Page 19 of She Didn't See It Coming
Detective Salter pauses and says, “We’ve had a request in for the K-9 unit from the beginning, but unfortunately, they’re unavailable right now. As soon as we can get them here, we will.”
Lizzie retrieves a tissue from her pocket and wipes her face.
The detectives wait for her to pull herself together, then Kilgour asks, “Where were you yesterday, between noon and five p.m.?”
Lizzie is taken aback. “Wait. Am I a suspect now?”
He says, “Please just answer the question.”
“I was at home, in my apartment.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a nurse. I work shifts. I was off yesterday.”
“Okay. Was anyone with you in your apartment?”
She can see how this is going to go. “No. I was alone. I’m single.” She feels herself flushing, as if it’s a great failure on her part. The thing is, she feels that itisa great failure. She’s thirty-two years old and doesn’t have a partner. She’s a modern, independent woman, so it rankles her that she feels this way. But she just wants someone to love. To be loved. Is that so wrong? Her bookshelves are lined with romance novels.
“Okay,” Detective Kilgour says. “And as far as you know, everything was good between your sister and Sam?”
“Yes, of course,” she answers firmly.
“You seem very clear on that,” Salter says.
“I am.”
“He doesn’t have a temper?” she asks.
“No! Not that I’ve ever seen. If he did, Bryden would have told me.” She adds, “Sam would never hurt Bryden.”
“Okay,” Salter says. “Thanks, Lizzie. Stay strong. We’ll find her.”
Once Lizzie leaves the den, Jayne stands up and moves closer to Detective Kilgour.
“She’s not wrong,” he says in a low voice.
“I know she’s not wrong,” Jayne agrees. “Bryden might still be inside this building somewhere, inside one of the units, and so far, there seems to be fuck all we can do about it.” She adds, “Do you think they could have missed something, in the other areas? I mean, she has a point about the Lam case. They thought they’d searched everywhere, and they only found her in the water tank because the drinking water tasted off.”
Kilgour seems uncertain. “I’d feel better if we had the K-9 unit.”
“Me too.” She keeps her voice low. “If we don’t take another look, the family will complain. And there’s a lot of heat on this one—mother going missing from her own home. People don’t like it.”
12
Sam studies Lizzie when she returns to the living room. He wants to know what the detectives were asking her—he imagines they were asking about him. Donna and Jim rise together to go for their turn in the den, beckoned in by Detective Salter. He waits for them to disappear inside and for the door to close. But before he can whisper anything to Lizzie, he gets a call on his cell. It’s Paige, Bryden’s best friend. He’s been expecting her to be in touch. He’d already asked Detective Salter if it was okay if Paige came over to the apartment, and she’d cleared it.
“Have you heard anything?” Paige asks anxiously.
“Nothing new,” he says.
“Should I come over?”
“Yes. Bryden’s parents are here. The detectives are talking to them. Lizzie is here too.” He adds, “The detectives will probably want to talk to you.”
“Okay, I’ll be over shortly.”
“Who was that?” Lizzie asks when he gets off the call.
