"That's when we called you," I said. "For the record, if we were involved, the police would've been the last people we called. No one knew we were here. No one saw us drive into the woods. We could have slipped away unnoticed, with no one the wiser. The fact we called should speak to our innocence."
We heard an engine. Headlights knifed through the trees. Before long the SUV we'd seen on our earlier visit rumbled out of the woods and parked next to the police cruiser.
"Chief's here," Officer Sytniak said. "He'll want to talk to you both. And yes, I'd already thought about the call. But people do strange things to try and hide their guilt. Besides, we don't work off of assumptions. We work off of evidence. It's not a matter of being insulting, or not believing your story. It's a matter of being thorough. You don't want us doing a half-assed job, and we don't either. Nor would this poor lady's husband, should he turn up. He's on the Job. He'd want us to stop at nothing to find out what happened. I hope you understand."
"Thank you," I told the officer. “We appreciate your help.”
Toni, less charitable than I, simply nodded in agreement. Still pissed, her arms were wrapped tightly around her body. I knew from experience that it would take her a while to calm down.
"If you'll excuse me." Sytniak walked toward Chief Couttis, and the two began talking in whispers.
I hugged Toni. "You okay?"
"No." She rested her head on my chest. "If she didn't receive news about Frank, why would she do something like this? Why would she leave behind her children, or murder her own baby? Her kids were her life. None of this makes sense. We're missing something. I can feel it." She shivered. "Until we see her body, I'm not giving up on her."
"I wouldn’t expect less. The same goes for Frank. We owe it to them, and to the boys. We won't quit until we have proof they're gone."
There was a splashing out on the lake. We turned, but could see nothing.
"It's so dark out there," Toni said.
"The lake's big. She could be anywhere in there. The odds of them running across her are pretty small."
"I know."
Chief Couttis approached. He wore a black nylon jacket with Emersville PD on the chest. His expression was grim, his gray hair tousled, as if he had been in bed and the call had robbed him of a night filled with pleasant dreams.
"I'm surprised to see you two again. This is what, twice in a week?"
Toni stepped up to meet him. "How’s Annabelle? We saw the sign on her store. Closed indefinitely."
"Not well, I'm afraid. The doctors at St. Mary's transferred her to the hospital in Grand Rapids for specialized care. Brain tumor. Neuroblastic something-or-other."
My ears perked up. "Neuroblastoma multiform?"
"Yes, that was the name." Chief Couttis's eyes narrowed. "Is it serious?"
"Not a very high survival rate, I’m afraid. I wish it had been something different."
"Annabelle used to babysit my boy, back when he was in grade school. You remember Kent? Responded to your emergency call?"
We told him we did.
"He and Annabelle got along great. She used to make these pinwheel cookies for him. Had raspberry jam in the center. Me and the missus used to hide them, so Kent didn't polish them off in one sitting. Christ, that kid was a handful." His voice grew gravelly, as if a pebble of grief had lodged in his throat. "He's going to be heartbroken if she dies."
Toni said, "We'll send prayers her way."
"Thank you, ma'am. I'm sure she'd appreciate it. But she's not the reason you're here. Can you tell me what happened?"
We recounted for the second time the events of the evening. When we got to the incident at the Black and Brewed, he stopped us.
"Who was the kid? Can you describe him?"
"About twenty, twenty-two," I said. "Thin build. Long hair stuffed into a knit cap."
"Shit-eating grin?"
"You know him?"
Chief Couttis nodded. "Cyrus Kline. Dropped out of college when the classes got hard. Now he drives a Hi-Lo for Grant Textiles outside of town. Likes to stand up to anyone he sees as an authority figure." His tone hardened. "Kid needs his clock cleaned. I wear the badge, which means it can't be me. Hell, with my luck, somebody’d record me tap-dancing on the little shit's head and bam, suddenly I'm a YouTube star. Cameras in my face, lawyers up my ass. Not the way I want to sail off into a happy retirement."
I sympathized with the man. I'd witnessed the shift from respecting the police to reviling them. "What about the rest? They stood there, like they wanted to keep us from leaving."
