“Sometimes they do it because the old name is just too hard to pronounce,” said David. “Or they don’t want to sound foreign.”
“It’s probably just a weird coincidence,” said Diane, “but I’d like to investigate the possibility.”
“What you’re thinking is that the Walters family doesn’t want the connection made between them and their Mad Potter relative,” said David. “Assuming the Mad Potter was a Gauthier, and the Walters are really the Gauthiers.”
“I think it may be a possibility,” said Diane. “The Walters are a prominent family. Gordon Walters, the oncologist in Gainesville, is testing the waters for a run for Congress. He, or his father, Everett Walters, might want to keep the skeletons in the closet.”
“Who wouldn’t want to keep these skeletons hidden?” said Neva. She shivered and pushed her hair back behind her ears. “I gave the facial reconstruction drawings to Hanks. He’s going to show them around some of the area retirement homes. He doesn’t hold out much hope that anyone will remember them after so long, but there’s always a chance.”
“You did a good job on the drawings. I hope we get some hits,” said Diane.
“You know,” said Izzy, “I think we need to have our own Web site where we can post Neva’s reconstructions. A lot of people have computers these days. Who knows? We might get some hits there.”
Izzy wore jeans and a T-shirt like the rest of her team usually wore. He started out with slacks and button-up shirts. Diane was glad to see that he had adapted well to her team. Not that he should dress like them, but she wanted him to feel a part of the team, to identify with them. Not everyone could.
“Good idea,” said Diane. “Would you like to do it?”
Izzy raised a hand as if shoving the idea away from himself. “I’m just learning about computers. But good ol’ David here…”
“I think it’s a good idea too,” said David. “It wouldn’t be hard. The hard part is to make it so people can find it. Your average person doesn’t go surfing for missing persons. But we can give it a try.”
“Okay, in your spare time, then, go ahead,” said Diane. “Neva, I want you to remember everything you can about the black Escalade you saw. Did it have any stickers on it? Did it have a front plate that identified the dealership? Anything?”
“I’ve gone over it in my head,” said Neva. “I believe it had a UGA parking sticker on the front window, but I’m not sure. It didn’t have a dealer plate, or any front plate.”
“Find out if anyone among the Gainesville families we discussed has a car like that,” said Diane.
“Will do,” said Neva. “I can probably get a list of Cadillac Escalades registered on the UGA campus. You want me to do a little investigating and see if the Tyler guy might be a hiker?”
“Yes,” said Diane. “But would he wear his good hiking boots except when he was hiking? Jin doesn’t.”
Neva grinned broadly. “We start judging what perps might do based on Jin’s behavior and no telling what we might come up with,” she said, and they all laughed. “If they’re really comfortable, and I’m guessing they would be, then he might like them in a high-risk situation.”
Diane nodded and turned to David. “Have you been able to identify any of the fingerprints you found on the objects in the well?”
“I haven’t run them yet,” he said. “That’s on my schedule for this morning.”
“Be sure to include the database of people who’ve been bonded,” said Diane.
David put a hand over his heart. “Have you ever known me not to be thorough?” he said.
“Never,” said Diane. “I’m just looking for reasons for a judge to grant a warrant.”
“I hear you,” said David. “We will scour the evidence.”
Diane’s cell vibrated in her suit pocket. She pulled it out and looked at the display. Detective Hanks.
“Hi,” said Diane. “What’s up?”
“You know I told you I was sending someone to retirement homes looking for people who remembered Maybelle Gauthier?”
“Don’t tell me you found someone who knew her. That’s great,” said Diane.
“Nope,” said Hanks. “We found her.”
Chapter 51
Diane sat frozen for a moment. Speechless.
“I thought that would surprise you,” said Hanks.
“Are you saying you’ve found Maybelle Agnes Gauthier? She’s alive?” said Diane.
Diane wondered whether her face looked like David’s, Izzy’s, and Neva’s did-wide-eyed, drop jawed. She didn’t know why she was so stunned. Vanessa’s mother was alive and she was about the same age as Gauthier.
“I’m going out to interview her late this afternoon,” said Hanks. “I thought you would like to come along.”
“Yes,” said Diane, “definitely.”
“She’s alive?” David said when Diane hung up. “The woman who wrote on the desk drawer? Actually, do we really know that was her? What do we know about her? Do we really know she even lived in the house?”
“We are fairly sure she was an artist who did oil paintings,” said Neva. “Vanessa’s mother remembered her-right? We don’t know if she was into ceramics or if she was a murderer. David’s right, we really don’t know much about her. We just suspect a lot. Do you think she’s as clearheaded as Vanessa’s mother?”
“No idea,” said Diane.
“I really doubt it,” said Izzy. “I’ve been thinking about that writing on the desk. You know, it’s kind of crazy.”
“You think?” said Neva.
“Okay, smarty, hear me out,” said Izzy. “What if her family knew she was crazy and was going to come take her to the funny farm, and she got wind of it? Maybe she left the message so that, I don’t know, her imaginary friends would find it and save her. I mean, who else did she expect would find it? I’m betting she’s loony tunes.”
“She might have been taking drugs when she wrote that,” said David. “She was an artsy type. Maybe a member of the beat generation. Were they only writers, or could other artists claim membership?”
“Beat generation?” said Neva.
David shook his head. “I forget how many babies we have here. This was before you were born. Google it.”
“David,” said Diane, “it was before you were born.”
“Yeah, maybe, but I have an old soul,” he said.
A call came in about a crime scene and Diane sent Neva and Izzy out on the call. It was the kind of scene Diane hated-someone killed in a bar. It meant dealing with people who were intoxicated, belligerent, and evasive.
“Take backup,” said Diane. “Call and ask that my bodyguards be assigned to you. I’m going out later with Hanks to the retirement home.”
“Sure,” said Neva. “Tell us all about it when you get back.”
Neva and Izzy retrieved their crime scene kits from the locker and headed out. Diane asked David to look for a match for the fingerprints on the items retrieved for the well and to call UGA to get a list of Escalades with parking permits.
“I want to know as soon as you can find out. Neva may be busy for a while,” said Diane.
She went back to her office to finish up her paperwork. Before she began, she called Vanessa.
“Diane, we must be psychic,” said Vanessa. “I was about to call you to report our progress. We found a stack of letters from the dates you and I were talking about. We are just sitting down to begin reading them.”
“That’s good news, Vanessa. I called with some interesting news of my own. Detective Hanks found Maybelle Gauthier in a retirement home. We are going to see her late this afternoon.”
There was a pause. “Did he, now? How clever of Detective Hanks. She’s alive. I’ve been thinking that she was probably buried near that house. But she’s alive-and retired? You say she is in a retirement home? I wonder what she retired from?” said Vanessa.