Chapter 4
Ronnie was distressed and Mike tried to calm her down, holding her tightly. Pete had gone to make her a strong sweet cup of herbal tea. Mike let her cry into his chest, hoping it would help her get everything out.
“Does she have any family nearby that she could be with?” he asked, trying to think of all possibilities of where Vicky could be.
“She wouldn’t go to her parents’. They don’t get on. There’s only a cousin nearby and he hasn’t seen her since last week, I’ve called everyone I can think of already.”
Pete came back with some camomile tea for her. “This should help calm you down. I doubt she’s too far away. She could have lost track of the time, Annie got what she called a baby brain and forgot things and what she was supposed to be doing sometimes.”
“Do you want us to get the Monkeemobile and drive around the area, see if we can see her car around anywhere nearby? We can get Micky, let him look around in Annie and Christine’s car—he knows a lot more places than us.” Mike picked up the keys to the Monkeemobile.
“I could call the police, but they’ll say she’s not been missing too long. Or how about ringing the local hospitals? She could have had an accident, anything could have happened.” Ronnie said
Christine came upstairs to tell Ronnie there was a promotor here to see her about something, and could she come downstairs to have a meeting with him. Ronnie looked at Christine. “Do you think you could deal with him? Tell him I’m really busy at the moment.”
“The bar’s pretty busy. I need to be there. Adam has called in sick again. I could ask the guy to come back another day.”
Mike stood up. “How about I go down and see what he wants? I deal with promotors and managers, so I can help.”
“Please. If you don’t mind, that would be great. Thanks so much.”
Mike followed Christine downstairs and she introduced him to the promotor. They shook hands and found a table to sit at and Christine brought them both a drink over.
“Ronnie’s busy with a family emergency, so she asked me to come and talk to you. What is it you’re here for?”
The guy took a drink of his beer. “I’m John. I work for a local brewery who supply most of the clubs around the Strip, and we’re trying to organize a competition for the best club of the ones we work with. We’ve decided to include the Dive as they order most of their drinks from us. It’s between six clubs on the Strip—we’re gonna send judges in at random times. Do you think Ronnie will be happy to take part?”
“Yeah, I’m sure she will. I play in the house band here and I know how important this place is to her, so yeah go ahead and put us forward.”
John gave Mike some paperwork with some rules and terms about the competition. “Pass these onto Ronnie get her to sign the paperwork and get a copy back to us. Pleasure doing business with you and tell her good luck.”
“I’ll pass everything on to her and I’m sure she’ll be in touch. This is great news for her and the club.” Mike shook his hand again and went back upstairs.
Pete had tried calling a few hospitals and no one knew of Vicky being admitted. The police said they’d come to see Ronnie, but it wasn’t a priority due to Vicky not being missing long, so it might be tomorrow before they could visit and with any luck Vicky would be back by then.
This was just making Ronnie panic more. Mike put the paperwork to one side, telling her he’d talk to her about it later, it could wait for now. She was now cuddling up to Pete still crying, and he was stroking her hair.
“What should we do now? Would you go and look, I’ll call my dad too, see if he’ll go and search too. I’ll get my car and join in. We need to find her as soon as possible.” She looked straight at Mike.
“You’re stopping here. You shouldn’t go out driving around in the state you’re in. Is there anyone who can stay with you? Pete, call Annie. I know she’ll have to bring the twins but she’s good in a crisis. Ask her to pick Micky up. I’ll call him from downstairs.”
Both of them went straight to the phones. Annie agreed to what Mike wanted, saying she’d get there as quickly as she could, and luckily she had the car as she’d dropped Christine off at work earlier. The twins were still up, so she’d get them in the car and be on her way.
Mike got hold of Micky. Gemma was just about to leave and could drop him at the club. Mike went back up to pass the news onto Ronnie. Within half an hour, Annie had arrived and had settled the twins in the spare room and Micky was there. Chris had also come along to help Micky look, two set of eyes being better than one.
Ronnie had calmed down a little, and was on the couch with another cup of tea.
“You stay here by the phone. Vicky could ring at any moment, and we’ll keep in touch with you. Pete and I will go right and Micky and Chris go left. I hope we find her soon,” Mike added in a whisper to Pete.
They both got in the Monkeemobile. Mike had given Micky some change to make sure he called back to the girls regularly. “We’ll drive to the hotel first and check around there,” Mike suggested to Pete who agreed with him.
When they got there, Pete went inside and talked to some of the staff on duty, and Mike searched the whole car park. He waited for Pete to come out. “No luck, no one’s seen her all day and she never called to say she wasn’t coming in or was ill or anything. Our boss says she’s never let them down before.”
“Okay, so what do you suggest next? Do you know of any other places she might’ve gone?”
“She does give private one on one piano lessons, but I think she only does them at their flat, unless she’s taken on any other pupils where she needs to go to them. You don’t think she could have gone to the old place she shared with Diana, the chick who got obsessed with you?”
