Free Vanished in the Dunes by Allan Retzky Page B

of relationship they had for them to take such a distant approach. Most families would have arrived on the first available flight. Was it a Muslim or an Austriancultural thing, or something else? His confusion grows apace with his fear. He increases the dosage of the anxiety meds he’s taken for several years. He needs a clear rational mind if he has any chance of finding out anything more.
    He sits on the bed in his East Hampton motel room with the police summary he obtained from his FOIA filing. Amos Posner is one of only three people on the bus who live in the town of East Hampton. All of the names came up on Google. One was an eighty-year-old former staff member of
The New Yorker
magazine, but the man was clearly barely coherent when Henry called.
    Posner’s Google listing was brief. He had been involved in international trade for years with a large firm, but suddenly lost his position two years before. He is married and lives in Amagansett.
    Henry calls and after four rings expects an answering machine to pick up, but the dial tone continues. The man must be away, or has turned off his machine. He marks the space next to Posner’s name for follow-up after noting the time of his call.
    The final name is a man named Welbrook who also lives in Amagansett. A number of Google references indicate a position in entertainment law. He answers on the first ring.
    â€œWell, I already told the police that I didn’t remember her. It’s been a while since the day they said she disappeared, and I go back and forth to the city at least once a week, sometimes more often.”
    Henry has introduced himself as a doctor and a friend of the missing woman. The doctor part always helps. There is still respect in society for the profession, although far from where it was when he was a kid. Today’s icons are more likely to be athletes, investment bankers, or maybe international specialists like that guy Posner.
    â€œCould I stop by and show you some other pictures of Heidi? They’re much better than the fax copy the police showed you. I promise you it won’t take much time and it might jog your memory.”
    â€œAs long as you make it quick,” says Welbrook and gives directionsfrom the motel. Henry has already picked up an area map at the front desk provided by a local real 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.
    â€œYes. 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.
    â€œSo do you remember