by Mary Birk
She nodded, and Terrence motioned to one of Dougal’s officers, “Can you lead my wife up to where the jeeps are parked? She’s going to need to be questioned, so just take her up there and get her warm. We’ll be there to talk to her in a bit.”
The officer, a man Anne recognized from church as Colin Burke, took her arm and led her over to the path. She was soaking wet and starting to shiver. When they reached the top of the path, he went over to one of the enclosed jeeps and took a blanket out of the back. He gave it to Anne to drape around herself, and suggested she wait in the passenger seat, out of the biting wind. She quickly got in, her teeth starting to chatter. Officer Burke got in the other side and poured her a cup of coffee from a thermos.
“Drink this. It will warm you up.”
“Does Andrew know?” She shut her eyes, imagining Andrew’s pain when he learned Lenore was dead.
“The chief called him right after we got here and he’d confirmed the child was dead. He’s sent an officer over to bring him to the station.”
“Not here?”
“No. They’ll take her away from here soon.”
Anne nodded, then took a sip of the hot coffee, her head aching from grief and unanswered questions. Why had they killed her? Why not just wait for the money and give her back? How had she died? Had she drowned? Had the kidnappers thrown her in the sea alive or had they killed her first? Anne fervently hoped the little girl hadn’t realized what was happening to her. She tried to wipe away the tears that were falling down her cheeks.
She watched as a man she didn’t recognize emerged from the path up from the sea with cameras and other photographic equipment. Apparently they had been photographing Lenore’s body on the beach. Anne shuddered. Not able to sit still anymore, she got out of the vehicle. The officer got out with her and they stood watching what was going on below. Terrence and Jack were pointing at something out at sea. Two other men were carrying a stretcher with the small draped figure up the steep path. Some of the FBI team was cordoning off the area where Anne had found Lenore and others appeared to be collecting things from the ground.
Anne looked down at the beach, then at the stretcher. Her heart hurt for the dreadful thing that had happened to Lenore, and her tears began again. She couldn’t even fathom what this was going to do to Andrew. How would he ever get over such a terrible loss?
Finally Jack Shelton came up the path in front of the stretcher, followed by Terrence, who quickly came over to where she stood and put his arms around her. He brushed her hair from where the wind had blown it into her face.
“They need you to come down to the station to get your statement, Anne.”
“Okay.” She didn’t move, though. She wanted to stay burrowed against him and not have to face what had happened.
Terrence didn’t push her away, instead his hold on her tightened. “Jack, I’ll drive my wife there in her car.”
Anne lifted her head and saw Jack nod and leave them.
“We’ll be there straightaway. Come on, lass. Just be brave a little longer.” Terrence led her back to her car, then helped her into the passenger seat and closed the door.
The dogs nosed forward to greet her, and she patted them and ordered them back. Waiting for Terrence to get in on the other side, she let her eyes focus on the parked ambulance. She knew that the stretcher holding Lenore, too big to fit in any of the police jeeps, would have to be taken away from the scene in the quietly waiting vehicle.
No sirens or flashing lights would be needed. No ambulance, no matter how fast, could save Lenore.
Chapter 29
“SIT HERE.” Jack Shelton pulled out a chair for Anne in front of Chief McLendon’s desk and sat down on the chair next to her. “Chief, do you have a recorder in here? I left mine in the car.” After the chief nodded and indicated the recorder on his desk, Shelton asked, “You don’t mind if we record this?”
Anne shook her head. “No, of course not.”
His face and voice calm, Shelton said, “Tell me what happened. How did Lenore get on the beach?”
Anne frowned, not understanding what he was asking. “I don’t know. I just saw her lying there like she had been washed up by the sea.”
“Start from the beginning. Tell me what happened exactly as you remember it.”
“I took the dogs for a walk down to the cove and she was there on the beach.”
“Why were you there?” His voice was impatient.
She thought back. “I’d been worried all night but we hadn’t gotten any news, and I didn’t want to call over to the Colony in case everyone was in the middle of doing something to get Lenore back, or sleeping. Jeanne was getting the kids ready for school, and I couldn’t sit still, so I decided that it would be a good idea to get out, get some fresh air—move around.” Her nose started to run and she took a tissue from a box on the desk. “So I took the dogs and we went down my usual path to the beach.”
She paused to wipe her nose, and he said, “Go on.”
“When I was almost to the beach, I saw something lying there. The dogs ran ahead of me and I could tell they’d seen something. Then when I got closer…oh, God…there she was.” She looked over at Dougal, and she felt the tears returning. “Poor Lenore, poor Andrew.”
The chief shook his head. “I can’t even imagine how he’s feeling.”
Anne caught Shelton giving Dougal a look of displeasure. When the FBI agent’s eyes moved back to her, she suddenly felt an unmistakable antagonism coming from him. At her? Why? Was he still pissed off on Terrence’s behalf that she was with Andrew? He needed to focus on his job, on finding who had done this to Lenore.
