The Anniversary (45 page)

10

“Have you searched the Creightons’ house? Because maybe she’s 11

just hiding there somewhere, in the basement or the attic. Or . . .

12

they have this tree house! The kids love to play there. Maybe 13

she’s afraid to come home now. Maybe she’s hiding there.”

14

Lambert said, “The house and periphery have been thoroughly 15

searched, but I’ll check back on the tree house.”

16

He’d pulled his chair closer. As he leaned forward, clasping his 17

hands, their knees almost touched.

18

“Okay, now, Ms. Thayer, if you could just work with me for an-19

other few minutes. Is there anyone else who might have some 20

reason to abduct your daughter? What about Anna’s father? Has 21

custody been disputed?”

22

Callie shifted uncomfortably, twisting her hands again. “No, 23

nothing like that. When Kevin and I divorced, we agreed that I’d 24

raise Anna myself. He’s remarried now, with children. I recently 25

asked him if he’d consider seeing Anna. He thought about it and 26

said no.”

27

“What sort of relationship do you have with him?”

28

“I wouldn’t say it’s good. But that has nothing to do with Anna.”

29

“Where does he live?”

30

“Chicago.”

31

“His full name?”

32

“Kevin Thayer.”

33

“Do you have an address and phone number?”

34

“Look,” Callie said impatiently. “Believe me. It’s not him.” But 35 S

then, just as she spoke, she had a glimmer of doubt. He’d been so 36 R

angry the last time they’d talked, far angrier than she’d expected.

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When she’d first called, he’d been out of town.
Where had he
1

been?
she wondered.

2

“I understand what you’re saying, but we still need to contact 3

him.”

4

“He’s listed,” Callie said. “Kevin Thayer. Just check Chicago 5

information.”

6

“Have you seen him recently?”

7

“No, not for at least six years.”

8

“What about conversations? How often do you talk to him?”

9

“When I called him about Anna last month, it was the first 10

time we’d talked in years.”

11

“When was that?”

12

“I’m not sure exactly.”

13

“Before or after Diane Massey was killed?”

14

“I . . . think it was around that time. Right before or after.”

15

Lambert took a beat to think before moving on. “Okay. Now, 16

the note and watch — both of them were left right outside your 17

house. Have you noticed anyone — friends, neighbors — behav-18

ing oddly lately?”

19

Faces flashed through Callie’s mind, and then one jumped out 20

from the rest. “Nathan Lacoste,” she said abruptly. “He’s a stu-21

dent at Windham. We have a class together. He’s always been 22

strange around me, but lately he’s gotten worse.”

23

“Strange in what way?”

24

“Well, it’s like he’s sort of obsessed with me. He drops by the 25

office. Calls me at home. I finally told him to leave me alone.

26

He . . . he seemed upset.”

27

“When did you have this conversation?”

28

Callie’s skin prickled. “Maybe a week ago, in the Windham li-29

brary lounge. And . . . and there’s another thing too.” Her heart 30

was beating faster. “I saw Nathan at the Easter egg hunt. He was 31

riding by on his bike. But . . . this is crazy. It couldn’t be Nathan.

32

I mean, he didn’t know. No one knows about Steven and me. No 33

one in Merritt, I mean.”

34

“Lacoste. How do you spell that?”

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She told him; he wrote it down.

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When he’d finished, he looked back up at her. “What about 2

Officer Evans?”

3

“Rick?” Callie stared at him.

4

“Did you ever tell him about your past?”

5

She flushed. “I told you. No one.”

6

But the sound of Rick’s name had triggered something, a deep, 7

painful yearning. She remembered that she was angry with him, 8

but she didn’t feel it now. It didn’t matter what had happened be-9

fore. She wanted him here with her.

10

“Rick’s at his parents’,” she said to Lambert. “I need to talk to 11

him. Do you have the number someplace? I . . . I don’t have it 12

with me.”

13

Lambert and Parillo exchanged looks.

14

“What?” Callie said.

15

“Officer Evans —” Lambert stopped. “We’ll see what we can do.”

16

Callie was about to press further when Lambert’s cell phone rang.

17

“Excuse me,” he said to Callie, as he pulled the phone from a 18

pocket.

19

He listened briefly, hunched in on himself. “My God. How 20

long ago?”

21

Callie’s heart felt like it might explode. “What?” she said.

22

“What is it?”

23

Parillo took hold of her shoulders. Callie twisted away.

24

“Goddamn it, you’ve got to tell me.” She wasn’t keeping her 25

voice down.

26

Lambert, still clutching the phone, stood up and left the room.

27

Moments later, he was back. “That had nothing to do with 28

your daughter,” he said. “I’m sorry to have upset you.”

29

From the doorway, he gestured to Parillo, who followed him 30

out to the hall. Callie heard them whisper, then, seconds later, 31

Parillo came back alone.

32

“The lieutenant had to leave,” she said. “He’ll be back a little 33

later.”

34

“Tell me what happened,” Callie said. “What’s more important 35 S

than Anna?”

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“It’s not more important,” Parillo said. “It’s just . . . he had to 2 5 4

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go.” It was like a veil had fallen between them. The air had sub-1

tly changed.

2

She heard someone coming up the front steps, and Callie’s 3

stomach flipped.

4

“I’ll see who it is,” Parillo said and quickly left the room. Cal-5

lie stood up to follow her, but Parillo was already back.

