Missing in Fairhope

By M. V. Branch

Missing in Fairhope is all about Audrey Baxter, who doesnt look for trouble. But it targets her and finds her when she least expects it. Her profession as a surgical nurse dedicated to helping others is most rewarding. However, in her new location, she would welcome some free time in which she might live her life unhampered by the troubles of others, which lead her into danger.

Fleeing her past, she is a new identitya new personality in a strange, new town in which she can start her young life anew. She is surprised by how much she likes her new location where authorities placed her. Fairhope, Alabama, is a quaint, Southern town with homes and shops showing character and individualism. Audrey loved it at first sight and welcomes the seemingly peaceful atmosphere. But alas! Before she hardly has time to unpack, she learns that the first friend shes made since being there has big trouble! Mandy, as Audrey knows her, has collapsed into a coma at Thomas Hospital where Audrey is employed. This happened after Mandy or Amanda Forester received terrifying news. Missing is Amanda Foresters great-granddaughter, Suzy. Mandy is Fairhopes wealthy matriarch, who lives in a mansion on the bluff overlooking Mobile Bay. Audreys supersleuth instincts kick in as she plans steps to take in solving this mystery.

Henrietta Johnson, a young, light-colored, black woman working as a computer operator at the Grand Hotel joins her in the search. Henrietta is the daughter of Walter Johnson, employed for years by Mrs. Forester as a gardener/handyman.

Walter, sent to pick up Suzy at Mobiles airport, is told by authorities there that the child has been claimed by a look-alike Mrs. Forester with correct identification. On the causeway driving back to Fairhope, Walter insists a bat attacked his windshield, causing his car to run into a ditch. He is hospitalized with bumps, bruises, and an extremely low blood count. Later, others in Fairhope fall prey to this strange malady, including Audrey.

In the meantime, while settling in Fairhope, Audrey wonders if there is some magical ingredient in the water, for she is surrounded by extraordinarily handsome men. First is demanding neurosurgeon, Dr. Alex Poynter, the primary one she assists in OR, and two detectives, Miller and Dennis. These two detectives question her actions in Suzys kidnapping and in the vampire bat incidents. Most magnificent looking of all is her next-door neighbor, Baffling Batt Mann, who performs a magic/mindreading act at the Pub. He befriends her and seems highly protective, but she begins to wonder if he is friend or fiend.

For those with a romantic bent and love of intrigue without the gore of current vampire fiction, this could be your answer to receiving a chill from the possibility of the supernatural.

Look for the next Audrey Baxter mystery.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524658533

M. V. Branch

After a hiatus of seven years, author M. V. Branch is publishing through AuthorHouse again. The manuscript of her latest publication, Missing in Fairhope, has been languishing on a shelf, gathering dust. Branch blew off the dust, presented her work to her publisher, and said, “Let’s have a go at it!” AuthorHouse agreed. This is Branch’s fourth book. She uses her maiden name for her pen name. Branch was born and raised in Kokomo, Indiana. After high school graduation, she married a returning war veteran of WW II. After renewing his studies, her husband received a Degree in Business Administration with distinction from Indiana University. The couple had been blessed with two sons by this time. With her husband pursuing his career, the family of four moved to Huntsville, Alabama. A third son was born there. Now, after relocating to several Alabama cities, totaling 60 years spent in the south, branch feels she is truly a southerner. After a move to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, branch returned to the class room at age 48 while still living a full family life. She earned an associate Degree in Business Administration, magna cum laude, at Wallace Community College in Haleyville, Alabama. Changing her major to literature at Southern Benedictine College in Cullman, Alabama, she took a variety of Liberal Arts courses. After moving to point clear, Alabama, she enrolled at the University of South Alabama, concentrating on creative writing courses. Now a widow, branch divides her time when residing in an apartment in Roswell, Georgia and at her home of over 20 years in point clear, Alabama. She is currently working on a children’s book.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

A udrey Baxter raced at her usual breakneck pace as she darted through the congested corridors on her way toward the main entrance of the hospital. After working a double-shift, she was exhausted, wanting nothing more than to go home, have a light meal and flop into bed. But she halted abruptly in her tracks when she noticed the multitude of people coming into the medical complex through her intended exit.

