by L. K. Hill
Her voice sounded tightly controlled, but Gabe could tell she was having trouble controlling her face. “Ms. Roberts,” he said quietly. “Why would you think that? None of that sounds very dangerous to me. Was there something else he told you?”
She shook her head. “Nothing specific.”
“But there must be some reason you immediately thought it was your fault.”
“Like I said, Detective, I just had a really bad feeling about it.” She sniffed.
Detective. The word, in her voice, rang with such familiarity, that he lost himself for a moment in trying to figure out why she was so familiar to him. He couldn’t come up with anything. Of course, he hadn’t slept in twenty-four hours. Maybe he would figure it out once he’d gotten some sleep.
Abruptly he realized neither of them had said anything for some time. Tanya was obviously upset. Something about her grief tugged at his chest. It tugged so hard, he leaned toward her. He didn’t know her well enough to touch her, and when he thought about it, the black bruises on her neck and face glared angrily at him. He settled for hesitantly resting his fingertips on her shoulder. “Ms. Roberts,” he said quietly, wondering why he felt the urge to console her. “Even if what Kenny said did get him killed, that’s not on you.”
She straightened her back, but looked away, unconvinced.
“Why,” he said gently, “did you give me an incorrect number?”
When she looked at him again, her face was uncertain. “I…I don’t know why I did that. When I saw Kenny, I was having a private meltdown. It’s just something I did in the moment. And then you actually found my number and called—I got your messages—but I was scared. I’m still struggling with whether I might have gotten him killed, and by then I’d already lied to you once. I just…I didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry about that, Detective. I handled the situation badly.”
Gabe’s eyebrows went up. Most people he talked to didn’t take such complete responsibility for their actions. He understood now why everyone claimed this woman was so trustworthy. She was so direct and candid, it was hard to imagine she was hiding anything more than what she told you. That didn’t mean she wasn’t, though.
His fingers lingered on her shoulder, and he slid them down beside the bruise on her neck. She looked over at him questioningly. Her eyes shifted to his hand, then filled with understanding when she realized what he was looking at. She lunged away from him on the bench.
He put his hands up. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
She yanked the collar of her shirt toward her neck, though the bruise was too high to be covered by it.
Gabe sighed. “That looks like it hurts.”
“It’s fine,” she said defensively.
“Did Kenny give you those?”
Her eyes widened. “No,” she said firmly. “Kenny would never…” She swallowed and studied the sidewalk.
“Then who?”
Mouth tightening, she got to her feet, pacing a few feet from the bench before turning to face him. “It’s not important. It has nothing to do with this.”
Gabe leaned forward. “If it’s the reason you don’t want to talk to me, it has everything to do with this.”
“It’s not…I’m not…”
He had her cornered, now. If she said it wasn’t the reason she didn’t want to talk, she’d be admitting that she didn’t want to talk.
“Okay,” she said, looking like she was about to concede something. “Maybe it’s the reason I have a hard time talking to you, but it has nothing to do with Kenny. Or the Carlottas.”
Gabe heaved a sigh and got to his feet. He didn’t believe her, but most abuse victims were defensive. If he pushed much further, he wouldn’t get anywhere with her. He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Okay.” She was studying him in a way he couldn’t quite interpret. Had it been appraising? Guilty? No, not that. Well, maybe that. Why was she so hard to read? “Would you be willing to come into the station and give an official statement about the last time you saw Kenny?”
She sighed, her reluctance returning full force.
“Why don’t you want to come to the station?” he pressed.
“I just…” she glanced up at him again. “I just want this all to be behind me.”
He nodded. “And the sooner you cooperate and give the statement, the sooner it will be.”
She gazed at him for a moment before dropping her eyes. She seemed worried and…undecided perhaps. Obviously she had some serious trust issues. Not surprising, given the bruises. She’d claimed she wanted a fresh start, but those were recent bruises. They suggested she hadn’t found the fresh start she’d claimed. But was she lying, or just deluding herself about whatever relationship she was in?
After several moments, she nodded, looking like it was the hardest thing she’d ever done. “I suppose I can do that.”
“Good. Um, did you drive your car here?”
She shook her head. “No, I walked.”
Gabe’s eyebrow rose, but he quickly schooled his face. If she’d walked, it was safe to assume she lived close by. He guessed it didn’t really matter anymore, though. She’d be required to verify her address for the statement.
“I’m parked just up the street,” he said. “Why don’t I drive you to the station now to get your statement? It’ll only take an hour or two and then you’ll be done.”
She pressed her lips together, but nodded. They rose and started toward his car.
“So,” she murmured as they walked slowly, shoulder to shoulder. “Did you find Mr. Carlotta?”
“Yes,” Gabe said, marveling at how well she put things together. “He was on a business trip. When she heard he was dead, his wife just assumed he never left. We tried to call him but he was in a meeting with his cell phone off, which didn’t help matters. We got him on the phone a few hours after you ID’d Kenny’s body.”
She nodded. “That’s good. And Evelyn? How is she taking everything?”
Gabe frowned. He’d glanced over the staff list several times, but didn’t remember seeing the name Evelyn. Maybe he’d just missed it.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’m drawing a blank. Is Evelyn a staff member?”
