Chapter 22
When Stephen held up the pair of underwear, it was clear they belonged to a child. The Beauty and the Beast images on the rear suggested it belonged to a little girl.
“Where did you find it?” Sean asked.
“Where in the room?” Sean asked.
“It was tucked into the trash,” Stephen answered. “Buried under tissues. I almost didn’t see it. But as I dumped it into my larger bag, I noticed the colors, and I just thought it looked odd, so I pulled it out and… Well, I thought it was important that someone knew.”
Sean nodded, then studied the underwear more closely. They looked clean, with no sign of dirt or blood. “When did you find them?” Sean asked.
“Oh, um, after, um, you addressed everyone in the dining room this morning,” Stephen said.
Frank Maynard didn’t strike Sean as a particularly smart man, but how stupid did he have to be to throw away the pair of underwear that probably belonged to the missing girl?
It wasn’t impossible. People make dumb choices under pressure. The mind could convince the person of anything to save itself.
“Was anyone in the room when you changed the trash?” Sean asked.
Stephen hesitated. “No.”
If no one saw Stephen find the underwear, Sean couldn’t confirm whether Stephen had planted the evidence himself. But so far, the butler hadn’t been at the top of Sean’s suspect list.
“Why’d you wait so long to tell me?” Sean asked. “I spoke to everyone over an hour ago.”
“I thought maybe the underwear might belong to the Maynards’ kid, you know?” Stephen asked. “I mean, even boys like Beauty and the Beast, right?”
Sean instructed Stephen to keep the evidence he found between them, then went to find Roman and Judy Grayson.
The moment Sean showed them the underwear, Judy cried, then buried her face into Roman’s shoulder.
“Where did you find them?” Roman asked.
“I need a verbal confirmation that these belonged to your daughter,” Sean said.
“Yes,” Roman answered. “Now, where did you find them?” His voice was a low growl, and Sean made sure to tread lightly.
“They were found in the trash,” Sean said, keeping the answer honest, but vague.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Judy said, almost hyperventilating. “This…can’t…be…real….” She drew in quick breaths and struggled to compose herself, eventually crying into her husband’s shoulder again.
“What are you going to do?” Roman asked. “This monster has to be found before he hurts my daughter.”
“I’ve contacted the local sheriff,” Sean said, trying to offer some reassurance. “They are sending people here with snow equipment, but until they arrive, I’ll continue my investigation.”
“You’re not moving fast enough,” Roman said, raising his voice.
Sean understood the frustration. But he couldn’t let their anger throw him off-kilter.
“I’m not a father,” Sean said. “I don’t know what you’re going through, and I won’t pretend to. But I am good at what I do, Mr. Grayson. And I assure you that I am doing everything within my power to find your daughter.”
Roman scoffed and then guided his wife away into the bedroom where she continued to cry. Sean lingered in the living space of their presidential suite and then showed himself out. If he was going to find answers, he needed to do it quickly, and that meant another conversation with Frank Maynard.