He poured Coke into the plastic cups. “Did you see it?”
She shook her head. “My mother and I were down at the park. She wanted to get some air.”
Smolleck’s features softened, or maybe it was the lighting. “Sometimes it’s good to get a change of scene, even perspective.”
What was with this sensitivity? A new FBI strategy?
“Anyway,” he said, taking another bite of pizza, “you asked about Kevin and Kim’s statement to the press. It’s already generating a number of phone calls. Not surprising considering the size of the reward.”
She didn’t ask how much the Simmers were offering. She knew it would be a lot. “Anything useful?” she asked.
“Hard to tell. We’re following up on everything.”
“Is anyone in the family a suspect?”
He stopped chewing. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you didn’t want me in the investigation area. If none of us are suspects, you wouldn’t care if I saw what you were doing.”
“Do you have reason to believe someone in your family is involved?”
He was turning her questions back on her. Well, she could play this game, too. “What did the polygraphs show?” she asked. “You tested Kim and Kevin, the Simmers, and my parents. Were any of the results suspicious?”
He scratched the tiny indentation in his eyebrow. A tell. Something in the lie detector tests had been suspicious. “Like whose?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “That’s why I’m asking.”
“We didn’t polygraph your father,” he said.
This was news. She tried not to look surprised.
“Or you.” He paused. “Should we?”
“Why didn’t you test my father?”
“It’s a voluntary procedure,” he said. “A way to rule out members of the family so we can concentrate on other possible suspects.”
She looked down at the tiny clusters of green weeds growing between the mildewed pavers. “You didn’t ask me to take a polygraph,” she said. “Did you ask my father?”
“Would you be willing to take a polygraph?”
Her face got hot. She hoped he couldn’t see the flush in the dim light. A lie detector test would likely force her to reveal what she knew about the ransom note. “Of course I’ll take one,” she bluffed. “But you didn’t answer my question about my father.”
He gave a little smile, as though he believed he’d scored a point. “Your father said he’d be willing to take it if we had a basis for suspecting his involvement, but would pass until then.”
“Very lawyerly,” Aubrey said, but her mind was racing. Was her father hiding something, or had he refused on principle? Ethan very likely knew the person he left the carnival with. “I assume you’ve confirmed my father’s flight from California got in after Ethan disappeared, and that he isn’t a suspect?”
Smolleck gave her a hard look. “Yes, we confirmed the flight times and whereabouts of everyone in your family when Ethan disappeared. Is there a reason you believe your father should be a suspect?”
“Of course not,” she said quickly, relieved her father couldn’t have been the one who took Ethan. “I’m just making a logical assumption about why you didn’t press for the polygraph.”
Smolleck scowled, obviously annoyed with her questions. He took another bite of pizza. A bit of cheese and sauce fell on his tie, but he didn’t notice. For some reason, this gave her satisfaction.
“Why were you asking me about my mother’s and father’s past?”
“What do you know about their political leanings back in college?” he asked.
“Political leanings?” She wondered whether this could have something to do with Jonathan. “My parents never felt strongly about politics.”
“That you know about.”
“Why would they hide that from me?”
“I don’t know. Do they hide things from you?”
She didn’t answer.
He was watching her, waiting.
“We don’t talk about a lot of things,” she said. “It isn’t a question of hiding.”
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Of course you did. She was breathing too hard. He had gotten to her again, and she was failing miserably at getting information. She took a long drink of soda, conscious of the way he was watching her for tells, just like the way she was watching him. “We’ve gotten away from what I wanted to talk to you about,” she said.
“Have we?”
“Yes. What progress have you made? You said you were checking into sex offenders. Have you found any leads?”
“We’ve identified all registered SOs in the area, and we’re investigating them. We’re also looking into all of the carnival employees.” He tried to lean back in the wrought iron chair, as though he were getting comfortable, but the heavy chair didn’t budge. He gave up and rested his arms on the table, steepling his fingers.
What the heck was he feeling so confident about? “What about Ryan Cole’s parents?” she asked. “Did you know that after the civil trial was over, they tried to bring criminal charges against my mother?”
“We know that.”
“And that in the courthouse, Mr. Cole made a scene and swore they would get even with my mother?”
He flattened his hands against the table. “What kind of scene?”
She was back in control. “Cole shouted across the room at my mother. Called her a murderer.”
“I see.” He reached into his pocket and tapped something into his phone. “I’ll make sure Detective Gonzalez knows about that. The police are following up on the Coles.” He met her eye. “Is there anything else you want to ask about to confirm we’re doing our job?”
She ignored his sarcasm. It was time to ask the questions that really mattered. “Has anyone gotten a ransom demand?”
“You mean other than you or your mother?”