can’t talk about this.’ She had to end this conversation. She glanced at the door, fearful that Noah might be listening.
Karla nodded sadly and stood up. ‘All I’m saying is, knowing what I know now, I could have offered him some words of comfort that might actually have helped, but at the time . . .’
‘It’s too late now,’ said Caitlin. ‘There’s nothing we can do. It’s in the past.’
She said it firmly, as if to close a door. Then she walked out of the little den and waited for Karla to follow her. Karla came out into the living room, and reluctantly picked up her enormous pocketbook from beside the chair.
‘Thank you for coming all this way,’ said Caitlin stiffly.
‘I just wanted to help,’ said Karla.
‘I know,’ said Caitlin.
‘Well, you take care. I hope you get your son back very soon.’
‘Thank you,’ said Caitlin. She walked the girl to the door and submitted to a brief embrace. As she ran across the yard to her car, Karla lifted her satchel over her head to keep off the rain, and her skirt rode up to the top of her thighs. The holes in her tights were visible as she picked her way down the path. Caitlin watched her get inside the car, make a K-turn and wave before she started back down the driveway. Caitlin kept her gaze fastened to the car until it disappeared. She wanted to be sure she was gone.
She could feel Noah standing behind her before he even spoke. Her mind was racing, and even though she had imagined this conversation a million times she did not know what she was going to say.
‘Caitlin,’ he said.
She turned and looked at him. ‘She’s quite a talkative girl, that one. My brother was crazy about her. I had no idea she was coming.’
‘So she said.’
‘If I’d known, I would have stayed home.’
‘We had an interesting talk,’ he said coldly.
‘Has she been here long?’
‘Long enough,’ he said.
Caitlin nodded.
‘Let’s go out to the car.’
‘What for? It’s raining.’
I want to talk to you, and I don’t really want an audience,’ he said, glancing at the two detectives seated in the dining room.
‘We could go in our room,’ she said.
‘NO,’ he barked. ‘Definitely not.’
‘Let me find my dry boots,’ she said.
‘I’ll be in the car.’
She did not ask him where they were going. She was afraid to start the conversation while he was driving for fear that he would not be able to concentrate on the road. He drove to a park not far from their house, which had been set up by the Lions club. It had a view of the nearby lake, and most days little kids were fond of climbing on the jungle gym or swinging as high as they could go. She often took Geordie here. She could picture him, hanging upside down on the monkey bars, his glasses sliding down his nose, as he called out to her to watch him. The park was deserted today because of the rain.
Noah parked the car and they sat in silence for a moment.
‘Geordie loves it here,’ she said.
‘I don’t want to talk about my son,’ he said. There was no missing the ominous note in his voice.
Finally, Caitlin spoke. ‘Look, I don’t know what she said to you but you seem very upset. I know I never told you all that much about my brother but . . .’
‘Stop,’ he said. He turned and looked at her, and the expression in his eyes was menacing. ‘I want the truth.’
‘I don’t know what you . . .’
‘Don’t,’ he said. ‘I swear to God, Caitlin. Don’t push me. I am at the end of my rope as it is. I just want to know the truth.’
How many times she wished she had told him on that first day. She remembered every moment of that day as if she had lived it in slow motion. She had gone to that garden planting for Emily for one reason only: to find the members of her family and explain to them what had happened. It had taken all her courage to go, but she knew that she owed them the truth. They needed to know what had happened to their loved one. They needed to know
Karla nodded sadly and stood up. ‘All I’m saying is, knowing what I know now, I could have offered him some words of comfort that might actually have helped, but at the time . . .’
‘It’s too late now,’ said Caitlin. ‘There’s nothing we can do. It’s in the past.’
She said it firmly, as if to close a door. Then she walked out of the little den and waited for Karla to follow her. Karla came out into the living room, and reluctantly picked up her enormous pocketbook from beside the chair.
‘Thank you for coming all this way,’ said Caitlin stiffly.
‘I just wanted to help,’ said Karla.
‘I know,’ said Caitlin.
‘Well, you take care. I hope you get your son back very soon.’
‘Thank you,’ said Caitlin. She walked the girl to the door and submitted to a brief embrace. As she ran across the yard to her car, Karla lifted her satchel over her head to keep off the rain, and her skirt rode up to the top of her thighs. The holes in her tights were visible as she picked her way down the path. Caitlin watched her get inside the car, make a K-turn and wave before she started back down the driveway. Caitlin kept her gaze fastened to the car until it disappeared. She wanted to be sure she was gone.
She could feel Noah standing behind her before he even spoke. Her mind was racing, and even though she had imagined this conversation a million times she did not know what she was going to say.
‘Caitlin,’ he said.
She turned and looked at him. ‘She’s quite a talkative girl, that one. My brother was crazy about her. I had no idea she was coming.’
‘So she said.’
‘If I’d known, I would have stayed home.’
‘We had an interesting talk,’ he said coldly.
‘Has she been here long?’
‘Long enough,’ he said.
Caitlin nodded.
‘Let’s go out to the car.’
‘What for? It’s raining.’
I want to talk to you, and I don’t really want an audience,’ he said, glancing at the two detectives seated in the dining room.
‘We could go in our room,’ she said.
‘NO,’ he barked. ‘Definitely not.’
‘Let me find my dry boots,’ she said.
‘I’ll be in the car.’
She did not ask him where they were going. She was afraid to start the conversation while he was driving for fear that he would not be able to concentrate on the road. He drove to a park not far from their house, which had been set up by the Lions club. It had a view of the nearby lake, and most days little kids were fond of climbing on the jungle gym or swinging as high as they could go. She often took Geordie here. She could picture him, hanging upside down on the monkey bars, his glasses sliding down his nose, as he called out to her to watch him. The park was deserted today because of the rain.
Noah parked the car and they sat in silence for a moment.
‘Geordie loves it here,’ she said.
‘I don’t want to talk about my son,’ he said. There was no missing the ominous note in his voice.
Finally, Caitlin spoke. ‘Look, I don’t know what she said to you but you seem very upset. I know I never told you all that much about my brother but . . .’
‘Stop,’ he said. He turned and looked at her, and the expression in his eyes was menacing. ‘I want the truth.’
‘I don’t know what you . . .’
‘Don’t,’ he said. ‘I swear to God, Caitlin. Don’t push me. I am at the end of my rope as it is. I just want to know the truth.’
How many times she wished she had told him on that first day. She remembered every moment of that day as if she had lived it in slow motion. She had gone to that garden planting for Emily for one reason only: to find the members of her family and explain to them what had happened. It had taken all her courage to go, but she knew that she owed them the truth. They needed to know what had happened to their loved one. They needed to know
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