Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, Vol. 44, No. 4, April 1980

“I think that would be all right.”

As I turned to go, Jackie said, “Thank you for helping us, Mr. Markham. Will you come back to see us?”

I paused in the doorway and then said, “Sure, Jackie. I’ll come back to see you, maybe tomorrow. Good night.”

“G’night,” Cindy said sleepily.

As I stepped out into the hall, I heard her Say to Jackie, “Do you think the Man in the Moon got Daddy?”

When I stepped out of the trailer, I saw the pudgy, middle-aged man who was lambasting Cartwright about catching John Wheeler. Wheeler had certainly aroused the ire of a lot of people.

The new arrival was chunky and balding and had a gray moustache under a jutting nose. Cartwright was reassuring him that John Wheeler would be caught and dealt with according to the law, but it wasn’t appeasing him.

The man spotted me coming down the steps of the trailer and swung toward me. He snapped, “Who the hell are you?”

Cartwright answered for me. “He’s the one who found your grandchildren out on the highway, Barrett. Name’s Markham.”

Ralph Barrett still had a truculent look on his face, but he stuck out a big paw and said, “Thanks, Markham. We appreciate the help.”

I returned the handshake and said, “I didn’t want to leave them out there.”

Cartwright asked, “You didn’t see anybody else around where you found the children, did you?”

“No. I don’t know where they came from. That bothered me...”

“Well, we’ll find Wheeler.”

“When?” Elaine jumped on him. “I’m not sure you even want to find him.”

Cartwright’s face tightened, but he kept it under control. After a second, he said, “I’ll talk to you again in the morning, Mrs. Wheeler. I’m glad the children are all right.” He turned and walked toward the car.

I followed him. Elaine Wheeler and her father went into the trailer. Before Cartwright got into the car, he paused and leaned a hip on the fender. He evidently wanted to talk to me as much as I wanted to talk to him.

He started it off. “Do you know anything else about all this?”

I shook my head. “Nothing that’ll help you find Wheeler. What’s the situation here, Sheriff? Are those kids safe?”

He rubbed his lantern jaw. “I wish I knew, Markham?”

“You know they’ve been abused?”

“I suspected as much. I saw that the boy had a black eye.”

“Did you see the cigarette burn on his hand?”

“No... I didn’t.” Cartwright’s voice hardened. “It’s damn tough, Markham. I’ve heard rumors about how the Wheelers treated them, but without some hard evidence, there’s nothing the county can do.”

“How much more evidence do you need?”

“I don’t know. I’ll have a talk with the child welfare people first thing in the morning.”

I asked, “How about some background? Who are these people?”

“Not meaning to sound rude, Markham, but what business is it of yours?”

“I found those kids and brought them back here. I feel a little responsibility.”

He nodded and I knew he understood. “Elaine is a local girl. Her father has a big trucking business. He about disowned her when she married John Wheeler a few years back. Wheeler wasn’t from around here, and what made it even worse as far as Ralph Barrett was concerned, he didn’t have any prospects. He took what odd jobs he could find, which aren’t many in a county like this, but mostly he wanted to be an artist. Of course, none of his paintings ever sold, and the family had to live in this little trailer and just scrape by, but that didn’t seem to bother Wheeler.”

“It bothered his wife and father-in-law, though, didn’t it?”

“That’s what brought on the separation. That and Joyce McCormick.”

“Another woman?”

“Yep. Wheeler started carrying on with her about six months ago, and Elaine threw him out. She’s filed for divorce, but the case hasn’t made it through the courts yet.” He paused and gave me that long hard look again. “You’re not planning to get mixed up in this business, are you, Markham? There’s nothing in it for you.”

“You’re absolutely fight, Sheriff. I just wanted to know a little more about it before I headed on back to L.A. I was just worried about the kids.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Well, now that they’re safe, I’m going to call my boys in. No telling where Wheeler is by now, and I’m not going to stay up all night just to satisfy Ralph’s and Elaine’s vindictiveness. You don’t have to tell anybody I said that.”

“I won’t.” I handed him one of my cards. “If you need any more information from me, you can reach me at that number.”

He got in his car and said, “Be seeing you, Markham. Take it easy.”

I waved at him and then walked back to my own car as he drove off. Before I could get in, though, the door of the trailer opened and Ralph Barrett hurried out. He caught up to me and said, “Wait a minute, Mr. Markham. I want to talk to you.”

I didn’t want to talk to him, but I didn’t have the energy it takes to be rude. I said, “Yes, Mr. Barrett?”

“Elaine heard the sheriff say you were a private detective. I want to hire you.”

“To do what?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“To find my son-in-law and bring him back to me. I don’t trust Cartwright.”