The Moonlight Child
Page 21
“Sure, if it’s quick.”
“Did you find out about the spit test? Did it tell you where I come from, I mean?”
He wasn’t ready to tell her what he’d found. “I got some news, but it’s kind of confusing, and I’m still figuring out what it means. When I know more, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. Thank you, Jacob.”
“Sweet dreams, Mia. See you tomorrow.” And with that, he swung the bookcase closed and secured the lock.
Chapter Thirty-Five
For more than two years, Edwin watched as Wendy kept Morgan’s driver’s license like a talisman, periodically taking it out of her jewelry box to turn it over in her hand, studying her daughter’s face as if doing so would bring her back. Occasionally, she’d call to check in with Detective Moore. When she related their conversations to Edwin later, she always said, “He’s so nice, always apologizing for not knowing anything.” Edwin wanted to tell her to stop calling, but he knew it was a compulsion with her, a maternal need to do something, anything. He understood and listened.
When her phone rang one Saturday morning, she didn’t even hear it because she’d just stepped out of the shower and was drying her hair. Edwin answered and came into the bathroom to find her. “Detective Moore called,” he told her. “He has some information about the site where they found Morgan’s driver’s license, and he’s coming over to discuss it with us.”
“When?”
“He said he’s about ten minutes away.”
“What kind of information?”
Edwin had an idea, but it was a horrible, awful thought, and he wasn’t going to say it in case he was wrong. “I don’t know, Wendy. You now know as much as I do. I guess we’ll just have to wait for him and find out.”
He was the one who greeted Detective Moore at the door and showed him into the living room. Wendy got up to shake the detective’s hand, and Edwin noticed how the man grasped his wife’s hand while giving her a long, kindly look. The obvious compassion took his breath away and made him think this wasn’t going to be good news.
Wendy said, “Can I get you something to drink, Detective? I know you’re on duty, but we have soda, water, juice?”
“No thank you, ma’am. I won’t be here long.”
With all the pleasantries out of the way, Detective Moore took a seat across from where they sat on the couch and began to speak. “This may be bad news, and if so, I’m so sorry to be the one to tell you this. I’ve gotten a call from the sheriff’s department in Ash County. The house where Morgan’s driver’s license was found was torn down, and yesterday, when they were leveling the property, they found human remains buried behind where the structure had been.”
“What kind of human remains?” Wendy asked, the very question that had come to Edwin’s mind as well.
“The official forensic report hasn’t come back yet, but the medical examiner said it’s a female and estimates an age of mid to late twenties. They believe from the state of the remains that the time of death was more than two years ago, but they’ll know more later.”
Now Edwin knew what it meant to be speechless. He had questions but couldn’t seem to summon them into speech. His mouth was unable to form the words.
Who knew that when they had some definite news, Wendy would rise up and be the strong one? Her voice was calm and steady. “What can we do to help determine if it’s our daughter or not?”
Detective Moore looked relieved that she’d broached the question. “Since the driver’s license was found there, they’d like to make a comparison to Morgan’s dental records, if you’re comfortable with that.”
“Of course, anything we can do to help.”
Edwin echoed her words. “Anything to help.” He felt as if he were outside his body watching this whole awful scene unfold in front of him.
Wendy asked, “Wouldn’t DNA be a better indicator?”
“They can do a definitive ID from dental records, and I believe it may be faster as well. Regardless, that’s what they asked for.”
Wendy nodded. “How did the death occur?”
He shook his head. “I’m sure that will be in the official report, but as of right now, they don’t know the cause of death.”
“I see.” Wendy reached over and took Edwin’s hand. “Was there anything with the body that might give us more information? Clothing or jewelry?”
Detective Moore shook his head. “There wasn’t much to go on. They found the remains fully clothed, jeans and a T-shirt, socks but no shoes. She was wrapped in multiple blankets and covered with a large piece of plastic. They didn’t find any jewelry.”
The remains. Edwin felt faint. All these years he’d been telling Wendy not to be too hopeful, but now he realized he’d been saying it for his own benefit. Even as he’d told his wife to be prepared for the worst, he’d wanted to be proved wrong. Part of him always thought Morgan would come home someday. That she’d hit rock bottom and come back to their loving arms, worse for the wear, but still, with their help, she would get treatment and they’d have their daughter back. The nightmare would be over.
Wendy’s voice broke into his thoughts. “How do we go about getting the dental records over to the authorities in Ash County?”
“Here’s my card.” Detective Moore handed it to her, and even though Edwin knew she already had his card, she politely accepted it. “You can either get the physical records and drop them off at the station, or if they’re digital, just have the dentist send them to me. No worries. I’ll take it from there.”
It took an enormous effort, but Edwin managed to say, “Thank you, Detective.”
“I wish it was good news, but you know, this might not even be Morgan. We just need more information.”
Wendy got up to see Detective Moore to the door, while Edwin sat, head in his hands, still processing the news. Out in the entryway, he heard Wendy thank him for coming and the detective again apologize for being the bearer of what could be bad news. “I’ll get back to you as soon as I know something,” he said.
