the backpack,” Laney said, “and left it for me to find. Then he dressed up and delivered the doll, and now he’s gone back to Brazil.”
Noah sent her a sober look. “Hank’s looking into that angle, but the taunts against you have been targeted and vindictive, which makes me wonder if Gracie’s disappearance was a personal vendetta.”
“You mean, not the random act of a stranger.” Laney crossed her arms. “We’ve been over that territory already. Nobody had it in for our family.”
Her mother bit her lip and studied the carpet, and her father’s face went hard and still.
“Our daughter’s right,” he affirmed. “I’ve never had so much as a business rival.”
Noah frowned, looking from one parent to the other. “Are you sure you never met Glen? Or maybe he had relatives in Grand Valley.”
Laney’s father shook his head. “There were no Crockers in Grand Valley. I’m convinced, as was the FBI eighteen years ago, that our daughter was the victim of a stranger abduction.”
“Okay.”
Laney bit her lip. Noah’s word put him in agreement, but his tone telegraphed doubt. Heat washed through her. How dare he imply that her folks might not be telling the truth? He obviously didn’t know them. The realization dashed cold water on her outrage, and she puffed out a breath. He’d acknowledge his mistake if he hung around her family for long. Wouldn’t that be terrific if he got that chance after this mess was sorted out? A little thrill tingled up her spine.
“Noah,” she said, “if any of us knew of a reason why someone would want revenge on our family, we’d tell you.” There, that came out much better than snapping his head off like she might have done a few seconds ago.
He sent her a small smile. “I have no doubt you would.”
Was the emphasis on you in that sentence? There she went again, being touchy about her family. This whole subject ofGracie’s abduction made her skittish. The discussion was hard on everyone, judging by the strained looks her parents exchanged.
“Fair enough.” Noah set the file aside. “Loretta, Roland, I’d like to hear in your own words exactly what happened the day Gracie disappeared. No detail is too insignificant.” He pulled a pen and a small notebook from his shirt pocket.
Laney suffered through her folks’ rendition of events, not much different than her own, except from a parental point of view, rather than a child’s. Not a hint of blame came from their lips toward her. The unsolicited—and undeserved—generosity of spirit ate at her. Now could they not see that she’d been at fault? Instead, all she heard was their heartfelt gratitude that she had not disappeared along with Gracie.
Laney’s dark mood lasted through an ancient rerun of Gilligan’s Island, which they all watched to unwind, followed by the news. In bed that night, she tried to lie still so as not to wake Briana, who slumbered peacefully next to her. Gracie, we have to catch your killer. Maybe if justice was finally served, she could forgive herself and move on with life, minus the guilt that dragged on her soul like a ball and chain.
NINE
T he next morning, Noah got ready to leave on a flight back to Minnesota and a fact-finding mission to the Thompson’s old stomping grounds where the abduction took place. Last night’s conversation bothered him. Laney couldn’t, or wouldn’t, see it, but something had happened in Grand Valley that neither of her parents wanted to talk about. But that didn’t mean the veiled history was connected to Grace’s disappearance. Surely, Laney’s parents would speak up if there was even a remote chance that it might be.
They seemed a close-knit couple and adored their daughter and granddaughter. When she greeted them at the airport, petite Loretta Thompson had sized him up with a fierce look that told him he’d better be the real deal as an investigator and a stand-up kind of guy in the way he treated her loved ones. Yes, ma’am!
Noah sent her a sober look. “Hank’s looking into that angle, but the taunts against you have been targeted and vindictive, which makes me wonder if Gracie’s disappearance was a personal vendetta.”
“You mean, not the random act of a stranger.” Laney crossed her arms. “We’ve been over that territory already. Nobody had it in for our family.”
Her mother bit her lip and studied the carpet, and her father’s face went hard and still.
“Our daughter’s right,” he affirmed. “I’ve never had so much as a business rival.”
Noah frowned, looking from one parent to the other. “Are you sure you never met Glen? Or maybe he had relatives in Grand Valley.”
Laney’s father shook his head. “There were no Crockers in Grand Valley. I’m convinced, as was the FBI eighteen years ago, that our daughter was the victim of a stranger abduction.”
“Okay.”
Laney bit her lip. Noah’s word put him in agreement, but his tone telegraphed doubt. Heat washed through her. How dare he imply that her folks might not be telling the truth? He obviously didn’t know them. The realization dashed cold water on her outrage, and she puffed out a breath. He’d acknowledge his mistake if he hung around her family for long. Wouldn’t that be terrific if he got that chance after this mess was sorted out? A little thrill tingled up her spine.
“Noah,” she said, “if any of us knew of a reason why someone would want revenge on our family, we’d tell you.” There, that came out much better than snapping his head off like she might have done a few seconds ago.
He sent her a small smile. “I have no doubt you would.”
Was the emphasis on you in that sentence? There she went again, being touchy about her family. This whole subject ofGracie’s abduction made her skittish. The discussion was hard on everyone, judging by the strained looks her parents exchanged.
“Fair enough.” Noah set the file aside. “Loretta, Roland, I’d like to hear in your own words exactly what happened the day Gracie disappeared. No detail is too insignificant.” He pulled a pen and a small notebook from his shirt pocket.
Laney suffered through her folks’ rendition of events, not much different than her own, except from a parental point of view, rather than a child’s. Not a hint of blame came from their lips toward her. The unsolicited—and undeserved—generosity of spirit ate at her. Now could they not see that she’d been at fault? Instead, all she heard was their heartfelt gratitude that she had not disappeared along with Gracie.
Laney’s dark mood lasted through an ancient rerun of Gilligan’s Island, which they all watched to unwind, followed by the news. In bed that night, she tried to lie still so as not to wake Briana, who slumbered peacefully next to her. Gracie, we have to catch your killer. Maybe if justice was finally served, she could forgive herself and move on with life, minus the guilt that dragged on her soul like a ball and chain.
NINE
T he next morning, Noah got ready to leave on a flight back to Minnesota and a fact-finding mission to the Thompson’s old stomping grounds where the abduction took place. Last night’s conversation bothered him. Laney couldn’t, or wouldn’t, see it, but something had happened in Grand Valley that neither of her parents wanted to talk about. But that didn’t mean the veiled history was connected to Grace’s disappearance. Surely, Laney’s parents would speak up if there was even a remote chance that it might be.
They seemed a close-knit couple and adored their daughter and granddaughter. When she greeted them at the airport, petite Loretta Thompson had sized him up with a fierce look that told him he’d better be the real deal as an investigator and a stand-up kind of guy in the way he treated her loved ones. Yes, ma’am!
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