taste was the decorating equivalent of a Laura Ashley orgy. And, as
far as I could tell, every room we passed was what most would consider
a formal sitting room and what I would consider useless: no bed, no TV,
no snacks. Maybe that was the purpose of the home improvements; I
could hear construction noises coming from somewhere deep inside the
house.
I recognized Susan Kerr from the press briefing. As I took in her
powder-blue suit, French twist, and full face of makeup, a few bars of
that Stephen Sondheim song about ladies who lunch came to mind. She
had that great dewy skin I always envy, beautiful dark hair and eyes,
and had probably even had some work done, but she looked seriously
uptight.
Before we'd even completed the introductions, the maid was back with a
tray of coffee and tea. 'Thanks, Rosie. You heading out to yoga?'
Rosie nodded.
'Go ahead and take my car. I'm not going anywhere.' When Rosie left,
Susan explained. 'I've turned her on to yoga for some back spasms
she's been having, but her sunroofs leaking, and the shop can't fix it
until next week. Poor thing showed up this morning soaking wet. '
Maybe I had judged Susan Kerr prematurely.
'Sorry about all this banging,' she said, gesturing in the air the way
people do when they try to point to a sound. She pulled a clip from
her hair and shook her head slightly. Loose brown waves tumbled past
her shoulders. 'I've got this creepy basement fit for Freddy Krueger,
and I finally broke down to have it refinished. Anyway, I'm sorry I
wasn't at Clarissa's last night. I was at a fund-raiser for the museum
and didn't get Tara s message until nearly midnight. She told me to
call her, but I can't believe she didn't tell me why. When I woke up
this morning, Clarissa's disappearance was all over the news. Of
course, I called Tara at once to find out who I could talk to. She's
the one who gave me your number, Detective Johnson.'
'Tara and Townsend tell us you're probably Clarissa's closest friend,'
Johnson said. His gentle comment called for a response but didn't
steer the conversation in a particular direction.
'Better than friends, detective.' Kerr leaned forward and touched
Johnson's forearm as she spoke, a gesture that was somehow more
reassuring than flirtatious. She must have sensed that Ray had arrived
at her home with some preconceived notions. 'With my parents gone,
I've known Clarissa longer than anyone else in my entire life. She's
the closest thing to a sister I've got. We've been through it all
together.'
We stayed silent during her pause. For Johnson and Walker,
the silence was probably part of the strategy. I was quiet because I
couldn't help but think of Grace and how lost I'd be if anything ever
happened to her.
'I want to believe that there's an explanation,' Susan said, 'but I
keep coming back to what I know is true. This is totally unlike
Clarissa. She's so ... responsible. Predictable. She'd never go off
like this without telling someone: Tara, Townsend, me, her parents.
She's surrounded by people who are close to her. She'd never let us
worry this way. Something terrible must have happened.'
This time, the silence that followed wasn't enough to prod Susan into
speaking, so Johnson gave a gentle nudge. 'Everything we've learned
about the case so far leads us to think that we're investigating a
crime here, not just a missing person. Part of what we're doing now is
putting together a timeline for the last few days. Maybe you can start
by telling us about the last time you talked to Clarissa.'
'Sure. It was just Saturday. Townsend was working at the hospital
nothing new there so Clarissa had the whole day free. We had a late
lunch, then went to the Nordstrom anniversary sale.'
'How was her mood?' Johnson asked.
'Same old Clarissa. Fun, talkative, sweet. Afraid to spend money.'
Susan paused and smiled. 'Sorry. If you knew Clarissa .. . well,
you'd know what I mean. Best sale of the year, and I had to talk her
into buying a couple of sweaters. She's very practical.'
Susan and Clarissa clearly lived in a different world from most of us.
I'd seen Clarissa's closet, after all. I couldn't imagine what Susan's
must be packed with.
'Any financial problems that you know of?' Johnson asked.
Susan laughed. 'Oh, God, no. She and Townsend do fine. It's just
Clarissa's way. We grew up in southeast Portland, you know. About
half a step up from the trailer parks. Well, she was half a step up. I
was basically right in there. She worked her way out by studying hard
and putting herself through school.'
'Did you go to school together?' I asked.
She laughed again. 'Sure through high school. If you're asking how I
dealt with my generational income challenge, I won't waste your time by
