Free Vanished in the Dunes by Allan Retzky Page B

estate broker.
    He traces the route on the map with his pen, stands and reaches for the envelope with the three color photos. The bottom one was taken on their Bermuda trip. She’s standing on the beach and squinting slightly into a bright sun. A calm ocean lies in the background. She’s wearing the new pink-and-white dress.
    Welbrook’s house is less than ten minutes away, and lies at the end of a stretch of road dominated by large modern homes with decks that face the ocean. Many seem to have enclosed pool areas. Henry realizes there is great opulence here, and that most of these houses have ocean views. A vintage Mercedes sedan is parked in a cutout just off the driveway.
    “Yes. Now I remember her. It’s the dress. Pink and white. It was sorta cut low on top, if you know what I mean.”
    John Welbrook is a good-looking man in his early forties with curly blond hair. Henry feels an immediate and absurd sense of jealousy as soon as the man opens the door. Welbrook has the looks and obvious self-confidence to have attracted Heidi, and from his memory of her dress, she would have attracted him as well.
    They stand in the wide hallway. Henry’s attention is drawn to the walls, which are decorated with photos of various celebrities from the theatre, sports, and politics. Welbrook notes his interest and claims they are all clients of his firm that specializes in entertainment law. Stern turns his attention back to a short flight of stairs that rise from the hallway and empties into a large room with a vaulted ceiling. He follows Welbrook up the stairs, but is not invited to sit.
    “So do you remember anything else about her?”
    “When I spoke to the police I wasn’t sure I remembered her from the faxed picture, but the color photo and that dress—it’s not easy to forget that dress.”
    “Did you talk to her? Did she happen to say anything?”
    “Actually, I was going to the rest room. That’s in the back of the bus. She was sitting near the back and stopped me and asked how to get to the beach from the East Hampton stop. I probably told her she’d have to take a cab. That’s when she asked me if I could drive her.
    “Told her no. Even though I live in Amagansett, told her I was getting off in East Hampton village. That’s where I parked my car. Said I had things to do. Didn’t have the time to drive her to the beach. Nor the particular interest.”
    Henry lets the words slide past him, and looks around the room.
    “Nice house,” Henry says.
    “We like it,” answers Welbrook.
    “Oh, you’re married,” says Henry.
    “Not at the moment,” answers Welbrook, and slips away a tiny laugh.
    Henry takes a few steps towards a floor-to-ceiling glass window and looks out.
    “That’s quite a view.”
    “Sure. Most houses anywhere this close to the beach usually have some ocean view. It’s what people pay top dollar for.”
    Henry takes a chance and decides to see if Posner’s home without first calling since the drive is only minutes away. Welbrook’s house is clearly larger and closer to the beach than Posner’s, but both houses do indeed seem to have an ocean view. Henry’s rented Chevy climbs the driveway and stops behind a parked Lexus.
    Without an entry bell he raps with the brass knocker that guards the door. There is no response for at least thirty seconds, and he’s just about to leave when he hears a voice from inside.
    “Who is it? I’ll be there in a minute.”
    The voice is clear and slightly faint, almost tired, Henry thinks,before he raps again, more briefly this time, and announces himself as a doctor friend of Heidi, whom he describes as the missing woman from the bus. The door opens. He apologizes for the unannounced nature of his visit and watches as Posner releases the door even wider as an unspoken invitation to enter. He follows Posner up the stairs to a living area with its own ocean views. He sees the twin green sofas, set around the art deco coffee table, and imagines that Heidi