Page 27 of The Couple's Secret
“Mom and Tobias were on their way home,” Riley explained. “Mom sent Jacks a text right after they left the restaurant.”
“That was meant for Zane,” Jackson said. “But yeah, I mean that was on the news a few times. The last message either of them sent before vanishing was about the damn cat. The police told us both their phones either went dead or were turned off about twenty minutes after that.”
Tapping her pen against the notepad, Gretchen asked, “What did Cora’s message say?”
“To make sure I let her in. Something about how Captain would be wound up and give Cora hell when she got home if she wasn’t let in right away.”
“Zane and I found this stray cat,” Riley explained. “It was right after Mom and I moved in with him and Tobias. They let us keep her but insisted that we take care of her.”
“Which they didn’t,” Jackson said. “Naturally.”
Riley gave a sad smile. “We tried, but yeah, Mom ended up doing all the work. That stupid cat loved her the most. Every afternoon she’d let her out and then in the evening before bed, she’d be at the back door, scratching to come in for the night.”
“When I got Cora’s text,” Jackson said, “I replied that she had the wrong son. She said she was sorry. I told her not to worry and that I’d just call Zane because he was supposed to help me paint my apartment that weekend. She said thanks. That was it.”
“Did you call Zane?” Gretchen asked.
“Well, yeah.”
Josie frowned. “Cora texted Zane but not you, Riley?”
Riley’s lower lip quivered. “We were fighting. I, um, had stolen some liquor from Tobias and gotten drunk at a friend’s house. She punished me and because I was a dumb sixteen-year-old, I got angry with her. I think she didn’t trust me to respond or to let Captain Whiskers in just to spite her.”
This lined up with what Josie had read in the Herald article. “They had just left the restaurant to go home but she wanted someone to let the cat in. Wouldn’t that have been an indicator that they intended to stay out later?”
Riley and Jackson looked at one another, their faces lined with consternation. “I never thought of it that way,” Riley whispered.
“Me either.” Jackson squeezed her shoulder. “I didn’t know what their routines were at that time. I was already living on my own. Did Captain Whiskers have to be in at nine sharp, or could she have waited for your mom to get home?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t remember. I never gave it much thought.”
It could very well be one of those mundane details in an investigation that took on more weight than it warranted and, in the end, meant nothing at all. Maybe the couple had intended to stay out later or go somewhere else before heading home. Josie could check the witness statements from people who saw them at the restaurant. Perhaps someone had overheard them making post-dinner plans.
“We won’t take up much more of your time,” Gretchen said. “One last thing. Was either of them acting strangely before that day?”
“In what way?” asked Jackson.
“In any way,” Josie said. “Unusually withdrawn? Jittery? Anxious? Depressed? Paranoid?”
“No.” Jackson shook his head. “Dad seemed the same as always to me whenever I saw him at work. What about your mom, Ri?”
“Other than being furious with me, she seemed fine.”
Fifteen
Denton PD’s evidence processing site was part of their impound lot. It was located in a remote area of North Denton that didn’t see much traffic. Fencing surrounded the premises. In the booth by the entrance gate, an officer was always on duty, ensuring that only authorized personnel entered. He waved Josie and Gretchen through without a word and they found a parking spot near the squat cinderblock building at the back of the lot. It always looked inhospitable. No windows. A single blue door. Even the tiny windows on the garage bay doors were covered with white laminate so no one could peek inside.
Josie and Gretchen made their way through the small, empty front office and into a more spacious room that was used to process and catalog evidence. Hummel sat at the large stainless-steel table in the center of the room. At least a dozen old, dirty items were arrayed before him. His head was bent toward his open laptop, fingers flying across it. The scowl on his face when he looked up at them made Josie regret their decision not to stop and get him a coffee. Hummel was almost as much of a control freak as Josie, which meant that he probably hadn’t slept very much since Tobias Lachlan’s car was recovered from the river. He had a good team but the only person he really trusted to do things right was himself. Plus, out of the entire ERT, he had the most certifications for in-house evidence processing.
Gretchen must have had the same thought. She pursed her lips for a moment before addressing him. “You look miserable. We can go get you caffeine or food or both, come back, and try this again.”
Hummel pushed his laptop aside and rubbed at the nape of his neck. “Forget it. I don’t have anything here that would make that trip worth it.”
“We’re not expecting much,” Josie admitted. “The car was submerged under water for seven years. I’m surprised anything survived.”
He stood and stretched his arms over his head. “You’d be surprised what stays intact underwater over long periods of time. Depends on the body of water, of course. A buddy of mine once found a woman’s purse at the bottom of a pond. It was under water for seventeen years. All her stuff was still inside. Everything. Not in great shape, obviously, but there.”
“Not much of a current in a pond,” Gretchen said.