Most of the group was probably family members or friends calling on patients. After all, it was visiting hours. She quickly turned down another hallway. By changing her customary route, she could duck out through the emergency entrance a short distance away. This new direction actually presented her with a short-cut, literally only a few steps to the parking lot beside the building and her parked Jeep.

Veering to her left, she rushed down this adjacent hallway toward E.R. In her haste, she passed nurses, orderlies and specialists in their busy pursuit of helping the unfortunate, emergency patients. Within one minute, she would be outside.

But all of a sudden, she was jerked backward, restrained from moving forward. Someone or some unknown object had caught hold of a piece of her nurse’s uniform, keeping her frozen in motion. What the…?

Doing a double-take, she figured out her problem. While passing two orderlies guiding a gurney in transporting a patient to one of the examining rooms in the emergency wing, the patient had managed to reach out, tightly gripping a substantial fragment of her uniform. Peering down, Audrey saw a frail, bony hand clutching the hem of her tunic. She saw that the emergency victim was an elderly woman, a bluish pallor on her face and a head of white hair in wild disarray. Appearing shrunken in the folds of the white blanket covering her, the older woman was holding Audrey’s light-blue, nurse’s outfit in a death-like grip. She looked more like a cadaver than a living person. Audrey was amazed by the woman’s strength, and tried to gently pry the unbelievably-strong fingers from her clothing. The orderlies watched impatiently, looking on.

Once she had freed herself, the two men lunged forward with the gurney.

Audrey! the elderly patient cried out as she was wheeled onward.

What? Who in the world? Audrey was dumfounded. How did the lady obviously in trouble know her name? Audrey’s John Henry wasn’t that ordinary.

Wait! she called after the orderlies as they disappeared into an examining room. She ran after them.

In the all-white, sterile room already crowded with the patient on the gurney and the two men, she bent over the form on the stretcher.

Audrey, I must speak with you, the elderly woman wailed in desperation.

But…but… sputtered Audrey, completely taken back. Had she met this woman in the short time she’d lived in Fairhope? The woman did not look familiar.

It is I, Amanda Forester. I need your help, honey! the frantic woman exclaimed.

Stretching her memory, Audrey was able to place the woman’s identity by picturing her with her hair in a neat, tidy bun and glasses perched on her nose. Only then, was the frail woman recognizable. Mandy? Is it really you? What is your problem? How can I help? Audrey questioned in her excitement.

Of course, she’d met the lady. In fact, they’d become fast friends within a very short time. I’m Amanda Forester…but just call me Mandy. Everyone does, the older woman instructed her with her hand outstretched at their first meeting in front of Mandy’s mansion on the bluff.

In making her move to Fairhope possible, a position at Thomas Hospital was easily found. It took awhile before Audrey was sufficiently settled in her new digs, a second-story apartment located a couple of blocks west of downtown Fairhope and within a short stroll to the Fairhope Pier. The four-apartment complex was called Bay View. The ad in the local newspaper she answered claimed the tenants had a clear view of Mobile Bay. But Audrey found the only view of the Bay from the apartment could be realized by stretching sideways precariously at a window in the bathroom. It seemed that a larger, newer apartment building had been built, blocking the view to the west. She rented the apartment anyway; for outside on the front sidewalk, one could see down the street to the Fairhope Pier, look across the Bay and make out the outline of Mobile.

Her very first shopping experience was at a Fairhope bike shop. While she was shown bicycles of every description, she was surprised to spy a model with balloon tires. It looked brand new, but she knew it couldn’t be.

I like this one, she announced quietly. I learned to ride a bicycle on one like this.

The shop’s owner looked disappointed but quickly recovered. I happened to see it in a yard sale. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Mint condition! It’d been stored in an attic for years. I was planning to use it for display. Oh, heck, I guess I could let you have it at a price.

