Chapter 11
ELEVEN
Lydia felt lightheaded as she rose from the chair.
She could not fathom that her in-laws might have taken Elsie.
How was it possible? Had they been in Grand Junction with Sloane’s sister the day Elsie disappeared, like they’d said, or was that a lie?
“I need to leave here.” She was having a hard time getting a deep breath.
Frankie pressed close to Lydia and wagged her tail. She reached down to pet the yellow Lab. River escorted her through the building and opened the passenger’s-side door for her. There were no children outside. Something about empty playgrounds always made Lydia sad.
Once they were settled in the patrol car, River spoke in a soft voice. “Lydia, I have to ask you some questions. Matching hats is not a slam dunk as far as evidence goes.”
“I understand. I don’t want it to be true,” she said.
“So, you bought the hat at a craft fair. I assume that means it wasn’t something that was mass produced?”
“The seller only had two handmade white hats. I bought the one with pink trim and Sheryl got the one with green trim.”
“Do you think Sloane could put them up to taking Elsie?”
Feeling even more agitated, she massaged her temples. “They love their granddaughter. I let them visit her any time they want. They come to her school events. Why would they do something like this?”
“That’s what makes me wonder if your ex-husband is behind this. Maybe he put them up to it.”
“Maybe.” She fiddled with her necklace, becoming more agitated as she spoke.
How could this be? “They have a blind spot where their son is concerned. They might comply with a plan he cooked up.” She shook her head.
“Honestly though Norm is the one with the stronger personality. He’s a high achiever, and he expected the same of his son.
I often thought the pressure of those expectations was one of the things that led to Sloane’s drinking. ”
“It’s hard to understand family dynamics,” said River.
“The bottom line is even if they were chilly toward me, they were always good to Elsie. I wasn’t about to cut them out just because of Sloane’s problems. I wanted her to have family in her life.”
“Sloane was pretty angry about you getting full custody?”
“Yes, he was furious.” She nodded. “She could have died that night in the car with him. He just didn’t want to take responsibility. This latest rehab was court ordered.”
“The first thing we need to do is check out their alibi. We don’t want to talk to the daughter they went to visit, she might clue them in that we are looking into their whereabouts when Elsie was taken. There are other ways to verify an alibi. I’ll give Eva a call when we get back to my house.”
While River drove across town, conflicting thoughts tumbled through Lydia’s head as she considered the revelation about the hat from every angle.
Maybe it was just a generic white hat that Miles had seen?
The man who had attacked her was strong.
Norm was in decent shape, but he was in his late sixties.
She couldn’t get past what good grandparents Norm and Sheryl were.
The more she thought about it, the less it seemed like a possibility.
She just couldn’t imagine them wanting her dead.
River’s voice broke through her racing thoughts. “We can swing by your house and pick up some clothes if you like.”
She nodded. “Let’s do that.”
River pulled up to her house, which looked dark and silent. “I wonder if a gas leak is something you could make happen on purpose?” The accident occurred right after Norm had been in the house alone.
“The timing is suspicious. I agree.” Trying to find Elsie had been so all-consuming, she hadn’t even called the insurance company to get the ball rolling on repairs. “I imagine there will be some kind of inspection so we will know for sure.”
She pushed opened the car door.
While she waited for him on the sidewalk, River let Frankie out of the car.
Frankie followed them up the walk and waited while Lydia unlocked the door.
She stepped aside so River and Frankie could go in first. While River and his partner made sure no one was lurking in the house, she studied the damage to her kitchen.
The stove, which had been blown away from the wall, was in pieces all over the kitchen floor.
Part of the counter had been blackened by the blast and everywhere there were broken dishes.
Other than a bad smell the rest of the house seemed undamaged.
River stepped into the living room. “All clear.”
Lydia hurried into her bedroom, pulled a bag from underneath the bed and tossed some clothes into it. She could hear River in the next room talking to Eva about checking into Norm and Sheryl’s alibi.
Lydia stepped into the hallway and stared at Elsie’s slightly ajar door.
She hadn’t looked into the room since the kidnapping.
She pushed the door open. The room was done in Elsie’s favorite colors, pink and green.
