Alex Barclay - Blood Loss

‘How did-’

‘I mean, these days stranger babysitters are just part of the hotel’s menu, right? Facials, massages, sitters …’

‘Mrs Whaley-’

‘I think she took her,’ said Erica. ‘I think she took her to order for some skanky druggie boyfriend she has, or for some … desperate woman who can’t have kids … or …’ She started shaking.

‘Mrs Whaley,’ said Ren. ‘All over the world, parents leave their children with hotel babysitters.’

‘Would you ?’ said Erica. ‘Do you have kids?’

‘I don’t have kids,’ said Ren, ‘but I would have no problem leaving them with a hotel babysitter.’ And if you were listening very carefully, the word ‘hotel’ cracked with the broken cadence of doubt.

Erica Whaley had been listening carefully.

Shit.

Erica Whaley started to cry.

‘Mrs Whaley,’ said Ren. ‘Now is not the time to beat yourself up. Please don’t turn this in on yourself-’

‘I drank a whole bottle of champagne tonight,’ she said. ‘I started on a second. I know what that probably looks like to you …’

Erica Whaley gave her version of events and it matched her husband’s until it came to their time in the restaurant, when it turned hazy.

‘Mrs Whaley, a witness has said that you and your husband argued over dinner.’ The server saw. And he saw your tears when he delivered your champagne.

Her eyes went wide. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It was nothing. Just about his working hours. What woman doesn’t complain about her husband’s working hours?’

‘So, your husband spends a lot of time at the office?’ said Ren.

Erica nodded. ‘Yes — then locked away in the den at home.’

‘Can I confirm that you ordered the second bottle of champagne just before your husband left the table to check on the kids?’

‘Yes,’ said Erica.

‘Did you argue about the second bottle?’ said Ren. Been there.

‘I’m mortified,’ said Erica. ‘I rarely drink. And the one night that I do … No, Mark didn’t mind,’ said Erica. ‘He just reminded me about the championships tomorrow. He was just trying to spare me from a hangover.’

‘OK,’ said Ren.

‘I feel like we’re sounding like a different couple to who we are,’ said Erica. ‘That we’ve been caught at our worst or something. Fighting in a restaurant, drinking too much in my case …’

‘You were out for dinner. No-one’s judging you,’ said Ren. ‘How long do you think your husband was gone from the table?’

Erica paused. ‘Twenty minutes? Hold on, I’ve got a text here. I texted my sister when he got back to the restaurant.’ She picked up her cell phone. ‘That was at twelve fifteen.’

Ren glanced down at her notes. ‘The receipt for your second bottle of champagne says eleven thirty-five,’ said Ren. ‘Your husband was gone forty minutes, Mrs Whaley.’

Erica frowned. ‘Why did I drink all that champagne, I’m so fuzzy — my timing always gets a little skewed …’

Yet your sober husband said twenty minutes too.

‘May I look at your phone, please?’ said Ren.

Erica handed it over. Ren scrolled back through Erica’s texts. The previous one to her sister read:

Asked him, finally. Denied it. Hmm.

Erica blushed.

‘The text to your sister,’ said Ren. ‘What had you asked your husband?’

‘I didn’t really think he was, but I … I just asked him if he was having an affair.’

‘What made you think that?’ said Ren.

‘I jumped to conclusions,’ said Erica. ‘Because of the whole working late thing — it’s a cliche, I know … but …’ She shrugged. ‘To be honest, it’s probably just me being paranoid.’

‘And from your text, you say he denied it.’

‘Yes,’ said Erica.

‘But, you write “Hmm” …’

‘I was tipsy,’ said Erica. She shrugged. ‘If you’re asking me right now? I do believe him. Of course I do. I get a little dramatic. He’s right. He’s got a lot of work on. Making him sound like he’s sneaking around behind my back sounds terrible right now.’

You bet.

‘What was your husband’s demeanor when he returned from checking on the kids?’ said Ren.

Erica frowned. ‘Fine — why?’

‘Was there anything in his behavior that caused you concern?’ said Ren.

‘No — not at all.’

‘What did he say?’ said Ren.

‘He said that the kids were sleeping, and that the sitter was watching television. Are you putting out an Amber Alert?’

‘We’re not in a position to do that,’ said Ren, ‘we don’t have enough information to release. We don’t know what happened to Laurie. We don’t have a description of an abductor, we don’t have a vehicle description-’

‘But you have a photo of Laurie!’ said Erica. ‘Taken tonight! And I’m sure you have a photo of the sitter. She could be the … perpetrator here …’

‘We have already released their photos,’ said Ren. ‘Their images will be displayed around Breckenridge, they’ll be on local news, in the newspapers first thing.’

‘But … Amber Alerts, they’re on the highway signs, right?’

‘Yes, but without a vehicle description, drivers won’t know what to look out for,’ said Ren.

‘What about at a rest stop? Someone might see them. Didn’t a guy in California rescue a little girl when he saw her in a pickup? That was an Amber Alert.’

‘There were witnesses to that kidnapping,’ said Ren. ‘The police had a description of the vehicle, and there was surveillance footage of the vehicle shown on television, along with the girl’s photo.’

‘Don’t you have surveillance footage here?’ said Erica.

‘Most of the cameras were not operational at the hotel,’ said Ren.

‘I don’t believe it,’ said Erica. ‘So, you’re telling me you have nothing.’

‘For an Amber Alert, we have to know that an abduction has occurred-’

‘What do you think this is, Adventures in Babysitting ?’ said Erica. ‘That they’re out on the town somewhere having fun?’

‘No,’ said Ren. ‘But we are limited by the amount of information we have to release.’

‘I can’t believe this, I can’t believe any of this-’

‘I know this is difficult,’ said Ren. ‘Just a few more questions.’

Erica nodded.

‘Have there been any changes in Laurie’s behavior over the last little while?’ said Ren.

‘No,’ said Erica.

‘Have a think about that,’ said Ren.

‘I’m telling you straight off, because I know. We have Laurie Saturday during the day, every second weekend. I don’t know what happens the rest of the time, but she’s been the same as she always is. Oh … tonight, she had a pain in her stomach, that was all, but she was fine shortly afterward. We got out of the SUV, and she kind of got a sharp pain, she was bent double with it, but by the time we were checking in, she said it was gone. And she didn’t look ill: no fever, rosy cheeks, and she was running around after Leo.’

‘So, this weekend … you were picking her up from the Merritts’ house?’

‘Yes — on Saturday afternoon, it was about four o’clock. We told Laurie about Breck when we got there — it was a surprise. Obviously, we had run it by Cathy and Dale. So we headed for Breck, but then Laurie asked us could we go back so she could pick up her new ski jacket. We hadn’t the heart to say no. Leo had spilled his drink all over himself, so it suited us to have the chance to get him cleaned up.’

‘What time was that at?’ said Ren.

‘It was five by the time we left again,’ said Erica.

‘Who was there when you went to the house?’ said Ren.