“What time did you leave the Mermaids to go for your walk?” Shelton’s face was impassive, but Anne still heard an edge to his voice.
“Early. Maybe seven, seven-thirty? Jeanne might remember more exactly.”
“Why did you pick that particular beach to walk the dogs?”
“It’s one of my favorite walks. I go there all the time. This time of year if there’s no one around, I can let the dogs off their leads. They like to run.”
“You usually walk by yourself?”
“Most of the time.”
“Did you talk to anyone besides Jeanne this morning before you went?”
She thought. “No.”
“Andrew?”
“No.”
“When’s the last time you talked to him?”
“Last night.”
“What did you talk about?”
“About whether there’d been a call, or any news.” If she’d ever thought this man was nice, she didn’t anymore. He was acting like such a jerk. Like she’d had something to do with Lenore’s death.
“Where were you last night?”
“I was at home. With Jeanne.”
“She can vouch for you, I suppose?”
“Of course.”
“But she wouldn’t know if you left in the night?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Kind of a coincidence, you being on a deserted beach right where Lenore’s body washes up.”
“I didn’t know she’d be there, if that’s what you’re implying.”
“You could have left in the night and arranged to find the kid’s body in the morning.”
“That’s crazy. Why would I do that?”
“Why did you call Reid when you found the body? Why not 911? Or the police station?”
“I knew Terrence was with everyone else at the Colony and I know his number. I didn’t want to call Andrew and just tell him the news like that. And I knew Andrew wanted Terrence to be in charge.”
“Let’s talk about that. How did it happen that Grainger asked for your husband to be in charge? A little odd, isn’t it? The husband of the woman he’s sleeping with?”
Anne looked over at Dougal for help but the chief looked away. She could tell that he was uncomfortable with the way Shelton was conducting the interview, but that he was not going to intervene or come to
her rescue. She wished Terrence was in the room, but then again, she didn’t really want him to have to listen to this. She was on her own, and she would have to handle it.
“Andrew was afraid to call the FBI or police because of the note. I convinced him that Terrence would make sure everyone did everything possible to get Lenore back. Andrew knows I trust Terrence.”
“Maybe Grainger thought your husband wouldn’t look too hard at any evidence implicating him or you.”
“If you think that, you obviously don’t know Terrence very well.” She wrapped the blanket more tightly around her.
“You’d have to agree it’s odd to have your lover and your husband together with you like this.”
She couldn’t argue with that; it was odd. She tried to explain. “We’ve been separated a long time, and we’re still...” She had been going to say they were still friends, but that would have been a lie. Terrence and she had never been really been friends. She just let the sentence hang there.
“What’s he think of his wife sleeping with Andrew Grainger?”
Anne felt her face flush but she was determined to keep her temper. “You’d have to ask him.”
“Are you still sleeping with Reid, too?”
“That is none of your business.”
“I think it is.”
“I guess that’s something we aren’t going to agree on.”
“Grainger give you any money?”
“What do you mean?”
“Any gifts, any cash?”
“No.” She thought, reconsidered. “He pays my design firm for my services.”
“Your services? Which ones are those?”
“For renovating the gardens at the Colony.”
“Nothing for your other services?”
She glared at him. “Now you’re just being insulting.”
“I’m asking questions that need to be asked,” he said, but he let his question drop and moved on. “We’re going to need to get some tests done, DNA, etc. You have any objection to providing samples?”
“No.”
“What about a polygraph? Will you agree to take one?”
He wanted her to take a lie detector test? She thought, then said, “I don’t know. Let me think about it.” She’d seen something saying the tests weren’t always reliable and she decided not to agree before she had time to consider.
“Why do you need to think about it?”
“I don’t know. You’re being so charming, it’s hard to see why a person wouldn’t just do what you want.” She was feeling stubborn and sick and tired of this man. “Are we almost finished? I’m wet and cold.”
“For now.” Shelton got up. “I assume you have no objection if we search your car.”
“Go ahead. Knock yourself out.” She didn’t even look at him. She felt him staring at her, but she kept her face turned away until she heard him leave. Then she remembered the dogs were still in the car. Damn.
It would serve him right if they bit him.
Chapter 30
THIS IS WHERE he’d get booted off the investigation for good, Reid thought, and he might just welcome it. He’d just returned from witnessing Andrew Grainger identifying his daughter’s body at the coroner’s, and he still felt sick to his stomach.
He gave his name to a harried-looking older woman seated at a desk just outside the police chief’s door. She pointed at a door marked with McLendon’s name. “Go on in. That FBI agent’s in there waiting for you.”
Jack Shelton was planted in Chief McLendon’s chair, behind the desk. Reid caught his eye and Shelton muttered a few words into the telephone, then hung up. “How’s the father doing?”
Reid sat down across from Shelton. “As you might imagine.”
“Where’s the chief?”
“He should be here soon. We left the coroner’s office at the same time, but McLendon had some stops to make. Andrew’s brother took him home. They’ve got the doctor coming over to give him a sedative.”
