Three Days in Seattle

by Debra Burroughs

* * * *

  Ryan held the door open and Kate dashed into the police station first, heading directly back to the squad room. Patel and Porter were waiting for them, as a print out of the photo lay on the desk.

  “Good morning, Kate, Ryan,” Raj said.

  “Good morning,” Ryan replied.

  “Is this the photo?” Kate asked as she picked it up. “Sorry, good morning. I don’t mean to be rude, I’m just so anxious to see the picture.” She held it up and studied the faces for a moment. Then her eyes narrowed and her head cocked slightly to one side.

  “Oh, my gosh,” she whispered under her breath.

  “What?” Ryan asked.

  “I know who these people are,” Kate replied, glaring at their faces, stunned by the realization.

  “You do?” Detective Porter asked, encouraged that they finally had a lead. “Who are they?”

  Kate swallowed hard before responding. A flood of memories rushed into her mind and her heart began to pound. She sat down at the desk, feeling weak in the knees.

  “Are you all right?” Ryan asked. He seemed to see she was shaken.

  “Who are these people?” Porter asked again, with a serious tone in his voice.

  “Suzanne Henderson and her brother, Ethan.”

  “How do you know them?” Patel inquired.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them. About ten years ago, I was in a car accident with their mother.”

  “Is the mother okay?” asked Porter.

  “No.” Kate paused, thinking back to that terrible day. “No, she died in the accident. As a matter of fact, it was ten years ago this month.”

  “That’s too bad. I wonder, though, why would your sister write ‘Suki & guy’ on the sticky note and the file name?” Porter questioned.

  “I don’t know,” Kate replied. She studied the photo again, concentrating on the faces. “You know, I think the girl is...” Kate’s eyes widened and she stopped breathing for a moment.

  “Is who?” Ryan pressed.

  “I think she’s Suki! I think Suzanne Henderson is Suki Gorman.”

  “The roommate?” Patel asked.

  “I thought there was something not quite right about that young woman,” Porter stated. “I checked her out, but I didn’t find anything. Probably because I had the wrong name.”

  “That’s why Whitney wrote Suki on this picture file,” Kate said. “She figured out Suki was Suzanne.”

  “Okay, but what about the guy?” Patel asked Kate.

  “Her brother? I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since the accident.”

  “Why would Whitney question the photo? There was something about this photo that obviously made her suspicious.” Porter said, trying to think through Whitney’s motivation.

  “Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!” Kate kept saying as she suddenly put two and two together.

  “What’s the matter?” Ryan asked.

  “There’s a guy that I think has been following me,” Kate said.

  “The guy with the blue ball cap,” Ryan recalled.

  “Yes. I think this may be him.”

  “What? A fella’s been following you? How come you never said anything to us?” Porter asked, putting both his hands on his hips. “This could be important!”

  “I’m sorry, I wasn’t sure,” she apologized.

  “What’s his full name again?” Detective Porter asked in an irritated tone, grabbing a pen and pad off the desk to write it down.

  “Ethan Henderson,” she replied.

  “We’ll check him out, see what his story is. Anything else you haven’t told us?” Porter questioned.

  “No, I don’t think so,” Kate responded.

  “Why do you think Suki and her brother might want to hurt Whitney?” Patel asked.

  “I don’t know. I remember that at the time of the accident, their family blamed me for their mom’s death. They were pretty angry at me, but that was a long time ago, and I was the one driving, not Whitney. She was only fourteen then.”

  “Sounds like we need to bring Suki in for questioning,” said Porter. “The press has been putting Whitney’s photo out there, trying to help us find her. Maybe they can make a connection to Suki and Ethan if we put their photos out there, too.”

  “Can you do that?” Kate asked. “I mean, she’s not a suspect yet, is she?”

  “All we have to do is tell a couple of TV stations we’re bringing someone in for questioning as a person of interest, and they’ll be waiting with cameras outside the station,” Porter explained. “We’ll make a couple of calls and put the word out. We just need to find Suki first so the press knows when we’re bringing her in.”

  “I don’t think you should go back to the apartment until they have her in custody, Kate,” Ryan warned.

  She was glad he’d come to the police station with her, to lend his support. It comforted her to hear him being so protective of her.

  “I agree,” said Porter. “Can you keep her with you, Ryan?”

  “I think I can handle that,” Ryan joked, putting an arm around Kate’s shoulders. Then he became more serious. “I’ll watch out for her. I just need to check in with my office and see what’s going on there, and then I’m all hers.”

  “Do you think Suki is at home?” Patel asked Kate.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t been there since yesterday. Let me give her a call and see,” Kate offered.

  “That’ll work,” Patel responded.

  Kate dialed Suki’s number and listened to it ringing.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, Suki, this is Kate.”

  “Hi, Kate,” Suki responded.

  “I just wanted to let you know I’m back in town,” Kate said, glancing up at Ryan.

  “I’ve been wondering what happened. What did you find out in Boise? Was it Whitney?” Suki asked.

  “No, it wasn’t her.”

  “Oh, I’m so glad to hear that,” Suki said.

  “I’ll be coming back to the apartment a little later. Are you there now?” Kate asked.

