by Alex Barclay
The room was more European capital city than Breckenridge ski resort, except that it was spacious. It had modern lines, but was decorated in warm shades of cream and beige.
A crime scene tech was sliding a cotton swab across the edge of the low walnut headboard. Ren recognized it from the photo of Laurie Whaley. The tech looked up at Ren. The tip of the swab he was holding was reddish brown.
Oh, no.
‘We found a blood-stained pillow and a wet blood-stained towel in a plastic hotel laundry bag at the back of the wardrobe,’ he said. ‘Looks like someone used the towel to wipe blood away.’
Ren looked at the lamp shade on the nightstand beside him.
‘There’s an indentation there,’ said Ren. ‘Looks like it fell, and was put back up.’ She turned it around. ‘Yup – there are bloody prints here.’
The technician nodded.
Ren walked through the door into the adjoining room. The bathroom door was to her left. She could see another technician in there, swabbing the tiles.
‘Looks like someone’s head was bashed against the headboard,’ said Gary.
‘Yes,’ said Ren. ‘And someone tried to clean it up.’
Gary handed her an evidence bag.
‘What’s this?’ said Ren. There was a small, torn string of blue and brown beads in it, with more loose beads at the bottom.
‘They were found right here by the door,’ said Gary. ‘It’s some kind of bracelet, could belong to either of the females, or a cleaner, or an unsub, or anyone else who could have been in the room.’
‘They’re ghost beads,’ said Ren.
‘So the girls were taken by spirits …’ said Colin. ‘Case closed.’
‘Actually, ghost beads are meant to ward off evil spirits,’ said Ren. ‘They’re Native American.’
‘Your people,’ said Colin.
Somewhere in Ren’s past, there was Iroquois blood.
‘Is there a dance you could do that would make an unsub rain down?’ said Colin.
‘Keep ’em coming …’ said Ren.
She studied the bag. ‘Laurie Whaley was wearing the bracelet in the photo. It’s hers.’
‘So she could have been pulled out of the room by the wrist,’ said Gary.
‘Or chased into it from the parents’ room,’ said Ren. ‘I’m wondering how, assuming there was an unsub, he could have subdued Shelby out in the other room if she was close to the main door? Wouldn’t she have just run?’
‘Two unsubs?’ said Gary.
‘A planned operation, then,’ said Ren.
‘Two unsubs could have been planning a robbery …’ said Gary. ‘Got the wrong room, or got the right room, but thought it was going to be empty …’
‘They could have been taking advantage of the fact that the hotel wasn’t quite on its feet yet,’ said Ren. ‘They knew security was lax.’
‘The contractors would know that,’ said Colin.
Ren looked around the room. ‘Anything else in here?’
‘Nothing that jumps out,’ said Gary.
‘Which bed is whose?’ said Ren.
‘Leo Whaley’s is the one by the window,’ said Gary.
There was a portable DVD player on top of the rumpled bed clothes. Ren put on gloves and went over to open it. ‘“Dora”,’ said Ren. ‘Not something Laurie would watch. Could Leo have been watching this in bed? Headphones on, which is why he didn’t hear anything? Or he could have fallen asleep with the headphones on …’
Gary nodded. ‘The child forensic gal – Sylvie Ross is her name – should be hitting Breck round about now. She’s part of the CARD team.’
Gal …
‘And then we can benefit from the wisdom of Leo Whaley’s three years,’ said Colin.
‘Three-year-olds can surprise you,’ said Gary.
‘Even traumatized, pajama-wetting ones?’ said Ren.
‘Well, I’m not holding my breath,’ said Gary.
‘Ren will do a little rain dance,’ said Colin.
‘Yes,’ said Ren. ‘Then I could shove my peace pipe up your—’
‘Ren – did you speak with the desk clerk?’ said Gary.
‘Yes,’ said Ren. ‘He’s another candidate for my peace pipe.’
‘Why?’
‘Just – he’s a dick. Probable stoner. Isn’t remotely alarmed by the situation. Thinks he should hate the Feds because he saw it in a movie once …’
‘Has anyone spoken to the owner of the hotel?’ said Gary.
