“What about your parents?”
Shannon shook her head. “Mom’s in Blackston. This has hit her so hard, she’s taking something for her nerves. My sister is in California, and we talk every day. She’d come and stay for a while, but she just got out of the hospital and really can’t afford the ticket, and neither can I.”
Claire stared at her, a nebulous idea forming. “I could help with that.” She had little to offer the other woman to ease the traumatic path she was on, but she had money. It would buy a tiny patch for the twenty-four-hour misery Shannon was engulfed in. “Call your sister. Set things up. Then I’ll make the arrangements for the flight.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t.” Shannon looked simultaneously delighted and worried. “That’s not why I came. And you barely know me.”
“I know you’re a member of a club neither of us wanted to join.” Claire wasn’t aware that tears had formed until one slid down her cheek. “And I understand the heartache you’re feeling.” Because it was still there. A pain that never eased.
There were more protestations, which Claire patiently dismissed. David’s job paid very well. The money hadn’t protected them from the awful, whimsical nature of tragedy. It hadn’t provided them a way to heal in the aftermath. But right now it could purchase a measure of comfort for someone else. There was a small degree of consolation in that.
The ensuing arrangements took far longer than they should have. There was Shannon’s sister to be called, and the explanation given. They went to the family room where Claire got on the computer while Shannon spoke to the other woman and started looking up flights. After much back and forth, a flight time was selected for the following day. And when Shannon finished saying tearful goodbyes to her sibling, Claire smiled at her reassuringly. “Having your sister with you won’t change what you’re going through. But it might make it easier, not being alone with your own thoughts all day.”
“That’s the worst part.” Shannon shuddered. “My imagination . . . I try to be positive. That’s what the BCI agent suggests. Stay focused on Whitney coming home safely. But sometimes my mind is flooded with every bad thing I’ve ever heard can happen to kids. And you know what I do to make myself feel better? I tell myself that maybe she’s with your daughter. Maybe she has someone there with her so she won’t be so afraid. And that the two of them can figure out a way to come home together.”
Something inside Claire simply shattered. The violent sobs started in her chest. Clogged her throat until they burst from her lips, loud and keening. They fell into each other’s arms, clutching tightly. Claire didn’t consider the oddity of two near-strangers hugging as though they’d never again not become entwined.
Because they weren’t strangers. Not really. Both of them were unwilling visitors in a horrifying nightmare. One from which there was no escape.
David Willard
November 11
10:15 a.m.
“David.” Kurt Schriever pushed open his door. “Do you have a minute?”
Squelching a flicker of irritation at the interruption, David pasted a welcoming smile on his face. “Of course.”
The older man crossed to David’s desk and handed him a file folder. Mystified, he opened it and quickly saw that it held real-estate listings. “I’ve dithered over this decision for too long,” Schriever said, dropping into a chair. “I’ve finally decided that I’m opening another office in Columbus.” A quick sprint of excitement raced up David’s spine. The man had been mulling over the idea for years. David had given up believing he’d ever act on it. “I think the increased client list will more than make up for the additional overhead. I figure we can share staff between the two offices, but I’ll want someone stationed there full-time.” He made a face. “God knows it would take a stick of dynamite to blast Linda out of this town, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be management assigned there. How about you? What are you and Claire’s plans after Janie goes away to college?”
It was an effort to keep the elation filling him from sounding in his voice. “I’d describe them as flexible. And it’s not like Columbus is all that far from West Bend.” It was only a ninety-minute drive, slightly more to the downtown area.
“Other side of the world, according to Linda,” Kurt muttered. Then he stopped. Frowned. “Almost forgot. I got word from the hotel we use there. They were served with a warrant this morning for our company receipts for the last six months. Probably weren’t supposed to tip me off, but we do a hell of a lot of business there. I’ve put a call in to our attorney. Damn glad we keep clean records.”
David’s earlier excitement was replaced with foreboding. “IRS?”
“No, that’s the hell of it. BCI.” Kurt shook his head. “Can’t for the life of me figure out what they’d be interested in, but you can be damn sure I’ll find out.”
BCI. Acid churned in his gut. “It’s not the company, it’s me.” David figured the attorney would ferret out that much information at any rate. He made no attempt to keep the bitterness from his tone. “You’ve heard about the girl from Saxon Falls who went missing?”
“Of course.” Kurt’s voice was gruff. “I didn’t want to mention it because—”
“At this point, they’re looking for connections to Kelsey’s case. And just like seven years ago, the first thing they do is look at the families. They’re checking out my alibi for October 30. I was in Columbus that weekend with Martin. We had dinner with Joe Beasley and his wife.”
Exactly what was in that warrant? His heart began to hammer. And how much information had the hotel turned over? If it covered only charges to the business, there was no problem. If, however, the agents had inquired about all of David’s reservations . . .
His panic was mixed with bitterness. The parents of the victim should feel like they were on the same side as the investigators. But it hadn’t ever felt like that for David. He’d always had the sense that every word he uttered was weighed for possible dishonesty. And he’d been truthful with them. He’d told them everything they needed to know.
“Your alibi? Sons of bitches.” Schriever’s face clouded, one big fist clenching on his lap. “Like you and Claire haven’t already been through enough.”
David’s smile was forced. “I guess it will all be worth it if they manage to find a link to Kelsey through this new case. But as you can imagine, Claire’s pretty stressed out over this.”