Brian Freeman - The Burying Place

They got up, showered, made coffee, shared their notes on the case, and acted as if the elephant in the room was invisible. On some level, Stride knew it was the worst thing they could possibly do, but that was who they were. They each retreated to their corners and nursed their wounds.

They drove slowly into Grand Rapids because of the snow. The driveway at the Glenn house was white and pristine, and behind the house, the lake was deep blue under the sunshine. Valerie Glenn answered the door. He didn't need to ask if she'd seen the morning news and the Vegas interview with Lavender. Her blue eyes were furious. She led them into the warm sunroom at the back of the house, and she sat in a wicker chair near the windows and stared at the snow-covered lawn leading down to the water.

'It might be better if you weren't here for this,' Serena told her. 'There may be things that Marcus won't tell us with you in the room.'

Valerie laughed humorlessly. 'Do you really think he'll spare my feelings? We're a little late for that.'

Stride had spent less time with Valerie than Serena had, but even no, he could see the change in her. She was a woman who didn't need make-up to be beautiful, but this morning she hadn't bothered to attend to her face. She wore a loose sweatshirt from the local country club, old jeans, and white athletic socks. He wondered if it was a silent message to her husband: I'm not your trophy today.

Stride saw Marcus Glenn in the doorway of the sunroom. There was no eye contact between him and Valerie as the surgeon sat down on the sofa on the other side of the room. His long legs jutted out like stilts over the end of the cushions.

'Good morning, detectives,' he said. 'I hope this won't take long. I've already had to cancel two surgeries today in order to be here.'

'We have some things we'd like to go over with you,' Stride said.

'Do I need a lawyer?'

'I don't know. Have you done anything that would make you need a lawyer?'

Glenn glanced at his wife. 'A divorce lawyer, perhaps.' He added, 'That's a joke, Valerie.'

Valerie didn't acknowledge him.

'Dr Glenn, there was an interview on television this morning with a woman in Las Vegas who claims to have had a relationship with you,' Stride said. 'Are you acquainted with this woman?'

'Yes.'

'Did you have a sexual relationship with her?' Serena asked.

'I don't see what that has to do with anything.'

'Answer the question!' Valerie snapped from the other side of the room.

For the first time, Glenn flinched. 'Yes, all right, I did. Intensely sexual. Is that what you want to hear, Valerie? As long as we're sharing family secrets, maybe you'd like the detectives to know that we haven't had sex since Callie was born. The gates to the magic forest have been kept tightly locked while you manage all of your issues. Well, forgive me for not being satisfied with a celibate lifestyle.'

'You bastard,' Valerie murmured.

'This woman says you told her you wished that your daughter had never been born,' Serena said. 'Is that true? Did you make that statement?'

He shook his head. 'No.'

'So she's lying?' Stride asked.

'She's misremembering. I probably made some comment that my life was easier before Callie was born. Most people feel that way when a child comes into their lives.'

'The reporter specifically asked if you used the words "never been born". She says you did.'

'And as I told you, she's wrong.'

'You never said it?' Stride asked.

'No.'

'Is that how you feel?' Serena interrupted.

'What do you mean?'

'Well, regardless of whether you said it, do you believe you would be happier if Callie had never been born?'

'No. That's ridiculous.'

'Your credibility has taken some hits, doctor,' Stride told him. 'You lied to us about Migdalia Vega. You told us you were alone in the house the night Callie disappeared. We know that's not true. Exactly why didn't you tell us about her?'

'I think you know why. I didn't want Micki to get in trouble. She's an illegal, and she was afraid she'd be deported. Or worse yet, she'd be branded a suspect. She didn't know what happened, so she couldn't add anything to your investigation.'

'Was she with you in your bedroom that night?' Stride asked.

'No, she was in the guest room over the garage on the other side of the hall.'

'You told us you were asleep by ten thirty,' Serena said.

'That's right.'

'So you don't know where Migdalia was or what she was doing during that time until you discovered Callie was missing.'

Marcus hesitated. 'I suppose not, but it's insane to think—'

'Do you think there could be any connection between Callie's disappearance and Migdalia losing her baby last year?' Stride asked, cutting him off.

'What? No, certainly not.'

'Were you the father of her child?'

Marcus leaned back and folded his arms over his chest.

Absolutely not.'

'Have you ever slept with her?'

'No.'

'What about Regan Conrad?' Serena asked.

Marcus turned his head sharply at the mention of Regan's name. 'Excuse me?'

'You heard me,' Serena said.

'Yes. All right. I had — past tense — a relationship with Regan Conrad.' He turned to Valerie. 'I broke it off. I told you that months ago.'

Valerie didn't reply.

'When did you sever your relationship with Ms Conrad?' Stride asked.

'This winter.'

'After Callie was born?'

'Yes.'

'Why did you choose to end it?'

'My wife knew about my affair,' he said, with another glance at Valerie. 'With Callie born, she wanted it over. I agreed.'

'I was told that you were concerned about Regan Conrad's behavior,' Serena said. 'You told people she was crazy. Crazy in what way?'

'Regan is extreme. She's manipulative. She tries to get you to do what she wants, and she's very good at it. I kept it going longer than I should have because of that.'

'How did she take it when you broke it off?' Stride asked.

'Not well,' Glenn said.

'How so?'

'She hit me in the face and tried to break my fingers. She wanted me to divorce Valerie and marry her. Obviously, those were delusions. Nothing like that was going to happen.'

'Has she ever been in your house?' Serena asked.

He exhaled and looked unhappy. 'Several times.'

'So she knows the layout of your house?'

'I suppose she does.'

'Did you ever give her a key?'

'I may have loaned her a spare key once.'

'Did you get it back?'

'I honestly don't remember,' he replied, hesitating. 'I don't think I did. But this is all academic, detectives. Regan was working the night Callie disappeared. Believe me, I checked.'

'You did?' Stride asked. 'Why?'

'I told you. She's erratic. Violent.'

'Why didn't you tell us about her if you thought she could be involved in kidnapping your daughter?'

'Do I have to explain it? Look at what's happened to my life in the past four days. I've been excoriated in the press and subjected to humiliating questions by you in front of my wife. I was trying to avoid all of this.'

'Did Regan Conrad ever make any threats regarding you, your wife, or your baby?' Serena asked.

'Not explicitly, no.'

'But there were implied threats?'

'She's vengeful and clever. Anything is possible with her. She's even been arrested a few times.'

'Arrested? For what?' Serena asked.

'I don't know. The charges were dropped. She referred to it once in passing.'

'How well did Regan know Micki Vega?' Stride asked.

'They were close,' Glenn said. 'Regan may be unstable, but she's a brilliant nurse. I've seen her with new mothers. She becomes their lifeline. The bond between mother and midwife is exceptionally strong during and after the birth of a child, particularly when there are problems.'