‘He’s not here yet,’ said Ren. ‘I’ll go down and see if we’ve got an ETA.’
‘I’ll meet with the Royces,’ said Gary.
Bob Gage was walking away from a couple who were sitting on a sofa in the foyer, the husband with a protective arm around his crying wife.
‘The Royces,’ said Bob when Ren came over to him.
‘How are they holding up?’ said Ren.
‘Not good,’ said Bob. ‘Do you want to know what they just told me? They have a Child ID kit for Shelby at home. They got it a few years back; the mom figured that somehow, it would lessen the chances of her daughter going missing …’
‘They thought “well, surely, if we have her fingerprints and a DNA sample, we couldn’t possibly end up needing them” …’ said Ren. Ugh.
‘Do you want to talk to them?’ said Bob.
‘Gary’s on his way down,’ said Ren. ‘Who’s that guy?’
A man in his late thirties was standing at the corner of the reception desk, his face pushed into Jared Labati’s, who was leaning back, but still with an expression that didn’t reach concerned.
‘That’s the owner,’ said Bob. ‘Tom Olson—’
‘Attempting the tricky feat of shouting under his breath,’ said Ren. ‘Let’s go say hi.’
Jared Labati had been sent away by Olson and was gone by the time they reached the desk.
‘My apologies,’ said Olson. ‘I’m a little frustrated, here. It’s the weekend, Jared knows that the security system absolutely had to be re-connected on Friday afternoon. He was to tell the electrical contractor, and he was to stand over everyone until it was re-connected and fully functioning.’
‘He’s quite young to have such responsibility,’ said Ren.
‘I can see that now,’ said Olson. ‘I know his father well – Jared has done work experience with him for a few years. I figured he could handle telling a contractor a few things …’ He shook his head. ‘I cannot believe someone was able to walk into my hotel, and abduct a child …’ He paused. ‘And I’m sorry about Shelby Royce. I did not authorize that.’
‘Authorize what?’ said Ren.
‘Hiring a sitter that wasn’t from an agency – someone that hasn’t been background-checked.’
‘What?’ said Ren. ‘But Breck Sitters guarantee their sitters are background-checked.’
‘But Shelby Royce wasn’t with Breck Sitters,’ said Olson. He looked at Bob and Ren. ‘Didn’t you know that?’
Ren could feel her blood pressure rise. ‘No, we did not.’
‘Shelby is just one of Jared’s friends,’ said Olson.
Jesus Christ. ‘Where is Jared Labati right now?’ said Ren.
‘Gone to the staff room,’ said Olson. ‘He’s about to go home.’
Not yet he isn’t, the son-of-a-bitch.
15
Ren ran down the hallway, and caught up with Jared Labati. She took him by the arm.
‘We need to talk,’ she said. ‘Back where we came from.’
Jared did as she asked, bumping off the door frame as he stumbled through the office door.
‘Why did you lie about Shelby Royce?’ said Ren.
‘I didn’t,’ said Jared.
Ren stared at him.
‘I mean, obviously, I did, but—’ He shrugged. ‘I didn’t think Tom was going to be back so soon …’
Where do I start? ‘I don’t even understand what that means,’ said Ren.
‘I need this job,’ said Jared. ‘I really do. I
couldn’t risk—’
‘Are you for fucking real?’ said Ren. Jared flinched. Ren exploded. ‘Risk what? Two children have been abducted—’
‘Shelby’s sixteen years old,’ said Jared.
‘A minor!’ said Ren. ‘A child in my book. And that hardly exonerates you.’
Oh my God, you don’t know what exonerate means.
‘You don’t get off the hook is what I’m saying,’ said Ren. ‘There is an eleven-year-old girl out there, and your friend, and you tell me that Shelby works for Breck Sitters, and is therefore background-checked, when she is not.’
‘There’s no need to background-check her,’ said Jared. ‘Shelby’s cool. I could vouch for her. If this hadn’t happened, Tom would have been fine with it when he got back.’
Ren paused. ‘Now I get it – you were hoping you could have a quiet word in Mr Olson’s ear before we got to him, get him to back you up?’
