“Amber has three little boys, Chief Rocca,” Nessa said. “They’ve disappeared, too.”
Rocca’s eyelids closed and reopened in a slow, lizardlike blink. “How well do you know Amber Welsh?”
Nessa let Jo answer. “I met her a few days ago,” Jo reluctantly offered.
“Well, I’ve known her most of her life. She’s been in trouble since she was arrested for arson when she was fifteen years old. The man she married, Declan Welsh, is currently in prison for running a meth lab out of a White Castle. Between the two of them, they know quite a few people who could help the whole family disappear overnight. Trailers are called trailers for a reason. They often come with wheels.”
“Amber couldn’t find anyone to drive her into town when her car broke down, but we’re supposed to believe she knew people who could move her trailer with just a few hours’ notice?” Jo argued.
“You’re welcome to believe what you like, Mrs. Levison. All I’m saying is, the Welshes could have called in a favor from a friend.”
Jo turned her attention to Nessa. “I don’t buy it. Last night Amber told me she was going to stay right there in that spot until she was one hundred percent certain that her daughter wasn’t coming home. If it was my daughter, I’d do the same thing, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh yes,” Nessa readily agreed.
“Maybe she woke up to reality and realized there was no point in staying,” Rocca said.
Nessa wasn’t sure how to interpret that statement, and the chief’s expression wasn’t much help. His eyes moved to the left and locked on Jo.
“Now, Mrs. Levison, since you’re here, why don’t we take care of a little business. I was informed that you intended to pay for the damage to the department’s front window. One of my officers stopped by your place of business this afternoon, but you were out at the time. Detective Rees, would you mind picking up a copy of the bill from the front desk when you show these two ladies to the door?”
It was clear they’d been dismissed.
“Thank you for your time.” Nessa forced the words out as she rose from her chair.
Jo said nothing until they’d left the building. In the parking lot, she picked up a chunk of rock.
“Since I’m going to pay for a whole new window, what do you say I widen that crack in the old one?”
“She’s joking,” Nessa assured Franklin, who’d walked them out.
“No, I’m not,” Jo said.
“I know you’re both frustrated,” Franklin said. “But he’s right about the Welshes. The odds are good they’ll turn up again soon.”
“What if he’s wrong, Franklin?” Nessa demanded, surprised to hear him taking Rocca’s side. “Someone around here has been killing girls, and now a family with three little kids has disappeared. What if something happened to them? Could you live with yourself?”
Franklin lowered his voice. “I said Rocca was right. I didn’t say I was going to do nothing. I’ll see what I can find out about Amber and the kids.”
“And what about Mandy? You told me you’d look for her body.”
“Yes, and I did some research. The water off Danskammer Beach is deep. We’d need to bring in divers and special equipment to do a proper search. Right now I don’t have any concrete evidence that there are bodies out there, and Rocca’s not going to sign off on an expensive search because someone has a hunch.”
“It’s more than a hunch,” Nessa argued.
“Telling him my friend Nessa dreams about ghosts is not going to help the situation. But don’t worry. I haven’t given up yet.”