Chapter 23

At breakfast Thursday morning, Sarah, Rusty, Sally, Terry, Stan, Julia, Tom, Nancy and Bob reviewed their plans for the day. Nancy said, “I looked over our work schedule yesterday afternoon. We can cover all the active projects through next week without involving any of us.”

“We are expecting a load of documents late next week for secure storage,” added Bob. “So, considering our work load, it would be good to have all of you here when it arrives.”

“So I can help with the moving today,” inquired Sally.

“Yes. I didn’t remember how we left it yesterday,” replied Nancy. “Today, Bob and I are going to work on quotes, so we will be in the office. Terry you are welcome to join us.”

Stan said, “We’ll be leaving after breakfast. A client has a problem and they don’t have the knowledge to handle it. It will likely take us into tomorrow to complete it. So we will be back tomorrow afternoon possibly late. Tom is going to another client. We will swing by our place on the way back to pick up some additional equipment to keep here.”

“I should be back this evening,” added Tom. “Based on what they told me, the solution seems pretty straight forward.”

“Anything we can do to help.”

“Don’t think so,” replied Stan. “Our place is on the way so we can pick up the rest of the stuff we need for this job.”

“Stan,” said Tom, “do you want me to meet you at the office tomorrow afternoon?”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll give you a call when we head that way.”

“What about the blood samples for Judy?” asked Terry.

“We can do that when we go over to the office,” responded Nancy. “Ah one thing I forgot to mention is that our son, Adam and daughter Joyce will be back either Saturday or Sunday. I think everyone knows them except Sarah and Terry.”

“Good, I haven’t seen them in a while,” said Rusty. “Also, moving me shouldn’t take very long.”

“Why don’t you take the small cargo truck?” said Bob. “That will save time and avoid having to mess around with a rental truck.”

“Thanks. We’ll need to stop and get a few boxes.”

“There should be some ‘banker boxes’ in the area where we do document processing.”

Rusty looked around the table then said, “Sarah, Sally are you ready?”

“I am,” replied Sarah. “It is going to be interesting doing this in these clothes.”

“I don’t know why those clothes will be a problem,” said Sally. “It’s only been in recent times that women didn’t always wear long dresses all the time.”

“Actually the dress isn’t my concern. It is the combination of these shoes and carrying things.”

“In that case, it may be a good idea to start small then work up.”

“That is kind of what I was thinking.”

“It sounds like you are ready,” said Rusty as he stood up, “so let’s be making tracks. This is not one of my favorite tasks.”

“I agree,” said Sarah as they went out the door.

As they pulled into the apartment complex Rusty said, “We probably should stop by the office first and let them know I’m vacating the apartment.” When they entered the office, the manager saw them and nodded. She was talking to a young couple with two small children.

They heard the manager say, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have vacancies very often and there is a waiting list. No one has given notice, but it is only the first week of the month.”

The young woman said, “We need something right now. We’ve been to four complexes and no one has any vacancies. Is there any place you could suggest we try?”

Sarah said, “Rusty, he is being deployed in two weeks. They had placed a deposit on a house but lost it somehow.”

“Okay. I really don’t want to intrude yet.”

While they waited for an opening, Sarah and Sally exchanged looks with the children. Soon they were making faces at each other, then the children began playing peek-a-boo from behind their mother.

Finally Rusty said, “Excuse me. I couldn’t help over hearing your conversation and I think I may have a solution to your problem.” The three turned to look at him. “I came in to let the manager know that I am vacating my apartment today. I’m fairly certain you could move in later today as it won’t take me long to clear out.”

“But we have a waiting list,” said Diane, the manager.

“Well since I haven’t formally given notice, I could sublet to them.”

“But...”

“They’re good people. My apartment is probably a little on the small side for them, but its better than the alternative they are likely facing.”

The young woman said, “Are you serious?”

“Sure. This is a nice safe complex without much turnover. Your partner would be much more comfortable with you here while he is gone than some of the other places you may find.”

“How did you...” said the young man.

“Been there but it’s been a while. Do you want to see the place? If you want it, I suspect, Diane and I can work something out so she doesn’t get a lot of flack.” The manager smiled and nodded affirmatively to Rusty.

“Airborne?” said the young man holding out his hand to shake.

