“Who is this guy, Ryan?” I asked. “If he showed up in public places, he must have left a trail. Credit card statements, signatures. He must have talked to people, given someone his name or something.”
“We’re going to do everything we can,” Ryan said.
His words were just nonsense syllables, though, meaningless mutterings that made no impact on me. I felt myself tuning out, fading away from a conversation that should have held so much importance for me. When Abby spoke again, her voice came to me from a great distance, as though she were speaking through a long tube.
“Are you going to ask Caitlin about this?” she asked.
Ryan nodded. “That’s the other reason I’m here. I have to see if she’ll talk to me. We gave her a break yesterday, but the sooner we can get some answers out of her, the better for the investigation. I was hoping . . .” Ryan hesitated. “I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I was a little more aggressive with my questions. I’m going to press her a little bit now just to see if anything shakes loose. We’ll know pretty quickly if she’s going to respond to my approach.”
Abby looked over at me, her face uncertain. I got the feeling she wanted me to object or tell Ryan he couldn’t talk to Caitlin, that it was too soon, give us time. But I didn’t. The pain in my gut was starting up again, and I liked the idea of someone trying to provide me with answers.
“Go ahead,” I said. “I’ll tell her.”
Chapter Thirty
Buster and Caitlin sat on the couch in the living room, the TV tuned to some kind of talk show. The volume blared, and Buster was leaning over to Caitlin, saying something into her ear. He straightened up when I entered the room.
“What’s all this?” I asked.
“Nothing. Just hanging out and doing a little uncle and niece bonding.”
“What are you saying to her?” I asked.
“I’m telling her a stupid joke, Tom. Easy.”
“Caitlin, Detective Ryan needs to ask you a few questions.”
I felt Ryan behind me, his bulk looming there like an eclipsing planetary body.
Caitlin kept her eyes on the television.
“Maybe now isn’t the best time there, Sipowicz,” Buster said. “Maybe another couple of days to settle in.”
The left corner of Ryan’s mouth went up in a half smile, but there was no humor in it. “Maybe you could give us some privacy, William,” Ryan said. “But don’t leave. I’d like to ask you some questions as well.”
Buster smirked. He leaned over to Caitlin and gave her arm a squeeze. “I’ll be out there if you need me,” he said, loud enough for all of us to hear. “And don’t take any shit.”
Ryan walked across the room and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch from Caitlin. He reached out, picked up the remote, and clicked off the TV.
Abby slipped in the front door as Buster went out to the porch. She closed the storm door, blocking out the sounds of the outside world. “Is it okay if we’re here with her?” she asked. “I’d like to be here.”
“Sure,” Ryan said. “We’re just going to have a friendly chat.” Ryan adjusted his bulk on the couch, settling into the cushions a little like a bear choosing a spot to hibernate. It took long seconds, and when things were just right, he let out a long sigh. “Okay, Caitlin, do you want to tell me anything? Do you feel like talking about where you’ve been?”
Caitlin stiffened visibly and gave Ryan a quick glance out of the corner of her eye, but she didn’t respond.
“I know this might be difficult, but we’ve got to get to the bottom of some things here, and the sooner we do that, the better. A crime’s been committed, and it’s my job to figure out who did what. Can you help me with that?”
Ryan reached into his inside coat pocket again. He brought out a piece of white paper, folded into thirds. He unfolded it and held it in front of Caitlin.
“Do you know this man? Do you know who he is?”
Nothing.
“You know his name, don’t you? He took you when you were little.”
“Maybe—” Abby began to say.
Ryan held up his hand without turning around, cutting Abby off.
“Caitlin, did this man hurt you in any way? Do you know the kind of ways I might mean?”
Abby gasped, but Caitlin turned and faced Ryan for the first time. She spoke to him through gritted teeth. “You think you know so much, but you don’t. You don’t know anything.”
“I want you to tell me those things, Caitlin,” Ryan said, his voice softer. “I want you to tell me what I need to know to find this man and convict him.”
Caitlin’s eyes darted back and forth ever so slightly, and she used her tongue to moisten her lips.
“Did this man threaten you? Did he say he’d hurt you if you talked to the police? Did he threaten your family? Your parents? You don’t have to worry about all of that. You’re safe here. Your parents are safe. We can protect you and your family.”
“Yes, Caitlin,” I said. “Listen to him.”