I Stare at the detective on the other side of the table, an untouched mug of coffee in front of me. The steam rising from it gives her a gauzy air of mystery. Not that
she needs help in that regard. Wilma Anson possesses a calm blankness that rarely changes. Even at this late hour and soaked by the storm, she remains unperturbed.
“Have you watched the Royce house at all this evening?” she says.
“Yes.” There’s no point in lying. “See anything unusual?”
“More unusual than everything I’ve already seen?” I say. A nod from Wilma. “That’s what I’m asking.”
“No.” This time a lie is required. I’ve seen a lot this evening. More than I ever wanted to. “Why?”
A gust of wind lashes rain against the French doors that lead to the back porch. Both of us pause a moment to watch the droplets smacking the glass. Already, the storm is worse than the TV weatherman said it would be—and what he had predicted was already severe. The tail end of a Category 4 hurricane turned tropical storm as it swerved like a boomerang from deep inland back to the North Atlantic.
Rare for mid-October.
Rarer still for eastern Vermont.
“Because Tom Royce might be missing,” Wilma says.
I tear my gaze from the French doors’ rain-specked panes to give Wilma a look of surprise. She stares back,
unflappable as ever.
“Are you sure?” I say.
“I was just there. The house is unlocked. That fancy car of his is still in the driveway. Nothing inside seems to be missing. Except for him.”
I turn again to the French doors, as if I’ll be able to see the Royce house rising from the lake’s opposite shore. Instead, all I can make out is howling darkness and lightning-lit flashes of water whipped into a frenzy by the wind.
“Do you think he ran?”
“His wallet and keys are on the kitchen counter,” Wilma says. “It’s hard to run without cash or a car. Especially in this weather. So I doubt it.”
I note her word choice. Doubt.
“Maybe he had help,” I suggest.
“Or maybe someone made him disappear. You know anything about that?”
My mouth drops open in surprise. “You think I’m involved in this?”
“You did break into their house.”
“I snuck in,” I say, hoping the distinction will lessen the crime in Wilma’s eyes. “And that doesn’t mean I know anything about where Tom is now.”
Wilma remains quiet, hoping I’ll say more and possibly incriminate myself. Seconds pass. Lots of them. All announced by the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room, which acts as a steady beat backing the song of the storm. Wilma listens to it, seemingly in no rush. She’s a marvel of composure. I suspect her name has a lot to do with that. If a lifetime of Flintstones jokes teaches you anything, it’s deep patience.
“Listen,” Wilma says after what feels like three whole minutes. “I know you’re worried about Katherine Royce. I know you want to find her. So do I. But I already told you that taking matters into your own hands won’t help. Let me do my job, Casey. It’s our best chance of getting Katherine back alive. So if you know anything about where her husband is, please tell me.”
“I have absolutely no clue where Tom Royce could be.” I lean forward, my palms flat against the table, trying to summon the same opaque energy Wilma’s putting off. “If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to search the house.” Wilma considers it. For the first time since we sat down,
I can sense her mind ticking as steadily as the grandfather clock.
“I believe you,” she finally says. “For now. But I could change my mind at any moment.”
When she leaves, I make sure to watch her go, standing in the doorway while being buffeted by rain slanting onto the front porch. In the driveway, Wilma trots back to her unmarked sedan and slides behind the wheel. I wave as she backs the car out of the driveway, splashes through a puddle that wasn’t there an hour ago, and speeds off.
I close the front door, shake off the rain, and go to the kitchen, where I pour myself a supersized bourbon. This new turn of events requires a kick coffee can’t provide.
Outside, another gust of wind jostles the house. The eaves creak and the lights flicker.
Signs the storm is getting worse. Tail end, my ass.
Bourbon glass in hand, I head upstairs, into the first bedroom on the right.
He’s exactly how I left him.
Splayed out across the twin bed.
Ankles and wrists tied to the bedposts.
Towel stuffed into his mouth to form a makeshift gag.
I remove the towel, sit on the identical bed on the other side of the room, and take a long, slow sip of bourbon.
“We’re running out of time,” I say. “Now tell me what you did to Katherine.”
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