The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon

“At every convenience store, gas station and truck stop within a fifty-mile radius.” He withdrew his hand and sipped his coffee, set the cup down and stared into the black liquid. “I plan to make flyers with his picture when I can get back into my house. Finn didn’t feel safe here, and that’s my fault. I have to make him understand how much he means to me.”

“He knows how much he means to you. He’s scared, that’s all. Wouldn’t you be? He didn’t want to talk to Hilary when she showed up and maybe he couldn’t even stand to hear her voice,” I said.

Tom’s eyes met mine. “Why did Hilary have to tell him about his father by shouting about his murder through a locked door? I know she’s cold, but come on. No wonder he ran.”

“She doesn’t seem like the kind of person who thinks things through,” I said. “She wanted to talk to Finn and thought she could get him to open the door with some shocking news. It was a little selfish.”

“A little?” He laughed contemptuously. “As for not thinking things through, I’m afraid you’re wrong. She thinks everything through. She knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted him to feel guilty and she succeeded. I know how Finn thinks. He’s out there somewhere beating himself up for refusing to talk to his father before the man died.”

“I’ve had such little contact with her I was trying not to be judgmental,” I said.

Finally he smiled. “Because you think things through in a far different way. You give folks the benefit of the doubt. Wish the cop left inside me would allow me to do the same.”

“You had no luck out on the road?” I said. “No one has seen anyone who might possibly be Finn?”

He shook his head. “The only thing I accomplished was buying a new phone. Give me yours and I’ll program in the number. If Finn calls looking for me, you can give him this.”

I took out my phone and handed it to him. While he started adding the details to my contact list, I said, “You think Finn will call me and not Karen?”

He looked up briefly. “He loves Karen, but he’ll call you.”

With Tom intent on his task and me watching, I was surprised when a uniformed Candace arrived at our table. Unsmiling, she pulled out a chair and sat down.

Uh-oh. What’s wrong? I thought.

Looking straight at Tom, she said, “When were you going to tell me?”

“What are you talking about?” he said, handing me my phone and clipping his new one to his belt.

She said, “A little birdie at the bank called me up. Told me there’s something I should know. Don’t make me dial Liam’s number and get him to go all legal on you, Tom Stewart. Tell me why you gave Finn money.”

Tom looked at her. “I didn’t exactly give him money.”

Keeping her voice low, she leaned in and said, “We have your picture at the ATM, standing with Finn right next to you. Last time I checked, those machines don’t spit out chocolate bars.”

“You think I bankrolled him?” Tom said. “Gave him enough money to get out of town? If I did that, why did I spend all night looking for him?”

Candace’s face relaxed and her brows came together in thought. “Sorry. Guess that’s true. Why would you?”

I said, “Maybe Finn needed a little cash, Candace. When’s the last time you walked around without any money in your pocket?”

Candace looked at Tom. “So Finn needed a few dollars in his pocket because… well, just because?”

Tom took a few seconds and then sighed. “He lost his wallet somewhere between North Carolina and here. Lost his phone, too. He wanted to buy a new one. What kid can live without a cell phone these days?”

This jibed with what Candace told me last night—and Tom was right. Every teenager owned a phone. I remembered Finn playing with my phone when we were at the diner, recalled how content he seemed.

“You say you were giving him a gift?” Candace said, sounding skeptical again.

What isn’t she saying? She must know something more, I thought.

Tom ran a hand through his hair. He looked so worn out and rundown. “Not a gift. The money was his. I’d set up a joint account with him when I split with his mother. Hilary didn’t know anything about it. For every dollar Finn earned cutting lawns or doing odd jobs, I matched it. And yes, his asking for cash yesterday doesn’t look good.”

“You went to the bank yesterday?” I asked softly.

He nodded. “We stopped at the ATM right before we came to your place.”

“Anything else I should know?” Candace said.

“You already know what’s important,” Tom said. “He’s a frightened kid. He ran because he heard Rory was dead and he couldn’t face it.”

“Jillian and I looked at the security videos last night and we came to the very same conclusion,” Candace said. “But after talking to Hilary this morning, I’m beginning to wonder if Finn might have left before Hilary came by.”

“Why are you wondering?” I said. “The time he left seems to match up with when she said she was talking to him through the door.”

“Because,” Candace said, “I asked her at the station if she heard Yoshi barking when she was talking to Finn through the door. She said no.”

“Ah, yes. He would have barked,” I said. “What does this mean?”

Tom folded his arms and seemed to draw into himself. He said, “What it means is that Hilary is a liar. She wants you to believe Finn was already gone. That way, she can try to make us all believe nothing she might have said made him run. Lets her off the hook.”

“Tom, you have big issues with your ex—and probably for good reason. But you should know I checked her alibi for the day Nolan died and for the days before,” Candace said. “She was at a job fair in North Carolina at the time Nolan Roth was trying to beat information out of you concerning Finn. Plus, she went to several interviews the day Roth died.”

“What about an alibi for the time Gannon was killed? Where was she then?” he asked.

“I have her statement,” Candace said. “I will talk to people and verify her second alibi. I don’t know the woman, and please don’t believe for a minute I’m about to take her word for anything.” None of us spoke for several seconds and finally Candace continued. “I’m here at this table talking to you because I’m your friend. If you know where Finn is, if you have any idea at all, you need to tell me right now.”

“Like I was telling Jillian, I’ve searched everywhere I know to look. He’s disappeared. That’s why I need to be at home, in case he calls or shows up. Is the crime scene cleared?”

She nodded. “We just finished up. Didn’t find a thing.”

“Good. You know where to find me.” He stood, pushed his chair away and walked toward the exit.

He didn’t make eye contact with me before he got up, but even so, I could almost feel his sadness penetrating my skin. I looked at his back and then at Candace.

She said, “Go after him, silly. The man’s hurting inside.”

I caught up with Tom before he reached his van. “He’ll come back. I’m sure of it.”

He looked down at me. “I want to believe you’re right. But right now, hope seems like a scary thing. Mind if I talk to you later? I need sleep. Maybe I can sort this all out in my head after I recharge my battery.”

I reached up with both hands and brought his face to mine, kissed him right there on Main Street for everyone to see.

His lips lingered for a moment and then he was gone.

Back inside Belle’s Beans, I rejoined Candace, who was ordering a coffee to go.

As she waited, she said, “How’d it go?”

“He’s exhausted,” I said, “and I know he’s still blaming himself for leaving Finn behind when he divorced Hilary.”

“He set up the joint bank account and kept in touch with Finn. What more could he have done?” she said.

“Nothing,” I said. “But he doesn’t see it that way right now.”

“We didn’t get any tips on Finn,” Candace said. “What bothers me most is I went to the Pink House and talked to Hilary Roth this morning, and though she asked about Finn, she never called the station once during the night to see if we’d found him. I’m not a mother, but I’ve known moms whose kids ran away. Most of the time