Audrey knew she was paying a premium price; the merchant had probably picked up the bike for a song, but she really wanted this particular bike.

Tires might be hard to come by, the salesman added.

She began biking excursions through her immediate neighborhood for the purpose of staying trim and fit, and also, to acquaint herself with this section of town. By starting in front of the apartment building, she was able to ride the bicycle down the street, go pass the entrance to the Pier and pedal furiously up the incline to the top of the hill, where she could coast and catch her breath. Once she’d reached this goal, she could leisurely ride past the old, southern mansions on the bluff overlooking Mobile Bay. Then, with her feet completely off of the pedals, it was exhilarating to fly down the bluff’s roughly-paved road toward the town. In this manner, riding her bike uphill tested her stamina, the view of the water and the Pier below was spectacular, and the hasty descent was excitement for her day.

It was on one of these jaunts that she’d met Mandy, the first real friend she made in Fairhope. She’d paused briefly in front of the largest mansion to watch a black man plant an array of bedding plants in the portion of the yard nearest the street. The plants were already flowering. It was breathtaking as the yard came to life with the many, beautiful colors. Enthralled, the onlooker hadn’t noticed the elderly woman bent over as she packed the earth down around the new plants. So Audrey was surprised when Mandy had come forward to greet her. I’ve wanted to meet you. I’ve watched you ride by, the picture of youth and good health. I especially love your auburn hair. Can you please come in for a cup of tea?

Needless to say, Audrey accepted the invitation. She was eager to see the interior of the mansion, and the older woman’s offer of hospitality seemed so sincere. But now, there was another matter at hand.

Oh, I was praying I’d run into you, Mandy cried out again. I need your help!

What is it, Mandy? Are you in pain? the young woman in the blue pantsuit asked.

No, no, the patient raised her arm and waved her hand negatively, impatiently. I guess I passed out, and a neighbor called 911. I’ll be all right, but…but it’s Suzy!

Audrey had never heard Mandy mention any Suzy in their conversations. Who is Suzy?

My granddaughter! She’s missing! the ailing woman gasped, her voice growing weaker.

The dancer? Audrey quickly inquired.

Not Myra. Her daughter…my great… her voice trailed off.

Stay with me, Mandy! Audrey ordered. I need to know more before I can help. The doctor will be here soon to help you, but can you tell me more?

Appearing as if deranged, the woman in her weakened state strained to rise up, but Audrey gently pushed her down. There, there. Just lie quietly and explain if you can, Audrey offered in her most professional manner. She could see her elderly friend fighting to get her words out. She looked so pitiful.

I didn’t feel well, so I sent Walter to the airport to pick her up. They were sending her to me like some sort of package or baggage. Some sort of custody battle was going on. And she’s only six years old and deaf. She never arrived. Or at least Walter couldn’t find her. He called from the airport, confused. He said there was a search being conducted at the air terminal!

The elderly woman broke into sobs.

Take it easy, Mandy. Go slow so I can understand what you’re saying. Is Suzy still missing? Did Walter find her? Audrey asked, trying to put Amanda Forester’s frantic story together. Suzy would have to be Myra’s child, although Mandy had never mentioned her. And of course, Walter had to be the man servant, who Mandy used as a handy man and chauffeur.

In answer to Audrey’s questions, the older woman struggled again to get her words out. Don’t know…and now Walter is missing! Mandy’s wail turned into a desperate whimper before she closed her eyes and was silent.

Don’t leave me now, Mandy! Audrey cried out, bending over the comatose patient just as a man in a scrub outfit rushed into the room.

What are you doing to this patient? he screamed at her. You have no business in here. Brushing her aside in a rough manner, he glanced only at her identification badge on the front of her tunic. Go to Surgery West where you belong. You most certainly do not belong here.