6

“It’s Officer Carver,” she said to Callie. “He wanted to check 7

on you.”

8

“Tod?” Callie said vaguely. “He’s here?” She’d hoped against 9

hope it was Anna.

10

“Shall I tell him you’re not up to visitors?”

11

“No, it’s okay. I’ll see him.” A chill was creeping over her.

12

Nothing really mattered.

13

Still, at the sight of Tod’s familiar face, something in Callie 14

melted. She thought of Tod’s daughter, Lilly, just two years 15

younger than Anna. If anyone could know what she was going 16

through, Tod would be the one.

17

Tod headed straight to where Callie sat. She stood up. They 18

embraced.

19

“I’m so sorry,” he said softly, rocking her. She clung to his solid 20

warmth.

21

Callie had started to sob again, and Tod was patting her back.

22

“Where’s Rick?” he asked. “Why isn’t he here?”

23

She pulled back, wiping her eyes. “He’s out of town. At his par-24

ents’. Also, we . . . we had a fight. We’re not really speaking.”

25

“Forget about it,” Tod said roughly. “He’d want to know about 26

this.”

27

“I don’t have a number for him.” Hopeful, Callie looked at 28

Tod. “You guys must have his cell number at least. He must have 29

left a way to reach him.”

30

“We’ve already called him,” Parillo said.

31

“You have?” Callie said.

32

Tod shot the policewoman a look. She gestured him to the 33

hallway.

34

When the two of them came back, Tod seemed uncomfortable.

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He was fiddling with something in a pocket. He didn’t look at her.

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“Goddamn it!” Callie exploded. “What is going on?”

2

Neither Tod nor the policewoman answered. Parillo studied 3

her hands.

4

Finally, Tod responded. “Callie . . . he’s not there.”

5

“Not there? Not where?” Callie asked. She didn’t get what he 6

meant.

7

“Rick’s not at his parents’,” Tod said. “We don’t know where 8

he is.”

9

“You mean he’s gone out?” Callie said. She still didn’t under-10

stand.

11

“No. He hasn’t been there. His father . . . he’s not sick.”

12

Callie stared at Tod. She couldn’t take this in. “Then, 13

where . . . where is he?”

14

Tod looked at Parillo. This time she responded. “We don’t 15

know. We’ve left a number of messages. We’re waiting for him to 16

call back.”

17

It took another few seconds, then Callie grasped the truth. For 18

weeks — months — Rick had lied to her. The room seemed to 19

dance.

20

“Callie,” she heard Tod saying. “Don’t leap to conclusions.”

21

“Conclusions?” Callie said vaguely. The word had no meaning.

22

She had no idea why Rick would have lied, and she really didn’t 23

care. If things had been different, she’d have been angry, but she 24

had no feelings left.

25

For the next hour or so, no one said very much. It was four-26

thirty and then it was five. Tod left around five-thirty.

27

“What about you?” Callie said to Parillo. “When do you go 28

home?”

29

Parillo said, “I’m not leaving.”

30

Callie met her eyes. “Thank you.”

31

Her mind was drifting back and forth between the past and 32

present. The distant past in Tennessee. The recent past of this 33

night. If only she could take back what she’d said just hours be-34

fore to Anna. But you didn’t get second chances. That was some-35 S

thing she knew.

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Please God,
she prayed.
Please. Let her be safe.

1

And thought of all the other families who must have prayed 2

similar prayers. She thought of Dahlia’s brother on the TV news, 3

demanding Steven’s death. She asked herself if this was punish-4

ment for what she’d failed to do then.

5

She’d lapsed into a dreamlike stupor, when the telephone sud-6

denly shrilled. The kitchen was a blur of motion as they all 7

sprang to life. A click as the police tech, headphones on, busied 8

himself at the console. He looked at Callie, gave a short nod. She 9

picked up the receiver.

10

“Hello?” Callie could barely speak.

11

“Sweetheart. My God. I just heard.”

12

Absurdly, it took a split second to recognize Rick’s voice.

13

Without saying another word, she passed the phone to Parillo.

14

For a moment, she felt a fierce fury that he’d raised and dashed 15

her hopes. Then even that was gone, and she felt only despair.

16

“She’s doing okay,” Parillo was saying. “Under the circum-17

stances. . . . Listen, we have to keep the line free. . . . Sure. Okay.

18

I’ll tell her.”

19

When she’d hung up, Parillo turned to Callie. “He wanted you 20

to know that he’s coming home. He’ll be back by noon today.”

21

Callie stared at the blank white wall. “It’s too late,” she said.

22

23

h

24

The man kept talking and talking, but Anna didn’t understand.

25

He was talking about people she’d never heard of, terrible things 26

they’d done. Someone named Steven Gage, who he said had 27

killed people. A woman named Laura. He said she was Anna’s 28

mother. Anna wished he’d take the thing out of her mouth so 29

that she could explain. Her mother’s name was Caroline. They 30

called her Callie for short.

31

He was still holding the panty hose, twisting them in his fin-32

gers. He’d wind them around one of his hands and then around 33

the other. Now he was telling her he was sorry, that he knew it 34

wasn’t her fault. But because of what her mother — what S 35

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Laura
— had done, he would have to kill her. He didn’t want to 2

kill her, he said, but he didn’t have a choice.

3

Yes you do,
her mind screamed.
I don’t want to die. Mommy,
4

please help me! Somebody find me here.