“No. S.O.,” said Rusty as they shook hands, “and it has been quite a while.” Turning to Diane he said, “We’ll be back shortly.”

“You’re a life saver,” said the young woman with a smile. “I’m Shirley and this is Fred. Our children are Janice and Thomas.”

“Well I’m Rusty and this is Sarah and Sally. Now why don’t you follow me around to the apartment.”

“Okay.”

When they were walking up to the apartment Rusty said, “I feel it only fair to warn you that the place in not as neat as it usually is.”

“Does that mean we need hazmat suits?” asked Sally laughing.

“No smart aleck.”

Rusty opened the door then stepped inside to silence the alarm with the others following him.

“You’re already packed,” said Sally seeing the boxes in the living room.

“That is the easy part of this, as they weren’t unpacked from the last move. The bedroom should be pretty straight forward. The office is more of a challenge.”

“I can imagine. We’ll let you start there.”

“Shirley, Fred just look around while I do a couple of things in my office which is normally a bedroom. Sally, Sarah, let me show you what needs to be done, then I’ll get with Shirley and Fred.”

Entering the office Rusty entered his password, then started a shutdown script. “Once the boxes power down, we can begin packing the electronics. As you can see, the only books I’ve unpacked are those I’ve used recently. So while I take care of them, could you start packing?”

“Sure,” said Sarah. “This shouldn’t take us long.”

“Well I don’t think shifting the apartment over to them will take long either.”

“Is the alarm system part of the apartment?”

“No. But we can leave it with the proviso that they let me retrieve it before they move. Also there are weapons by the bed, in the desk and in the bedroom closet.”

“Okay. Go get Shirley and Fred set up.”

“Sally do you have a card with you?”

“Yes.”

“Let me have one as I need to let them know where to contact me.” While they were talking the children had come to the door and were peeking around the corner.

Sarah said, “Do you guys like this place?”

“It’s nice,” said Janice. “You sure are tall.”

“Yes. I’m a little taller than most people.”

Fred and Shirley came up behind the children and Shirley said, “Are they bothering you? Wow, some office.”

“Nah, they were just looking,” replied Sally.

“Have you decided?” asked Rusty.

“She would like it,” said Fred. “If we can work it out.”

“If you want it, then all the other issues are solvable. Diane, the office manager is a good person but she has some constraints. In your case, besides there being no vacancies she has a waiting list which she has to rigidly follow. So let’s go see what we can work out with her.”

As they started to leave Sarah said, “Janice and Thomas can stay if they want too.”

“Can we mommy?” said both pleadingly.

Shirley glanced between Sarah and the children then said, “Will you mind them and stay out of their way?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then.” Looking at Sarah she added, “Thank you.”

“Guys do you want to help us?” asked Sarah.

“Yes!”

“Okay we are going to start in here. I’ll hand you items then you take them to Sally. Okay?”

Both of them nodded and quickly moved beside Sarah.

By the time Rusty returned with Shirley and Fred, the bedroom had been packed as had most of the books in office. The three stood in the doorway to the office for a short period before they were noticed.

Janice said, “See mommy, we’re helping?”

“Me, too.”

“I see that.”

“All settled,” said Sarah.

“Yes,” responded Rusty. “They are moving in as soon as we get this stuff in the truck.”

“We’ll give you a hand,” said Fred.

“Thanks. Fred and Shirley would you want the furniture?” As they looked at each other he added, “It is destined for a charity or the dump, if you don’t take it.”

“In that case, yes,” replied Fred as Shirley hugged them.

“We’ll start putting the boxes in the truck, while you take your system apart,” said Sally.

“Fine. It breaks down pretty quickly. Leave a place for the desk and chair.”

Once they had all of Rusty’s things on the truck, Rusty took one more look through the apartment to make sure they hadn’t missed anything. “Looks like we’ve got everything.” Turning to Fred and Shirley he said, “I don’t think I mentioned this earlier but this apartment has an intrusion alarm. It does not belong to the complex. I am willing to leave it here for your use with one provision, which is that you let me know before you move so I can retrieve it. Also before we leave, you need to decide on a pass code so you can arm and disarm it. This is basically a perimeter alarm. When it’s tripped, it will begin beeping then after 2 minutes will call 911 and begins cycling a horn off and on. The 911 operator gets a report of an armed intruder at this address. So you have 2 minutes to get to anyone of the keypads to disable it. There is a keypad by each bedroom door and by the front door. Each has a button to summon help. It is a custom installation so I would like to retrieve it before you move.”