“I doubt that. I heard that she moved out of the state when she got kicked off her course and lost her place at the sleep clinic, and I don’t wanna think about that crazy woman. She nearly broke us up, Pete.”
“I know. I’m sorry for bringing her up. Some things are best not to look back on. Let’s just concentrate on now and our future…by the way, I’ve got something I want to tell you.”
Mike turned off the engine that he had just started, and looked at Pete’s worried face. “There’s something I need to talk to you about too. Let me go first, babe. It’s something that’s been playing on my mind for a few days now.”
“No, I’d rather talk first please. It’s something I feel bad about, because I promised to be always honest with you.” Pete took Mike’s hand.
“Let me, Pete. I know what you mean—I’ve been keeping something from you, and I have to tell you everything. Please let me tell you first this time.” He kissed the back of Pete’s hand, and Pete indicated to him to go ahead and tell him.
“It’s something I only realized the other day when Ronnie and Vicky announced their pregnancies, with them saying Ronnie was about a month further on than Vicky, which means she got pregnant on the first attempt.”
“Okay, so…” Pete started to talk.
“Let me continue, Pete. After the first time, she said she’d used the sample that wasn’t as full… That was the one I dropped, and I knew from the pot that it was mine. I think the lid was different—that’s how I knew the difference—so it looks like I’m the father of Ronnie’s baby, and I feel bad about it.”
Pete stared at him and smiled.” Michael…”
“No, Pete, wait a minute. Now Vicky’s pregnant after the second attempt and I’m worried that her baby could be mine too! Are you okay with this? I mean we won’t have any idea until the babies are born, but I feel bad about the whole thing. I’m sorry, Pete.”
Pete started to laugh, causing Mike to wonder why he had reacted like this to the revelation. “Pete, it’s not a laughing matter! Don’t you realize what this means? I could have got them both pregnant.”
“I understand, Michael, of course, but my confession is very similar to yours, only that I was a little sneaky. I know which sample Vicky used. The pot had a mark on the bottom and I passed it to her. You gave Ronnie the other one.”
It was now Mike’s turn to look confused, but Pete started to explain. “I used the pot that had the mark on it, so I know Vicky used my sample, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you. I talked to Annie about it. I knew I had to be honest with you. I was so hoping that you were the father to Ronnie’s baby, and you are.” Pete smiled at Mike.
“So if I understand, your sample got Vicky pregnant, which means we’re both really gonna be dads? That’s the best news ever! It’s worked out perfect.”
“So we’ve both been worried over nothing! This is the best news.” Pete laughed
“I spoke to Nick because I had to talk to someone about it. He told me to tell you, and that you’d be fine about it, but I couldn’t help worrying you’d be upset.”
“We need to decide if we should tell the girls. Do you think they’d want to know?”
“We need to find Vicky first, Pete, then we can decide what we do. It’s getting darker now so it’s gonna get harder. Let’s find somewhere we can call and see if Micky and Nick have had any luck finding her. We’ll go to that diner over there. Come on, Pete.”
They got to the diner and Mike got a coffee and called the flat. Annie answered the phone. “We’ve not seen any sign of Vicky or her car—has Micky called back yet?”
“Yeah about ten minutes ago. They’re the same as you—no sign of her. Ronnie’s getting more worked up. Her dad’s coming round soon. She’s not good. Her dad’s calling their doctor to see if she can call and give her something to calm her down. I’ve never seen her like this before.”
“Okay, we’ll drive around for about another hour but it’s getting harder as it gets later. We’ll see you soon. Thanks for helping out.” Mike went over to Pete who was waiting in the car. “Nothing. They’re still looking too.”
About an hour and a half later, everyone was back in the girls’ flat. No one had had any luck finding Vicky. The doctor had called and given Ronnie some medication to calm her down. “Listen, Christine and I can stay overnight with her. The twins are settled and the club needs closing. You lot go and get some sleep.”
“Okay,” Mike replied. “But we’ll be back first thing in the morning to resume the search. I think we need to ring the police again. Surely they’ve got to do something when a pregnant young woman goes missing.”
Mike didn’t sleep too well, and Pete had tossed and turned all night. He was sitting reading when Mike woke up. It was eight o’clock in the morning, and Pete was already dressed.
“Oh good, you’re awake. I’ve already started up the coffee for you. I know you’ll need to have a drink before we set off. Micky and Chris are still in bed. I’ll go make us both a drink while you get ready.” Pete went off to the kitchen, Mike stayed lying down for about another five minutes. I better get dressed. Pete’s panicking already, I can tell. I just hope things go better today.
When he got into the living room, a coffee was on the table for him and Pete was talking to someone on the phone. He mouthed to Mike that it was Annie. “Don’t worry—we’ll be there soon.” Pete looked over to Mike.
“Let me finish my drink, and then we can set off. How’s Ronnie? Have they heard any news about Vicky?” Mike went and stood beside Pete and put his hand in Pete’s.
