“Of course it is,” said David. “You sure you’re OK, Laurie?”
Why couldn’t she just come out with it? As a cop, she was used to interrogating in the worst of situations, so why was she unable to find the words Are you having an affair? Was it because she thought it was a ludicrous notion, or was she worried what he might say? “I didn’t know that Frank had a brother,” she said, the words falling from her mouth before she knew it. “Your uncle, Maurice?”
“What’s this about?”
“Just something I’m looking into.”
“You’re looking into my dad’s brother?”
“He was in town the other day.”
David went silent, the sound of machinery humming in the background. “Was he? Why?”
“I went to see your dad. Frank told me Maurice paid him a visit, and that they went on a trip to Maurice’s church.”
Another pause. She pictured him on the other end of the line, taking deep breaths, disappointed in her once again. “Why did you go to see my dad?”
It dawned on her that David wasn’t the only one who’d been deceiving. She hadn’t wanted him to find out she’d been seeing Frank this way and regretted ever making the call. “He’s a released convict. Police business.”
“Jesus, Laurie,” he said. “Why can’t you ever let the past go?”
It was Laurie’s turn to go silent. She thought he was referencing Milly, and the question felt like a gut punch. “What can you tell me about Maurice?” she asked, not willing to argue with him.
“He took him to his church?” said David, his voice deeper than before, a sign he was pissed with her.
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, maybe because they’re brothers.”
“I’ve never even met him. Mom always clammed up if he was ever mentioned. I always suspected something was up, but whenever I asked either of them about it, they refused to say anything beyond he was a preacher somewhere between here and Houston. What’s all this about?”
“Just curious.”
David’s breathing was heavy down the line and Laurie wondered what thoughts were going through his head. “I better get going,” he said, after an overlong silence.
“OK,” she said, waiting for the line to go dead before placing the phone on the side counter. She was shaking, her left bicep pulsating as if electricity had been shot through her veins. Talking to David had accomplished little beyond putting them both in fouler moods. It had been the wrong time to call, and the wrong way for her to tell him she’d met with his father. Not only would David be furious with her, he would feel helpless and alone at the refinery, which may as well have been on the other side of the world.
As for his revelation that he’d never met Maurice Randall, that didn’t come as much of a surprise. Frank had said as much when he’d explained that Annie had never wanted to see the man. The real question was, why was this bothering her so much?
The fallout from their call, and her lack of sleep over the last few days, had sapped her energy and she decided against a run. She’d work from home instead, having arranged to meet at the Harringtons’ at 8 a.m. He was staying the night in Houston, keen to chat with Glen Harrington’s work colleagues in the morning ahead of the press conference scheduled for later in the day.
When she did arrive at the house, it was Tilly who answered once again. One of Laurie’s colleagues had interviewed Tilly’s father, but seeing the girl had spent the night at the Harrington house again, it made Laurie want to speak to the man herself. Tilly was seventeen, and again it struck Laurie as odd that she wouldn’t spend the night with her own family during such a turbulent period.
It didn’t take long for Laurie to realize that things had taken a turn for the worse between Sandra and Glen. Glen was his usual sullen self as Laurie walked into the kitchen, but Sandra’s eyes were red from crying. Not that this was such a surprise. The ordeal parents in situations like this went through was unimaginable to most people. It would either destroy or strengthen the Harringtons’ relationship, and with what Laurie had so far witnessed of the pair, her money was firmly on the former.
“You OK?” she mouthed to Sandra, as she took the offered cup of coffee from her.
Sandra nodded but Laurie could see she was on the verge of breaking down in tears again. Now wasn’t the time to prep the couple for the press conference. It was enough to be there for now, and Laurie quietly sipped her coffee and waited to be asked any questions.
“You not going into school today?” Sandra asked Tilly, as Grace’s girlfriend joined them in the kitchen.
“I thought I’d be of more use here,” said Tilly, glancing at Laurie for support.
Laurie shrugged, not willing to get involved.
“You’d be more useful going in and quizzing your friends,” said Glen, speaking for the first time since Laurie had arrived.
“You leave her alone,” said Sandra, her hand shaking as she filled a plate with freshly made pancakes from the pan.
It was another thirty minutes before Laurie began prepping the parents for the upcoming ordeal of speaking in front of the press. Grace’s disappearance was already big news locally, and a number of state, and possibly national, outlets would be present at the news conference. “The more we get Grace’s picture out there, the more chance we have of finding her,” she told them, Sandra nodding noncommittally. What Laurie refrained from telling them was how much bullshit they would have to trawl through to find anything of use. Public appeals like this always brought out the crazies, and by that night they would have unreliable sightings of Grace nationwide, but Laurie was convinced it was the right way forward. All it would take would be the slightest lead, a sighting that rang true, and they could be in business.
When she’d finished with them, Sandra walked her to the door and stood outside with her as she lit a cigarette.
“We’ll see you both at the station shortly?” Laurie asked.
The breeze was up once more and Sandra’s long hair fluttered behind her as she sucked on her cigarette, the lines on her face momentarily aging her. Laurie felt small and inconsequential next to the woman. Sandra was much taller, and up close to her, Laurie felt more like Tilly than the lead detective on the case.
“Of course we will,” said Sandra, taking another drag, squirming as if she was inhaling poison.
Sandra remained outside the house as Laurie walked away, Laurie catching a final glance of her imposing figure as she rounded the corner: her long legs and flowing hair, the serene way she gazed out into the distance. Laurie imagined it was the way Rebecca Whitehead would look visiting the viewing platform at the refinery, as all the male workers vied for her attention. She wondered if she was onsite now, if she’d seen David at breakfast that morning, if they’d purposely ignored each other so as not to attract attention.
Arriving back at her car, she tried to shake the feelings of jealousy. She was sure she was projecting something that wasn’t there, and had to admit part of her was succumbing to fantasy. How much easier it would be if David was having an affair. It would give them both a way out, a chance to start again. She wasn’t sure if that was what she really wanted, but it was proving to be too much of a distraction. What she really needed to do was go for a run, and she regretted not having done so that morning. Restlessness crept over her body, and she couldn’t clear her mind. The interconnectedness of the troubled relationships—the Harringtons; Grace, Tilly, and Mia; Frank, Annie, and David; and her own struggles with David—played through her head, as if they could possibly have any relevance to one another. It was ludicrous, of course. Relationships broke down all the time and nothing about her or the people she knew made them any different. But she couldn’t shake it.