“We will be glad to but why did you have one?” asked Shirley looking a little concerned.

“Two reasons and they have nothing to do with the area. I travel a lot and frequently a one day trip can extend into several days. The other is the equipment that was in the bedroom.”

“What do you do, if I may ask?”

“Primarily communication security. You know it is only a little before 11, why don’t we help you bring your stuff in?”

“You don’t need to do that. Besides, you’ve already done a lot for us and we still have to bring the truck over.”

“How long will that take?”

“Only 15 to 20 minutes. It is at the motel where we’ve been staying.”

Rusty looked at Sarah and Sally then said, “We have the time.”

“Come on kids,” said Shirley, “we need to go get the truck.”

“It shouldn’t take us more than 20 minutes,” said Fred as they headed toward their car.

“So what happened at the office?”

“I signed a two year lease. Diane had been sort of bugging me to do it. Once the lease was signed, it was officially sublet to them. Their name was put on the wait list. So when it bubbles to the top my lease can be transferred to them. It is all in writing.”

“Good,” replied Sarah. “What’s your impression of them?”

“They are playing their cards close,” said Sally. “Good children. Well behaved but not suppressed.”

“I like the children. Should we reach out to them?”

“We can,” replied Sally with Rusty nodding in agreement.

“They haven’t said much, but I suspect they don’t know very many people in this area,” added Rusty. “I’ll call in and let them know it will be after lunch before we get back.”

When Sarah saw the truck she said, “Look at that truck. I wonder what you’ve got us into.”

“Depends on how its packed. It will be a lot easier with five of us.”

“Yes.”

Fred backed it up close to the entrance. When he got out he said, “Don’t worry its not anywhere near full.” As he and Rusty pulled out the ramp, “Needless to say coming here has been a last minute thing for us. When we went to rent a truck, we had three choices. One smaller than you have, this one and one a lot bigger.” As he rolled up the door he continued, “As you can see, our stuff doesn’t do much more than cover the floor.”

With hardly a word, each one picked up a box and headed for the apartment. As the truck was unloaded, they learned that Shirley wanted to work at least part-time. She wasn’t sure what could be found and not have to use day care for the children. Rusty suggested talking to Diane, as she may know of some places.

Once they were unloaded Rusty went over the alarm with them then setup their pass code. Both Sarah and Sally invited Shirley to call them if she needed something or just wanted to talk. She assured them she would. Both Fred and Shirley thanked them for all the assistance they had provided.

It was just after lunch by the time they were back at the estate. Rusty backed the truck up to the end of the house where their rooms were located. Nancy came out while he was parking and said, “Your lunch is in the refrigerator. If it isn’t enough, there is plenty of other stuff in the kitchen.”

“Thanks,” replied the three.

“How did it go?”

While they ate lunch, Rusty reviewed the events at the apartment complex.

“So what happens if they bail on you?” asked Nancy.

“Well probably not much but I don’t think that will happen. He is being deployed for a year overseas. Reading between the lines, they had an abrupt change of plans which put them in the position they were in. They never offered an explanation but there wasn’t much in the truck. For having two children, it was damn sparse.”

“Would it be possible to invite them over one evening?” said Sarah with Sally nodding her agreement.

“Joyce would be a good candidate to babysit for Shirley,” said Sally, “that is if she is interested.”

“We could do that. Monday or Tuesday would be good.”

“I’ll call them on Sunday,” said Sally. “So what’s next?”

“Well, if we unload my stuff and just set it in the room it won’t take very long. So, we should have time to go get Terry’s things. It would probably work out better if we all moved in at the same time.”

“Good idea, as that should reduce shuffling stuff around,” responded Sally.

“Terry, do you feel up to getting your things?”

“I think so, if I can sit down when I need to.”

“Sure. Let’s do it,” said Sarah.

Nancy said, “Bob and I can help you unload. It will be a nice break from the office and quotes for vague projects.”

When they arrived at Terry’s apartment, Terry went to her neighbor’s door to get her key. Opening the door to Terry’s knock Wilma said, “Wow, this is a surprise?”

“Why?” replied a surprised Terry.

