Angels in Disguise by Betty Sullivan La Pierre

Phillips."
    Hawkman hesitated a moment when the heard the woman's voice, but then repeated his spiel and asked when she'd last seen Carlotta.
    "I'm sorry sir, but I'm not allowed to divulge that type of information."
    "The woman's been missing for over a week and the family is quite concerned. Have you seen or talked to her?"
    "Oh, my. No, I haven't seen her for over two weeks,” she said, her voice sounding a bit flustered.
    "Did she approach you about a divorce?"
    "Sir, could we set up an appointment? I don't like to discuss these things over the phone."
    "Sure. When's a good time?"
    "How about Wednesday afternoon at three o'clock"
    "I'll be there."
    "Could I have your name again?"
    After hanging up, Hawkman figured she'd check him out, which suited him fine. The appointment time was perfect, as Jennifer didn't go for her tests until Thursday and Friday.
    He drove away from the complex and headed for the post office. Inside, he walked up and down the row of small boxes set into the wall until he finally found number one five four six. Shading the glass with his hand, he squinted into the small door. He could make out the name Derrick Althusser on the top letter. So the man still collected his mail from a P.O. box. He'd go into the computer and do a search; maybe he'd have some luck in finding a recent address.
    Dropping by a fast food place, he grabbed a hamburger, fries and soda to go. He parked in the alley behind his office, then walked around to the donut shop and bought a cream filled eclair. He plopped down at his desk and hit the answering machine. His stomach turned a flip flop when Jennifer's voice came through on the first message.
    "Hi, hon. Just wanted you to know I'm running into Yreka to do some shopping. Didn't want you to worry. I'm feeling fine. Love ya, Jen."
    Hawkman breathed a sigh of relief and unwrapped his food. After he ate, he wiped off the desk with a napkin, and threw the debris into the trash can, then phoned Paul. “Tom Casey, here. Am I calling at a bad time?"
    "No, I'm on a break. What's happening?"
    "Not a lot, but I'm moving on some leads. I need you to do me a favor. I want you to check Carlotta's credit card bill and see if she's made any purchases since she's been gone. If she has, check the store and the town."
    "That'll be easy enough, I can go onto the computer and get the latest update."
    "Great, get back to me as soon as you can."
    Paul returned the call within an hour. “Mr. Casey. there's no new charges on her card since the date she disappeared."
    "That's interesting."
    "Have you kept a vigilant watch on the phone messages at the house?"
    "Yes, one or two for Tiffany. And a couple of telemarketers. Nothing personal for Carlotta. Not even a hang-up."
    "Keep an eye on the credit card usage and report back to me if anything shows up, also on any strange calls that might come in."
    "Will do."
    Hawkman booted up the computer and clicked on the program he'd purchased to help him search for missing persons. He entered Medford, Oregon, into the search square along with Derrick Althusser's name. The computer hummed for a few seconds, then popped up with a recent address and phone number. He jotted down the information, then punched in the digits on his portable phone. After four rings, an answering machine came on. “You've reached Derrick, leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
    He dropped the receiver on the cradle. Glancing at his watch, he decided he'd have time to check out the address before he hit Alfonso's pad. Rereading the street and number, he realized he hadn't been in that area for a long time, so took his GPS receiver and mapped it out. He shut down the computer, unplugged the coffee pot and headed out the door.
    Arriving at the address, he discovered what appeared to be an old motel turned into apartments. Not too shabby, but nothing one could brag about. He drove down the long driveway and found number eleven. It surprised him to find the place