Her Last Day (Jessie Cole #1)(27)
“She’s been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. She suffers from depression, hallucinations, and delirium, which sometimes happens when she overmedicates by mistake.”
“How old is she?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“You said she’s disappeared before. Where does she usually go?”
His shoulders fell. “I have no idea. I work for a software company, and there were a couple of times I came home and she wasn’t there. But she’s also left the house in the middle of the night when I’m sleeping, so I’ve never had the chance to follow her. She’s usually home within twenty-four hours.” He looked down at his lap. “Until now.”
“Was she left alone during the day?”
“The last caregiver quit within hours and didn’t bother telling me until I called her looking for Zee.”
“Is Zee her nickname?”
“It’s short for Zinnia. Her mother named her after the flower. Is that important?”
“No,” she said. “It’s not. Has Zee ever told you anything about where she goes when she runs off?”
He shook his head. “She’s usually disoriented and confused when she returns. That’s what happens when she doesn’t take her pills.”
“I see.”
“Do you really?” he asked, his face pinched. “Or are you saying that because you think I’m crazy?”
“Why would I think you were crazy?”
“Because of the way I look. I hear what people say behind my back. I’m not deaf.” He huffed. “I’m as pale as a ghost. My head is way too big for my body. And throughout grade school my nickname was Dumbo, thanks to my enormous ears.” His tone sharpened. “I’ve heard whispers about Zee running off because I’m so hideously ugly.”
People’s cruelty had no bounds. “You’re not ugly.”
“So why did you practically jump out of your skin when I took a seat?”
“Because you are unusually pale, just as you said. And between the dark circles and sheen of sweat on your brow, I thought you might be having a heart attack.”
He seemed to ponder that before he said, “Fair enough.”
“What’s your name?” she asked, hoping to change the subject.
“Arlo Gatley.”
She opened the top drawer, ignored the pepper spray rolling around, and grabbed a pricing sheet instead. She slid the paper across the desk in front of him. “As you can see, it can get costly for you to hire me to search for Zee, which is why you might want to reconsider letting the police handle this.”
He closed his eyes—sort of a long, exasperated blink. “Money isn’t a problem.”
“I charge by the hour, and I would need a retainer,” she said. “I’m going to assume you’ve already looked for your daughter in all of her favorite spots. I’ll need you to fill out some paperwork if you’re interested in moving forward.”
She pulled out another small packet with a list of basic questions: name, address, telephone number, hobbies, favorite restaurants, friends and family, and so on. She was having a hard time building up enthusiasm for the job, mostly because she had a lot on her plate. But he looked into her eyes just then, and for the first time since Arlo entered her office, she saw through his frustration. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. His eyes welled with tears as he said, “I’ll be forever in your debt. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said with a smile.
“If I fill out these papers right now and write you a check, when would you be able to begin your search?”
“Today,” she said. “Fill out those papers, and I’ll get started.”
He released a sob, and it took everything not to cry along with him. Seeing him so distraught reminded her of how she’d felt when Sophie had disappeared. She didn’t wish that kind of pain on anyone.
He grabbed another tissue and wiped his nose. “There is one more thing you should know about Zee before you agree.”
“What is it?”
“When you find her,” he said as if that was a given, “you’ll need to be careful.”
Jessie lifted a questioning eyebrow.
“She’s been known to be violent at times.”
“How so?”
“She’ll kick and bite if someone tries to restrain her. She’s strong, too. She broke my finger once. She didn’t mean to, of course; it was an accident.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, but I am curious about something.”
He nodded, waited.
“How did you hear about me?”
“I saw you on the news recently, but that wasn’t the reason I came to you. It was three or four years ago when you found that fifteen-year-old girl—”
He paused, trying to remember, so Jessie said, “Tonya Grimm?”
“Yes, that’s the one. Everyone else had given up on finding her, thought she was a runaway. Some people even accused the parents of having something to do with her disappearance. But not you. You didn’t give up. And you found her.”
SIXTEEN
Arlo Gatley remained in Jessie’s office for another hour and a half, filling out paperwork and talking about Zee. Apparently his daughter heard voices. Zee talked to herself, even got into arguments with her reflection in the mirror. She’d once hidden inside a mail truck, and twice she’d made herself at home at the neighbor’s house. The first time she was making a sandwich, and the second time she was asleep in the master bedroom. Two years ago she was fired from her job at a large retailer after she slapped a customer across the face for being rude. All the stories combined made Jessie realize that this girl could be absolutely anywhere.