Audrey wanted to shout back at him. However, the words, "who do you think you are", died in her throat, unspoken when she realized just who he was. Dr. Alex Poynter was her superior and didn’t belong in E.R. either. She wondered what he was doing here. Added recently as a member of the hospital’s staff, he had the reputation of being a gifted neurosurgeon. Most of the nurses on the surgical floor were swooning over him. Having seen him only at a distance, she was aware he was handsome. But now…up close, his good looks nearly took her breath away. Discombobulated by his nearness and with Mandy’s disturbing tale haunting her, she remained frozen, looking helpless.

Her thoughts were muddled. She was terribly weary, Mandy’s plea for help had unnerved her, she felt a migraine headache coming on, and the good doctor’s explosive outburst hadn’t helped. She watched as he strode to the doorway and addressed the two orderlies in the hall, who were leaning against the wall.

I desperately need a blood pressure reading! he shouted. One orderly quickly disappeared.

I wasn’t prepared for this, the doctor stated, shaking his head and waving an arm toward Amanda Forester lying prone. Bring me some tools, the necessary equipment. I need to thoroughly examine this patient.

The second orderly also vanished. Only then did the doctor notice Audrey’s presence in the room as she stood like a statue. Are you still here? I ordered you to leave. Now go!

Audrey got. That she was in the wrong place was a fact, but the angry M.D. did not know the circumstances. However, she rationalized: Mandy was in good hands and probably, couldn’t tell her any more than she had. It was time for an investigation into the troubled woman’s story. It looked as if Audrey was it in a complicated game of hide-and-seek, one she hadn’t chosen. She could find herself involved in some sort of trouble if she helped Mandy. But she had no choice. Where, oh where should she start?

Once she was sitting in her Jeep, she took some comfort by mentally lashing out at the high and mighty Dr. Poynter. The dumbass didn’t even let me explain, she screamed within the confines of her Jeep. She wanted to cry, but raged within instead. It was all she could do to restrain herself from marching back into E.R., where she’d tell him to go to hell. But she’d been warned, ordered to avoid confrontations, not draw attention to herself. In frustration, she rested her head against the steering wheel, counting endlessly beyond ten. Unbidden tears washed off what little makeup she’d applied earlier. Tendrils of auburn hair were escaping from the elastic band holding back her abundant hair. She knew she looked a mess. In vexation, the nurse took delight recalling the lines in Alex Poynter’s face and the gray strands amongst the dark, brown ones.

He may be good-looking, but he has a bad disposition and he’s not so young! she insisted aloud. But as she drove away, she had to admit the facial lines could be those denoting character and the gray hairs rightly earned. And Alex Poynter had the good type of genes to remain handsome forever.

CHAPTER TWO

S o engrossed with murderous thoughts of the neurosurgeon, Audrey slowed down when she realized she was driving aimlessly. And she hadn’t zeroed in on a plan to help find Mandy’s missing great-grandchild. Never having staged an investigation before in her life, Audrey didn’t have the slightest notion of where to begin. She felt certain it was crucial to start at once while the trail was, so to speak, warm. But she was weary and hungry. And her temper hadn’t cooled since being evicted so dramatically from the emergency room by Dr. Poynter. Without seeking the sleep and nourishment she needed, she drove to Amanda Forester’s home on the bluff as her starting place. She would follow a theory drummed into her head by her deceased father. If the job in front of you seems overwhelming, take baby steps forward; you’ll get to your goal eventually, he’d directed her on various occasions.

When asked, Mandy’s neighbors knew nothing of Walter’s whereabouts and even less about Mandy’s great-granddaughter called Suzy. They did reveal their knowledge of Amanda’s squabble with first her son and then, a misunderstanding with his daughter, Myra. The neighbors on both sides of the Forester property offered character sketches of Amanda. It was said she was stern and strong-willed and could be disagreeable and stubborn. From bits and pieces of gossip heard at the hospital, Audrey suspected this might be true. However, she shut her ears; Mandy had been sweet and good to her, and Audrey loved her. All that mattered was how helpless Mandy was at this point and needed assistance.

