The Case of the Sin City Sister Read Online Free PDF Page A

“I’m Caleb Alford,” he added, walking over and holding out his hand. He looked around the office. “Do you have a cat?”
    She shook the offered hand. “Nice to meet you. And yes.”
    He turned back to Jackson, moved in his direction. “Caleb Alford,” he repeated, his hand out again. “That’s it then. I’m allergic to cats.”
    Jackson reached forward. “Jackson Divine,” he responded, saying his name again as well. “Here, have a seat,” he said and motioned over to the empty chair placed next to his desk. “Eve, get that cat out of here.” He pointed to the corner where Daisy, the stray cat, was sleeping.
    Mr. Alford sneezed once more and sat down.
    There was a pause as Eve walked over, petted the animal, and picked her up. She held Daisy under her arm and carried her out the door.
    “So who is it that you’re looking for?” Jackson wanted to know.
    “My great-grandfather,” came the answer.

    Captain Divine glanced over at his daughter, who had returned and was wiping the cat hair from the front of her jeans, then back to the man sitting next to his desk. “When did your family first notice his absence?”
    He was careful with the words he chose, but Eve could read her father. She could see the same thing he did. The man sitting in their office had to be in his sixties. His great-grandfather was surely long gone from Madrid or anywhere else on the earth for that matter. This would definitely be classified as a cold case. She took out a pad of paper to write down a few details.
    “It’s been a while,” the man replied, understanding the question. “Eighteen ninety, to be exact. But I read about the skeleton that was found in the mines by those boys.”
    “Did that make national news?” the Captain asked.
    “Not exactly. I’ve been reading the news of this place for a while. My search has been a hobby for a number of years, but mostly from home.”
    “You think your great-grandfather came here?”
    The gentleman nodded. “He came here to mine for turquoise, left his pregnant wife back in North Carolina. He wrote letters.” He reached into the pocket of his jacket and took out a clear plastic bag, placed it on the desk. “The last one is dated November 13, 1890.”
    Eve watched as her father took the plastic bag, opened it, and took out a small stack of yellowed papers. He unfolded one and began to read.
    “I was named for him. Caleb,” he explained. “His name was Caleb Alford. His son and grandson were both named Jessie. I wasgiven his name, and for some reason I don’t know, I’ve just always felt connected to him somehow.” He was talking to Eve, since the Captain was reading the letters and appeared not to be listening. “When I read about the skeleton, I finally decided to quit just reading stories from home at my computer. I decided I needed to come and see for myself if it was him.”
    Eve nodded. “Are you from North Carolina too?” she asked.
    He shook his head. “Virginia,” he answered. “I’m from Norfolk, Virginia. Moved out of Carolina after college. Just retired from teaching school,” he volunteered. “I was in the Navy for a while, then got my teaching certificate. History and math,” he continued.
    “This the last letter he wrote?” Jackson interrupted.
    “It’s the last one I have,” he answered. “I don’t know if there were others after it.”
    “These are in good shape,” Captain Jackson noted. “You can still make out every word.”
    Caleb nodded. “My great-grandmother kept them in a cedar chest and then passed them on to her son, who passed them on to my father. He always talked about driving out here to find out what happened to his grandfather, said it was the great heartbreak of the family. But he was not well for much of his life; he died when I was a teenager. Anyway, I was given the letters at that time, and I guess when he passed them on to me, he also passed on that desire to find answers.” He leaned back in the seat.