"Might be coincidence, Doctor Jordan. No reason they'd all interfere."
"They did interfere," Toni said. "They blocked our way. And they stood at the window and watched us leave." She gave a little shudder. "It was creepy."
"I'll look into it for you,” he said. “Doesn't sound like any laws were broken, but I don't like anyone bullying out-of-towners. Emersville survives on their greenbacks. We get us a bad rep, suddenly the cash flow dries up and this place ends up a dust bowl. Not gonna let it happen, not on my watch." He paused. "Tell me, how is it you two are back in the center of another crisis, given you are, in fact, tourists?"
More splashing came from the direction of the lake, but I didn't let it distract me. The sudden shift in the chief's questioning was meant to catch us off guard. I was sure of it. I had been expecting it. Hang out with cops long enough and you learn a trick or two about police work.
"It's like we said," I explained. "We were in town. We saw our friend's—"
Couttis held up a hand. "That’s the part I don’t get. You told Ted you were assaulted earlier. Someone broke into your home, knocked you around some, and stole your stuff. Yet here you are, far from Rock Mills and looking like you had a run-in with a hay combine. Damn strange if you ask me. I guess that's my question: why come here after something like that?"
Chief Couttis's question did put me on the defensive. This part of our story was hard to explain without giving away what we knew. If the police were in on the conspiracy, outright telling the chief could land us in a jail cell or worse, but I couldn't see any way out. I had been asked a direct question, and the chief expected a direct answer. I would have to tell the truth, but not necessarily the whole truth.
"The doll," I said. "It was the only thing stolen."
"What doll? What are you talking about?"
"I bought it at Lost Desires. Someone broke into our house and all he took was the damn doll, the one I bought here, in your town. We came to see if we could find out who did it. And we think we found him."
"Found him? Where?"
"Black and Brewed. We were trying to catch him when the place went all Twilight Zone on us."
"Describe him," Couttis said.
"Tall, brown hair cut close to his scalp, big as a hay combine."
"That could be any number of people. Any distinguishing features? Scars? Tattoos?"
"He was wearing an earring. A steel skull. 'Bout the size of your thumb."
Couttis suddenly looked wary. "You sure about that skull earring?"
I nodded. "Hard to miss, and not something I'd make up."
"I suppose not." The chief started rubbing his hand up and down on his pant leg, as if he were wiping a stain from his palm. "I can't believe it. What the hell was he thinking?"
"Who?" Toni said. "What was who thinking?"
"His name is Conrad Hunter,” Couttis said. “Goes by Connie. Lives up on Longmeadow, next to the library. Drives an F150. Big blue mother with knobby wheels and a muffler that rumbles like an earthquake."
"I remember him," I said. "He drove past Lost Desires while we were talking to your son. Mirrored sunglasses hiding half his face. Expression about as friendly as a wood splitter."
"That's him."
"How do you know him?"
Chief Couttis turned to face me. Every pore on his weathered face was visible in the moonlight.
"He's our mayor, Doctor Jordan. Connie Hunter is our god
damn mayor."
* * *
An hour later and the divers were still searching for Kerry's body.
The night had turned cold. Frost covered the car windows like white mold. Even the frogs and crickets had packed it in for the night. The only sound was the occasional splash coming from the lake.
Toni and I paced the shoreline in an effort to keep warm. Officer Sytniak approached us. He had donned a heavier coat. "You should go home. There's nothing you can do here."
"Any word from Chief Couttis?" Toni's voice shook from the cold.
"No, ma'am. Not sure we'll hear from him again tonight."
After learning that the man who beat me might have been Emersville's mayor, Chief Couttis had become all business.
"I need to talk to Connie," he had said. "See if he has an alibi for today."
I agreed. "If he doesn't?"