One neighbor, Margaret Jones, gave her a lead by telling her that Walter’s daughter worked at the Grand Hotel and lived near her employment. After thanking Mrs. Jones, Audrey drove along the Bay to the Grand Hotel at Point Clear, a retirement and resort community. At the reception desk, she acted totally flustered as she attempted to explain her errand as best she could. She hadn’t thought to ask Walter’s daughter’s name. And she didn’t even know Walter’s last name. What a joke she was as an investigator!

The desk clerk, attractive in a rugged way, looked as though he belonged on a tennis court instructing would-be tennis players instead of standing behind the reception desk. He was patient and polite, perhaps because of her nurse’s uniform and her incoherent babbling about it being an emergency. Finally, she was able to make him understand that the hotel employee she was seeking had a father named Walter who was employed by Mrs. Forester. This worked like magic. The blond clerk spoke to a young, black woman working on a computer behind him.

Henrietta, isn’t your father’s name Walter? The one who drives Mrs. Forester here for lunch all the time?

Yes! What about my dad? the computer operator asked with an alarmed look on her face as she sprang up from her chair to confront Audrey. What’s wrong with my dad? she demanded.

Audrey realized most everyone would react as Henrietta had, given the same circumstances. She imagined that a strange woman in a nurse’s uniform didn’t come asking about Henrietta’s father every day of the week. Nothing that I know of, she quickly assured the wide-eyed woman with a honey-colored complexion.

I’m only looking for him. When she saw the puzzlement on the features of the hotel’s employee, she added, May we talk in a quiet place?

Henrietta nodded.

The two women seated themselves in a corner of Bucky’s Lounge. A waiter came to take drink orders. I guess I’ll just have water with lemon, Audrey requested before turning to Henrietta, Would you mind if I ordered a sandwich? she asked, almost pleading. I haven’t eaten for hours and am famished.

Of course not, Audrey’s companion answered sympathetically. I’ll have a coke and you can eat while we talk. She looked apprehensive.

Audrey recognized how eager the woman across the table from her was to hear the reason for her visit. She took a deep breath before launching into Mandy’s story. The first baby step of her investigation was complete. She hoped the next step would be as easy as finding Henrietta had been.

CHAPTER THREE

T he oyster po’boy was delicious. Audrey wolfed it down as if she was afraid someone was going to take the plate away. She was embarrassed eating in this unladylike manner, but she was ravenous, and time was wasting. She needed to find Walter before nightfall. Talking while she ate, she’d still managed to study Henrietta. The black woman was stunning. To label her black seemed a misnomer, for the skin of the woman before her was not the dark color of her father. Instead, her complexion was honey-colored, a lovely contrast against her ebony-black hair. She could easily pass for white. Audrey had seen Walter only a few times and never up close. But from a distance, he reminded her of Morgan Freeman, the actor. Perhaps this was only because she associated the similarity of the relationship between Mandy and Walter to the character roles of the two actors in the movie, Driving Miss Daisy.

Henrietta listened intently as Audrey recounted Mandy’s story. She interrupted only once toward the end of the tale.

You say he called from the airport? she asked.

Yes, the nurse answered, wiping her mouth with a napkin. She’d devoured the entire sandwich, gobbled down every French fry and was eyeing the dill pickle, something she’d never much liked.

According to Mandy…Mrs. Forester, he was promised that a search for Suzy would be conducted. So they must have believed him.

This was last night or early this morning? the female, hotel worker questioned, obviously mulling over all that she’d heard.

You got it, or at least that’s Mandy’s story. And now she’s in a coma, Audrey repeated for the umpteenth time.

Henrietta shook her head and sighed. I haven’t seen dad for several days. This isn’t unusual, but I am disturbed by all of this. She looked worried as she added, Let me get some help on this. My cousin, Jessie, is a valet out front. I’ll ask him. Saying this, she rushed from the lounge and headed back to the reception desk.

