The Piper

by Lynn Hightower

  ‘How could you see her in the dark?’ Withers bent over and put the paper on the coffee table.

  Olivia stared at Teddy’s math paper. ‘The headlights of the Jeep were on and so were the lights inside the car. I figured Teddy was reading. She had a new Nancy Drew book. The book was still in the car, by the way. Which means she left it behind. That’s not good. She takes her books with her everywhere she goes.’

  ‘I agree, it’s worrying. Why wasn’t Teddy in the house with you? One of the officers tells me you were packing up suitcases. Where were you going, Mrs James? On a school night at that.’

  ‘We were going to spend a few nights in a hotel.’

  ‘Why was that, ma’am?’

  Olivia reached across the coffee table and moved the math paper so it was centered, and not hanging off to the side.

  ‘Mrs James? Did you hear me? Why were you and Teddy going to a hotel?’

  ‘Detective, I’m sure you know my best friend died here yesterday afternoon.’

  Withers nodded, shoulders tense. ‘Wainwright, Amelia. Why was she here?’

  ‘She just came . . . to visit.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘I came home from work, and I found her . . . she’d been taking a bubble bath and she drowned in the tub.’

  Withers sat forward. ‘As of now there’s not an official cause of death, pending autopsy results, Mrs James. And you must know it’s hard to believe that a healthy, grown woman would drown in the tub. And I have to say that what’s happened with your daughter here puts that death in an even stranger light. The two incidents have to be connected. Do you have any thoughts on that?’

  ‘No. None of this makes any sense.’ Olivia was aware that tears ran down her cheeks, which was odd. She felt nothing.

  ‘Ma’am, I get you’re upset. Do you need me to stop this interview?’

  Olivia looked back up at Teddy’s papers on the mantel.

  Withers flipped a page in his notebook. ‘Tell me why you were packing those bags. Did you feel threatened by something?’

  Olivia fought the urge to laugh. She bit her lip. Stupid, stupid, it was nerves, that was all. Withers would think she was insane.

  ‘Mrs James? Were you running away?’

  Olivia looked down at the floor. ‘Teddy and I were both pretty shook up by Amelia’s death. We – Teddy was afraid to be in the house after Amelia died here, and I decided that it might be a good idea for both of us just to spend a couple of nights in a hotel.’

  ‘Was your daughter here when this death occurred?’

  Olivia shook her head. ‘No. Teddy was with my sister-in-law. Charlotte picks her up after school and Teddy stays at her house till I get off from work.’

  ‘Do you have a number for her, ma’am, so we can confirm?’

  ‘Yes. Of course.’ Olivia tried to think. Her mind blanked. ‘I can’t . . . think of it now.’

  Withers seemed not to be surprised. ‘Do you have it written down somewhere? Maybe on a list of emergency numbers somewhere?’

  ‘Yes,’ Olivia said. ‘On the refrigerator.’ She stood up, but he waved her back to her seat.

  He leaned forward. ‘Officer Rodriguez says that before Teddy disappeared you were in the basement and you heard thumping noises. Is that right?’

  Olivia nodded.

  ‘Any chance the noise was coming from the outside? What section of the basement did it come from? North side or west?’

  Olivia had to think. ‘It wasn’t the driveway side. It was out the back. I thought the noises came from inside the house.’

  ‘Always hard to tell, that kind of thing.’ He looked back down at his notebook. ‘So then you started up the stairs and all the lights went out. All over the house.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘All of them. You’re sure of that.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Was it like somebody flipped the breakers?’

  ‘I . . . it could have been that.’

  ‘They went out all together, not one by one.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Ma’am, where is the breaker box for this house?’

  ‘Outside. By the back door.’

  ‘Interesting. Because they’re usually in the basement of old houses like this.’

  ‘This one’s outside.’

  ‘Which means anyone could access the breakers from outside the house. Now you say that when you found your daughter gone, you went back in the house to look for her, thinking she might have gone inside. Because you left the front door unlocked. And all the lights worked then.’

  ‘Right.’

  Donnie Withers seemed to consider that for a moment. ‘But you didn’t flip the breakers? You didn’t go into the box?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Tell me again when the dog started barking.’

