in the custody of family
services, but he repeated his request, though changing the context of the
question. “What about the boy’s mother? Do you know where we can find her?”
Marty heard him chewing something and trying to be discrete
about it. He swallowed whatever it was and then answered. “I’ll tell you what I
do know, Detective, it’s a little hard to follow. Are you with me?”
“Yeah, sure, go ahead.” Marty leaned back in his chair,
lifting the front legs off the ground, balancing on the rear legs.
“The kid’s mother’s name was Donna Barrie.”
Marty’s gut turned at his use of the past tense.
“Story goes, that when the girl was thirteen years old, Donna
Barrie disappeared while on vacation with her parents from Scotland. The
teenager got into a quarrel with her mother and left the hotel and then just
vanished. Her mother, Norma Barrie, reported her daughter missing, but
authorities chalked it up to a teenager who had a history of being a runaway,
so not too much of an effort was put into the case.”
Marty heard him pause and he imagined him shuffling through
paperwork. He waited anxiously for him to continue. He didn’t have to wait too
long.
“Her mom, Norma Barrie, stayed in the states for two months
hoping the kid would show up, but finally went back home to Scotland. Once the
kid’s mother went back to Scotland, the case went on the back burner and went
cold. He chuckled to himself. “Weird huh, goes on the back burner and goes
cold? Kind of ironic, that expression.”
Marty was going to answer him, but he started to talk over him.
“Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, a few months ago, some workers found some
skeletal remains in some wooded area while excavating the area for a strip mall.
Turns out the corpse’s dental records matched this kid Barrie that went missing
about nine years ago. You following?”
“Yes, go ahead.” Marty started to jot down what he was
saying, but the pen ran out of ink. Rummaging through his desk, he found one
that worked and began to take notes.
“Here is where it gets sticky. Turns out this Donna Barrie,
her fingerprints also matched someone else. She was also positively identified
as M’leigh Blakey, wife of Troy Blakey, your shooting victim. Blakey reported
her missing six years ago. Claims he came home from work and found his three-year-old
son fast asleep in the crib, but the kid was alone. His wife, M’leigh, was
nowhere to be found. I was one of the investigators on that case and I remember
thinking the whole thing stunk, but my superior just chalked it up to a female
with itchy feet that liked to run. Especially when the elder Blakey gave us a
picture of the lady, and one of the investigators recognized her as the missing
Barrie kid. Donna Barrie and M’leigh Blakey were one in the same. My supervisor
at the time figured if she ran away from her parents, it wouldn’t be too farfetched
for her to run away again. He decided the girl liked to run; and when things
got boring, she took off. This time, instead of leaving her parents, she left her
husband and kid. I just started with the unit, but I remember being there when
they interviewed Troy’s father, Archie. He really kept pushing that angle. Kept
telling us in interviews that the girl was always complaining that life with
them was boring, and she didn’t want to be a mother anymore. You following
this?” He interrupted himself.
Marty told him, “Yes,” and readied himself for more of the story.
“I got the feeling that Troy didn’t buy his father’s theory
either, and insisted that the girl wouldn’t desert her son, and insisted we
investigate her disappearance. He came in looking for updates almost every day,
and then once a week; but as time went by, and nothing new was reported, eventually
he just stopped coming around looking for updates. I think his old man finally
convinced him she ran. Something about that whole family gave me the willies.
They lived way back in the
services, but he repeated his request, though changing the context of the
question. “What about the boy’s mother? Do you know where we can find her?”
Marty heard him chewing something and trying to be discrete
about it. He swallowed whatever it was and then answered. “I’ll tell you what I
do know, Detective, it’s a little hard to follow. Are you with me?”
“Yeah, sure, go ahead.” Marty leaned back in his chair,
lifting the front legs off the ground, balancing on the rear legs.
“The kid’s mother’s name was Donna Barrie.”
Marty’s gut turned at his use of the past tense.
“Story goes, that when the girl was thirteen years old, Donna
Barrie disappeared while on vacation with her parents from Scotland. The
teenager got into a quarrel with her mother and left the hotel and then just
vanished. Her mother, Norma Barrie, reported her daughter missing, but
authorities chalked it up to a teenager who had a history of being a runaway,
so not too much of an effort was put into the case.”
Marty heard him pause and he imagined him shuffling through
paperwork. He waited anxiously for him to continue. He didn’t have to wait too
long.
“Her mom, Norma Barrie, stayed in the states for two months
hoping the kid would show up, but finally went back home to Scotland. Once the
kid’s mother went back to Scotland, the case went on the back burner and went
cold. He chuckled to himself. “Weird huh, goes on the back burner and goes
cold? Kind of ironic, that expression.”
Marty was going to answer him, but he started to talk over him.
“Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, a few months ago, some workers found some
skeletal remains in some wooded area while excavating the area for a strip mall.
Turns out the corpse’s dental records matched this kid Barrie that went missing
about nine years ago. You following?”
“Yes, go ahead.” Marty started to jot down what he was
saying, but the pen ran out of ink. Rummaging through his desk, he found one
that worked and began to take notes.
“Here is where it gets sticky. Turns out this Donna Barrie,
her fingerprints also matched someone else. She was also positively identified
as M’leigh Blakey, wife of Troy Blakey, your shooting victim. Blakey reported
her missing six years ago. Claims he came home from work and found his three-year-old
son fast asleep in the crib, but the kid was alone. His wife, M’leigh, was
nowhere to be found. I was one of the investigators on that case and I remember
thinking the whole thing stunk, but my superior just chalked it up to a female
with itchy feet that liked to run. Especially when the elder Blakey gave us a
picture of the lady, and one of the investigators recognized her as the missing
Barrie kid. Donna Barrie and M’leigh Blakey were one in the same. My supervisor
at the time figured if she ran away from her parents, it wouldn’t be too farfetched
for her to run away again. He decided the girl liked to run; and when things
got boring, she took off. This time, instead of leaving her parents, she left her
husband and kid. I just started with the unit, but I remember being there when
they interviewed Troy’s father, Archie. He really kept pushing that angle. Kept
telling us in interviews that the girl was always complaining that life with
them was boring, and she didn’t want to be a mother anymore. You following
this?” He interrupted himself.
Marty told him, “Yes,” and readied himself for more of the story.
“I got the feeling that Troy didn’t buy his father’s theory
either, and insisted that the girl wouldn’t desert her son, and insisted we
investigate her disappearance. He came in looking for updates almost every day,
and then once a week; but as time went by, and nothing new was reported, eventually
he just stopped coming around looking for updates. I think his old man finally
convinced him she ran. Something about that whole family gave me the willies.
They lived way back in the
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