"I'll have to turn him over to Rock Mills for questioning." His face twisted into a grimace. "Implicating a mayor, especially a popular one like Conrad Hunter, doesn't come without risks. I'll have to be careful. Connie might look like a brute, but he's sharp as hell. He won't balk at giving me trouble, putting up roadblocks. He might even consider dismissing me for harassment. I don't think he'd do it―there's not many people in this town qualified to run a police department—but like I said earlier, I'm facing retirement in a few years, and I don't want to go out on a sour note." He walked to his car. "It won't stop me from doing my job, though. I'm a professional, same as him."
"What does he do?" I called out.
"What else?" the chief had said. "He's a lawyer."
Officer Sytniak snapped on his flashlight, bringing me back to the present. He cast the beam out over the lake. Mist rose from the surface and drifted in lazy, hypnotic swirls. As I stared, my eyelids began to droop, and I had to shake myself to keep from dozing off.
"Seriously, folks,” Sytniak said, bringing the Maglite around until it illuminated our faces. "There's no need for you to stay. If we find anything, we'll call."
"I'd like to stay," Toni said, blowing into her hands, "but I'm not sure if I can last much longer. I feel like I could collapse at any moment."
Looking at her, I noticed how pale she had become. Her cheeks were bone-white except for the dark smudges under her eyes, and there was a trace of blue around her lips.
"Honey," I said, alarmed by her appearance. "Are you all right?"
She nodded weakly. "Just tired. Too much going on, not enough rest. I'll be fine by tomorrow."
"There's the Star Fall Motel," said Sytniak. "It's back in town. You could stay there. If something turns up, you'd be nearby."
My skin crawled at the mention of the motel. My nightmare from the other night returned—me falling through space, a dead planet spinning below me, and Thumbkin, sailing alongside me, scolding me. You weren't supposed to see this!
"Maybe you could sit in the car with the heater on," I told Toni. "Bailing now feels like giving up on Kerry. I don't want to do that. Not to her, and not to Frank."
"The motel is a few miles away," Officer Sytniak said. "You could be back in a heartbeat if we needed you. And truthfully, I'd prefer you go. Until we know otherwise, this is a crime scene, and since you were the last to see Mrs. Swinicki alive, you're a party to the investigation."
I opened my mouth to protest. Sytniak help up a hand. "It would be in your best interest to leave. A prosecutor could start wondering why you stayed behind, and you don't want that kind of attention. Please, go take care of your wife. Get some rest. I've got both your cell numbers. If there are any developments, I'll call."
"If you find her out there"—Toni pointed to the lake—"will you let us see her before you take her away?"
"I doubt it. For the same reasons you shouldn't stay, you also shouldn't see her. You don't want first-hand knowledge of the evidence. It's to protect you as well as the integrity of the investigation." Officer Sytniak considered. "With her husband missing, we will need someone to positively identify the body after the M.E. is finished. You might be asked to drive over to St. Mary's. Would you be up to it?"
"Absolutely," Toni said.
"If you need us, we'll be available," I assured the officer. "I hope it won't come to that."
Sytniak's eyes met mine. "She’s been gone a long time. Her car is here. So is her purse and her phone. If she's not in the water, then where is she?"
His tone was calm but also certain, and I understood what he was telling me.
She's given herself to the lake, and the lake has accepted her gift. She won't return to this world in the same condition she left.
I needed to brace myself for the unpleasantness ahead. Standing here cold and shivering wouldn't help.
"Come on," I said. "Let's go warm up."
"You'll call?" Toni asked Sytniak. "When you find her, you'll call us?"
"Yes, ma'am," Office Sytniak said. "You have my word."
With the 4Runner's heater blowing full blast, we drove away. Neither one of us spoke.
I pulled into the Star Fall Motel. We rented a room, staggered inside, and crawled into bed. Toni fell asleep almost immediately. I lay awake, my mind mulling over the day's events. I've always had trouble turning off my brain.
Half an hour later, my phone rang. I answered without looking at the screen, assuming it was Officer Sytniak calling to inform us they'd found Kerry's body.
"Hello?"
"Paco?" Frank’s voice sounded too loud over the phone's tiny speaker. "Where the hell is everyone?"
* * *
Frank arrived at the Star Fall Motel in record time.