  ‘Right when the lights went out.’

  ‘So it happened at the same time. Lights out, and dog.’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘It would make sense for the kidnapper to cut the lights and then go for your daughter, and set the dog off.’

  ‘Yes. That would make sense.’

  He shut his notebook. ‘Okay, Mrs James. I understand you’ve given us permission to search anywhere in the house.’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘I’m going to leave an officer posted outside and I’m going to ask you to leave for the night.’

  ‘But . . . no. What if Teddy comes home somehow? What if she needs me and I’m not there? What if there’s a ransom demand?’

  ‘Ma’am. You’ve already told our officers that you’ve got roughly sixteen hundred dollars sum total in your accounts. If Teddy was abducted, it wasn’t for money.’

  Olivia put her face in her hands. The numbness was ebbing, and the waves of worry were coming, coming fast.

  ‘Now here’s the thing, ma’am. In the last twenty-four hours this house has been the scene of a death and an abduction. And in my experience, grown women don’t drown in bathtubs, and little girls don’t disappear with their dogs. I want a forensic team here. I’ll let you know when you can come back home. Officer Teller can drive you to the hotel, or anywhere else you want to go. I’m afraid we’re impounding your car.’

  Olivia covered her hands with her mouth, because it was welling up inside again, this horrific compulsion to laugh. Did Withers really think she would be worried about the fucking car? That she was in any condition to drive?

  It was her last coherent thought for the night.

  THIRTY-NINE

  Detective Teller was the blonde girl Olivia had seen arrive with Withers. Olivia was trembling, and Teller put a hand on her shoulder to steady her as she stumbled down the front porch stairs.

  Olivia stopped mid step. ‘Wait, I need to go back in.’

  Teller took her elbow, and steered her away from the door. ‘Whatever it is, it can wait.’

  Olivia jerked away. ‘I have to go back and get Teddy’s school papers. They’re on the mantel, it will only take a second.’

  Teller’s face was full of an avid sympathy Olivia recognized.

  ‘Her papers will be fine, Olivia, don’t worry about them. I’ll keep an eye out on them for you, okay?’

  ‘Don’t patronize me.’

  Detective Teller’s face went red. ‘I’m not patronizing you. I understand how upset you are. You should know that Detective Withers is very good at his job. He can be rough around the edges, but don’t take it personally. His mind is always on the work, and he’s three steps ahead of everybody else. If anybody can find your daughter, he can. You should be grateful he’s the one on the case.’

  ‘Grateful?’ Olivia took a step backward. ‘You’re twelve. Don’t tell me to be grateful. And let go of me, I can walk without your help.’ Olivia closed her eyes. Be careful, she told herself. Don’t antagonize the police.

  McTavish was just pulling up when Olivia hit the last step. He parked the Cadillac at the edge of the curb and loped up the driveway, opening his arms
. ‘Olivia. I can’t believe this. I’m so sorry.’ He looked over her shoulder at Detective Teller. ‘Donnie Withers on this?’

  Teller nodded.

  ‘He put out an amber alert?’

  ‘Rodriguez took care of that from the get go, Modello,’ Teller said.

  ‘What about CASKU? Withers should call them now, while the trail’s still hot.’

  Teller shook her head. ‘You know he won’t work with the FBI. He’ll handle it himself.’

  ‘Stupid fucker,’ McTavish said.

  ‘Hey, come on,’ Teller said. ‘Donnie’s good, even if you don’t like the guy.’

  ‘Yeah? Because I hear through the grapevine your precious Donnie’s been treating her like shit.’

  ‘Pretty fast grapevine, you got some friends on the force?’

  ‘Good night, Detective Teller. Your babysitting duties are officially over.’

  ‘Donnie said—’

  ‘Donnie Withers can suck my dick. Come on, Livie. Come with me.’

  Olivia was vaguely aware that McTavish leaned across and fastened her seatbelt for her before he backed into the street, and began to drive.

  ‘I know what CASKU is, McTavish. It’s the Child Abduction and Serial Killer Unit with the FBI.’

  McTavish ran a hand over his chin. Watched the road.

