Finding Rosie
Tracy Seeger
CHAPTER ONE
"Oh my God!"
Monroe put her mug of coffee down clumsily on the kitchen table, and held her magazine closer to her face with both hands. She studied the picture that had drawn her attention for some time, frowning, shaking her head and occasionally muttering, "It can't be." She was startled when Nick suddenly slumped down in the chair opposite her. She had not even heard him come into the room.
"Thank God it's Friday!" Nick said, pouring himself some coffee. "That idiot Jason ordered the wrong parts for Atkinson's car AGAIN yesterday! I've had the bastard on the phone all week giving me shit. How can it be so hard to read the order form and actually order what's on there? Jesus!"
Monroe wasn't listening. She held the magazine out to Nick. "Look at this," she said. "That girl on the right of the picture looks just like my friend Rosie."
Nick half-heartedly grabbed the magazine and glanced at the picture. "Who's Rosie?"
"She used to be one of my best friends. She died in a car accident three years ago."
"Well that was before you met me!" Nick threw the magazine onto the kitchen table in frustration and grabbed some toast from the rack. "How am I supposed to recognize a photo of her now?"
"That's not my point. She died three years ago, so how can she be in this picture?"
Nick sighed and picked up the magazine again. He glanced at the picture again, then said, "Well either this is an old picture, or she's not really dead, or you're seeing a ghost." He stood up and dropped the magazine back in front of Monroe. "Where's the butter?"
Monroe didn't answer. She was staring at the picture again, thinking about what Nick had just said. They had never found a body. Could Rosie really still be alive? But if she was, where had she been all this time. Monroe didn't believe in ghosts, so she had to conclude that the picture must be an old one.
Nick was banging around in the kitchen. "Where's the butter?"
"We're out, I'll pick up some more today."
"Great. If I know you you'll sit around all day looking at that stupid photo!"
"Nick! She was one of my best friends and she died in a tragic accident! Of course I'm a little preoccupied to find a photo of her in a magazine three years after her death! I'm so sorry there's no butter for your toast! I promise I'll be a good girl and pick some up today, ok?"
"Listen, I work hard all day! All I ask is for a little attention when I'm home, and instead you're sitting around on your ass staring at a picture of some girl who looks like someone you used to know. It probably isn't even her in the picture! Get real Monroe." Nick grabbed his jacket. "I'm going out with Dale after work tonight. I'll probably crash at his place. Don't wait up."
"Fine!" shouted Monroe as Nick slammed the door behind him. She put her face in her hands and sobbed. Things had been getting worse and worse with Nick for a few months now. Deep in her heart Monroe knew it wasn't going to last. She suspected it wasn't really Dale's place Nick was spending his nights when he didn't come home. Suddenly she missed Rosie almost as much as when she had first died. Wiping her eyes she picked up the magazine and looked at the photo again closely. The girl in the picture looked so much like Rosie, Monroe couldn't believe it wasn't her. But then she realized that she hadn't seen her friend for three years, and knew that her memory might have faded a little. Taking the magazine with her she went into the bedroom.
On a high shelf in her closet Monroe found what she was looking for, a large shoebox. She took the box and the magazine and settled herself on the bed. Opening the box she carefully pulled out its contents. There were several newspaper clippings and photos, as well as a memorial service program. Monroe put the program and the clippings aside and started looking through the photos. She stopped at one showing herself, Rosie and another girl, Ali. The three of them had been best friends through high school and college. They had stayed close after leaving college, and often went out together at the weekends, usually without any respective boyfriends who happened to be on the scene. The picture Monroe was holding had been taken just one month before Rosie died, on Ali's birthday. It was one of the last photos she'd taken of Rosie. Rosie was the tallest of the three of them, with long, curly, blonde hair and hazel green eyes. She was always the one the guys gravitated to first whenever they were all out together. They always made a striking trio; Rosie the tall blonde, Ali the mysterious dark haired beauty, and Monroe, the typical firey red head. Strangely they all had nearly identical eyes, something that made many people assume they were sisters, not just friends.
Monroe held the photo in one hand and the magazine in the other and compared the two girls. The image in the magazine wasn't as good as her photo, but it was clear enough to show that the two girls were indeed incredibly similar. She looked back and forth between the two pictures for a long time before sighing and putting them down. She wasn't sure. It was impossible that the girl in the magazine was Rosie, but she couldn't shake the feeling that somehow it was her. She picked up the magazine again and tried to think of any logical explanation for the picture. She found a notepad and pen and started listing all the possibilities she could think of. She eventually came up with four plausible explanations:
- It wasn't Rosie in the picture, but someone who closely resembled her.
- It was Rosie in the picture, but the picture was an old one.
- It was Rosie, and it was a recent picture, which meant Rosie was still alive.
- It was a recent picture, but Rosie really was dead, which meant it was a picture of a ghost.
Since Monroe had never believed in ghosts, she didn't really think the last one was an option, but she decided to leave it on the list for the time being. Next she started wondering if there was any way she could prove or disprove the other options. She figured she could call the magazine and find out when the photo was taken. She might even be able to get the names of the people in the photo, or have the magazine pass a message on to them for her. That would cover options one and two. Option three was going to be the hardest to investigate.