“We’ll talk to him tomorrow. Did the coroner have anything to say?”
“Not yet. He said he should have a preliminary report by this evening—or in the morning at the latest.”
Shelton tapped his fingers. “The initial DNA tests won’t take much time, but the more detailed tests could take a while. We’re putting a rush on them. The question I keep asking myself is why didn’t the kidnappers contact Grainger for the ransom? Why kill the girl before even trying to collect the money?”
Reid shook his head.
Shelton narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you think it’s just a little too coincidental that Anne finds the kid’s body and that she’s the one with Grainger the night the kid disappears?”
Reid felt his jaw clench. He’d had a feeling Shelton was going to go in this direction. “Anne’s not involved, Jack. You know better than that.”
“We can’t ignore the possibility that Grainger and Anne are involved in this together.”
“Not Anne. She’d never do anything like that.”
“Maybe you don’t think so, but you’re her husband. The way you were with her this morning didn’t seem like you’re impartial when it comes to her.”
Reid wasn’t going to lie and say he wasn’t in Anne’s corner, so he just didn’t respond.
Shelton looked down at his pad of paper and made a note. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be involved in this investigation anymore.” Before Reid could say anything, Shelton added, “And Andrew Grainger no longer has a say in it.”
“I understand. But before you cut me out, consider this. I can either work with you or work independently of you on Anne’s behalf. It’s up to you.”
Shelton scowled, but Reid went on. “I agree the FBI needs to be in charge at this point, but I’m going to stay around regardless, and I have connections with the case that might help—namely with Anne and Grainger. But it’s up to you, of course.”
Reid could tell he’d given Shelton something to consider.
After a long pause, Shelton said, “You can’t have blinders on because of Anne.”
“I understand.”
“We’ll get whoever did this. Whoever it turns out to be.”
“I hope so.”
They stopped talking when they heard McLendon come in the front door of the station. The chief entered his office and headed directly to his desk, stood expectantly while Shelton vacated his chair.
“Thanks, Jack. Sorry to be so long coming back. I had a few other stops to make on the way.”
Shelton went to take a chair on the other side of the desk. Reid assumed from the direction Shelton had taken the conversation that he was not yet off the investigation. He decided not to ask for clarification and just assume that he’d still be involved.
McLendon sat down and sighed. “That whole thing was as grim as anything I’ve ever had the bad luck to experience. The drive over to the coroner’s with Andrew was beyond awful. He didn’t talk at all, just stared ahead like I was transporting him to his own doom.”
Reid nodded. “Likely that’s how he felt.”
“And the little girl.” The chief shook his head. “Just goddamned awful.”
Shelton raised his eyebrows. “We have to consider him as a suspect. As we all know, the first place we have to look is at people the girl knew. Then, if it’s not someone the kid knew,” he looked at Reid, “we may be dealing with a killer or killers who aren’t from this area—someone who came here randomly looking for a victim.”
“You think whoever did this has done it before?” McLendon frowned.
“I don’t know. Maybe. Or maybe not something exactly like this. He may have escalated or morphed from some other level of crime. A kidnapping for ransom that ends in murder before any additional talk of money is unusual, but it happens. Usually because something went wrong. The victim dies during the abduction or while being held, something like that.”
“I assume the FBI is going to take control of the murder investigation?” McLendon
doodled on the pad in front of him.
Shelton nodded. “For now. I’ll still need some help from your people.” It wasn’t a question, but the chief nodded. “And Terrence is going to stick around and help, too. For now.”
Reid inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn’t have blamed Shelton for excluding him completely from the investigation. In fact, Shelton shouldn’t let him within a mile of the case until Anne was eliminated from suspicion, but he figured Shelton had been persuaded by Reid’s argument about his connections to Anne and Grainger. He didn’t fool himself that Shelton was going to let him have full access to every aspect of the investigation, but Reid would take what he could get.
The chief said, “Jack, I’ve told Rose to give you the conference room down the hall for your incident room, and whatever support you need.”
“Thanks. I’m going to go meet with my people to move our operations here. I’ll see you guys later.” Shelton grabbed his coat and left.
The chief was silent until they heard the outer door of the police station close. “Can you shut the door, Terrence?”
Reid got up, closed the office door and turned back to the police chief. “You wanted to say something to me in private?”
The look on McLendon’s face was wary. “Shelton’s a friend of yours?”
“Of sorts. A colleague, more like. I met him at Quantico and worked with him a few times. I wouldn’t call him a friend.” Reid inhaled deeply, decided to trust the other man. “He seems to think Anne and Grainger are likely involved in the child’s death.”
“I know. You should have heard his interview with Anne today.”
“Bad?”
“I’d say. He’s got a big bug up his butt about her.”
“Shite.” Reid shouldn’t have left Anne here on her own.
“She did all right, though. She didn’t let him push her around.”
“You don’t agree with Shelton?”
“That she’s involved or that Andrew’s involved?”