Getting off the plane and working his way through Portland International Airport turned out to be considerably less difficult than getting on the plane at O’Hare. Finding transportation suited to his needs was a little on the difficult side, but it had proved to be doable. Riding down I-405 towards a hotel near Lena’s apartment building, he tried once again to formulate a plan. He had come all this way, and he still didn’t know what he could do. He remembered that she had mentioned a sushi bar nearby, maybe someone there would remember her and be able to help. “Excuse me,” he called out to the driver, “do you know where there is a sushi bar near the hotel?” The driver nodded. “Yes sir, there’s one about a mile this side of the hotel. I’ll point it out as we get close.” “Thanks.” Shortly thereafter, went from I-405 to Sunset Highway, and headed down a surface street, Murray Boulevard, then onto Cornell Road. They past several people on bicycles along the way, but Edmond didn’t notice. Not too long thereafter, the driver pointed out a sushi bar on the right. About a mile and a half later, he turned right into the hotel. After a certain amount of flummoxing around, he was back in his wheelchair, with his baggage, in the lobby of the hotel. Once again, he had to endure the stares of those around him; one more reason why he would have preferred his isolationism. Still, there was something he had to do, and he going to do it, even if he still wasn’t clear how to go about it. His plan was to get settled into his room, and then get a ride to the Sushi bar. The desk clerk averted his eyes, but got him checked in, and then had a bellhop take Ed’s baggage to his suite. Ed glanced around the room; it was bigger than his apartment. That was a little depressing. It was also much brighter than his apartment. He didn’t like that either, but he reminded himself that he wouldn’t be staying here long. He hoped. He tipped the bellhop, and he got a sense of where things were in the room, stuffed the room key card in the wheelchair saddlebag, and left. At the sushi bar, he looked at the sushi. He had never eaten sushi before, but Lena had told him that she really liked it, and he felt that he had to eat some now, or no one would talk to him. The waitress noticed the look in his eye, after she walked past him three times to deal with other customers, and also noticed that he hadn’t touched the sushi that she had set in front of him. “What’s the matter, hon?” Ed wasn’t used to such familiarity, but he understood it. “Is this your first time eating sushi?” Ed nodded, and pulled out one of the pictures that he had printed out. “Lena wanted me to try it.” That wasn’t a lie, she did. Of course, she had intended for him to try it in Chicago, but here he was in Portland. “Lena? Oh, yes, I’ve seen her in here. I didn’t know that was her name, though.” Ed looked up. “About how often does she come in?”
“She comes in here on Fridays a lot, but she wasn’t in here last night.” “Alone?”
“Oh, no, almost never. She almost always comes in here with friends.” The waitress paused. “Say, what is this? Who are you, and why are you asking so many questions?” Ed wasn’t sure how to respond, and the long pause before he did certainly wasn’t helping his credibility. “My name is Ed Randolph. I’m a friend of Lena’s, and usually we at least chat briefly on Friday afternoons, but yesterday I didn’t hear from her, so I’m a little worried. I wish I could find her.” “I don’t know what to tell you, Ed, she comes in here pretty frequently, but not often enough that I would really know when to expect her. She was in here last week, so probably not for the next few days, but I don’t know for sure.” Ed nodded. “I understand. Thanks for your help.” He eyeballed a sushi roll, and finally put it in his mouth. It wasn’t as bad as he had expected. “When I see Lena, I’ll tell her that you were in here. And that you tried the sushi.” Ed nodded. He wanted to say thanks, but not until he swallowed, and he wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted to swallow. Next stop would be the park, except he wasn’t sure which park, and he wasn’t sure how well his wheelchair could handle park turf. There was a park right across the street from the sushi bar, but he didn’t think that was the one. It was hard for him to judge, but he really didn’t think that this was within walking distance of where she worked. He had located two parks that were much closer. Neither one of them seemed particularly enjoyable to him, but he’d been content to sit in a dark musty apartment for a very long time. From what he had been able to find out on-line, one had a moderate grassy expanse and a couple of tennis courts, while the other one was larger, had more trees, also had tennis courts in the western part of the park, but had high-tension wires running through the eastern part of the park, and somehow didn’t seem to have as much grass. The larger park was easier to get to from where she worked, so he decided to check that out. When he arrived at the park, he was relieved to see that it hadn’t rained recently, so he wasn’t likely to get his wheelchair stuck in the mud; he might still get stuck, but at least it wouldn’t be because of the mud. He managed to roll around on the ground fairly easily. He wasn’t sure what he should be looking for, but here he was. Maybe signs of a struggle? He noticed some guys tossing a Frisbee, and noticed that they were kicking up dirt and leaving footprints that might look to him like there had been a struggle there if he hadn’t seen for himself what had happened. “You look disappointed.” He looked up. A young, blonde woman with a big dog on a leash was standing, looking at him. She spoke again, “Is the park not what you had expected?” “No, actually, it’s pretty much exactly what I had expected. I had hoped to see a friend here, though.” He pulled out the picture of Lena. “She’s a little young for you, don’t you think?” Ed laughed, for the first time in a long time. “No, she’s a lot young for me, but when I say friend, I mean friend, I don’t mean girlfriend.” The woman smiled. “Yeah, I’ve seen her here before. In fact, she comes here a lot.” The dog came over and started sniffing at Ed. “Are you here a lot?” he asked, absent-mindedly stroking the dog’s fur. “Yes, I just live over there.” She pointed to a house nearby. “Even when I’m not here, I’m usually at home, with a view of the park.” “Could you tell me when was the last time you saw her?” “She was here yesterday. She likes to bring her lunch here, and eat in the park.” Ed nodded, “Yeah, she told me that. I was hoping she was having lunch here today.” The blonde woman shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her here on a Saturday. Just Monday through Friday.” “Did anything unusual happen yesterday?” “Yeah, now that you mention it. There was a guy that showed up here; I’ve never seen him before. He talked to her for a little while, and they left together. She didn’t seem happy about it.” “Can you describe the guy?”