“No news. Ronnie’s asleep. She’s had a bad night, so they’re letting her rest.” He went back to talking to Annie. “I’ll ask Micky to drop Chris off at the hotel for Mom, and see if he minds helping in the search again. Did anyone call the cops?” He hung up after a few minutes.
“The police are gonna look for the car, and someone’s gonna go talk to Ronnie this morning, but things aren’t looking good right now. She’s been missing nearly eighteen hours.”
“Well at least they’re gonna do something now. It’s about time. You want any breakfast before we go out?” Mike asked, picking himself up an apple.
“I’ll have a banana. I’m gonna to wake Micky and tell him we’ll be leaving soon and ask him to take Chris to the hotel. It’s their flight home today.” Pete went off to the upstairs bedroom.
He met Mike outside in the Monkeemobile. “Okay, let’s go.” Mike started the engine and soon they were parked outside the club, and going to the girls’ flat via the back entrance. Annie answered the door and let them in.
“Morning, guys. Ronnie’s awake and in the living room. Her dad’s in there with her and they’re talking to a cop.” They sat in the kitchen and waited until the policeman had left. Ronnie’s dad thanked the guys for all their help. They hadn’t met him before and he wasn’t what they expected, which he seemed to be able to sense.
Ronnie introduced them to him, and he shook their hand. He gave Mike a card with his number on. “If there’s ever anything my partner or I can do for you, just call us. He’s a lawyer. He’s the one who called the police and managed to persuade them to get involved. I’m going to have a drive around. I’ll call you, Ronnie, if I have any luck.” He hugged her and left.
“I wouldn’t want to mess with him. He’s got quite a temper.” Annie laughed, and sat herself down beside Ronnie on the couch.
“It’s the Irish in him. My grandad was from an Irish immigrant family who lived in New York.”
“Our gran’s the same. Her father was from Ireland. We’ve got quite a mixture of different heritages in our family—Irish, English, German, Jewish and Nordic too. Reason I can be a mess at times,” Pete said.
“That is a varied mix.”
“Ronnie, I add Italian to the mix with the twins’ dad, but luckily they seem to have the looks and temperaments of the maternal side of family.”
Mike stood and looked over at Pete. “Let’s get off and start searching again. Let’s hope we find her soon. Don’t worry, Ronnie. I’ve got a feeling you’ll see her today.”
“I hope so. Thanks, Mike. You’re all the best friends. I can’t thank you enough, Annie. I’m gonna get a shower, see if it will wake me up a bit. I didn’t sleep to well.” She went to the linen cupboard and picked up a few towels. “I won’t be long.”
Mike and Pete were back in the car. Mike had decided to drive to the school Vicky worked at and then take the route she would have been following on her way to the hotel. He’d also got a photo of her and was gonna stop at a few places that they would pass to ask if they’d seen her yesterday.
The first place he tried was a grocery store nearby the school. “They’ve not seen her,” he said to Pete when he got back in the car. “I know there’re two gas stations—she might have needed to fill the car up?”
They had no joy at the first, but at the second the cashier recognized Vicky, saying she’d been in to buy some chips and soda yesterday afternoon. “She went this way, Pete. The chick in there remembered her from yesterday, so let’s hope she’s not too far away.”
Mike drove a little farther. Finding a store with a phone outside, he called and updated Annie.
They soon started on their way again. A few miles down the road they saw a car at the side of the road near a motel. Pete pointed it out to Mike. “Stop! Does that car look familiar to you? I know Vicky and Ronnie have a light blue car?”
Mike pulled up at the side of the car and walked around it, having a good look, peering inside the windows. The car was empty and locked up. “Yeah, Ronnie drives a Ford Falcon. I think it’s theirs. It looks like it ran off the road. Let’s go and see if anyone in that hotel has seen her about.”
There was a young guy behind the desk. “Hi, can I help you? D’ya wanna room?”
“No, we’re just looking for a friend and it looks like her car parked up just over there.” Mike went to get Vicky’s photo from his jacket pocket.
“Yeah there was this cute chick in it yesterday afternoon. She came over here when I was outside having a smoke. She seemed a bit out of it. I took her to a room told her to sleep it off.”
Mike showed him the photo, and noticed his reaction.
“Yeah that’s her. Average height, long blonde hair, good looking… She your chick?”
“No, just a friend…and you better have not touched a hair on her body.” Mike was getting angry with the guy’s attitude.
“Hey, chill out, man. I showed her to a room and she collapsed onto the bed, so I left her to fall asleep and locked the door. I don’t mess around with guests…unless they’re up for it. Here, room eight.” He passed Mike a key.
Pete stared at Mike when they walked to the room. “Don’t let him get to you. Calm down.”
Mike unlocked and opened the door and they both went in. He opened the curtains and the person in the bed stirred, then sat up a abruptly and stared at them. With a scared look on her face, she moved back to the bedhead tucking her knees up to her chin, wrapping the sheets around her.
“Get out of here now, whoever you are!” She went to pick up the phone on the bedside table. “Leave me alone or I’ll call the police.”
Mike stared at Pete. Neither of them had no idea what to do next.