After Wendy closed the front door, she returned and sat next to him. “You okay?” she asked, giving his arm a light squeeze.
“That was not the news I was hoping for.” He sat up and met her gaze.
“I know, but we really don’t know anything yet.”
She held her palm against the side of his face, and the gesture unmoored him, cutting loose the emotion he’d been trying to keep in check. Despite his best efforts, he let out a sob, and then it all came out at once. He cried like he had when he was a little boy, his body convulsing, a trail of tears streaming down his face. He found himself saying, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” not even sure why he was apologizing.
Wendy stroked his back in small circles of comfort, while making soothing noises. Eventually she got up and returned with a box of tissues. He blew his nose, the loud honking a contrast to his wellspring of grief.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he said.
“There’s nothing wrong with you. You’ve lost a child. Your reaction is completely normal.”
“You seem to be handling this a lot better than me.”
“I’ve had my moments all along. Times when I was sure she was dead. I’ve cried before, and I will again. But right now, I’m empty and I feel like I need to know. If it’s her, then we’ll know. It’s not that I want it to be her, but this not knowing is eating me up.”
“I can’t stand the thought that something terrible happened to her.” He could only think that the young woman was murdered or had accidentally overdosed. “I’m her father. If I can’t protect my own daughter, what good am I?”
“She left of her own accord. We tried everything we could to find her. It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have protected her—you weren’t there.”
“I know that intellectually, but emotionally, the failure eats at me.” He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “I wouldn’t wish this feeling on my worst enemy.”
“
I know.” She continued rubbing his back. “This is hell on earth. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I think, How can this be my life? This is the kind of thing that happens to other people, not us.”
They were both silent for a minute, and then he said, “And if it is her, what do we do? Have a funeral now, not even knowing what happened?”
Wendy leaned into him. “One step at a time. Let’s just see what the dental records say first before we ask any more questions.”
“You’re right.” Letting her take the lead felt good. She’d lifted part of the emotional load from him, and he willingly let her. The only way they’d get through this was together.
“I think Dr. Meek has Saturday hours. I’ll call about the dental records. If I explain why we need them, I’m sure they’ll get to it right away.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Suzette rolled over in bed and opened her eyes to see that the room was filled with sunlight. Through lidded eyes, she noticed that the blinds were still halfway raised. How was it that she’d neglected to lower them?
A glance at her phone showed her it was already midafternoon. She groaned. Having always prided herself on keeping things under control, this was a definite misstep. The pills mixed with the wine were to blame. The combination was too much for her system.
She thought back to the events of the night before, and it all came flooding back to her—the intruder in their yard, Matt’s dismissal of her concerns, and Jacob conspiring against her by letting Mia eat a cupcake in her room. Her own family was flouting her rules. No wonder she’d retreated to the comfort of her room and the warmth of the wine. It was completely understandable, but she also knew it couldn’t happen too often. Once in a great while, overdoing it could be written off as a fluke; more often than that pointed to a problem. She had to be careful not to give Matt any ammunition against her. She wouldn’t put it past him to commit her to rehab. Anything to get her out of the way.
Well, luckily, she was wise to him.
As she sat up, the pounding in her head intensified. Her mouth felt like it was filled with dust. Slowly she made her way to the bathroom. Once there, she downed two ibuprofen, then brushed her teeth. Her hands gripping the edge of the sink, she leaned forward and looked into the mirror, horrified by her own reflection. She hadn’t washed her face the night before, and the area surrounding her eyes was smeared with eyeliner and mascara. Her skin was blotchy and her hair messy. Not bed-head cute, but horror-show messy. Ugh. Seeing herself looking like this was even worse than feeling sick. Pull it together, Suzette. You’re better than this.
The warm water of the shower helped, and shampooing her hair made her feel more like herself again. By the time she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, she was happier with the mirror.
After she applied her makeup and put the finishing touches on her hair, she took a step back and smiled. There you are. Restored to her rightful appearance. The fairest of them all. Or at least, the fairest among her social circle. It’s not like she could compete with twenty-year-olds, but then again, why would she want to? At this stage in the game, she was the epitome of elegant sophistication.
Suzette slipped on her bathrobe, tightened the belt, and strode into the bedroom. As she was about to make a turn into her walk-in closet, the window caught her attention. There was nothing out there now, but she knew what she’d seen the night before. Someone lurking around in the dark in her yard, without her permission. The idea made her blood simmer.
She scanned the fence line and the house behind it. It was a small home, shaped like a child’s drawing of a house, with none of the charming details found throughout the rest of the neighborhood. It didn’t fit into the area, but that had never bothered her since it was tucked away behind her house. Having no interest in the neighbors, she didn’t know who lived there, but it might be time to pay them a visit and ask if they’d seen anything the night before. Matt had brushed away her concerns as if she’d been ridiculous, but she had a feeling this neighbor might be sufficiently alarmed that someone was using their yard to get to the Flemings’ yard. Maybe they’d even have some information for Suzette—video footage from a security camera, or an idea of who the intruder might be. She might just crack this case yet. Wouldn’t that put Matt in his place?