”He had brown hair, medium build. Sorry, there’s not much else I can tell you.” “Thanks. I appreciate the help. I also appreciate the trust.”
She nodded towards the dog. “Bruno’s a good judge of character.”He nodded, then headed back to the car.
“She comes in here on Fridays a lot, but she wasn’t in here last night.” “Alone?”
“Oh, no, almost never. She almost always comes in here with friends.” The waitress paused. “Say, what is this? Who are you, and why are you asking so many questions?” Ed wasn’t sure how to respond, and the long pause before he did certainly wasn’t helping his credibility. “My name is Ed Randolph. I’m a friend of Lena’s, and usually we at least chat briefly on Friday afternoons, but yesterday I didn’t hear from her, so I’m a little worried. I wish I could find her.” “I don’t know what to tell you, Ed, she comes in here pretty frequently, but not often enough that I would really know when to expect her. She was in here last week, so probably not for the next few days, but I don’t know for sure.” Ed nodded. “I understand. Thanks for your help.” He eyeballed a sushi roll, and finally put it in his mouth. It wasn’t as bad as he had expected. “When I see Lena, I’ll tell her that you were in here. And that you tried the sushi.” Ed nodded. He wanted to say thanks, but not until he swallowed, and he wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted to swallow. Next stop would be the park, except he wasn’t sure which park, and he wasn’t sure how well his wheelchair could handle park turf. There was a park right across the street from the sushi bar, but he didn’t think that was the one. It was hard for him to judge, but he really didn’t think that this was within walking distance of where she worked. He had located two parks that were much closer. Neither one of them seemed particularly enjoyable to him, but he’d been content to sit in a dark musty apartment for a very long time. From what he had been able to find out on-line, one had a moderate grassy expanse and a couple of tennis courts, while the other one was larger, had more trees, also had tennis courts in the western part of the park, but had high-tension wires running through the eastern part of the park, and somehow didn’t seem to have as much grass. The larger park was easier to get to from where she worked, so he decided to check that out. When he arrived at the park, he was relieved to see that it hadn’t rained recently, so he wasn’t likely to get his wheelchair stuck in the mud; he might still get stuck, but at least it wouldn’t be because of the mud. He managed to roll around on the ground fairly easily. He wasn’t sure what he should be looking for, but here he was. Maybe signs of a struggle? He noticed some guys tossing a Frisbee, and noticed that they were kicking up dirt and leaving footprints that might look to him like there had been a struggle there if he hadn’t seen for himself what had happened. “You look disappointed.” He looked up. A young, blonde woman with a big dog on a leash was standing, looking at him. She spoke again, “Is the park not what you had expected?” “No, actually, it’s pretty much exactly what I had expected. I had hoped to see a friend here, though.” He pulled out the picture of Lena. “She’s a little young for you, don’t you think?” Ed laughed, for the first time in a long time. “No, she’s a lot young for me, but when I say friend, I mean friend, I don’t mean girlfriend.” The woman smiled. “Yeah, I’ve seen her here before. In fact, she comes here a lot.” The dog came over and started sniffing at Ed. “Are you here a lot?” he asked, absent-mindedly stroking the dog’s fur. “Yes, I just live over there.” She pointed to a house nearby. “Even when I’m not here, I’m usually at home, with a view of the park.” “Could you tell me when was the last time you saw her?” “She was here yesterday. She likes to bring her lunch here, and eat in the park.” Ed nodded, “Yeah, she told me that. I was hoping she was having lunch here today.” The blonde woman shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her here on a Saturday. Just Monday through Friday.” “Did anything unusual happen yesterday?” “Yeah, now that you mention it. There was a guy that showed up here; I’ve never seen him before. He talked to her for a little while, and they left together. She didn’t seem happy about it.” “Can you describe the guy?”
”He had brown hair, medium build. Sorry, there’s not much else I can tell you.” “Thanks. I appreciate the help. I also appreciate the trust.”
She nodded towards the dog. “Bruno’s a good judge of character.”He nodded, then headed back to the car.
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