  “No, I’m just leaving to go by my work for a little while, but I’ll be back this afternoon.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you later, then,” Kate said, trying not to give anything away.

  Kate hung up her phone and stuck it in her pocket. “She’s on her way to work, she said.”

  “Where does she work?” Porter asked.

  “The Underground Tour,” she answered. “You know, that place that shows where the original Seattle streets use to be.”

  “Oh, yeah, yeah, I know that place. I went there once,” Patel said.

  “We’ll pick her up there,” Porter decided. “I’d like to be waiting for her when she comes out, no sense trying to track her down in the maze of the underground city. When does she get off?”

  “I don’t think she’s actually going to be working today. It sounded like she just had to stop by there for some reason, like picking up her paycheck or something,” Kate said.

  “Maybe we can hurry and get there before she does. Then we can pick her up before she goes in,” Patel suggested.

  “That’s a good idea,” agreed Porter. “We’d better get going if she’s already on her way.”

  “Do you want us to wait here for you?” Ryan asked as the two detectives headed for the door.

  “No, we don’t need you for now. You guys go do something for the rest of the day, away from the apartment, and we’ll call you when we know anything,” Detective Porter told them.

  “Johnson!” Porter called to a young uniformed officer in the next room. Officer Johnson sprinted into the squad room.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “I need you to call the local TV stations and let their news directors know we’re bringing in a person of interest in the Whitney McAllister disappearance. Tell them they have about twenty minutes to get their crew over here and set up. I want them already in place when we bring her in.”

  “Will do, sir.” Office Johnson hurried out to jump
on his assignment.

  “Kate, Ryan, don’t worry. We’ll call you when we know something,” Porter assured them. “Let’s go, Raj.”

  * * * *

  Suki boarded the bus to Pioneer Square to check on Whitney one last time. Ethan assured her he would take care of Kate today. After that, they could get out of Seattle for good. She hoped she could find a way to let someone know where Whitney was, once she and her brother were safely out of the state.

  She called her brother, as promised, when she knew for sure Kate was back in Seattle.

  “Ethan, this is Suki. I just heard from Kate and she’s back in the city.”

  “Did she say where she was?” he asked.

  “No, but she said she’d meet me at the apartment later this afternoon.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “I’m on a bus going to my work. I need to check on you-know-who,” Suki told him, keeping her voice down and looking around to make sure no one was listening.

  “Call me when you’re on your way back to the apartment. I’ll meet you there. We’ll both be there when Kate comes back. I can take care of her then.”

  “I don’t want to be there. I couldn’t stand it.”

  “I’ll take her back to Whitney’s room. You won’t have to watch.”

  “But, Ethan...”

  “Hey! You said you wanted Kate to pay for what she did to Mom, just as much as me. So stop your whining and let’s get this over with. Then we’ll grab our stuff and get out of this place.”

  “All right. I’ll call you when I’m leaving to go back to the apartment.”

  The bus reached the Pioneer Square stop and Suki got off. It pulled away, leaving Suki standing on the sidewalk. She put a gray scarf over her red hair and scurried across the street to the Underground Tour building, approaching the main entrance. Her mind was set on what she had to do, hoping to sneak in and out undetected one last time. As she reached out to put her hand on the door handle, two men stepped up to her.

  “Suki?” Detective Porter said, coming up to her on her right side.

  She stopped cold, recognizing him. She looked up at him, then over to Detective Patel, who was now on her left.

  “Hello, Detectives,” she said, attempting to stay calm.

  “We have some more questions for you. We’d like you to come with us,” Porter asserted.

  “I have to go to work right now. Can’t I come down to the station and talk to you a little later?” Suki responded, trying to sound casual.

  “I’m afraid not,” Porter answered, taking hold of her arm and leading her to their black unmarked police car parked at the curb just around the corner.

  “But, you don’t understand. I need to—”

  “You need to what?” Porter cut her off in midsentence.

  She couldn’t explain to him what she needed to do without giving herself away. “Never mind,” she relented. If they were only going to question her, she thought, she would be out of there in an hour or two and then she could check on Whitney.

  Patel opened the door for her, helped her into the backseat, and then they whisked her away to the police station.

  * * * *

  A frenzy of news reporters and TV cameras were waiting for them as they pulled up to the station. Parking in clear view of the cameras, Detective Patel helped Suki out of the car. Both detectives escorted her at a snail’s pace through the flurry of cameras and microphones and the volley of questions being thrown their way.

  “Is this woman under arrest?” one reporter called out.

  “Did she kidnap Whitney McAllister?” another shouted.

  “Have you found Whitney’s body?”

  “Did this woman kill Whitney?”

  The questions came in rapid fire, one building upon the other. As they approached the front door, the detectives lingered for a few moments and the press got plenty of video and photos of Suki.

  Once inside, Porter and Patel ushered her into one of the interrogation rooms and left her there alone while they told her they were going to gather the case file and photo.

  “Just cool your jets here and I’ll be right back,” Porter told her as he shut the door.