She gave a soft, musical laugh. “No, she’s the daughter.”
Gabe froze and Tanya took two steps more before turning in surprise.
“Whose daughter?” Gabe asked.
“The Carlotta’s daughter.”
“The Carlottas have a daughter?”
Tanya’s face grew very still. “Yes. You didn’t know?”
“No, I didn’t know.” That was a problem. Gabe had spent all day walking from one side of the Carlotta estate to the other. He’d at least glanced at every report and picture, talked at least once to every detective, uniform, and CSU who’d been at the scene. Not once had there been any mention of a third member of the Carlotta family. “How old is she?”
“Six.”
Gabe’s stomach clenched down tighter. He supposed there could be any number of explanations—he hadn’t explored the house much, for one thing, so a child’s room probably would have escaped his notice—but something cold settled over him. He should have at least heard mention of the daughter in passing. Why hadn’t he?
“What is it, Detective?” Tanya asked, looking worried.
They’d reached his car. Rather than open it, Gabe leaned against the side and pulled out his phone. Tanya followed suit, watching him closely. Gabe punched the right button in his contact list, and Shaun answered on the second ring.
“Thatcher.”
“Shaun, it’s Gabe. Question for you.”
“Where’d you disappear to, Gabe? I went looking for you and your desk was empty.”
“Sorry. Just following up on some things. Do you know that the Carlottas have a six-year-old daughter?”
The heavy silence that followed was answer enough. “No. I didn’t. Is this something you just found out?”
Gabe ran a hand through his hair, dread building
in his chest. “Shaun, I was at that property all day today. I didn’t hear or see anything of this kid. Someone was murdered on that estate, and now…I don’t know why Mrs. Carlotta wouldn’t have been concerned for her daughter’s safety this morning, but I have a bad feeling that no one knows where this little girl is.”
“Hold on,” Shaun said. Gabe waited, listening to things bump around on the other side of the phone while Tanya peered up at him intently. Then came a murmur of voices. One was Shaun’s; the other probably Mrs. Carlotta’s.
“Gabe?” Shaun came back onto the phone, sounding relieved. “She says she didn’t think to tell us because the little girl went on the trip with her father. She’s with Mr. Carlotta.”
Gabe breathed a sigh of relief. That would explain why he hadn’t seen or heard her at the estate. “Hold on, Shaun.” He put a hand over the phone’s mouthpiece and relayed the information to Tanya.
She frowned, studying the sidewalk beneath them. She didn’t seem as worried as before, but she also didn’t seem relieved.
“What?” he asked when she shifted her eyes back to him.
“I…I don’t know. The Carlottas argued about Evelyn in front of me more than once. Mrs. Carlotta wanted her husband to spend more time with his daughter—even suggested he take her on a trip with him—but he didn’t want to. He was always really against it. Said Evelyn would get in the way.” She shook herself. “I don’t know. Maybe he did take her. Maybe Mrs. Carlotta just finally convinced him. But, can we…make sure?”
“Gabe? You still there?”
“Yeah Shaun. I’m here. Can we have someone call Mr. Carlotta and confirm the girl’s whereabouts? Just to be on the safe side?”
“Tyke’s already on it.”
“Good. Can you shoot me a text when he confirms it?”
“Okay. Where are you?”
Gabe dug his smart key out of his pocket, unlocked his car and opened the door for Tanya. “Heading back to the station. I’m bringing Ms. Roberts in to get a statement.” He shut the door after she was in and walked around the front of the car.
“She the one who ID’d the body?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Glad you found her.”
“See you in twenty.” He pushed END and ducked into the driver’s seat.
“Are they checking?” she asked.
“Yes.” Gabe started the engine. “What I don’t understand,” he said as he put the car in drive and did a U-turn out of his parking spot, “is why she didn’t say anything before the body was identified. If you find out—or think you find out—that your spouse is dead, wouldn’t your next thought be for your kid?”
In the passenger seat, Tanya sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Actually, that doesn’t surprise me.”
“Why not?”
“It’s like I said this morning: the Carlottas are very wealthy, and not always in a good way. They’re kind and polite when you talk to them, but very self-centered. They barely notice their daughter. I’ve always felt bad for Evelyn. She seems like a lonely kid.”
Gabe glanced at her. “You do seem to know a lot about her.”
Tanya shrugged. “Not a lot, but I usually see her when I’m there. She showed me her room once. I was with Mrs. Carlotta and she had to take an emergency phone call. Kept me waiting for twenty minutes. Evelyn came and asked if I wanted to see her room, so I did. It was cute. Pink. Typical girl’s room.” Tanya heaved a sigh. “She has everything she needs physically—more than most kids have—but not emotionally.”
Gabe frowned. “Do they neglect her?”
Tanya shrugged. “The staff takes care of her. She has a nanny. From what I’ve seen, her nanny is sweet. Plays with her and everything. But she doesn’t have any kids her own age to socialize with. And she craves her mother’s attention—all little girls do—but this little girl definitely isn’t getting it.”
