Page 22 of She Didn't See It Coming
“Nothing,” Lizzie says. “I was just telling Sam about what the police said to me.”
But Donna knows she’s already told them all about her interview. What is she telling Sam that she didn’t tell them? “Is there something you didn’t tell us before?” Donna asks.
“No, Mom.”
But she stares at her daughter the way she always did when the kids were growing up and keeping something from her. Her stare saysOut with it.
Lizzie sighs and says, “She asked me for an alibi.”
“An alibi?” Donna repeats. Then, her voice shrill, “For what? Do they think she’s dead?”
“Mom, calm down,” Lizzie says firmly. “It’s normal procedure. She probably didn’t ask you and Dad because she knows you were in Florida.” She adds, “As a matter of fact, I don’t have an alibi. It was my day off. I was at home by myself, cleaning the house, taking it easy. I don’t get a lot of time to just relax.” She turns to Sam. “They must have asked you too. But you were at work, right?”
Sam nods, but Donna can see that he suddenly looks uncomfortable.
Lizzie must notice it too because she repeats, “You were at work all day, right?”
There’s a long moment where the tension crackles.
Sam finally says, “She asked me, this morning. And I wasn’t at workallday. I was out of the office for a couple of hours around lunch-time—I got something to eat and went to the park.” He glances at each of them nervously. “I have nothing to do with Bryden going missing, of course I don’t. But what if they don’t believe me?”
Donna looks back at him, suddenly not sure what to think.
•••
Jayne Salter has managedto get the Albany Police K-9 Unit to come search the condo building at 100 Constitution Drive. The delay has been frustrating but unavoidable. They’ll be arriving any minute. She stands in front of the building again now, waiting with Detective Kilgour beside her, her nerves humming. She checks the time. It’s 5:35 p.m. Bryden Frost has been missing since sometime after roughly 12:45 the day before; approximately twenty-nine hours now.
The officers have finished questioning every inhabitant and every person who works in the building. No one had seen Bryden the day before or noticed anything or anyone suspicious. Background checks have turned up nothing on the inhabitants or employees, other than Kemp’s arrest and subsequent release, and a couple of DUIs on other residents. Certainly nothing suspicious, and nothing to justify a search warrant. But there could be someone in this building who is operating under their radar. Someone unknown to police who might have Bryden in his apartment right now.
Jayne turns her mind to the search. They will start at Bryden’s unit, where they will get something with Bryden’s scent, an item of her clothing. There will be only one dog, able both to follow Bryden’s scent and to sniff out a dead body. Jayne wants to cover all the bases.
She sees the Albany Police K-9 Unit van arrive, emblazoned with signage declaring exactly what it is. The van parks on the street in front of the condo and a uniformed officer jumps out of the van and closes the driver’s-side door. People outside the building—residents, media, curiosity seekers—watch with interest. They know a woman is missing from this building, and they’re curious. There are several news outfits outside the condo covering the disappearance, preparing updates for the six o’clock newscasts. They are busily taking photographs and footage of the K-9 van. Jayne and Kilgour approach the officer.
Jayne says, “Detectives Jayne Salter and Tom Kilgour.”
“Officer Hank Bremmer,” he says.
“We’re glad you’re here.” She describes the situation to him.
He nods. “This is my best dog, and he’s ready to go.”
He moves to the back of the van, opens the door, and she sees a black-and-tan German shepherd on a lead. The large dog bounds out of the van, looking eager. He pulls a little on the lead, but a quiet word from Officer Bremmer makes him sit while he locks up the back of the van. “Let’s go, Brutus,” Bremmer says.
Jayne has already alerted the building manager, Ravi, about what they’re doing; they will need him and his keys once more to gain access to various parts of the building. Now, she signals him from the glass door, and he buzzes them into the building. Ravi stands behind the desk in the lobby looking concerned while they pass by with the dog and make their way into the elevator.
As they arrive on the eighth floor, Jayne takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly. She hasn’t let them know they’re coming; she wants to gauge their reactions. She glances at Kilgour. He looks wired too. The elevator doors slide open. Jayne says, “Unit 804,” and they walk down the carpeted corridor, the dog leading the way, straining at the lead. Jayne raps on the door.
14
Jayne steels herself for what’s coming. It’s Donna who opens the door. When she sees the dog, she takes an involuntary step back as if she’s frightened of him. Then she recovers herself and calls over her shoulder, “Sam!”
Sam appears in the foyer. He takes in the handler and the large, panting dog, the detectives, and is momentarily speechless. Jayne tries to read him, but she can’t.
Now Lizzie comes up behind Sam and says, “Oh good, you’ve got a dog.”
“Come in,” Sam says finally.
They make their way into the living room. Jayne notes that Paige seems to have left and there’s no sign of the little girl, but she asks, just to be sure. “Where is your daughter?”