Jessie Johnson, as dark as Walter, was a tall, skinny youth in his early twenties. A guilty, defiant look appeared on his face after Audrey asked if he might join them so she could question him. She guessed that any time something bad happened in the area, he and other young blacks his age were hauled in by the authorities for questioning. He seemed relieved when Henrietta asked him if he’d seen her father lately. Seeming self-conscious in the ill-fitting, hotel uniform…two sizes too large for him, he hesitated before answering as if he was being cautious of what came out of his mouth.

However, Jessie relaxed as he spoke, Yeah, saw him yesterday. He asked me to gas up his car while he shaved and showered.

The Johnson clan lived in houses clustered together near the hotel. All of them were comfortable in each other’s houses, just one large, congenial family. Said he was going to the airport, running an errand for Miss Forester, he informed them before adding. Seemed nervous when he took off like a rocket after I brought his car back from the gas station.

When was this? the newly, self-appointed investigator asked impatiently.

Before supper. Uncle Walter wrapped up a sam’wich to eat on the way’, Jessie offered, giving more information than was requested.

And you haven’t seen him since? Audrey insisted.

No, ma’am, he replied.

What about his car? Henrietta queried, chiming in. Seen it?

Naw!

Thanks, Jessie. If you see him, let us know, Audrey instructed. The valet considered himself dismissed. He left.

The two women were silent with their thoughts. Audrey mentally crossed off the second baby step of her investigation. This one hadn’t been hard, either. But now what?

CHAPTER FOUR

T wo women, one dressed in a light-blue, nurse’s uniform with a mass of auburn hair, the other an attractive, light-colored black, entered the lobby of the Mobile Regional Airport. Henrietta had insisted on accompanying Audrey who indicated she was heading for Mobile’s airport, her third step to search for Walter and for answers. And Walter’s daughter offered to do the driving across Mobile Bay, through the busy, late-afternoon traffic in Mobile and west on Airport Boulevard to the air terminal. The weary nurse hadn’t argued. She was bone-tired, having worked two shifts before the missing child episode was tossed in her lap.

Working the 11 P.M. to 7 A.M. shift wasn’t usually tiring. She was on standby, a surgical assistant whose skill was only required when there was an emergency, surgical procedure. However, she was known to answer calls from patients on the surgical floor who couldn’t sleep for some reason or other. This relieved the night-shift nurses somewhat. Sometimes, Audrey could doze a little. But last night was exceptional: There’d been several emergencies requiring surgery. The first shift seemed to run right into her usual one, where she assisted members of the surgical staff of Thomas Hospital in their performance of scheduled operations. This afternoon, she’d clocked in with sixteen hours!

Pausing just inside the air terminal, Audrey glanced across the lobby to the ticket counters of the various airlines. Delta Airlines was the only one with a line of people in front of it. These people, potential passengers, were picking up tickets, confirming reservations or checking in their luggage. Many Delta flights landed in Atlanta after a short hop. Once there, the majority of passengers scattered through one of the busiest terminals in the world, seeking the correct connection for continuing their journeys to a given destination. It was said that to travel anywhere by plane, one had to go through Atlanta.

Audrey thought Delta Airlines the most logical choice for Suzy’s flight from New York. Eyeing the long line, she decided the ticket counter wasn’t the best place to start. Motioning to Henrietta to follow, they proceeded across the lobby to the escalator. They rode it to the second floor of the building. After watching her step upon exiting the escalator, Audrey looked up and was surprised to see a security guard standing near the airport’s gift shop. This could be a good place to continue this step of her investigation. With Henrietta trailing her, she approached the middle-aged man in a gray uniform. He seemed to come to attention when the women moved toward him.

Sir? Audrey began.

Yes, Ma’am, he questioned, looking first at her and then at Henrietta.

We’re looking for a black man by the name of Walter Johnson. He was sent here by his employer to pick up a little girl flying alone from New York. He reported back that she wasn’t here. It would have been about this time of day. He hasn’t returned home. I wonder if you remember him.

She turned