By the time she went downstairs, her mood had lifted. A cup of coffee and a piece of toast helped settle her stomach and quell her headache. Mia was busy dusting in the living room. Suzette noticed with approval that she’d cleaned up the breakfast dishes and wiped down the counters.
Suzette poured herself another coffee and thought through how she would spend the next few hours. If she left right before Jacob was due to arrive home from school, she could avoid him, and if her absence extended beyond dinnertime, she could dispense with cooking dinner. Scheduling it that way would also ensure she wasn’t home when Matt walked through the door. Timing was everything. She’d text a few of her professional friends and see if anyone wanted to meet for drinks and dinner. Or drinks and appetizers. It was all the same to her. Get a few women together and add some alcohol, and it was a recipe for a fun evening. Women often gave up their secrets once the liquor had loosened their lips, something that delighted Suzette, who loved having information that gave her the upper hand. If she came home around her usual bedtime, she could sail past whoever was still awake and go straight to her room.
She sent out a few texts, and while waiting for responses, she wrote a note for Jacob and Matt. Everyone is on their own for dinner tonight! I’m meeting some board members for a planning dinner. She wrote Suzette/Mom underneath and drew a heart alongside her signature to show that she didn’t hold a grudge.
Her first stop would entail speaking with the neighbor who lived in the starter house behind her. After that little conversation, she’d do some retail therapy. The local strip mall had a jewelry store that wasn’t half bad and a boutique that hadn’t seen the benefit of her Visa card in a while. Killing time there would be easy. After an hour or so, she’d certainly have heard back from at least one of the women. One in particular, a single woman in her fifties, was a sure thing. This woman, a dowdy Suzette-wannabe named Mary, constantly vied for her attention at board meetings and had been angling for them to get together for months now. Up until now Suzette had ignored her pathetic hints, but today she was willing to throw Mary a bone with some one-on-one time. It would be her good deed for the day.
Suzette gathered up her purse and put on her coat before remembering she needed to give Mia some instructions. “Mia!” she called out, and right on cue, the little mischief-maker made her appearance, the dust cloth still in her hand, her eyes wide with anticipation. Suzette crouched down to Mia’s level and faced her nose-to-nose. “I’m going to be out of the house until late tonight, do you understand?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“While I’m gone, I’m going to need you to do some laundry. Do all the towels in my bathroom, and do not forget the washcloth in the shower stall this time. Got it?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“After you’ve done that, do the sheets on both my bed and Jacob’s. Jacob can put his own back on, but you’ll have to make up the bed in my room.”
She nodded vigorously.
Suzette approved of the way Mia always aimed to please. If only some of that would rub off on Jacob. She said, “So to recap, you’ll need to do the towels from my bathroom, the sheets from my bed and from Jacob’s, then put my bed back together again. After that, you can have the rest of the night off. Jacob should be home any minute. He’ll give you something for dinner and take care of bedtime. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Her little head bobbed up and down.
Suzette stood up, hoping Mia would remember the directions. Usually she did, with minor exceptions like neglecting to include the washcloth in the load of towels, or the time she forgot to return the cleaning supplies back to the closet. “That’s a good girl. I’ll see you tonight.”
>
What a difference a few hours made. Now that Suzette felt like herself again and had a plan for the rest of the day, her outlook had brightened considerably. Behind the wheel of her Audi, she was her best self. A fabulous woman in a luxury car sure to attract the envy of onlookers. She drove around the block until she found the house directly behind her own. From this angle, it looked even more drab. Nothing to recommend here. She pulled up in front and wondered what could make it look better. Shutters? She tilted her head to one side. No, nothing would improve the shedlike appearance of this house. A total tear-down. She got out of the car, slung her purse over her shoulder, and headed up the front walkway.
Suzette had already rehearsed the speech in her head. She’d start with an introduction. The homeowner would already know of her house, and maybe she’d even know Suzette’s name. She had so many contacts, and it always surprised her how interconnected people could be—one look at Facebook and the truth of that was apparent. After some small talk, she’d inform them that her yard had been compromised the night before by what could only be someone planning to commit a crime. They were going to be so grateful for the information.
She stood up straight and rang the doorbell. A moment later, she thought she heard the shuffling of someone inside. She pressed the button again and this time was rewarded with the opening of the door and an older woman opening the screen door just wide enough to talk.
“Yes?”
“Hi, I’m Suzette Fleming. I live right behind—” She stopped, processing the woman’s face, which not only looked familiar, but now also changed from a pleasant countenance to an expression of shock, as if she recognized Suzette as well. “Have we met?”
“I’m sorry, you caught me at a bad time,” the woman said, starting to close the door, but before she could Suzette had grabbed the edge of the door and stuck her foot in the opening. She remembered now, and the memory raised her ire. The woman in front of her was the busybody with the frumpy hair and nondescript clothing who’d claimed to live down the block, the one who’d asked if she had a little girl.