Brian Freeman - The Burying Place

Serena turned left down the hallway. Callie's nursery was the third door on the right. She opened the door, expecting the bedroom to be empty, but instead she saw Valerie Glenn in her daughter's room. A bay window on the far wall looked out on the lake, and Valerie sat on its polished ledge, her knees pulled up to her chest. She leaned forward with her head buried in her arms; her blonde hair tumbled over her legs. For a long minute, she didn't realize that she was no longer alone. Serena noticed the empty crib in the middle of the carpet. The childish wallpaper showed fairytale cartoons of princesses and frogs. Toys were scattered on the floor.

'Mrs Glenn?' Serena said softly.

When Valerie didn't react, Serena said her name again. This time, Callie's mother jerked up in surprise. 'Oh. Serena. I'm sorry.'

'I didn't mean to disturb you,' she said.

'Is there news?'

Serena shook her head, and the brief glimmer of hope in Valerie's eyes faded. Valerie rested her back against the window frame and turned her head to watch the gray waters of the lake at the end of the lawn. Her face was in profile. Even in grief, with strands of blonde hair mussed across her cheek and tear stains on her face, Valerie Glenn looked perfect and attractive. Her skin had a tan glow, despite the gloom of November. Everything about her was in proportion. Her legs were taut but not muscular, her frame trim but not skinny. She wore tan slacks and a long-sleeved black fleece top. It was a look that said: I'm not trying to be beautiful, really I'm not, but I can't help it.

Serena sat down opposite her on the window ledge. Valerie brushed her hair from her face and offered a weak smile.

'What can you tell me?' she asked.

'I can tell you that a massive search is going on for Callie across the entire state,' Serena assured her. 'Her photo is everywhere. The police, FBI, media, business owners, everyone will help us. Tips are already coming in.'

'What do you think they want?' Valerie asked. 'Is it money? If we pay, will they give her back to me?'

'I don't know enough about what happened to give you any answers,' Serena said. 'But I promise you that our first priority will always be Callie's safety.'

'I heard someone on the news say that rich foreigners sometimes pay to have babies stolen for them. God, I hope it's not something like that. You don't think you could be a target in a place like Grand Rapids.'

'It doesn’t do any good to speculate. You'll drive yourself crazy.'

Valerie nodded. 'I know. I need to let you do your job. Honestly, Serena, I'm pleased to have a woman on the case. All these men clomping around the house — to them, it's just another crime.'

'We all want to get Callie back,' Serena said.

'Yes, but you know what I'm going through. A man can't really understand. Do you have children yourself?' 'No.'

Valerie looked momentarily disappointed. 'Oh. I'm sorry. Please forgive me, I shouldn't be asking you questions like that. It just helps me to know who you are.'

'That's all right.'

'For the longest time, I thought I didn't want kids. But then my mom died, and thirty started looking big down the road. Suddenly, it was all I could think about.' She stared at the empty crib and rubbed away a tear that escaped from her eye. 'It took me three years to get pregnant. I had given up hope.'

Serena chose her words carefully. 'How did Marcus feel about having kids?'

'He had doubts. I had to convince him.' Her face darkened, and she looked away. 'I know what people are saying. About Marcus.'

'You shouldn't listen to anything they say on the news.'

'It's ridiculous. Mean. Marcus would never, never, never hurt Callie.' Her fists clenched. 'He loves her.'

'Of course.' 'Do people know how hurtful they are?' she asked.

'All I can tell you is to close your ears to the gossip. Focus on getting Callie back.'

'I suppose next they'll be saying I was involved,' Valerie said.

'No one thinks that. You were out of town.'

'But you checked, didn't you, Serena? You called the hotel. You made sure I was there.'

'Yes, we did,' Serena admitted. She added, 'Why were you in the city?'

'I had a nonprofit board meeting in Minneapolis. It went late. I wanted to drive back, but Marcus said the fog was getting bad. So I got a room.'

'He encouraged you not to come home?'

'Yes, he said he didn't want me out on the roads.' Valerie read Serena's face and said, 'See, you think that's suspicious when it's nothing. No one trusts anyone anymore. I guess we all hate to face the horror of finding out that people aren't who they pretend to be.'

'I do need to ask you some personal questions,' Serena said.

Valerie winced, almost as if expecting a physical blow. 'Yes, go ahead.'

'If a stranger did this, they knew things about you and Marcus and Callie and your lives. The crime was carefully planned. Whoever did this was able to get into your house, find Callie, and leave quickly and quietly, as if they knew where she slept.'

'So you want to know how this person knew all these things.'

'Exactly.'

'You don't think it was a stranger, do you?'

'I don't know. It's possible that someone has been watching you and gathering information about your life. But that's not easy to do in a small town without being noticed. It's also possible that someone who knows you gave up information to the wrong person without being aware of it.'

'Well, I think if someone had been watching our house, I'd know it. You're right about small towns. Nothing gets past anyone around here. I also think that if a stranger had been asking questions about us, we'd have heard about it.'

'And there's been nothing like that?' 'No.'

'Forgive me, Valerie, but I need to know. What's your marriage like? Are there any problems?'

Valerie stared at the ceiling. 'Is this really necessary?'

'It is. I wish it weren't.'

Valerie twisted the square-cut diamond ring on her finger. She studied Serena with the eye of a woman admiring another woman. 'You're beautiful, Serena. You know what it's like.'

'What do you mean?'

'A beautiful woman can't have any substance. People look at me, and they think, trophy wife. Come on, that was your first reaction, wasn't it? Marcus didn't marry me, he hired me to dress up the place.'

'I don't think that,' Serena told her.

'Well, that was the general consensus in town,' Valerie said. 'I was twenty-five when we got married. I'm not a fool. I know I'm attractive, and when you're a man like Marcus, you don't settle for anything less. Are there days when I feel more like a portrait on the wall than a living, breathing human being? Yes. Sure. But the truth is much more complicated than people think. I love him. He loves me.'

Serena thought she was trying to convince herself that it was true. 'You've been married for eight years?'

'Yes.'

'Have there been any affairs?'

'I don't see what that has to do with Callie,' Valerie said.

'Probably nothing, but I don't know what's relevant and what's not until I know everything.'

'You have an ugly job, Serena. I guess I see why Denise didn't want to do this.' She added, 'I feel pretty worthless compared to my sister, l our kids and the kind of job she has. Talk about strong. I'm fragile compared to her. Of course, she has Tom to help her, and he's a gem.'

'You didn't answer my question.'

'No, I didn't, did I? All right, yes, there have been other women. Flings. Men look at these things differently. When you're a wife, you have to decide if it matters or not, and I just decided that it didn't. At least until Callie came along.'

'Were there any relationships that were more than a fling?' Serena asked. 'Someone who wasn't just a one-night stand?'

Valerie's lower lip trembled. 'Yes. Last year.'