After finishing her breakfast and getting dressed Monroe got on her computer. She worked from home as a freelance copywriter, but right now she did not have much work on. After checking her email for any important messages she got on the internet to look up the magazine's contact details. After dialing the number with slightly trembling fingers, she got straight through to the customer service department.
"Good morning, California Scenes, Customer Services. Marie speaking, how can I help you?"
"Hi. My name is Monroe MacKenzie. I'm trying to find out some more information about a photo that appeared in your magazine this month."
"Which article was it in relation to?" asked Marie.
"It's called ‘San Jose's Best Family Parks'," said Monroe.
"And who is the photo credited too?"
Monroe picked up the magazine and squinted at the tiny print along the side. "Tony Masterson."
"What was it you wanted to know?" asked Marie.
"I think I recognize one of the people in the picture," said Monroe. "I was wondering if it was a recent photo or an old one, and whether you might have the names of the people in it."
"We do re-use old photos sometimes, but for that article I think new ones would have been taken to show the parks as they currently are," said Marie. "Besides, Tony has only been with us for a few months. We have strict policies about giving out personal information about anyone featured in our magazine, but if the name was not credited in the article I doubt we have it on file anyway."
"Oh," said Monroe, disappointed.
"I'll give you Tony's direct line and you can talk to him about it," said Marie, giving the number to Monroe after a few seconds.
"Thank you for your help," said Monroe warmly, and quickly hung up to call Tony Masterson. The phone rang for a long time, and Monroe was just about to give up when a breathless voice finally answered.
"Tony Masterson."
"Oh, hello Mr Masterson. My name is Monroe MacKenzie, and I'm trying to find out some more information about a photo you took that appeared in this month's issue of California Scenes."
"Right. Sorry, I just got in and ran to get the phone," said Tony.
"I'm sorry," said Monroe, "I got your number from customer services."
"No problem," said Tony, "just let me get myself organized for a second."
"I could call back later," said Monroe.
"No, no, it's fine. I've got my coffee, I'll be with you in a second. Right, now, which photo are you talking about?"
"It's the one in the article called ‘San Jose's Best Family Parks'. It's of the river Norton in Green Tree Park."
"Ok, let me pull that one up on my computer. What is it you wanted to know?"
"Well, I think I recognize one of the people in it, and I was wondering if you could tell me when it was taken, and whether you have the names of any of the people in it," said Monroe.
"Here it is," said Tony. "Yes, I remember that one now. That's a nice park. I wish I lived nearer, I would take my son there at the weekends. Actually, that was one of my first assignments for the magazine."
"So it's a recent picture then?" asked Monroe.
"Well it was taken in the summer obviously," said Tony, "so it's a few month's old now."
"But it was taken this summer?"
"Oh yes, just after I started here in May. Now, let me see if I have any names on file for this."
Monroe didn't hold out much hope after what customer services has told her, and wasn't surprised by Tony's response."
"No, it looks like we didn't interview anyone who was there that day, and since no one person was particularly close to the foreground I didn't get any names. Sorry."
"It's ok," said Monroe. "It was a bit of a long shot anyway."
"Which person was it you were interested in?" asked Tony.
"The girl in the jeans and white t-shirt standing by the river," said Monroe. "Do you remember seeing her when you took the picture?"
"The one with the blonde hair? No, sorry. I didn't pay much attention to the people, I was just trying to get a shot that best showed off the park," said Tony. He paused, then asked, "Is she a friend of yours?"
"She used to be," said Monroe. She hesitated, wondering whether to go on. "She died three years ago, drove her car off the road in bad weather into that river. Her body was never found."
"You're kidding!" said Tony, unable to hide the intrigue in his voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so insensitive. It's just the journalist in me taking over."
"That's ok," said Monroe. "I was just curious that's all, but I guess it can't be her after all."
"Well you don't know that for sure," said Tony. "If no body was ever found who knows what really happened."
"I suppose," said Monroe reluctantly.
"What are you going to do now?" asked Tony.
"I don't know," said Monroe. I guess I should start looking into the accident to try and find out what really happened, but I don't know where to start."
"Well, if you ask me, your best bet is to hire a private investigator," said Tony, excitement still in his voice. "They can find out all sorts of stuff you'd never have a chance of getting, and they're fast too."
Monroe hadn't thought about that. "That sounds like a good idea," she said. "Where do I find one though? And aren't they expensive?"
"I have a friend who's just started his own business. He's good, but he's looking for clients so he's not as expensive as some of the more well known guys. Tell him I sent you and you might even get a discount."
"That's really nice of you Mr Masterson, thank you," said Monroe.
"Call me Tony. And do me a favor will you?"
"If I can," said Monroe.
"If anything interesting comes out of this, give me the first scoop on the story will you?"
"Definitely," said Monroe smiling, suddenly full of hope again.
"It's a deal then," said Tony. "His name is Foster Hunter, he lives in San Francisco, and his number is 555-1172."
"You're kidding," said Monroe. "His name is Hunter and he's a private investigator?"
"Yes, I know," said Tony. "We teased him mercilessly when he told us what he wanted to be! It's his real name though."
"Well, thank you Tony, you've been a really big help. I'll be in touch to let you know how I get on."
"Good luck," said Tony.
"Thanks," said Monroe. "Goodbye."