Jared looked away.
‘What difference does it make?’ he said, his head snapping back to her.
‘Every bit of difference,’ said Ren. ‘You lied at the beginning of an investigation, first off. That is the most crucial time for us. Do you have any idea the damage you could have caused?’
‘They’ll probably come back,’ said Jared. ‘They probably just went out … it’s Saturday night.’
Sweet Jesus. ‘How did you get a job here?’ said Ren. ‘How?’
‘Aw, my dad’s buddies with Tom …’
You absolute idiot. ‘Jared, you need to listen to me, OK?’ said Ren. ‘If there is anything else I should know about Shelby Royce, this is your time to speak up.’
‘No – nothing,’ said Jared. ‘She’s a regular girl. I don’t know what all this is about, same as anyone else. I don’t know why anyone would, like, burst into a hotel room and take them away. Seems crazy to me.’
‘Is that what you think happened now? They were taken away by someone? Not that they just went out on a Saturday night for some fun?’
‘No! I don’t know, I told you. I haven’t a clue what happened. If I did, I’d say.’ He held some random fingers up. ‘I promise.’
‘You are looking at me like I’m supposed to believe everything that comes out of your mouth,’ said Ren. ‘The same mouth that did not open a crack to tell me that Shelby was just one of your buddies, and not even authorized to be here …’
‘Look, I’m sorry, OK?’ said Jared.
‘Do you get the gravity of the situation?’ said Ren.
‘Yes, OK? Jesus. You’re probably doing a background check on her now, anyway. What’s the difference?’
‘Just go,’ said Ren. ‘We’re done here.’
Bob Gage was standing in the center of the foyer, talking to Mike Delaney. Ren walked over to them. ‘That desk guy is such an asshole,’ said Ren. ‘How he could just bareface lie …’
‘Lot of kids just don’t give a shit these days,’ said Mike.
Ren’s attention was drawn to three men and a woman in dark suits and pristine white shirts walking through the lobby doors and moving her way. Three of them stopped just inside but one of them, the handsome one, kept walking, smiling, toward her. Late forties, fading tan, and hair that had gone very sexily gray.
Oh. Dear. God.
‘Excuse me, gentlemen,’ said Ren. She walked toward the man walking toward her. She could barely feel her legs, but they managed to move, and they managed to stop. And for the first time in eighteen months, she found herself standing face to face with the man who messed with her head like no other.
Damn you, Paul Louderback.
Paul hugged her lightly, and kissed her cheek. ‘Hello, there.’
To what do I owe the discomfort? ‘How are you?’ said Ren.
‘I’m good. It’s great to see you.’ He paused. ‘Really great.’ He pulled away. And stared a little too long.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
‘You too,’ said Ren. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘She said accusingly …’ He laughed.
‘More miserably than accusingly …’ said Ren.
‘I am here, Agent, because I’m the CARD guy,’ said Paul.
‘What?’ said Ren. ‘Since when?’
‘You don’t call, you don’t write …’
‘I’m … sorry,’ said Ren. Cold turkey was my only meal option.
‘Seeing that my emails clearly didn’t interest you enough to warrant a reply, there was no point in writing to tell you that I’ve been out in the field as an SSA with the Violent Crime Squad … and, well, now I’m with CARD. At your service.’
‘Wow, that’s great,’ said Ren.
‘We were visiting with different agencies in Denver this week, so we were able to respond quickly. So, anything you need …’ He smiled.
‘Sure,’ said Ren. Two girls are missing and I’m thinking why didn’t Paul Louderback tell me he was coming to Denver …
‘You do still have my number, don’t you?’ said Paul.
‘Ha, ha,’ said Ren.
He smiled. ‘We should go for a drink.’
‘We should,’ said Ren. In some other lifetime.
‘Maybe we could have dinner first?’ said Paul.
Don’t do it. Don’t do it. ‘If you insist. OK, I gotta go – there’s a briefing at the Sheriff’s Office.’
‘Hey,’ said Paul, ‘fill me in before you go.’
