Long Road to Mercy

Chapter 28

Carol Blum adjusted the mirror on Pine’s Mustang so she could see better.

It appeared to her that Ed Priest had done well for himself. He and his family lived in an upscale community in Bethesda, Maryland. Their home was a two-story brick painted white, with a three-car side-load garage. The landscape was nicely done, all water-loving flowers and sweeping lawns, which was quite foreign to Blum.

And all that mulch! She shuddered.

She stiffened a bit when the car pulled out of the garage and headed down to the street.

Mary Priest was driving, and two young boys were in the backseat.

As the Lexus SUV passed by, Blum caught a glance at Priest’s profile through the open car window.

The face was pale, the features pinched, the cheeks reddened.

The woman had obviously experienced a hellish time and was probably continuing to do so, although it appeared that Mary Priest and her sons had been released from the protective custody that Pine had arranged.

Blum fell in behind Priest, and the two cars made their way out to one of the main arteries leading into downtown Bethesda. The children were clearly school-age, but it was possible that after what had happened Mary had decided to keep them home from classes.

She followed at a discreet distance in light traffic. The Mustang did tend to stand out.

The Lexus pulled to a stop in front of a building on a side street in Bethesda. The sign out front proclaimed it to be one of those educational centers where kids went to bone up on math and English and other subjects. Priest got out and led her sons into the building, while Blum found an open space across the street.

Five minutes later Priest came back out, but she didn’t get into her car. She started walking down the street. Blum got out of her car and followed.

It was nearly noon, and Blum wondered if the woman was going to do some shopping while waiting for her kids. And then Priest swerved into a building.

Blum quickly followed.

It was a movie theater.

Priest bought a ticket and Blum purchased one for the same movie.

She trailed Priest down the hall and into the theater.

It was empty.

Priest took a seat in the middle, while Blum took the same seat several rows behind.

She settled down and waited. Her first thought was that Priest was waiting for someone, but the woman was not checking her phone or watch or looking toward the entrance. She just stared down at her hands.

As the previews came on, Blum decided to risk it.

She got up from her seat and moved to Priest’s row, taking the chair one over from the woman.

Priest didn’t even look up. She seemed lost in thought.

This gave Blum a chance to study the woman. She looked to be no more than forty, petite with dirty-blond hair that fell to her shoulders. Trim and fit looking, she was dressed in cream-colored slacks, flat shoes, and a light blue short-sleeved shirt that showed off defined, tanned arms. Her Kate Spade handbag sat in the chair next to her.

She dabbed at her eyes with her hand. Then the tears came more fiercely and she put her head in her hands.

Blum opened her purse, took out a packet of tissues, and handed them across.

Priest saw them, jerked up, and looked over at Blum. But when she focused on the older woman next to her, she instantly relaxed, smiled briefly, and thanked her. She took out a few tissues and handed the packet back. She wiped her eyes clear and then blew her nose.

“I... I think it’s allergies,” said Priest, not meeting Blum’s eye.

“I think it might just be life,” said Blum. “I’ve sat in my share of theaters with ‘allergy’ problems.”

Priest laughed lightly and looked embarrassed. “I didn’t even want to see this movie. I just picked it because it was playing now.”

“I did the same thing,” said Blum. “Just wanted to get out and about.”

“I’m Mary.”

“Carol,” said Blum. They shook hands. “It’s nearly lunchtime, if you’d prefer that. At my age, I look forward to meals. And you look like you could use something to eat.”

“I can’t remember the last time I ate. Do you... live around here?”

“No, I’m visiting from another part of the country. I have friends here, but they’re working today. Do you know a good place to eat?”

“I do.”

“Shall we?”

Priest laughed. “I’ve got some time to kill, so what the hell?”

They walked outside, and Priest led Blum over to another street.

“It’s a French-style café. The menu’s good, though a little rich, and I could use some wine, actually.”

Blum nodded appreciatively. “Sounds fine to me. I long ago stopped counting calories and restricting my alcohol consumption.”

“I really look forward to those days,” said Priest wistfully.

They were led to a table in the back by the greeter.

As they settled in and looked over their menus, Blum said, “I know this sounds like a cliché, but I’m a good listener. I have six kids and I’m divorced, and no, it wasn’t amicable. I’ve got lots of grandkids, some I still haven’t seen. I’ve traveled widely and experienced pretty much everything, so if you want to talk, I can give you an excellent armchair quarterback analysis.”

Priest smiled and rubbed at her eyes. “God, it was like you were dropped from Heaven right when I needed you.”

“Sometimes the world works in mysterious ways.”

They ordered two glasses of merlot, and each took a sip before Priest plunged in.

“This is going to sound crazy, even to someone like you.”

“Okay.”

