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

Her mouth became even more stern. “I suppose he’s capable of it. The evidence pretty well says that he did it. But I don’t think it’s his fault.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that whatever John did, he was driven to it.”

I sat forward as best I could in the soft chair and clasped my hands together in front of me. “Do you want to explain that?”

She sighed. “People never let John alone. They were always trying to force him into a mold of their own making. Some people just can’t stand that kind of treatment. Ralph Barrett did his absolute best to kill John’s spirit.”

“Right now I think he wouldn’t mind killing John.”

“That’s exactly what I mean. They infected John with their own violence.”

I wasn’t sure that I bought her theory, but at the moment that wasn’t important. I asked, “How did the two of you meet?”

“Before I answer any more of your questions, Mr. Markham, I want to know exactly what your involvement in this is.”

“I’m the one who found those two kids wandering around out on the highway.”

“And now you feel responsible, is that it? You want to straighten everything out?”

“You’re making me sound like a meddler.”

“Aren’t you?”

She had a point there. I considered for a moment, then said, “I just want to find Wheeler and bring him back here so that things can be cleared up. And Cindy wants me to find him.”

“What about Jackie? How does he feel about it?”

“He doesn’t seem to care one way or the other.”

Joyce stood up and stalked over to the window. “I’m not surprised. Elaine’s ruined him with her constant abuse. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to go over there and strangle that woman.”

“I heard that John was rough on them himself.”

“He wasn’t always that way... not at first. He adored those children. But Elaine and her father kept so much pressure on him, trying to make him into something he wasn’t, that he couldn’t stand it. He lashed out at whoever was near.” Her voice choked a little bit. “Sometimes that meant me, too. But I didn’t care.”

“You still haven’t told me how the two of you met.”

“I came here from San Francisco about a year ago. My husband had been killed in a car wreck, and I just didn’t want to stay there anymore. I sold our house and moved here. I wanted to get as far away from everything as I could.”

“You picked a good place for it.”

“I got a job at the store in Dunes, and I met John while I was working there. I’ve always been interested in art, and I saw that he was always carrying a sketch pad around with him. A friendship just seemed to develop naturally between us.”

“And it developed into more than just a friendship?”

“I’m not ashamed of it. I was a lot better for him than Elaine could ever hope to be.” She turned away from the window to face me. “I’m not going to apologize for what happened.”

“I’m not going to ask you to. Did the two of you ever talk about running away together?”

“We talked about it. I think John was just building his courage up to make the break. Then Elaine found out about us and told her father. He had some of his thugs rough John up and throw him out of the trailer. Elaine filed for a divorce.”

“Why didn’t the two of you just leave town then?”

“John was afraid to leave the children with Elaine. He was afraid she would really hurt them sometime. He rented a room over the drugstore so that he could be close by and keep an eye on them.”

“And then last night he finally got brave enough to go get them.”

Joyce nodded. “I wasn’t surprised when the sheriff came by and told me about it. I knew that John would strike back someday, if he stayed around here long enough.”

“And you don’t have any idea where he could be now?”

“John could be almost anywhere in the county, Mr. Markham. He knows this area as well or better than the natives, since he’s always out sketching the landscapes. With time and encouragement, he could become a fine artist.”

I stood up. “I suppose I’d better be getting on. Thank you for talking to me.”

“Was what I told you any help?”

“I’ve got a better picture of John and his situation now. It always helps to know as much as you can about a person you’re looking for.”

As I started for the door, she put a hand out as if to touch my arm, then stopped the motion in mid-air. She said, “Mr. Markham... If you do find John, what are you going to do with him? You wouldn’t take him to Ralph Barrett, would you?”

“If I find Wheeler, I’ll turn him over to Sheriff Cartwright. Barrett will have to get his revenge through the courts.”

“Ralph Barrett would like to kill him. You know that, don’t you?”

I nodded. “I know. And I don’t plan to be an accessory to murder.”

I thanked her again for her time and went back out to my car. She had given me a good picture of what John Wheeler was like, and I thought it over as I went back toward Dunes.