  Olivia stared out the window. ‘The OVC is the Office for Victims of Crime. That’s the Justice Department. Then there’s the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NCMEC – aren’t they the ones that post the success stories? I know one of them does. And AMECO. That’s . . .’ Olivia stopped talking. She could not remember what she had been going to say.

  McTavish was cruising the neighborhood. She had always loved the little bungalows in Bearden. So pretty. Were there children inside? Sleeping in their beds? Did their parents know they weren’t safe?

  ‘You know, McTavish, they didn’t have all those organizations when Emily disappeared. We were kind of on our own, back in the day.’

  McTavish took her hand. ‘We’ve got a lot more smarts now, Livie. More resources, more experience. We’ll find Teddy. I’ll find Teddy. This is not going to happen to you again.’

  ‘Your fingers are nice and warm,’ Olivia said.

  McTavish pulled the car to the side of the road and cut the lights. Took both of Olivia’s hands in his.

  ‘Listen to me, babe. Please. I know there’s stuff going on you haven’t told Withers. I know you’re upset, and it’s hard to think straight. Can you pull it together and talk to me? Whatever it is you know, it could help me find Teddy. And honey, you need to believe me when I tell you that underestimating Detective Donnie is a big mistake. He’s a prick, but he’s a smart prick.’ McTavish waited. Sighed when Olivia did not respond. He turned the engine off, and twisted sideways to face her in the dark. ‘I know there was something funny going on, the day that Amelia died. Tell me everything, so I can go out and help them find your little girl. Otherwise I’m going out with Rodriguez to knock on doors, which is the bottom of the barrel when it comes to leads.’

  ‘McTavish? I need you to do something for me. I need to go back into the house. Teddy’s school work is on the mantel, and I need to get that and take it with me to the hotel.’

  McTavish sighed. Gathered her in his arms. ‘Olivia,’ he whispered. ‘Please, just please, try. Try and think with me, okay?’

  Olivia liked the way he smelled. She pulled away from him, absently rubbing a thumb across his wrist. ‘Honestly, McTavish. It’s awfully hard to explain.’

  ‘Try me, babe.’

  It was time consuming, telling him everything. Hard for Olivia to organize her thoughts. Any interruption stopped her cold and she had to go back to the beginning to get her head straight, and finally McTavish said nothing, kept still, and listened. They sat together for a very long time.

  After a while, Olivia put her head in her hands. ‘You don’t believe me,’ she said. ‘I don’t blame you. I don’t believe any of it myself.’

  McTavish rubbed his chin and looked away. ‘It’s not that. It’s Jamison. He’s afraid to be alone right now, he’s afraid to be asleep. But when he does sleep, he wakes up screaming. And he says that name over and over, that name that you and Amelia found.’

  ‘Duncan Lee?’

  ‘Decan Ludde.’

  FORTY

  McTavish hadn’t wanted to leave her at the hotel, but Olivia had insisted. He had to find Teddy for her. He had to do it. Someone she could trust.

  Hugh, flying out of LAX on the redeye, had called while she was being interrogated by Withers. He’d texted her to say he preferred to stay by her side at the house, but if that wasn’t okay, he’d get a room at the Crown Plaza downtown. He’d been in flight when she tried to call back, so she’d left him a message. That she wasn’t at the house. That she’d taken a room at the hotel.

  Olivia had taken a shower but not washed her hair. Not even washed herself, just stood under the water, too tired to lift the soap. She’d tried the bed for a while, distracting herself with the drone of cable television, studying the ceiling tiles, the dust caked in one corner, the shape of what might be a dog directly over her head. When the knock came, at the hotel room door, she was on her feet in an instant.

  It would be a police officer. Good news or bad?

  But it was not a police officer. It was Charlotte. Standing in the hallway, face swollen and red with a tissue crumpled in her fist.

  ‘McTavish called me,’ she said, when Olivia opened the door. ‘He told me to come.’

  Charlotte tried to step forward to give Olivia a hug, but Olivia pushed her back.

  ‘You stay away from me, Charlotte. And when my little girl comes home safe, you stay away from us.’

