Mike smiled.
‘Sorry,’ said Ren. ‘I’m still asleep.’
‘And yes, I have the father’s shirt in an evidence bag,’ said Bob. ‘And both kids’ clothes. Here’s a photo of the eleven-year-old, Laurie Whaley,’ said Bob.
Ren took it. ‘Oh, God, she’s beautiful.’
Bob nodded. ‘I know. It was taken tonight in the hotel room on the step-mom’s cell phone. So, it’s what she was wearing.’
‘Were any of her other clothes gone?’ said Ren. ‘A coat? Shoes?’
‘Not according to the parents, no.’
Ren looked out the window. ‘It’s freezing out there. And what about the sitter?’ said Ren.
‘No,’ said Bob. ‘Nothing of hers in the room. Here’s her photo.’
‘The blonde ponytail, the perfect skin, the perfect smile …’ said Ren. ‘These are two very pretty girls.’
‘I know,’ said Bob.
‘So, what’s your thinking — is this an abduction?’ said Ren. ‘Did the sitter take her? If not — who was the target? Laurie Whaley or Shelby Royce? Both of them? But I can’t see how that would work — different ages, strangers to each other … or were they?’
‘Until we know differently, they were strangers,’ said Bob.
‘Do the Whaleys’ stories add up?’ said Ren.
‘Like I said, the wife’s been drinking, the husband hasn’t,’ said Bob. ‘Witnesses saw them in a “heated” discussion, the husband left the restaurant, says he checked on the kids, the kids were apparently fine … he comes back to the restaurant for half an hour, then they both go back to the room, and the kids are gone …’
‘And how long was he gone when he went to check on the kids?’ said Ren.
‘He says twenty minutes.’
‘Do we have video?’ said Ren.
‘There’s a working camera in the foyer,’ said Bob. ‘That’s it.’
‘What?’ said Ren.
‘They opened the hotel before it was ready is the general feeling,’ said Bob. ‘The electricians are still working on it. They’re disarming things, forgetting to turn them back on, etc.’
‘So, we have a bunch of contractors we need to look into as well,’ said Ren.
‘Yup,’ said Bob. ‘It’s Holder Electrical Contractors, a local firm; same firm that’s doing work here in the office.’
‘Do you have a good relationship with them?’
‘When they’re not not showing up,’ said Bob.
‘Could you call in employment records from the boss?’ said Ren.
‘Not a problem,’ said Bob.
‘I’m presuming his men are all on the books or he wouldn’t risk working under the watchful eye of High Sheriff Gage …’ said Ren.
‘I put the fear of God into these people,’ said Bob.
Ren smiled.
‘It’s a local family-run business, Holders,’ said Bob. ‘He employs part-timers, but it’s all above board from what I can tell.’
Ren nodded. ‘So, just the Whaleys are here.’
‘Yup — with their son,’ said Bob. ‘They’re all in separate rooms.’
‘Who’s with the son?’ said Ren.
‘One of our lady detectives,’ said Bob.
‘But she’s not interviewing him-’ said Ren.
‘No,’ said Bob. ‘Relax. They’re playing with blocks.’
‘Yes — step away from the child,’ said Ren.
‘At least you can laugh about it,’ said Bob. ‘You won’t believe it, but apparently there are some uptight Feds …’
Ren smiled. ‘Well, we are armed and dangerous on the child forensic interview front-’
‘And I’m glad we don’t have to be,’ said Bob.
‘Me too,’ said Ren. ‘Two of our finest are based in Denver. My guess is that Gary’s already called one in. OK — let me go read these.’
She sat down in an armchair by a small table in the corner and began to read through the statements. Bob left her alone. When he came back into the room with coffee, Ren was on her feet.
‘OK,’ she said, ‘let’s go talk to the father.’
9
Bob led Ren down the hallway to the meeting room where Mark Whaley was waiting. He was startled by the opening door. He stood up and shook hands with Ren.
‘I know you’ve already spoken with the Undersheriff,’ said Ren. ‘But I’m going to have to ask some more questions, and go over some of the same ground again.’
‘Sure,’ he said, nodding, shifting forward in his seat. His hands were clasped in front of him.
‘Could you talk me through your evening?’ said Ren.
‘My wife and I went for dinner at nine p.m.-’
‘Let’s start with when you checked in,’ said Ren.
‘OK, sorry,’ said Mark. ‘We checked in at seven p.m., and Erica … my wife … really wanted to go to the restaurant for dinner later on, so we asked at reception for a sitter for eight thirty.’
Ren nodded. ‘Who was on reception?’
‘A guy called Jared.’
‘Did anyone take your bags?’ said Ren.
‘No, we took our own bags to the room. We watched
‘Did you see anyone else in the foyer?’ said Ren.
‘No.’
‘Did you meet anyone in the elevator?’ said Ren.
‘No.’
‘Did anyone pass you in the hallway?’ said Ren.
‘No,’ said Mark.
‘What can you tell me about the sitter?’ said Ren.
‘She was … sixteen, she told us. Short, maybe five three, blonde …’ He shrugged. ‘Long blonde hair … well, to her shoulders. Wearing sweats …’
‘Was there anything unusual in her demeanor, or in her behavior when she first showed up?’ said Ren.
‘No,’ said Mark. ‘She seemed like a good kid … normal … we weren’t concerned about her, if that’s what you mean.’
‘Did you have a conversation with her?’ said Ren.
‘Yes,’ said Mark.
‘What did you talk about?’
‘High school, living in Breck, the kids, what to do …’
‘Did you notice anything else about her that you think might help?’ said Ren.
‘Nothing I can think of,’ said Mark.
‘So, you went down to dinner,’ said Ren.
‘Yes. A little after nine.’
‘And you were there for how long?’ said Ren.
