Gus nodded, then left the room.
Detective Kessler looked at her quizzically from across the table. "Just let the guy go. I can do the paperwork later."
"This isn't about paperwork. I have some things I'd like to ask him about his wife."
"Now? Why?"
"I don't want to speak out of turn," said Andie. "Agent Santos is the expert, and she'll give us her views tomorrow. But just look at what you've got so far. Three homicide victims. All strangled, with evidence of overkill. The first two are like a pair--almost identical. The third is a woman in her mid-thirties."
She glanced at the body before her. "If you look at the state of decomposition, I think we all suspected this wasn't Beth Wheatley. As I'm sure Dr. Fitzsimmons will attest, it's not easy to pinpoint the time of death on a body that has been exposed to animals and the elements. But if I had to guess, I'd say this woman was dead before Beth Wheatley disappeared on Sunday."
"Probably a fair assumption," said the doctor.
"So?" asked Kessler.
Andie continued. "We may be dealing with--I don't know what you'd call them. Bookend homicides. The first two are men who match each other, like bookends. The third is a woman who has nothing in common with the men, other than the strangulation and overkill. But she does happen to bear a physical resemblance to Beth Wheatley, who disappeared yesterday."
"You're thinking Beth Wheatley is this woman's bookend, as you call it?"
"I'm saying it's possible. That's why we need to find out more about Mrs. Wheatley. Her daily routine, her lifestyle. As much as we can learn. Once we have a better understanding of who Beth Wheatley is," she said, glancing at the body, "I think we'll have a much easier time figuring out who this is."
Kessler scratched his head, mulling it over. "Sounds like the kind of thing an FBI agent would come up with." "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing. If you want to ask Wheatley some questions, be my guest. But excuse me if I don't jump in with both feet."
His cynicism was annoying, but as she started toward the door she could think only of the beleaguered man in the waiting room. She stopped for a moment and looked Kessler in the eye. "You know, Dick, I hope you're right. I hope my bookend theory is full of shit. Because if it's not, this is one hell of a good news, bad news scenario."
Kessler got her drift. "Good news, Mr. Wheatley. That's not your wife stretched out on the table."
"But the bad news is, it probably will be." She opened the door, and they entered the waiting room.
She decided to interview him right where he was, in the waiting room. It was private enough and would feel less like an interrogation. Andie was big on not making victims feel like suspects.
Gus remained seated on the couch. Andie and Kessler pulled up chairs, facing him. Andie spared him the "bookend" theory. His nightmare was bad enough already. No need to subject him to police speculation about a serial killer who likes his victims in matching pairs.
"Mr. Wheatley," she said softly. "I'd like to get some information from you about your wife. Not the height, weight and hair-color things. Some personal things."
"How personal?"
"Nothing embarrassing. If I get too nosy, you don't have to answer. Let's start general. Does your wife work outside the home?"
"No."
"What is her daily routine like?"
Gus shrugged awkwardly. "I guess it depends on the day."
"Let's take them one at a time. Monday."
"She takes our daughter to school in the morning." "What else?"
"She picks her up."
She smiled, trying to put him at ease. "Quite a gap there. How does she fill her day?"
"On Mondays, you mean?"
"Let's not get hung up on specific days here. I want to make this easy for you. Pick any day of the week you like. Just tell me what kinds of things she does with her time."
"I checked with the credit card companies to piece together this last weekend, just to see where she'd charged things. But I can't say as a general matter I know every little thing she does on a typical day."
"Well, does your wife belong to any kind of clubs or organizations?"
"I think she's in . . . something. No, that was before Morgan was born."
Andie glanced at Kessler, then back at Gus. "How about lunches? Does she have a favorite restaurant?"
"I'd imagine she does." He paused, as if drawing a blank. "But I can't say she ever mentioned it. Maybe if I went back to the credit card statement I could figure it out."
"What about food shopping? Where does she go to buy groceries?"
Gus said nothing.
"Does she belong to a gym?"
"Yes," he said emphatically, pleased to have hit one. "Which one?"
His enthusiasm faded. "I'll have to check."
Andie hesitated before asking the next question. The silence seemed to make him uncomfortable. Kessler leaned forward, arching an eyebrow. "Mr. Wheatley, are you and your wife happily married?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"