“Like I said, I need to rule out every possibility. This is bound to be uncomfortable for you.”
She nodded again. “Not as uncomfortable as having my children missing.”
The sheriff smiled sympathetically, then his eyes hardened. “This Tom Boyd. A neighbor reported that she saw him leaving your house last night. She said he was visibly angry, and she heard him yell and slam your door shut. She said she heard you yelling, too. Was there some kind of disagreement?”
No
, she thought.
The sheriff can’t be going in this direction.
“We had an argument.”
“What about?”
She swallowed. “Tom found out his fishing rod and vest were missing. He thought Annie had taken them. He didn’t get along with Annie very well, and I told him to leave.”
She knew how that sounded. So: “But I’m sure Tom had nothing to do with it. The kids were gone for a long time already when it happened.”
The sheriff asked her for the time of the argument.
“It was around six,” she said. “I waited two more hours before I called you.”
She could see Carey calculating it in his head. Tom would have had enough time, and enough light, to track down Annie and William.
“Tom called me last night,” Monica said. “It was after ten. Maybe ten-thirty. He asked whether my kids had come home.”
“How did he sound?”
Monica swallowed. “He was drunk. He was at some bar.”
Carey nodded, as if she’d confirmed something. “He was seen last night at the Sand Creek Bar. The bartender said he was inebriated. Still in his uniform, very distraught and upset. They refused to give him more drinks, and he got angry and left around eleven.”
Monica seized on the words
inebriated
and
distraught.
“Someone who knows Tom Boyd says he can have a violent temper,” the sheriff said. “He’s a bodybuilder, right? Maybe some steroid use? Would you say he has a violent temper, Miz Taylor?”
SHERIFF CAREY asked questions for another half hour. She answered them honestly, and could see how the sheriff was building a case against Tom. No, she didn’t know he’d been arrested twice for assault. No, she didn’t know Tom’s ex-wife had accused him of beating one of his children. How could she not know that, she asked herself. She felt stupid, duped. Again.
“I don’t think it was Tom,” she said, finally, after the sheriff stood up and slipped his notebook in his pocket. “If it was him, wouldn’t he have taken his fly rod back? Isn’t that the reason you’ve come up with why he would even try to find my children?”
“I thought of that, too,” Carey said, clamping on his hat. “But it could be your kids lost it before he got there. Or he just couldn’t find it in the dark. We’ll have to ask him about that,” he said ominously.
“I just can’t believe it,” she said.
Carey stood there, silent, as if he had more to say before he left. She looked up.
“Tom didn’t show up for work this morning,” Carey said. “His supervisor said he didn’t call in, either. Tom’s not at his house, and no one saw him come home last night. His truck is still missing. He was supposed to turn it in last night, but he didn’t.”
“His UPS truck?” she said incredulously.
For the first time, the sheriff almost smiled. “You’d think we’d find a vehicle that distinctive easy enough, wouldn’t you?”
“I just can’t …” She didn’t finish, knowing she had said it before.
“I think we’ll get this thing wrapped up pretty quickly,” the sheriff said. “I hope and pray it will be for the best, but we just don’t know. We hope like hell we can find him and bring your kids back, unharmed.”
She watched him, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“I wish I had more men to work this, Miz Taylor. I’ve only got four deputies for the whole county. Three of ’em are up there on Sand Creek right now, searching it with a state crime-scene team that arrived this morning. I’m starting to get calls from all over.
She nodded again. “Not as uncomfortable as having my children missing.”
The sheriff smiled sympathetically, then his eyes hardened. “This Tom Boyd. A neighbor reported that she saw him leaving your house last night. She said he was visibly angry, and she heard him yell and slam your door shut. She said she heard you yelling, too. Was there some kind of disagreement?”
No
, she thought.
The sheriff can’t be going in this direction.
“We had an argument.”
“What about?”
She swallowed. “Tom found out his fishing rod and vest were missing. He thought Annie had taken them. He didn’t get along with Annie very well, and I told him to leave.”
She knew how that sounded. So: “But I’m sure Tom had nothing to do with it. The kids were gone for a long time already when it happened.”
The sheriff asked her for the time of the argument.
“It was around six,” she said. “I waited two more hours before I called you.”
She could see Carey calculating it in his head. Tom would have had enough time, and enough light, to track down Annie and William.
“Tom called me last night,” Monica said. “It was after ten. Maybe ten-thirty. He asked whether my kids had come home.”
“How did he sound?”
Monica swallowed. “He was drunk. He was at some bar.”
Carey nodded, as if she’d confirmed something. “He was seen last night at the Sand Creek Bar. The bartender said he was inebriated. Still in his uniform, very distraught and upset. They refused to give him more drinks, and he got angry and left around eleven.”
Monica seized on the words
inebriated
and
distraught.
“Someone who knows Tom Boyd says he can have a violent temper,” the sheriff said. “He’s a bodybuilder, right? Maybe some steroid use? Would you say he has a violent temper, Miz Taylor?”
SHERIFF CAREY asked questions for another half hour. She answered them honestly, and could see how the sheriff was building a case against Tom. No, she didn’t know he’d been arrested twice for assault. No, she didn’t know Tom’s ex-wife had accused him of beating one of his children. How could she not know that, she asked herself. She felt stupid, duped. Again.
“I don’t think it was Tom,” she said, finally, after the sheriff stood up and slipped his notebook in his pocket. “If it was him, wouldn’t he have taken his fly rod back? Isn’t that the reason you’ve come up with why he would even try to find my children?”
“I thought of that, too,” Carey said, clamping on his hat. “But it could be your kids lost it before he got there. Or he just couldn’t find it in the dark. We’ll have to ask him about that,” he said ominously.
“I just can’t believe it,” she said.
Carey stood there, silent, as if he had more to say before he left. She looked up.
“Tom didn’t show up for work this morning,” Carey said. “His supervisor said he didn’t call in, either. Tom’s not at his house, and no one saw him come home last night. His truck is still missing. He was supposed to turn it in last night, but he didn’t.”
“His UPS truck?” she said incredulously.
For the first time, the sheriff almost smiled. “You’d think we’d find a vehicle that distinctive easy enough, wouldn’t you?”
“I just can’t …” She didn’t finish, knowing she had said it before.
“I think we’ll get this thing wrapped up pretty quickly,” the sheriff said. “I hope and pray it will be for the best, but we just don’t know. We hope like hell we can find him and bring your kids back, unharmed.”
She watched him, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“I wish I had more men to work this, Miz Taylor. I’ve only got four deputies for the whole county. Three of ’em are up there on Sand Creek right now, searching it with a state crime-scene team that arrived this morning. I’m starting to get calls from all over.
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