‘It’s Laurie Whaley. She’s alive.’
‘What?’ said Ren. ‘Denver? But … where did they find her?’
‘Kennington Asylum.’
30
Gary Dettling cut thirty minutes off the ninety-minute drive to Denver. He ran with Ren through the hospital doors. The doctor came to meet them.
‘Wonderful news, isn’t it?’ she said. ‘We checked Laurie over — she suffered quite a blow to the back of her head. We patched her up. She must have blacked out — she has no recollection of what happened.’
‘Were there any signs of a sexual assault?’ said Gary.
‘No,’ said the doctor.
‘How’s her mental state?’ said Gary.
‘Well, she’s suffered a trauma,’ said the doctor. ‘We ordered a psych consult, but … her mother is here, and she’s reluctant to put her through anything more.’
There was a commotion by the hospital doors. Ren and Gary turned around. Reporters and camera crews, now familiar faces, struggled through with their equipment.
‘I’ll take care of it,’ said Gary.
‘I’m outta here,’ said Ren.
Ren turned to the doctor. ‘Thank you, doctor. Where’s the family now?’
She directed Ren down the hallway to a private room. Ren knocked on the door. ‘Mrs Merritt? It’s Agent Bryce.’
‘Come in,’ said Cathy. She was sitting on the bed with her arm around Laurie, who was buried under the covers. Cathy looked up at Ren with a look of relief, and fear, sadness and happiness.
‘Thank you, Agent Bryce. Thank God.’
Ren smiled. ‘I’m so happy you have your daughter back.’
‘Laurie, sweetheart,’ said Cathy, ‘this is Agent Bryce, one of the people who was trying to find you. She’s with the FBI.’
‘Hey there, Laurie.’ Ren walked a little closer to the bed. ‘I’m Ren. It’s so good to meet you.’
Laurie said nothing. Her stare was desolate, two huge eyes in a face too young to be so lost.
‘You are a very brave young lady,’ said Ren.
Laurie managed a smile. ‘Thank you.’
Cathy locked eyes with Ren over Laurie’s head. There was a strange hysteria in them, as if Cathy wanted Ren to tell her that this haunting image of her eleven-year-old daughter was all in her mind, that this clearly terrified, bereft little girl, was going to be fine.
‘I won’t stay long,’ said Ren. ‘I’ll leave you guys to it. I just wanted to check in …’ She paused. ‘Laurie, do you mind if I talk to your mom for two minutes? We’ll be right outside.’
Laurie nodded.
Ren waited in the hallway.
‘Has Laurie said anything to you?’ said Ren when Cathy came out.
‘Nothing,’ said Cathy. ‘I’m trying to stay calm here, but … I’m … what happened to her? She’s like a zombie. I … what am I supposed to do? I have no idea what … Am I supposed to allow a psychiatrist to talk to her? I don’t want to do that. Is that the right decision, though? I mean …’
‘She hasn’t told you what happened that night, or where she’s been or …’
‘No,’ said Cathy. ‘Nothing. I’m just so glad to have her back, I … I … don’t want to push her.’
‘That’s understandable,’ said Ren.
‘No, no, I don’t need to sit,’ said Cathy. ‘Just tell me.’
Cathy Merritt stood, motionless, as Ren told her that around the same time Denver PD found her daughter alive, someone else was finding her ex-husband dead.
Cathy started shaking violently. She ran for the nearest garbage can, but she didn’t make it, and she threw up all over the floor.
Laurie had come to the doorway. She started to cry.
‘Go back in the room, Laurie,’ said Cathy. ‘Go back in the room.’
‘What’s wrong, mommy?’ said Laurie. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing, sweetheart, go back in the room. I’ll be with you in a little while. Mommy’s not feeling well …’
‘Why don’t we sit down,’ said Ren. ‘There’s a seat right here.’
A nurse came into the hallway. Cathy was sobbing, apologizing to her for the mess she had made. The nurse was reassuring her that it happens all the time, she had nothing to worry about.
Cathy went to the ladies room. Ren waited for her outside, but could hear the most terrible, wracking sobs, then the faucet running.
Cathy emerged moments later, as if all the emotion she had toward her dead ex-husband had been laid to rest in the previous five minutes.
‘What the hell has he done?’ she said to Ren. ‘What the hell will this do to our daughter? Is this what he wanted all along? Was this the overnight visit he wanted all along? Was this why?’
Ren arrived back in Breckenridge and talked through the grim hospital encounter with Bob on the drive to Blue River. They pulled up outside Cal and Connie Royce’s pristine little ranch house.
‘If it’s any consolation,’ said Bob, ‘apparently young Owens had a very good cry along with them.’
‘Gary fed him to the lions,’ said Ren. ‘Was this his first notification? Telling the parents of a missing sixteen- year-old that their only daughter was found naked and shot?’
‘Toughen him up,’ said Bob. ‘In fact, no it wasn’t his first. I think he told a little old lady that her cat had made it down out of a tree in the worst way possible.’
‘Sniper?’
Bob laughed.
‘I guess there had to be some tempering,’ said Ren. ‘Gary slash Owens.’
They got out of the car.
Cal Royce stood up from shoveling snow.
‘You’ve got to keep going …’ he said as they walked toward him.
‘You sure do,’ said Bob. He shook Cal’s hand. ‘How are you holding up?’
‘Not good,’ said Cal. ‘Not good at all. Not even as well as can be expected.’
‘It’s a very tough time,’ said Bob. ‘You remember Agent Bryce.’ He turned to Ren.
‘I do,’ said Cal, shaking her hand.
‘I am so sorry for your loss,’ said Ren.
‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘Thank you for everything you did. Is there something in particular I can help you with?’
‘We’d like to take a look around the house, and at Shelby’s room if that’s OK,’ said Ren. ‘We’d like to piece together a few things.’
‘Go ahead,’ said Cal, ‘you can do whatever you like, anything that helps.’ He walked up the path, and let them into the house.
‘I’m right out here, if you need me,’ he said. ‘Connie’s inside, she’s just laying on the sofa, won’t talk to no- one, won’t accept visitors. You can go up ahead.’
An hour into the search, Ren found an oversized bag stuffed into a laundry bag and wedged in the bottom of another laundry bag that was filled with Cal Royce’s dirty clothes. Ren took it out, and laid it on the bed. She