  ‘God, Olivia.’ Tears ran down Charlotte’s face. ‘Don’t do this. I know—’

  ‘You know nothing. Or everything. If you. And my brother. Hadn’t started this.’

  ‘Don’t blame him. Don’t blame Chris.’

  ‘Why not? He’s the one who brought it home. I never want to see you or Janet, or any of you. Ever again.’

  Charlotte’s chest was heaving. ‘You don’t mean it, but I’m upsetting you, so I’ll go. If you need me, Livie. You know where I am.’

  ‘Yes, I know where you are, Charlotte.’ And then she had a thought that made the nausea boil. ‘Have you talked to the police?’

  Charlotte nodded. ‘They came to the house.’

  ‘Charlotte. You didn’t tell the police about Teddy being there, when Amelia died?’

  ‘I picked Teddy up after school that day, Livie. I was late and I picked her up at the corner of Westwood and Sutherland, it happened just like you said.’

  Olivia put her back against the wall. Covered her face with her hands. ‘Thank you. Thank you for that.’

  ‘We’re family, Livie, like it or not. Like marriage, for better or worse. You can’t be alone right now. You’re not – you’re not safe.’

  ‘Safe? It’s Teddy that’s not safe. And I’m not alone, Charlotte. I have Teddy. I have Teddy and I’m not alone.’

  Charlotte sobbed. ‘Oh, God, Olivia—’

  ‘Go.’

  Olivia folded her arms, listening to the echo of soft crying, growing fainter as Charlotte stumbled down the hall. She waited just long enough for Charlotte to go away. She had to get out of the room.

  She settled in the lobby in a deep leather chair, outside the first floor dining room. The scenarios of what might be happening to Teddy paralyzed her – it would be better if she could somehow turn off her brain. The three hour time limit Detective Withers had pointed out was long gone. Teddy was now statistically dead.

  Sometime in the early morning hours Olivia dozed, waking to the clatter of plates – the hotel staff setting up the breakfast buffet. Olivia jumped up, feeling cold, trying to make sense of where she was. She had overslept, dammit, and if she didn’t hustle Teddy would be late for school.

  And then she remembered. It all ca
me back. Teddy would not be going to school that day.

  She punched numbers into her phone, got hold of Detective Teller, who told her in too many words that Teddy had not come home. Teller was so friendly and so sickeningly sympathetic that Olivia knew that she had been instructed to befriend Olivia, gain her confidence, form a fucking bond. No new developments to share, was how Teller put it. What did she mean by share, Olivia thought.

  She sat back down in the leather chair, watching the hotel staff moving in and out of the dining room. She smelled coffee, wondered if she was hungry. It was hard to tell, really, but she did not think she was. She knew from before that there was no shame in eating when your child disappeared, but even wanting a cup of coffee made her feel the shame all the same.

  She had just decided to try and call Hugh, when she saw him come into the hotel lobby through the double glass doors.

  He wore jeans, a white oxford shirt, expensive slip on loafers, a charcoal blazer, cashmere, she’d bought for him as a Christmas gift five years ago. She and Teddy had shopped together.

  His energy was as controlled and precise as a sniper shot, and a man in a work shirt pushing a trash cart stepped out of his way. The desk clerk took a sideways wary stance when Hugh dropped his black leather carryall gently to the floor and set the oversized leather wallet where he kept airline tickets and travel paperwork on the wood partition.

  ‘I’d like a room. Non smoking, king bed, but if that’s not available, I’ll take any damn thing you’ve got.’ Hugh took a credit card out of the inside pocket of his blazer. His hair was thick and wavy and even after a night on a plane it looked good. Olivia had always loved his hair. The gray was more pronounced these days, but she liked that too.

  She ought to call out, to tell Hugh that she was there. But she froze. Hugh needed to check in first, didn’t he? So should she say something or wait? Why couldn’t she make the smallest decision now without this agony of details in her mind? Why couldn’t she think?

  She watched Hugh tap a finger on the counter while the desk clerk consulted a computer. Hugh could never be still.

  ‘Look, my wife is here, Olivia James. She told me what room, but I can’t remember. Can you look it up?’