“It’s my husband.”

“That doesn’t sound crazy at all.”

“No, no, you don’t understand. He’s not cheating on me or anything. Ed’s a good guy.”

“So what’s the issue, Mary?”

Priest shook her head. “You’re not going to believe me.”

“I assure you that I will.”

“My husband. Well, it started with his brother.”

“What did?”

“His brother is into something, I’m not sure what. And now we’re sucked into it too.”

“Into something? Do you mean criminal?”

“That’s just it, I don’t know. What I can tell you is that my husband left on a trip without telling me where he was going. He’s never done that. He’s as vanilla as they come. He’s a CPA, for God’s sake.”

“Is he back yet?”

“No, and here’s the other thing. The frigging FBI came to our house and said they were there to protect us.”

“Good Lord! And you think it was connected to your brother-in-law?”

“It has to be. I mean none of this stuff ever happened before.”

“Have you spoken to your husband?”

“Not since he left. I’m terrified. I have no idea if he’s okay or not.”

“But you’re no longer being guarded? I mean here you are out and about without armed guards.”

“That’s the other strange thing. They just upped and left. They said everything was fine. False alarm.”

“What did you do?”

“I did what any wife would do. I blew a fucking gasket, pardon my language.”

“I would have, too.”

“I was screaming at these guys. ‘Where’s my husband? What’s going on? Why are you involved?’”

“And what did they tell you?”

“Absolutely nothing. They just left. I got on my phone and started calling around to all of Ed’s friends and business associates. But none of them had heard a thing.”

“And his brother?”

“I called him too, but he didn’t answer. I left a bunch of messages. Nothing. The jerk. He has little enough to do with us, really. And now this!”

“But you don’t know for sure that he is involved in all this.”

“Then why hasn’t he called me back?”

“Does he live nearby?”

“In Old Town. Old Town Alexandria. It’s in northern Virginia, just across the river.”

“Have you been to see him?”

“I drove over there the same day the FBI left. I knocked and knocked. No answer.”

“I suppose you don’t have a key? You could have checked to see if he was all right. He might be injured or something.”

In answer Mary rummaged through her purse and took out a key. “I do. Ed had one from a while back. His brother probably forgot all about it. It was when he was out of town for an extended period and he needed Ed to go over and check on things.”

“So, did you go in?”

“I was afraid to. Besides, there’s an alarm system and I don’t know the code, only Ed did. And we never go there.”

“That is a remarkable story. I wish I had some advice to offer, but I truly wasn’t expecting something like that. I was just assuming it was some sort of domestic issue, or something with work or extended family.”

“I know, but it was just a relief to tell someone. I felt like I was going nuts. I really did. And then you showed up like an angel.”

Blum felt a pang of guilt at the woman’s words, but her loyalty was not to this woman. There were bigger issues at stake.

“I’m just glad our paths crossed,” said Blum with all sincerity.

They ordered their food and talked while they ate.

Blum said, “I think you should keep trying to call your husband, but don’t go back over to your brother-in-law’s house. If the FBI is involved, there might be something dangerous going on. You need to think about your own safety and that of your kids. At this point, I think you just do nothing. If your brother-in-law is into something criminal, you don’t want to get in the middle of that.”

“But should I report Ed missing? I mean, he is missing. My God, I can’t even believe I’m saying this. My poor husband.”

Blum looked at her thoughtfully. “Give it a day. Then you can think seriously of doing that. I’m very sorry this has happened to you. You strike me as a good and caring person. And obviously none of this is your doing.”

Priest’s face crinkled up and tears slid from her eyes.

“I know. I mean life is complicated enough without this crap. I’ve got two sons to raise. And Ed provides a great living, but he has to work crazy hours. For most of the time it’s just me and the kids. Until now that was fine. But now, I mean, I have no idea where Ed is.”

They started chatting about their respective families, and after their meal was done Blum said, “Why don’t you go to the bathroom and wash your face? Your makeup’s not running, so there’s no worries there, but your eyes are awfully puffy and red. Here.” She pulled a bottle of Visine from her purse and handed it to Priest. “I’ll watch your things. And I insist on paying for lunch.”

“Oh, no, you really don’t have to do that.”

“It’s the least I can do after all you’ve suffered.”

Later, the two women walked to the education center, where they parted company.

“Thank you so much, Carol.”

“I didn’t really do anything.”

“Yes, you did. You listened, and you believed me. That’s enough.”

The women shook hands and Blum walked back to her car.

Inside, she opened her purse and took out the key to Ben Priest’s home, which she’d slipped from Mary’s purse while she’d been in the restroom.

The price of lunch had been well worth it.

And maybe she and Pine could find Mary Priest’s husband. Preferably alive.