Gabe nodded, glancing down at his phone. He should feel relieved, but he couldn’t shake the heavy feeling in his chest. He willed the text message confirming that the girl was okay to come in. The phone remained dark. “Well, she’s probably with her father. You’ll see. Would the nanny have gone, too?”
“Maybe,” Tanya nodded. “If Mr. Carlotta didn’t want to have to take care of Evelyn on the trip, he may have insisted.”
Gabe nodded. “What’s her nanny’s name?”
“Jeanine. Tully, I think.”
The rest of the drive was silent. Just as Gabe pulled into the parking lot of the precinct, his phone went off. It wasn’t a text message, though. Shaun was calling him. That didn’t bode well.
“Yeah?”
“Gabe, the father doesn’t have her.”
Chapter 19
Gabe put the car in park and shut his eyes. He looked over at Tanya. His face must have been enough to convey the truth, because she shut her eyes in horror, putting both hands over her nose and mouth.
“What about the nanny?” Gabe asked. “Ms. Roberts says there’s a nanny that takes care of Evelyn.”
“I already asked. The nanny is the employee that wasn’t present this morning because she took a few days off to attend a family thing. Wedding or something.” Gabe nodded. He vaguely remembered reading that. “Apparently Mrs. Carlotta insisted her husband take Evelyn with him because the nanny had a few days off and she knew the child wouldn’t have anyone to tend her. When she found out Mr. Carlotta was okay, and hadn’t seen her daughter running around the house all day, she just assumed he had her. I talked to the unies who did the first sweep of the house. They noted the little girl’s room—it’s in the report—and it sent up some red flags for them.”
“So what happened?” Gabe asked.
“They claim they told Tyke. Tyke swears they never did.” Shaun sighed, looking tired. “One of them is wrong. I don’t think either is lying. We were all handling way more than any of us should alone. I think it just it got lost in the shuffle.”
“We gotta find this kid, Shaun. She may have been missing for twenty-four hours and no one even realized it. Intentional or no, that’s one hundred percent on us.”
“It is,” Shaun agreed.
Gabe didn’t bother to keep the horror out of his voice as he continued. “If she was there when whoever killed Kenny was running around…”
“I’ve already sent units back over to the house—all we can spare. They’re going to comb the grounds and the house; try to find some sign of the girl.”
It was quiet in the car and Tanya must have been able to hear what Shaun was saying because her eyes suddenly widened and she waved her hand to get his attention.
“What?”
“She has a secret hiding place.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. She wanted to take me there once—the same day she showed me her room—but Mrs. Carlotta came back and I never went. Maybe Mrs. Carlotta or the staff would know where it was.”
Gabe repeated the information to Shaun.
“I’ll ask Mrs. Carlotta,” Shaun said.
“Okay. We just pulled in. See you in a minute.” He hung up the phone and the two of them hurried into the station.
Gabe guided Tanya through the crowded, bustling station with a hand on her elbow. Mrs. Carlotta was in the same conference room as before. Now the table was clean, though, all her financial files neatly put into boxes that were stacked against the wall, and there was no sign of her accountant.
As Gabe opened the conference room door and guided Tanya in ahead of him, his eyes took in the scene, trying to make connections and catch up. Mrs. Carlotta sat in one of the chairs beside the table, obviously distressed. Her eyes were wet, her makeup smeared, and she held Caleb’s hand so hard, the man seemed to be in pain. Despite that, Caleb, his hair fiery as ever, kept casting sympathetic glances at his employer. Next to them, in another chair, sat a short, squat woman with graying hair. Gabe remembered seeing her at the estate earlier in the day. He was sure she was one of the staff, but couldn’t call her name to mi
nd. Across from Mrs. Carlotta and her two employees, Shaun stood, leaning one arm on the table and pressing his phone to his ear with the other, his expression worried.
Mrs. Carlotta glanced up and her eyes flashed with recognition when they fell on Tanya. She held out a hand and Tanya crossed the room to her.
“How are you, Mrs. Carlotta?” she said quietly. Caleb, looking relieved, stepped back so Tanya could take his place at Mrs. Carlotta’s side. Tanya fell into a crouch, gazing up at her employer with sympathy.
“Tanya. Oh Tanya thank goodness you’re here. I don’t know where my daughter is.” Mrs. Carlotta sobbed. “They can’t find her. I thought Vincent had her but he doesn’t…”
“I know, Ma’am. I know. But they’ll find her. Okay?”
While she consoled Mrs. Carlotta, Gabe went to stand beside Shaun. “What’s happening?” he asked quietly.
Shaun turned his back to the conference table and lowered his voice. “The housekeeper knew where the child’s hiding place was.”
Ah, the housekeeper. It flooded back to Gabe. That’s who the gray-haired woman at the table was.
“She told us where to go,” Shaun continued. “The unies are on their way to find it now.”
The person on the other end of the line must have spoken, because Shaun jerked his cell closer to his face. “Yes. Okay. All right. Call me when you know.” He hung up the phone and turned back to Mrs. Carlotta.
“They’re still looking for it. It may take a few minutes. They’ll call as soon as they’ve found the spot. Just a few more minutes and we’ll know if she’s there.”
Mrs. Carlotta nodded forlornly. Her three employees gazed at her with concern.