  Sitting in the bare room, she nervously scratched her head, crossed her arms momentarily, then uncrossed them, spreading them out on the table. What could they possibly have on me, she asked herself, and why did they need to bring me to the police station to ask me questions? They always came to the apartment before. Why the police station now? And what’s with all the cameras and reporters?

  The fluorescent lights were glaring, putting a strain on Suki’s eyes. The warm, stuffy air made her thirsty and a little sleepy. She put her elbows on the table and propped her head on her hands.

  Her own drowsiness caused her to think of Whitney, lying asleep on the filthy bed in total darkness. Without more sleeping pills, she’d eventually wake up. With her hands and feet tied to the bed and duct tape over her mouth, maybe she wouldn’t be able to make much noise, Suki hoped, but if she started jerking the brass bed around, she could make enough noise to possibly draw the attention of a tour passing by.

  Oh, why did I let Ethan talk me into this? The police know something. They have to, or I wouldn’t be here. And if I can’t get back to the underground city to check on Whitney, she might give us away.

  And what’s with all the press? she asked herself again. They were snapping pictures and screaming out questions like I was being arrested or something. Oh, no! What if I am arrested and I can’t get out of here?

  Scenario after scenario flashed through Suki’s mind as panic began to set in. For just an instant, she wanted to spill her guts and tell the cops everything—to save Whitney and save herself—but she soon pulled that thought back. She’d have to betray her brother, and there was no way she would do that. He wasn’t much, but he was all she had left.

  Taking a slow, deep, calming breath, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes to give them relief from the glare. I’ll wait, she decided, until I know what the police have. Maybe I’m making more of this than I need to.

  Why are they taking so long? Suki wondered, squirming in her chair. Then the door swung open and Detective Porter walked in. He dropped a manila folder down on the table with a thud and took a seat across the table from her.

  “Sorry to take so long, ma’am,” he said, opening the folder and leafing through the papers. She watched him with interest but did not reply.

  “Miss Gorman, I need to know where you were the night Whitney McAllister went missing.”

  “Me? Why, I was at home. I came home from work and Whitney wasn’t there. I told you all of this before. It should be in that report.”

  “I want you to tell me again,” Detective Porter said.

  “She wasn’t there when I got home from work Saturday evening, so I assumed she went out with friends or had a date. When I woke up the next morning, Whitney was not home yet. I waited all day for her to come home, but she didn’t. I was worried. It wasn’t like her to stay out all night. And then to stay out all day without letting me know, that really wasn’t like her. That’s when I called her sister in L.A. Her sister said she would call the police to report Whitney missing, but she was told she couldn’t file a report yet because she hadn’t been missing for twenty-four hours. That’s what she told me. It’s all there in the report,” she said, pointing at the folder.

  “Did I do something wrong?” Suki asked, shifting in her seat and crossing her arms in front of her. “You don’t think I had anything to do with her disappearance, do you?”

  “It’s just routine, Miss Gorman. We have to ask everyone these questions, check everything out,” Porter said, appearing to make a note on a page in the file.

  Then, he pulled out the photo he had shown her the night before and spun it around with a couple of fingers so it faced her.

  “And, I want to ask you to take another look at the photo I showed you last night,” he said. “I thought maybe after you’d had
some time to think about it something might have jogged your memory and you could tell us who these people are.” He paused and studied her face as if trying to read her reaction.

  “Well, let me see.” Suki picked up the photo and pretended to examine it, relieved that this was why they had brought her in. “No,” she shook her head slightly, “I still don’t know who these people are.”

  “Really?” Porter questioned, arching his eyebrows.

  “I don’t.” Suki insisted.

  “You, Miss Gorman, are a liar.” Suki’s eyes widened at his accusation. “Or should I say Miss Henderson?” Her mouth dropped open.

  “Isn’t this you and your brother, Ethan?” he pressed.

  “I’m not saying another word,” she said as she crossed her arms again and looked toward the door, wishing she could get up and run out.

  “Why would you lie about it if you didn’t have anything to hide?” Porter questioned.

  Suki shook her head and looked down, refusing to answer.

  “Tell me, did you or your brother have anything to do with the disappearance of Whitney McAllister?” he demanded.

  Suki looked the detective in the eye and pressed her lips together hard. Bringing her right hand up to her mouth, she defiantly made a gesture like she was turning a key and locking her lips. Then she crossed her arms once more, sat back in her chair, and glared at him, unwilling to give herself or her brother up.

  Porter continued to pepper her with more questions over the next hour, but she refused to answer any of them. Finally, she spoke.

  “Are you arresting me?”

  “Not just yet, however, we are going to hold you for a bit.”

  “You can’t do that!”

  “Actually, I could arrest you for lying to a police officer and obstructing our investigation, and I still might, but not yet. For now, I’m going to hold you for a few hours while we check out your story. Now, Miss Henderson, if you’d rather I arrest you and put you in the general prison population, I can do that.”

  Suki’s pulse began to race and her face became flush. What do I do? What do I do? she frantically asked herself. I’ll demand a lawyer, that’s what I’ll do. Then I have to keep my mouth shut. That’s it. I just have to keep my big mouth shut.

  “Okay, you can hold me for a while, but I’m not answering any more questions. And I want a lawyer.”