Page 33 of Last Seen
She pulls a ton of phone numbers, wanders outside to the quad, finds an unoccupied bench, eats a cookie, and starts making calls.
First up is the Boston Police Department. After identifying herself as the sister of a missing person, she is transferred to the district that covers Harvard’s campuses. A few more transfers get her to a detective named Rafael Cohen, who is wary but willing to talk.
Halley explains who she is, her connection to Cat, and the information she’s found on the missing persons report.
She glosses over the “Why now?” she hears in his tone, not wanting to go into the family dynamics, just sticks with the parts of the truth he needs. She and her dad had moved away, and they lost touch, and she just found out Cat was missing. After taking down all of Halley’s information, Detective Cohen looks it up and confirms Alison Everlane filed the report, but there’s nothing else he can give her. He reminds her that adults go missing all the time. She agrees and promises to call him back if she discovers anything. She doesn’t know if he’s holding back or if he’s not taking her seriously, but either way, he feels like a dead end for the time being.
Her next call is another try at the number on the flyer that Theo says belongs to Alison. She’s surprised when, this time, the phone is answered within two bleats of the ringer.
“Hello? Who is this?”
“Um, hi. My name is Halley James. I think you know my sister, Catriona Handon?”
There is a huge, gusty sigh. “Oh, boy. After all this time. They found her, then?”
Bingo.
“No, actually. This is sort of a weird story, but I didn’t know Cat was missing. I didn’t know she was alive at all. I thought she died when I was six, along with my mother.”
“Really? How could that be?”
“Long story. Can you tell me about her going missing?”
There is a long pause. “She never told me she had a sister. How do I know you’re not some reporter faking this to get a story?”
What the heck?
“I’m not a reporter. I swear it. I am her sister. For the rest, I guess we’re going to have to trust one another,” Halley says lightly. “Did she tell you about our mom?”
“That she died when Cat was sixteen? Yes. A terrible car accident. It was tragic, how she was left to fend for herself.”
“Fend for herself?”
“She had to finish high school and get into college, and she was all alone. What sort of father leaves a grieving daughter? She said her dad bolted. He was her stepdad, and he never liked her.”
Halley makes a note of this.Cat lies.
Alison jumps in again. “So why is it she never mentioned you? She didn’t live with you?”
“I’m ten years younger. I was only six when our mom died. It was a second marriage. I was the bonus baby.”
“Okay.” Alison sounds doubtful, but Halley plows on.
“I don’t know what all Cat has told you, or didn’t, but can we jump ahead to her going missing? You filed a report in 2002. How long had she been gone?”
“Months. She went away to a writers’ retreat and never came home. The retreat wouldn’t confirm or deny that she showed up. There was nothing after that. And believe me, her husband was not happy.”
“Tyler Armstrong? That was her husband?”
“Ex. They were divorcing. She took the papers with her to sign, but disappeared before she did. Tyler was so furious. He’s tried to get her declared dead a few times. But the court wouldn’t agree. I think they finally did grant him the divorce, though. Took like seven years or something.”
“So you know him?”
“Did. He was a piece of work. God’s gift to the financial world. He was cheating on her, and she caught him. It wasn’t going to be a messy divorce. They both wanted out. Cat was excited to start a new life. I actually thought she’d already signed the papers. We had a little party before she left to celebrate. That’s the last time I ever saw her.”
Things are coming together, at least a little bit.
“Did the police ever look at him? An interrupted divorce feels like motive to me.”
