Chapter 5
Red walked to the front of the restaurant and asked Chris to join them. The tall man trailed Red back to their table.
“Rachel Scott,” Red introduced. “This is Chris O’Malley.” Chris O’Malley extended a strong hand. She shook it, taking in his dark curly hair and intense blue eyes. He was very tall, Rachel guessed around six three, and had a muscular build. There was no doubt that if Matt looked anything like him, they made a handsome pair of brothers.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear about your brother and his family. Red was just bringing me up to speed on what happened.”
Chris flagged down the waitress to order a beer. “I was just here to pick up some food for us so I can’t stay long.” He looked around the restaurant, drumming his fingers on the table. “Matt and I both graduated from LSU, and this was our favorite spot to hang out. I thought some familiar comfort food would help.”
“How is Matt?” Rachel asked.
“They ran some tests, did a CT scan. Doctors think he suffered a concussion. They’re going to keep him overnight for observation and then hopefully we can go home in the morning.”
“What did the doctor think about his head injury and memory loss?” Rachel asked.
“We’re not sure if he was knocked unconscious. Matt is having trouble remembering past and current events. The doctor said it’s typical with his type of injury.”
“Retrograde amnesia?” Rachel asked.
Chris nodded, looking a little surprised that she’d gotten the terminology right. “Yeah, that’s what the doc said. We’ll know more once he sees a specialist. Tomorrow, if we get the all clear from the police, we’ll head back to New Orleans.”
Red cleared his throat. “Do you mind telling Rachel what you told me the other night? How everything happened?”
Chris nodded, rubbed his hands together, and then cracked his knuckles. “Last Wednesday night, my wife and I had plans to meet Matt for dinner at his house. Matt and his family were returning home from soccer practice when he apparently got a flat tire. I had just talked to him a few minutes before this happened. He told me they were heading to the Quarter to drop off one of Erin’s paintings and would be home shortly after that. This was around six thirty. When we got to their house a half hour later, we were surprised that no one was home. After my wife, Melinda, and I unloaded the groceries, I called Matt on his cell phone but it went straight to voice mail. We called his wife Erin, and again, it went straight to voice mail. I began to worry. I could tell they hadn’t made it home from soccer practice because Matt is meticulous about putting away the soccer balls and gear as soon as he gets home. When I went out to the garage and saw nothing was there, I knew something was out of the ordinary. Melinda thought they must have gone to the grocery store or something and suggested that we wait for a little while longer before calling the police. So we waited about a half hour, constantly trying their cell phones. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore. I had a bad feeling. Melinda offered to stay at the house in case they showed up while I went driving around. While I was driving, I made a few calls. Being in the bail bond business, I know a lot of cops. I called a buddy of mine that is with the NOPD to see if any accidents had happened. Nothing. They put out a BOLO for Matt’s truck. Not fifteen minutes later, I got a call from my friend that Matt’s truck was found in an abandoned parking lot by the Riverwalk.”
Chris paused and took a long pull of his beer. Rachel noticed that his hands were slightly shaking. “The back of the truck was opened and there was blood on a tire iron.”
Everyone was silent while the waitress put down plates of food for Rachel and Red. Chris stopped his story long enough to give the waitress his to-go order and then continued.
“We searched all over the French Quarter and Riverwalk area, and up and down every side street in the vicinity of where his truck was found. I finally got back to Matt’s house around one in the morning to pick up Melinda. We were both worried sick. Melinda suggested that I spend the night at Matt’s house in case they turned up, so I took her home and then went back. The next day, I called you guys.” Chris finished his beer and gave Rachel a little smile. “Your reputation precedes you. One of the cops suggested Florida Omni Search after hearing about your involvement in the missing-firefighter case in Florida.”
Rachel smiled back. Chris was doing a good job of laying out the facts of the case. However, she still had a few questions for him. “I’m sure the police have gone over this with you several times, but I have to ask. Do you know of anyone who wanted to harm Matt or his family?”
Chris considered the question before shaking his head. “No, I don’t. In our business, we deal with all kinds. But I can’t think of anyone who would want to hurt Matt. He is the good guy in our operation. I always tell him that he’s too easy on people. If anyone would hold a grudge against someone in our family, it would be against me. Not Matt or Erin, and definitely not the kids.”
“Has Matt said anything to you about his ordeal?” Rachel asked.
“He doesn’t remember anything. Matt’s last memory is getting a haircut and seeing his tax attorney. That was two months ago.” Chris furrowed his brow and turned up his big palms in a gesture of hopelessness. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Rachel dug a business card out of her purse and handed it to Chris. “We’re here to help you. Our plan is to stay in Baton Rouge tonight. Tomorrow morning we’ll take a look at the truck stop where Matt was found. Afterward, we could go to New Orleans and reconstruct Matt’s last movements and go from there.”
The waitress brought Chris’s takeout bag and he paid the check. “We’ll probably head back to New Orleans tomorrow as well if Matt gets the all clear to go home. I’ll call you when we get settled.” They said their good-byes as Chris got up to leave.
“What do you think?” Red asked once Chris was gone.
“I really don’t know what to make of this one,” Rachel said. “A whole family disappears without a trace and then the husband shows up an hour away from where they vanished? Where’s his wife and kids?” She took a couple of bites of food and then pushed her plate away. “I’d like to talk to the trucker who found Matt. See what his take is on this.”
“I’ll call him and see when he can meet with us.”
“That would be great.” Rachel grabbed the check when the waitress dropped it off at the table and put down her credit card. “I have an idea. Remember my friend, Michelle Couch?”
“Yeah. Did she ever forgive you for burning her beach house down?” Red gave a chuckle.
“I didn’t burn the house down, you know that.”
“Just giving you a hard time.”
Recently, Rachel had gone to northern Florida to investigate the case of a missing firefighter. Michelle, who lived close by, had been kind enough to let Rachel stay in a beach house rental she owned. A serial arsonist had set fire to the beach house while Rachel was there. She’d barely escaped with her life, and Michelle’s house had been totaled in the fire. Fortunately, Michelle’s excellent insurance had reimbursed her fully and she was in the process of rebuilding.
“Before I left Miami, I called Michelle, and she said she’s in New Orleans this week attending a medical conference. She has some experience in working with amnesia cases. It would be great if we could have her talk to Matt.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Red agreed. “I’m going to step outside and call Keith while you settle the tab.”
Rachel waited while the waitress took care of her bill. She looked around the restaurant, remembering the good times she’d had while attending Florida State—this LSU crowd had a similar feel. She’d met Michelle in college in a psychology class, and they’d been fast friends ever since. Michelle had been there for her when Mallory went missing and had repeatedly asked if she could help on any cases she had. Now was a good time to take her up on the offer. Rachel signed the receipt once the waitress brought it to the table, and headed outside to find Red. He was just getting off the call.
“We’re in luck. The truck driver is on his way back through the area. He can meet us in an hour.”
Rachel checked her watch. “This late?”
“It may be our only chance to talk to him. You know truckers, they don’t work a regular nine-to-five.”
“That’s fine. I’d like to stop at the hotel and freshen up before we go.”
“Let’s get cracking then. I can’t wait to get your impression of what happened through Keith’s eyes.”