I opened the door for him. He charged into the room, disheveled, his face looking more hound-dogged. I caught a whiff of fast food grease on his clothes as he brushed past me.
"Take me to the lake," he said. "Take me now."
I followed him. "Frank—"
"No," he said. He was breathing heavily, almost panting, and had the "close-to-the-edge" look of someone who was about to blow. "Take me to my wife."
"Frank, listen to me." I kept my voice level, my tone reassuring. He didn't need anything adding to his distress. "We'll fill you in on everything, but it'll take time. Sit down. Catch your breath." I paused, then added quietly, "I don't think we have to hurry."
He stared at me with red-rimmed eyes. "She's my wife. I need to be there."
"I know. First, though, you need to calm down. Let us tell you what we know. You can tell us where you've been. Then we'll take you to the lake. Agreed?"
"I am calm," he said through clenched teeth.
"You need to trust me. A level head works best. It's the only way we'll figure out what happened, and what to do next."
"Goddammit, Paco! Don't feed me this shit! I want—"
Toni stepped up to Frank. Her face was still pale, she still looked haggard, but she managed a smile. Reaching up, she grabbed his blocky, Polish head, brought it to hers, and lightly kissed the tears on his cheeks.
"We all loved her," she said. "We love you, too. Never forget that, Frank. Never. Now sit down. The lake will come soon enough." Without a protest from Frank, she led him to a chair and sat him down. "Take a moment to grieve. You owe yourself that much."
There was a box of tissues on the stand next to the chair. Frank grabbed two fistfuls and pressed them to his face. We watched as he started rocking in the chair. He didn't make a sound as he cried.
Toni rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't hold back. Let it go. Let her know how much you'll miss her." She bit her lip to hold back her own tears. "Let her know how much you loved her."
It was too much for Frank. He hunched over, his face buried in his hands, his broad shoulders heaving, and screamed. He screamed his wife’s name. He screamed his kids' names. He screamed for the unborn child he would never know. He screamed with the naked, tormented grief people never know how to put into words. He screamed until his voice grew hoarse. When his screams turned to sobs, Toni knelt beside him and held him. He turned and bu
ried his face into her shoulder. Gently stroking his hair, she consoled him.
"It'll be okay. Just let it out. We understand."
The immediacy of his grief finally ran its course. Frank sat up and wiped his eyes with the tissues. It didn't do much good. They were soaked with his tears.
Toni snatched a few more from the box and handed them to him. "You did well. We're proud of you."
Frank wiped his face dry and blew his nose.
"We're here for you," I said. "Anytime, anyplace. For any reason."
"I know."
"Better?"
"A little. Tell me what happened."
Toni and I related the events of the night. The tale didn't take long.
"The police are searching for her," I said. "The lake's big and deep. It could be days before they find her."
"Just the same,” Frank said. “I'd like to be there. I'm having a hard time believing this happened. It's so unreal. Until I see something, until I see her..." Frank slumped back in the chair, his bulk making the legs creak. "She was alone when she died. She shouldn't be alone when she's found. I can do that much for her."
"We'll head out in a few minutes." I asked Toni to run to the motel's vending machine and grab some sodas, preferably with caffeine. After she’d left, I turned my attention to Frank. "Have you talked to the boys?"
"Earlier," he said. The hard-nosed cop had fled, leaving behind a vulnerable father of three newly-motherless children. "They're all freaked out. Particularly Nate. He sees himself as grown up, but he's a kid. It'll change tomorrow. Death has a harsh way of shoving us into adulthood, whether we like it or not."
"Did he say why she left?"
"Only that she was talking on her phone when she abruptly hung up, threw her jacket on over her pajamas, and ran out of the house."
"Without saying a word?"
"She just stormed out."
"Whoever was on the other end of the call might know why she left, or why she did what she did." My eyes met his. "Her cell phone's in the car."
Toni returned with the sodas. Frank, impatient to get going, drank his down in three large gulps. Toni sat on the edge of the bed. The color hadn't returned to her cheeks, and when she drank her soda, her hand trembled. "I'm going to sit here for a minute. I don't feel so hot."
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