Page 14 of She Didn't See It Coming
“On Broadway, downtown.”
“I see. And you were there all day?”
He looks at her, and she can tell that something is wrong. There’s something he doesn’t want to tell her. She waits.
“Not all day. I stepped out for lunch.”
She nods. “And when was that?”
“I don’t know exactly—around noon?”
She writes it down. “Where did you go for lunch?”
Now his face is flushed, and she watches him with interest.
“I picked up something and went to the park.”
“Were you with anyone?”
“No.”
“And where did you pick up lunch, and which park?”
“At Gino’s. It’s a food truck, near Washington Park. That’s where I went.”
She nods. “And what time did you return to work?”
“At about two.”
She writes it down. Then she looks up at him. “We’ve been looking into your wife’s financial records and her phone records, and one thing stood out.”
She has his attention now. “What?”
“Her banking is all very regular, except for one day, several weeks ago, when she appears to have withdrawn twenty-seven hundred dollars in cash from her bank account. Do you know what that’s about?”
He looks blank for a moment and then he nods. “Oh right. She had a minor car accident a few weeks ago. Hit a guy’s Tesla at a red light. We decided not to put it through on insurance. She paid the guy cash. It was twenty-seven hundred dollars to repair his car.”
“I see.” Nothing of interest there. “That would explain it.” Shethinks about it. They exchanged information. She’s quiet for a moment, considering. It’s worth checking out. They haven’t found any sign of anyone else coming into Bryden’s life or crossing paths with her recently. Just her usual friends, the people she works with, the other moms she knows casually. There was nothing else out of the ordinary. They have this person’s contact information in Bryden’s phone. Derek Gardner. She will pay him a visit.
Jayne lets her eyes move around the living room again, wondering if she’s missing something. Then she studies Sam, leans forward with her elbows on her knees. “Sam, I know this is difficult, but if there’s anything we should know about Bryden, anything you’ve been holding back, you should tell me now.” She notes the flicker of anger in his eyes. Or perhaps it’s fear?
“I’m not holding anything back,” he says. “I don’t know what’s happened to her. We had no secrets between us. We were very happy. I just want you to find her.” He looks anguished.
She smiles kindly at him and nods. “Of course. We all want to find her. We’re doing our best.” She wonders if he realizes that he just slipped into using the past tense in reference to his wife.
9
Derek Gardner is working from home this morning. He and his wife live in Loudonville, an Albany neighborhood of people with high incomes. The Gardners’ house itself is large, modern, and striking. He works for himself—he is not someone who likes to work for someone else. He is a cybersecurity expert and owns a small, profitable company with offices downtown on Bryant Street, with half a dozen employees. But he often works from his office at home because he finds it pleasant.
His wife, Alice, after earning her PhD in chemistry from Princeton, got a part-time job at the University at Albany as a researcher in the Chemistry Department. Her specialty is computational chemistry. Alice needs the mental stimulation, but she doesn’t want the responsibilities of a full-time job, doesn’t have the patience for the people and the politics. She mostly keeps her own hours but puts in two or three days per week. She went to work early this morning, so he’s home alone when he hears the doorbell chime. He’s not expecting anyone.
He answers the door to a woman he has never seen before. She’s quite lovely—of medium height, with a trim build; short, deep brown hair; and rather striking dark eyes.
“Are you Derek Gardner?” she asks.
“Yes. And you are?” he asks curiously.
She holds up a badge for him. “Detective Jayne Salter, Albany Police.”
