Page 56 of Den of Iniquity

“The authorities never collected DNA from either you or your parents?”

“Not that I remember.”

“So you’ll be the only one notified about the NamUs DNA match?”

“As far as I know,” Marisa said before adding, “So what should I do about Serena, call her or what?”

That’s when I wished Mel were involved in the conversation. In situations like this she would have instinctively known exactly how to proceed. I was at a loss. A glance at my watch told me itwas 3:15 in the afternoon. Marisa and I had been on the phone for the better part of an hour and a half, and the charge on my phone was in the red zone.

“My phone’s almost out of power,” I told her. “Let me run out to the car and get a charger. Then I’ll get back to you.”

On my way out to the parking lot, I thought about Jeremy and wondered how much of this he knew. Probably zero. If Marisa called and dumped all this on Caroline when he was home, it wouldn’t go over well for anyone. With the last of my phone power, I dialed Kyle.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“Costco,” he answered. “The place is a zoo. What’s up?”

“What time does your dad usually get home from school?”

“Around four or so, but it could be later,” he answered. “Right now teachers are working almost around the clock trying to get ready for the big switcheroo over to online learning. Why, do you need to talk to him?”

“No,” I replied. “I need to talk to Caroline in private.”

“Caroline! How come? Have you found out something?”

“I’ve found out a lot,” I told him, “but I can’t tell you about it right now. I want to try to reach her before your father gets home. Do you happen to have her cell phone number?”

“Sure.”

He gave it to me.

“Thanks, Kyle,” I told him. “Happy shopping. Buy lots of good stuff, and I’ll bring you up-to-date as soon as I can.”

With the charger in hand, I returned to the evidence room and plugged in my phone before dialing the next number.

Caroline must have seen the Bellingham location and assumedthe call to be from Kyle. “Hello, Kyle,” she said when she answered. “What’s going on?”

“This isn’t Kyle,” I replied. “It’s J. P. Beaumont, Kyle’s grandfather. Kyle gave me your number.”

“Why are you calling me?” she demanded. “You shouldn’t be. I’ve got nothing to say to you. I’m going to hang up now.”

“Please,” I said. “Before you do, let me ask you this: Once a long time ago, did somebody give you a pink teddy bear?”

I heard a sharp intake of breath. “Mindy?” she asked. “How the hell do you know about her?”

“I know the person who gave you that teddy bear back when you and your mother were still living in Plainfield, New Jersey. Her name is Marisa Young. She’s your mother’s younger sister—your aunt. She gave you the teddy bear in honor of your fourth birthday, and she’s been searching for you and your mother for years. She’d love to speak to you.”

The stark silence on the other end of the line made me think Caroline had hung up on me after all, but that wasn’t the case. Finally she spoke again. “Is this for real or is this a bunch of bullshit?”

“It’s for real, all right,” I said. “I know all about how you and your mother ended up in Seattle. I’m happy to tell you everything I know, but it’s a long story.”

“Jeremy’s due home any minute. I can’t talk about this in front of him. Can I call you back in a little while? I’ll tell him I need to go to the store or something. I can call once I’m out of the house.”

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll be waiting.”

I sent Marisa a text letting her know I was waiting for a call back from her niece. Then I turned my attention back to Loren Gregson. I decided to examine the mini-mart footage next. On a hunch,I started that study several hours earlier than the one in the bar. This time I wasn’t just looking for Loren’s image. I wanted to see if there was any sign of a homeless woman with a loaded grocery cart. She was a lot more likely to be hanging around a mini-mart than a restaurant.

When my phone rang a few minutes later, I thought the caller would be Caroline. It wasn’t.

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