Background
Murder Mystery, and a little confusion - come along for the ride.
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Terry, in her grey sedan is driving along Chester Lane towards the place where Yvette Turner's Hyundai was found, east of town. The dirt road winds around a few corners while climbing up a mountain. There are fields to both sides that can be seen between the trees. The road winds sharply for around 3 miles and there is a pull over to the right nestled in thick brush and trees. The road continues on until it reaches a U-turn cul-de-sac. The car was found at the pull out. Terry puts the sedan in park and gets out. Scanning the area, she notes that it is somewhat difficult to see any vehicle that would be closer to the trees when looking from the road.
She walks around the brush taking note of the sight lines and that the road seems very unused. There are no homes, barns or other structures around. She turns and starts looking through the trees and shrubs and nothing sticks out as unusual or out of place. That is until she sees under a bush the slightest tinge of blue. She bends over and lifts the bottom branches of the shrub and there she sees a crumpled blue surgical glove. This is something that seems out of place here. She goes back to her vehicle to get an evidence bag and a pair of large tweezers. She puts the glove in the bag. After spending some more time in the area she also notices that her cell phone reception flickered between no service and one bar. She uses this phone and takes pictures of the area where she found the glove, and more pictures of the surrounding area and the few tire tracks that are found in the dust and dirt around the pull out.
On her way back into town she stopped at the office that Yvette was working at the day she went missing. She pulls up to J.D. Consulting and walks inside. A pretty red haired receptionist in her twenties looks up from her desk and smiles at Terry.
"Can I help you?" A saccharine smile meets her.
"Yes, I am Detective Smythe, can I talk to your manager?"
"Yes, can I ask what this is regarding?" Her tone was sugar coated and seem obviously put on.
Terry realized she would probably have to handle the receptionist with a sterner hand as she was not recognizing her authority as strongly if Terry had been a man instead of a rather petite woman.
"I am a police officer on official business and no you can't ask what it is about. Just page or intercom that person and get them down here. Thank you."
Soon enough the call was made and within a minute a 50 something year old man with graying hair and a tight suit was standing in the reception area.
"Hello detective, I am Joe Strabynski the manager here. How can I help you?"
"Mr. Strabynski can we please go somewhere, where we can talk privately?" Terry said, noticing the receptionist paying too much attention to the activities in front of her.
"Certainly, please follow me to my office."
They walk down a hallway to a large office with a desk that had 2 brown leather chairs in front of it. The desk is covered in files and papers that Joe quickly makes into a haphazard pile to the side. A computer screen is off to the left that he quickly turns off to make the screen black.
"Please detective, take a seat." He motions to the 2 empty chairs.
Terry takes out her notepad while she seats herself.
"Mr. Strabynski, I am here doing a follow up on the disappearance of Yvette Turner from last summer. I understand she was the manager here at that time. Is that correct?"
Joe appears a little surprised and quickly clears his throat. "Hmm, Yes, that is correct. I already told the other officers all I know."
"I understand that, but as the case is still open, we will continuously be following up until she is found. Can you please tell me if you were here on the day that Mrs. Turner disappeared?"
"Yes, I was. It was a normal day at work and at the end of the day, as usual, Yvette said her good-byes and left. There isn't much else to say."
"Mr. Strabynski, I understand that you took over her position here after a short period of time, is that correct?" Terry was taking note of Joe's responses to her questions and his red flush to his cheeks at that question didn't go unnoticed.
"I did, I am more than qualified, I have been here even longer than she had. I deserved this promotion." His voice raised slightly and his tone was one of indignation and seemed as if he was trying to prove himself to the detective.
"I am sure you did. Who else was working here at the time that she left work?"
"I think Jaz, our logistics coordinator and our old receptionist, Janine. Everyone else was gone for the day."
Terry found the interview very helpful. It seemed Joe was hiding something.
"Thank you for your time. Here is my card. If you think of anything else, let me know." Terry turned to leave. With a backwards wave of her hand, "I can let myself out, thank you."
As Terry walks down the hall, a larger woman with brown hair in her 30's stops Terry in the hall, "Excuse me Detective can I talk to you for a moment?" She motions Terry to follow her into another smaller office in the building and shuts the door.
Speaking with a low voice she says, "The day that Yvette went missing, her and Joe really got into it."
"What do you mean, miss?"
"Nancy, Nancy Coleman. Joe and Yvette didn't get along well. He always thought he should have gotten the promotion to manager long before she did. And anytime he could, he would make things hard for her. In fact, I am sure that at least once or twice he purposefully messed up her ledgers so it looked like she made mistakes that I am sure she didn't. Yvette was an awesome lady but she didn't put up with Joe's crap. After Joe got her job, temporary position I was told, he started making changes around here."
"I see, what kind of changes?" Terry noted that Nancy had an air of truth to what she was saying.
"Well, first he fired Yvettes niece right quick. She was the receptionist here when Yvette was here, and he put that flake up there. I am sure there is something going on with them as well. And the day that Yvette left, she and Joe got into a huge fight. She even told Joe that she was going to tell the owner that Joe had to go. We all heard them yelling all the way from her office. Something about missing files from her office, and some email that he had sent to her clients. It wasn't perfectly clear but there was definitely something pissing her off."
"Nancy, was there anyone else here that heard the fight besides yourself?"
"Yeah sure, Stefanie, she was at her desk out front and we heard the whole thing. I am sure the only reason I haven't been turfed yet is I told Joe I didn't know what he was talking about when he asked me if I heard anything. Otherwise, I am sure I wouldn't be here today." She was obviously flustered as she concluded her story.
"Nancy, do you have any contact information for Stephanie?"
"Sure, I'll send you an email later or call you but for now its best that you leave so he wont figure out that I have been talking to you."
She took Terry's card and escorted the detective to the lobby. Terry left and headed back to the precinct. Now she really had some leads on this case.
Author Notes
Most of the details in the story are accurate. Scenery, business names etc. Come along on the journey.
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