Books about animals stood on her nightstand.
Even though her marriage had already been in turmoil, the day Elsie was born had been the happiest of her life.
Come back to me, baby girl.
River stood on the threshold of the bedroom. “Do you need a minute more?”
She appreciated his consideration. “No, thank you, I’m good.
” She grabbed Elsie’s favorite stuffed animal, a bear named Mr. Binkins, and a book she loved, placing them in the bag and zipping it up.
She had to think positive. When, not if, they found Elsie, she would be afraid, and familiar things would be a comfort.
River reached his hand out to carry the bag for her. Once they were in the patrol car, he headed back toward his place. “I looked at where the explosion happened. Some of the wires were stripped. I’m not an expert, but that might have caused a spark that ignited the gas when it was turned on.”
A knot formed in her stomach. “Norm makes his living as a general contractor. I’m sure he knows something about that sort of thing.”
They had only gone a few blocks and made one turn when he slowed down.
“Something wrong?”
“I think we’re being followed. Don’t look behind you.”
Her heart beat a little faster. They were on a busy street with lots of box stores that had large parking lots. “Is it the tan SUV?”
“No. A white car, lower to the ground.”
Norm and Sheryl owned a dark gray newer SUV and a red compact car, but they could have borrowed a car from somewhere.
“I’m not going directly back to my house. Just in case. I don’t want to lead them right to the place that so far has been safe for you.”
She wondered if someone had been parked by her house and watching to see if she came back.
River did several quick turns then pulled into a furniture store parking lot that was filled with cars.
He turned the car engine off. “Let’s just wait here for a few minutes.”
She craned her neck. “Did the white car pull in, too?”
“The lot’s too full to tell. But he stayed with us at least through the first quick turn.” He tapped the steering wheel.
“I heard you talking to Eva about Sheryl and Norm’s alibi. What’s she going to look into if she doesn’t just ask Debbie if they were at her house in Grand Junction?”
“DMV records will give the make and model of their cars. There might be cameras close to their house that show when they left and came back. She can get footage close to Debbie’s house, too.
Eva knows how to work things from all kinds of angles.
We’ll be able to break or confirm their alibi, and that’s the first step. ”
“At least if Elsie is with them, I know she’s safe.” Small consolation.
River continued to check his mirrors. His voice softened. “Yes, that’s one good thing.”
The thought that hovered around the corners of her mind came front and center.
Even if Norm and Sheryl thought they could do a better job raising Elsie, they wouldn’t try to kill her.
It seemed like she would have known if the man who had attacked her was Norm.
The more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed that Sloane’s parents, even if he had put pressure on them, would go that far.
She rested her head against the back of the seat and let out a heavy sigh. “All we talk about is things connected to finding Elsie.”
“Yeah, it’s hard to think about anything else. You know.”
“Agreed.” They’d been together almost nonstop since Elsie’s disappearance, and she knew very little about River. “What made you decide to become a police officer?”
“It wasn’t my first dream. I wanted to help people. Thought I would become a doctor and do cancer research.” He shrugged and ran his hand through his blond hair. “I washed out of med school and I had to rethink my whole life.”
“From doctor to police officer. That’s a leap.”
“I was with the volunteer search and rescue back then. I realized I felt way more like I was helping people doing that than memorizing anatomy. I liked working with the dogs. I liked being outside. When I got accepted at the police academy, I knew I wanted to be a K-9 officer.”
“I guess sometimes you have to rethink your life,” she said.
“For sure. What made you want to be a preschool teacher?”
“I always loved children. I didn’t have any siblings growing up and I’ve always dreamed of having lots of children of my own. Teaching little kids was just a natural outlet.”
His voice filled with compassion. “Sorry you didn’t get that big family you hoped for.”
It was River’s kindness that she was drawn to.
“Guess I had to rethink my life when I realized staying with Sloane was too dangerous for both of us.” Her throat grew tight and her voice cracked. “I’m just glad God gave me Elsie.”
Leaning toward her, he rested his gaze on her for a long moment. “You’ve been through a lot. This is more than anyone should have to endure.” He reached over and pulled a strand of her red hair behind her ear.