He and Janie inherited sixty percent of the business. Kathleen inherited thirty percent, and in a stunning move, Ramon Diaz, who was close to Scott and Janie in age and already one of the managers there, inherited ten percent.
The business was doing well, but not great. Scott had needed to buy new earthmoving equipment for the larger installations, and they were still paying off that business debt. In several more years, once the debt was paid off, they would be comfortable, but definitely not rich.
Scott always went to see Amanda on Mondays. When they decided she needed the specialized care facility three years ago, he had begun visiting her on Fridays. However, as she began to deteriorate further, how well she was doing affected his whole weekend. If she was doing well, he went home happy. If she was having a bad day, it rubbed off on Scott and impacted how he was around his family on the weekend. So, for the last year, he visited on Monday. Janie handled Fridays much better.
At lunchtime, he called Janie, “Hey, Mrs. Parker.”
“Back at ya, Babe. How was Mom?” Amanda Winter was the only mother Janie knew since her biological mother had died during childbirth from pre-eclampsia.
“She was having a good day. She remembered me part of the time but had forgotten me by the time I had left. She mentioned missing Kathleen. I think we need to hire someone to find her. I spoke with her physician before I left, and she said that she was having trouble swallowing. You know that’s one of the first signs of it getting worse, and that if it continues can cause aspiration pneumonia.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve found an investigative agency in Nashville that should be able to locate her if she is still there.”
Scott asked, “Any luck from Robert?”
Robert was Kathleen’s ex, or soon-to-be, ex-husband. Neither of them was sure if the divorce was finalized or not. Why Kathleen ever married him was a mystery. He was a wild guy at the time of their wedding, which was a year after they put Amanda in the nursing home. It didn’t appear that he had any intention of letting marriage slow him down. Even though Kathleen had been quite wild during high school and college, it surprised everyone when she announced she was getting married, and to Robert.
Amanda wasn’t really in a good mental place to try to stop what was clearly a couple not ready to take marriage seriously. Janie had tried to feel her out and talk her into delaying the nuptials. Kathleen wouldn’t hear it. As soon as she finished her degree in art at Emory, she married Robert and got a job as a graphic artist with a company in downtown Atlanta.
She had met Robert in her last year of college and they decided to get married, though Scott wondered if Kathleen was the one who proposed to Robert. He was a huge, hunk of a fireman in Atlanta and had been for several years. Since graduating high school, she had always dated big beefy guys.
The marriage only lasted a year. She filed for a divorce a year ago, then she moved to Nashville and promptly disappeared off their radar for the last three months. She didn’t provide them with her new address, new job info, nor her apparently new phone number since her service had been recently dropped. It was like she didn’t want to be found. While not close to Kathleen the last few years, the sisters had been exceptionally close growing up, even with their five years age difference. So, the strained relationship of the last few years, and especially the last few months, had been a mystery to both Janie and Scott.
Janie replied, “No. He said he would continue to have his friends call their friends in Nashville.”
“I think it’s time to use the private investigator. I don’t know that Robert is calling anyone to find her, and even if he is, they might tell her we are looking for her, and she may hide.”
Janie said, “At least he gave us the city she’s in. The PI should be able to do the rest. I’ll call him after we hang up.”
Scott asked, “Are we still on for the block party this weekend?”
“Sure. I’m looking forward to it.”
__________
The block party that weekend was the first of two or three that were traditionally held during the summer. They lived on a cul-de-sac street near Suwanee, Georgia with each house sitting on very large lots of at least an acre, each. While there were eleven homes on the street, the party usually, but not always, rotated between the four homes with pools. It was a good community to live in, and all the neighbors were either close friends or at least friendly.
While not a very diverse town, their street was a mix of Caucasian and African Americans. Almost everyone on the street had a college degree, children of various ages, and most attended church, though not necessarily the same one. Professions ranged from business owners to bankers to teachers and even one deputy, Blake, and his wife Annabelle, who was hosting the current party.
The parties were always family-friendly, started after lunch, and went on into the evening until the children needed to be taken to their respective homes. There were plenty of games for the kids, with playpens for the little ones. There was a lot of time spent in the pool by the kids and adults. Scott always enjoyed spending time in the pool with his wife and their little ones, who would laugh and squeal with their parents. Later in the evening, there would be music and a little dancing, but nothing serious, just fun. None of the guys could dance very well, but their wives would have them up, saying that it was the perfect place to learn or practice.
Grilling a lot of meat was obligatory, and the plentiful potluck dishes ensured that no one left hungry. Sometimes neighbors’ relatives would attend, and the deputy would usually invite a few of his colleagues by to at least get a free meal while they were on duty. Three families along the lane, including Janie and Scott and the deputy’s family, attended the same church, so Pastor Leo and his wife were invited and would come from time to time. They were always a very relaxed and enjoyable affair.
____________
On the morning of the tenth day, since they hired the investigator, Kathleen was found. The investigator called Janie and informed her that Kathleen wasn’t in a good situation and that they should hurry to come and help him get her to avoid any police involvement.
Janie was out the door as soon as she hung up the phone. She wasn’t going to take ‘No’ for an answer. She called Scott on the way, and his only comment was for her to be careful driving to Nashville. He told her that he and Dina, their housekeeper, would take care of the kids and prepare Kathleen’s room for her arrival.
Acindina Lopez, or Dina, was a godsend. Not happy with their available choices of daycares in the area when Janie went back to work after Noah was born, Scott had put out the word at his business that they were looking for someone to look after their kids during the day. Ramon, the 10% owner, who had worked for the landscape company since before Scott met Franklin or Janie and was very close to Janie’s parents, had an aunt, by marriage, that might be interested.