“I thought you would be gone longer. Oh my, I am forgetting my manners. Please, come in. Bring your friends with you.”

As they sat down in the living room, Wilma went for refreshments. When she came back, Terry said, “Wilma this is Sarah, Sally and Rusty.”

“Nice to meet you. You have a very nice friend in Terry.”

“We know and think the world of her,” replied Sarah with Rusty nodding in agreement.

“Wilma, you seemed surprised to see me,” said Terry. She liked the older woman and they had frequently helped each other.

“I am and now I’m puzzled. Let’s see it was about a month ago that I received a message from you saying that you would be away visiting your family. I thought it strange. Then early one morning a few days later I saw two men and a woman carrying your stuff out to a van. When I went ask them who they were, they said they were friends of yours. According to them, you had asked them to move your stuff to storage unit, as you needed to take care of a family member for a while. By that time, they already had quite a bit of stuff in the van. It was mid morning when they finished. I wasn’t too impressed by the way they packed.”

“But I don’t have any family.”

“I didn’t remember that until after they had left. I am so sorry I didn’t remember earlier, or I would have called the police. When I did remember, I told the apartment manager, but he didn’t know who to call, either. In hindsight, the way they dressed and acted should have told me they were up to no good.”

“Why is that?”

“They all wore dark glasses and gloves the whole time they were here even though it was rather hot that day.”

“I can understand why you are surprised. How are you doing?”

“Pretty well. It is a little different without you around.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you helped me out with those things that are so difficult to take care of when you are my age and live alone.”

“Well I’m back, but I won’t be almost next door. Where I am living is close by, so give me a call if you need something. If you have a piece of paper I can give you a phone number.”

“Here is a card,” said Sally as she handed it to Terry.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know. But what are friends for if not to help each other.” Terry wrote her name on the card and circled the phone number. As she handed it to Wilma she said, “I expect a phone call occasionally just to chat. By the way, I need yours as well as I lost my phone.”

“Here is mine. You know you can call as well.”

“I will. Now our time is short today so we ought to see what is left in my apartment.”

After saying goodbye to Wilma, they went to Terry’s apartment and carefully opened the door. Rusty noted that the door hadn’t been forced or the lock picked, so whoever it was had the key, presumably Terry’s missing key. Inside there was nothing to indicate Terry had lived there. There were only faint traces of where the furniture had sat.

Terry’s eyes filled with tears, as the enormity of the situation hit her. If it hadn’t been for her new friends, she would have just disappeared. Sarah, Sally and Rusty watched Terry as she looked around the apartment. The sadness showing on her face was overwhelming. After a bit she said, “Okay, there is nothing to do here. Let’s turn in the key and leave. This just is too much.” Sarah and Sally both put their arms around Terry, lightly hugging her.

While the three women went to see the apartment manager about vacating the apartment, Rusty went back to see the neighbor. As he chatted with her, he subtly quizzed her about the people who had taken Terry’s belongings. With some prompting, she was able to remember a few more details about the thieves and the van they used. Rusty knew it was most likely too late to be any help, but sometimes odd pieces of information awhile before they fit together.

Rusty met them at their vehicle, just as they returned from seeing the apartment manager. “Everything go okay?”

“Well, kind of, whomever moved me out did not tell the apartment manager. The first he knew anything, was when Wilma asked him about it. He said he would send me my deposit, and waived last month’s rent. He apologized for not catching it. It really seemed to bother him. So I asked him why. He told us that something similar to this has happened several times in the past. In the instances he knew of, it’s been either a single person or a couple. They would suddenly not be seen for a few days. Sometimes a neighbor would receive a note referencing a family emergency or death. Then, about a week later, some ‘friends’ would arrive with keys to move the belongings out of the apartment.”

Sally and Rusty exchanged concerned looks.

“Okay. Let’s stop by my bank. I think I should check my safe deposit box and bank account. While we are there, I will change my address to the estate. Then, last but not least, we should stop at the post office, to find out about my mail.”

At the post office, they learned that the post office had received a change of address notice for Terry several weeks earlier. However, the forwarding address was non-existent, so there was a big box of mail for her. Because Terry didn’t have any identification, they were reluctant to let her take the mail. Luckily, as they were talking the mailman for the apartment complex came in and vouched for her. Before leaving she arranged to have her mail forwarded to Bob and Nancy’s address.