Ren told him what she knew, and ran from him … as fast as her rattled heart could handle.
Dinner and drinks: way to get over Paul Louderback.
16
Ren stood up at the front of the conference room and addressed the team, giving them all the details she knew to date. She’d stood here before – when the walls were a little dirtier and the desk was a cheap version of the one she was now laying her notes on. She looked out at a sea of mostly men from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County PD, and the FBI. She counted just six women.
She could see a raised hand in the crowd.
‘Ma’am? Detective Owens from the Sheriff’s Office, ma’am.’ He was no older than twenty-three and stood like a soldier. He was fair-haired and sweet-looking, the kind of guy who would never forget his mama. He was holding a small spiral notebook at waist height, and had his pen hovering over the page. There was a look of intense expectancy on his face. ‘Could this have been a pre-meditated abduction?’
‘Well, we’ll keep an open mind on that,’ said Ren.
‘Could Mark Whaley himself have planned it?’ said Owens.
‘The abduction of his own daughter?’ said Ren. ‘I think that’s unlikely – this is his first overnight visit with his daughter after what was, by all accounts, an acrimonious custody battle.’
‘Maybe his daughter could have been like collateral damage in something, like he was planning something, and she walked in on it? Like, he was going to abduct the sitter?’
‘We have yet to establish a prior connection between Mark Whaley and Shelby Royce,’ said Ren. ‘If Mark Whaley did know her before last night, and was genuinely planning to abduct her, it’s unlikely he would have done so while on a weekend away with his wife and family.’
‘But what if it was an opportunistic thing,’ said the detective, ‘he saw the sitter, he liked her …’
‘By all accounts, Shelby Royce was an unexpected part of the Whaley family’s weekend away,’ said Ren. ‘They could not have known that she would be their babysitter – she was not on any agency’s books, despite what the desk clerk first told us.’
Owens sat down, but kept writing.
He stood back up again. ‘Could the babysitter have taken the little girl?’
‘That’s a possibility,’ said Ren.
‘Maybe Laurie Whaley didn’t want to stay overnight with her father,’ said Owens. ‘There could be an abuse issue. And things could have gotten violent …’
‘That’s a possibility,’ said Ren.
‘What if the little girl was injured and ran?’ said Owens. ‘
The sitter would have followed her – she was in charge of her. If the little guy was asleep, she would have thought he was safe in the hotel.’
Ren nodded. ‘In that case, with none of their warm clothes on, they wouldn’t have made it too far from the hotel.’
‘But wouldn’t Shelby Royce have gotten in contact with someone if the little girl ran away?’ said one of the female officers. ‘Wouldn’t she call her own parents? I know my daughter calls me if she’s babysitting and something happens, or she’s not sure what to do …’
‘My boss has spoken with the Royces, so we’ll see what they say,’ said Ren. ‘OK, moving on: with regard to vehicles in and out of Breck, there are almost ten thousand extra visitors here this weekend. Because of this, and because of a charity fundraiser on Saturday night, there were no road closures when the authorities were alerted, and without confirmation of a kidnapping, and without any license plates to go on, we don’t know what we’re looking for on the highway cameras, so until that changes, there’s not a lot of point in pulling the tapes.
‘On the Whaleys’ finances, there’s no indication that the family’s going through any financial difficulties – they have $55,000 cash, $3 million in liquid assets, $2 million in a 401k, plus their paid-off $1.1 million-dollar home, and, at today’s rate, $2.3 million in stock options with MeesterBrandt.’
Ren handed the briefing over to Paul Louderback.
‘Thank you, SA Bryce. Good morning, everyone. I’m SSA Paul Louderback and I’m with CARD – the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team. For those of you who don’t know, CARD works alongside agents from the BAU – Behavioral Analysis Unit – the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, and the Crimes Against Children Unit. We’re here as a resource to you all, so if there is anything you need, please, let us know.’
Ren had drifted from his explanation – she knew who Paul Louderback was, she knew why he was there. She knew more about him than anyone else in the room. So, she just watched. She had an opportunity she had not had since she was at the Academy – to stand in a room, and study Paul Louderback.