Page 99 of Whistle

“I just don’t know. Could he do that on a bike?”

“I am aware of incidences of people doing complex tasks while in that state,” Standish said. “People have prepared meals, eaten, even driven cars while in a sleepwalking state.”

“Oh God.” Annie put a fist to her lip, pressed. “Someone could have... not paying attention...”

“We’ve got police going up and down the road, walking it, looking on both sides, in case something like that happened. Your neighbor Daniel? He’s out with them, helping. So far, nothing.” She paused, then asked, “Could this have anything to do with what happened to Mr. Sproule?”

Annie said, “How?”

“Only hours after Mr. Sproule’s death, your son is missing. That’s a lot to happen in less than twenty-four hours.”

“I don’t understand... how could they be connected? I mean, yes, Charlie was the first to find him, but...”

“Was he pretty upset about that?”

“Of course he was upset! Who wouldn’t be upset?” But even as she said the words, Annie thought back to the night before when she was having her heart-to-heart with Charlie, and how he was less traumatized by what had happened than she might have expected. But that didn’t have to mean anything.

“Upset enough that he’d feel he needed to get away?” Standish asked.

“I don’t know,” Annie snapped, growing exasperated. “He’s nothere. Can’t we just focus onfindinghim? Does it matter why he left? Does it matter whether he was sleepwalking or freaked out by what happened to Fin? Shouldn’t we just find him?”

“You seem very upset,” Standish said, keeping her voice even.

“For fuck’s sake, you think?” Annie shot back.

“Maybe we should go in and sit down, take a minute.” She put a hand on Annie’s shoulder, getting ready to guide her into the house.

“We’re wasting time, standing here,” Annie said, pushing Standish’s hand away and heading for her car.

“No, Ms. Blunt, I’d like you to stay here. I have more questions.”

“About what?”

“Well, frankly, I’d like to ask you a few questions about your state of mind.”

“I’m sorry, what? I’m fucking scared to death, that’s my fucking state of mind.”

“And I totally understand that, I do. But right now we’ve got lots of people looking, and if we could talk through a few things, that would help. Please. Could we take a seat?”

Standish tipped her head toward the porch. With some reluctance, Annie agreed to walk away from her car and sit down on one of the porch chairs. Standish took the next closest one to her.

“I understand this has been a very difficult year for you,” the officer said.

“Christ,” Annie said. “First Daniel, and now you. Everyone’s googling me. I’m starting to feel like I’mtrending.”

“You lost your husband, and before that, all that controversy about the boy who thought he could fly.”

Annie bit her lip and look away. “I don’t need reminding.”

“And now your son’s missing not even a full twenty-four hours after this man, Mr. Sproule, died in your house.”

“Make your point.”

Standish hesitated before making it. “There has been an inordinate amount of trouble for people in your orbit.”

Annie slowly turned her head and narrowed her eyes. “Are you saying that I’m somehow responsible?”

“It’s an observation. Not necessarily responsible, but somehow at the center of things.”

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