Alex Barclay - Harm's Reach

‘How did he react to that?’ said Ren.

‘Well, I think our reaction scared him,’ said Ingrid. ‘Or maybe it proved that we all cared. It was a combination of things.’ She shrugged. ‘Whatever the reason, he saw the light. Obviously, Robert was particularly furious with him... he’d destroyed one of his prized possessions...’

All this recklessness, all this crashing and burning ...

‘But still he was happy to pay for him to go to The Darned Heart,’ said Ren.

Ingrid shrugged. ‘Well, it meant Conor wouldn’t be under our feet... and, if we were staying in the country, Robert’s collection was no longer in danger...’

‘So, you don’t believe your husband did this for Conor’s benefit?’ said Ren.

‘No, no — of course he did,’ said Ingrid. ‘I’m sorry. But, probably, it was more for Laura’s benefit. Robert is... was... very fond of Laura.’

‘And how does he feel about Conor?’ said Ren.

‘Robert has gone to great lengths for him,’ said Ingrid.

‘Has Conor ever been diagnosed with anything?’ said Ren.

‘Not as such,’ said Ingrid, ‘but over the years he’s been treated for anger issues and addiction issues. He was attending an off-site rehab facility, Wellness Partners, while he was at the ranch. It’s not far from there — it’s at the Denver Tech Center.’

‘And did you have to pay separately for that treatment?’ said Ren.

‘It was included in the cost, but I guess the Faules pay that to the facility.’

‘Where is Conor now?’ said Ren.

‘He’s still at the ranch,’ said Ingrid. ‘We thought it best for him to be there with professionals.’

‘You know we’ll need to speak with him as soon as possible,’ said Ren.

‘Of course,’ said Ingrid.

‘Do we have your permission to do that?’ said Ren.

‘You’ll need to discuss that with my husband.’

Ingrid slid forward in her seat as if she was about to stand up and walk them to the door.

‘Mrs Prince, the next matter we have to talk to you about is a very delicate one,’ said Janine.

Ingrid frowned; a flash across her smooth brow. ‘OK...’

‘We discovered that Laura carried out some online searches about abortion clinics,’ said Janine.

The color drained from Ingrid Prince’s face. She tried to repeat the words, she tried to say ‘abortion’, but she couldn’t. ‘I’m sorry... what?’

Janine and Ren both nodded.

‘She did a search for clinics that carry out second-trimester terminations,’ said Ren. ‘There was one in Jefferson County — The Stoneford Clinic. Does that name sound familiar to you?’

‘Oh my God,’ said Ingrid. ‘No. She wouldn’t have dreamed of doing something like that. Not in a thousand years. That wasn’t Laura. That was a huge part of why we chose her. She would have no reason in the world to abort our healthy baby. She loved our baby. She did everything right. Everything.’

‘Is there anything you can think of,’ said Janine, ‘that might have changed her mind about going through with this?’

‘No,’ said Ingrid. ‘Absolutely nothing. Nothing had changed between when we agreed to this and now.’

‘Is everything in your marriage OK?’ said Ren.

‘My marriage?’ said Ingrid. ‘Yes, of course it is. Sometimes I think people like to think of couples like Robert and I as being miserable. It all looks so perfect on the outside so something must be wrong. People assume so much about the wealthy.’

Miaow.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Ingrid. ‘That’s an embarrassing thing to say. But, I’m just... I’m confused. Everything I believed in is falling apart.’

Robert Prince arrived at the Sheriff’s Office with his lawyer, a slight, curly-haired man with gold-rimmed glasses and a brown suit that was too long in the jacket, sleeves and pants.

Unusual for a wealthy man to have such an unkempt lawyer.

‘Hello again, Agent Bryce, Detective Hooks,’ said Robert, ‘this is my lawyer, Christopher Bergin.’

‘Pleased to meet you.’ They shook hands.

‘Can I see my wife, please?’ said Robert.

‘Absolutely,’ said Ren. ‘After we talk.’

They went into the interview room and sat down.

‘Mr Prince,’ said Ren, ‘there are several things we’d like to talk to you about. Firstly, what is your relationship with Conor Gorman like?’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘We were trying to protect him. To answer your question, I don’t quite know how I would classify my relationship with him. It would be great if I could sit here and say that I’m like a father to him, but that’s not the case. I’d say uncle if it was an affectionate relationship, but it isn’t really. I’d say mentor if it wasn’t for the fact that Conor wouldn’t do anything I suggested, in fact he would be more likely to do the opposite.’

‘Do you like Conor?’ said Ren.

‘I do,’ said Robert. ‘He’s a messed-up kid, but I can’t hold that against him. He’s had a difficult life. I’ve always just wanted to help him. That’s why we didn’t want to bring him into all this at this time. We didn’t want to upset him any further. He was very close to Laura. He has no family left — that can’t be easy.’

‘Do you think the ranch is the best place for him right now?’ said Ren.

‘Personally?’ said Robert. ‘No. But Ingrid is insisting.’

‘Why?’ said Ren.

‘She told me she needs space. We’ve found ourselves in a strange situation. Laura was the glue that bound us all together. Ingrid was concerned that Conor might have looked to her to replace Laura’s role in his life and she didn’t want that to happen. She has her own grief to deal with.’

‘Mr Prince,’ said Janine, ‘this is difficult for us to tell you, we’ve just told your wife, but we’ve found evidence that Laura had been researching second-trimester terminations online.’

Robert Prince paled.

‘I know that’s not easy news to hear,’ said Ren.

‘I don’t believe that she was doing that,’ said Robert. Firm, authoritative, final.

‘What makes you so sure?’ said Janine. Her tone was kind.

‘We’ve known Laura for five years,’ said Robert. ‘She was a kind-hearted, caring Irish Catholic who agreed to be a surrogate to two people who love each other very much and cared about her very much. Whoever your source is, they’re mistaken. Can you please note in writing somewhere how vehemently I am disagreeing with this? It’s simply not plausible.’

Ren did as he asked. ‘Mr Prince, when was the last time you saw Laura?’

He paused. ‘Two nights before she left for Chicago.’

‘And how did she seem?’ said Ren.

‘As always,’ said Robert, ‘relaxed, happy, sweet. She was just an infectiously nice person, the type who cheers up the room, without it being all about her or without her wanting any attention, if that makes sense. That’s Laura. Nothing deeper or darker.’

Ren nodded. ‘She sounds like a lovely person.’

‘She was,’ said Robert. His voice caught. He shifted in his seat, recalibrated, returned to his default composure. ‘Is there anything else I can help you with?’

‘Do we have your permission to talk with Conor at the ranch?’ said Janine.

‘Of course, but please, go easy on him,’ said Robert. ‘And I’d like Mr Bergin here to be present for the meeting.’

Shit . ‘That’s not a problem,’ said Ren.

Robert nodded. ‘I worry that someone like Conor could be misunderstood. He can be a little sullen and... well, he can rub people the wrong way.’

‘We’ll bear that in mind,’ said Ren. ‘One more thing — will you still have Conor live with you when he finishes up at the ranch?’