you could see that they both had wide smiles. That’s how Stefan always thought of his parents, young and happy, standing in the sun that day in Heidelberg, starting out their lives together.

Where was Rosa? Stefan felt like screaming, or throwing something. He tossed his papers into a briefcase and hurried out the door.