Every Waking Hour

by Joanna Schaffhausen

“No.” Dorie palmed her face briefly. “Not this time. You found Bobby by empathizing with him. You got into his head and figured out where to find him.”

  “For all the good it did.”

  “We don’t get to pick the results, I’m afraid,” Dorie replied with a sigh as she drew back. She looked to Reed. “You really ought to get your girlfriend home to bed. She looks about ready to keel over where she stands.”

  Ellery froze at the word girlfriend. She’d been careful not to hint of any personal relationship with Reed to anyone at work. Hell, she had put two feet of space between them right in the crowded entryway. “What did you say?”

  “Yeah, sorry. Your story’s out all over the news.” Dorie took out her phone and showed Ellery the breaking news page. There was a picture of her holding Reed’s hand to her face underneath the caption “SERIAL” LOVE AFFAIR. The subhead said: “FBI Profiler Reed Markham in Romance with Surviving Victim Ellery Hathaway.” Dorie must have read the horror on her face, because she tucked the phone away. “I really am sorry,” she said with genuine apology. “I thought you’d want to know the cat’s out of the bag.”

  Ellery shook it off. “Speaking of cats, where is the dog?”

  “The dog?” Dorie echoed.

  “Chloe’s dog, Snuffles. She’s still here, isn’t she?”

  “I’ve got her.” Teresa Lockhart appeared behind them holding the small white dog in her arms. “What do you want with Snuffles?”

  Ellery glanced at Reed, who shook his head almost imperceptibly. They’d already discussed this on the way over, and she knew his position: don’t tell Teresa. If Ellery was wrong, as was likely in Reed’s estimation, it would crush Teresa. You think Chloe is dead, Ellery had replied. At least I’m offering some hope. To Teresa, she said, “I’d like to borrow Snuffles for a little while.”

  Teresa put her hand on the dog’s head. “Tell me why.”

  Ellery had been terrified when Reed pried open the closet to set her free. The sound of nails coming loose meant Coben had returned for more torture. She’d heard the tinkle of the nails hitting the ground and prayed for death. When he’d identified himself as a federal agent and scooped her out of there, she hadn’t yet believed him. She’d gone with him because she had no strength left to fight. “I think she might be able to help Chloe.”

  “You know where she is?”

  “Not yet,” Ellery hedged. “I have somewhere else I’d like to look.”

  “Fine, then I’ll come with you.”

  “Dr. Lockhart, I know you want to help—”

  “No,” Teresa cut her off sharply. “I can’t stay in this house doing nothing another minute. I’m going out of my mind. From what I know, you maybe understand more than anyone what Chloe is going through right now. So I am begging you to see it from my side. I need to help.”

  “You’re doing that,” Reed said. “Being here, supporting the search teams.”

  Ellery looked to him. He expected to find a body at the end. He didn’t want Chloe’s mother to see her like that, which Ellery could understand. But she saw the primal hunger in Teresa’s eyes, the desperation and desire for any scrap of information on Chloe’s condition. She wanted her baby, dead or alive. “You can come,” Ellery said. “But you need to stay in the car.”

  “Okay, yes,” the woman replied readily. The dog barked, sensing action.

  Reed frowned his disapproval, but he didn’t object, probably because he didn’t expect to find anything of significance on this mission. “I’ll drive.”

  “I’ll come, too,” Dorie said. She touched Ellery’s good arm lightly. “You’ll need both of us to scrape you off the floor when you collapse.”

  “I have such a supportive partner.”

  In the car, Ellery explained their destination, and while Teresa didn’t seem especially convinced, she agreed to try. “I’d search every house, every quarry, every forest, if I could. I know how it works. I’ve been here before. Eventually everyone moves on. The helicopters and the dogs and the teams of people will go home, but I’ll never stop looking.” She held the dog on her lap, petting her absently as she stared out the window, her eyes checking every passing face.

  Dorie studied her phone. “Conroy says there is no sign of Chloe so far at the state park. The dogs have been unable to pick up her scent beyond the stolen van.”

  To Ellery, this was good news. Teresa seemed less sure. “I’ve had to tell a lot of people that their loved one is gone,” she said to the window. “People who die during surgery. Usually the family is expecting it, dreading it, but also hoping like hell it isn’t true. You see the tightness around their mouth when you come through the doors and the tears already in their eyes because they know what you have to say to them. Sometimes they lash out. They blame you. Sometimes, maybe, it’s even your fault.” She looked down at her lap.

  “You are not to blame for Bobby Frick’s actions,” Reed said from behind the wheel.

  “Maybe not, but I do share blame.” She looked up. “I’ve looked at Chloe her whole life the way those parents and children and spouses looked to me, just waiting for the bad news. Waiting for the shoe to drop. Dreading the worst will happen.” She shook her head vaguely. “Now it has. I feel no better for having anticipated it. I feel no more prepared.”

  Ellery felt her first unease at bringing Teresa along on the trip, but it was too late to back out now. “We’re almost there.”

  Reed made the last turn and pulled to a stop outside Tyreek Cantrell’s duplex apartment building. The door was shut tight, all the window shades drawn as usual. “How do you want to play this?” he asked Ellery.

  “Let me have the dog,” she said to Teresa.

  “Maybe I should come.”

  “No, not yet.” She looked to Dorie. “Make sure she stays put, okay?”

  Dorie held up her palms. “It’s your play.”

  Snuffles, all of five pounds, was light enough for Ellery to hold with one arm. She panted eagerly and wagged as they walked up the steps. Ellery guessed the dog lived the same sheltered life as Chloe did. This probably counted as a big adventure for her. Reed rang the bell. They waited, and Ellery saw the nearest window shade move. No one came to the door. Reed rang again, longer this time. Eventually, the door cracked open and Tyreek’s face appeared on the other side. His expression was guarded and he did not look pleased to see them. “What is it?”

  “Can we come in?” Ellery said.

  “It’s not a great time. My grandma is sleeping. Late shift at the hospital, you know how it is.”

  “Yeah?” Ellery turned to look. “Her car isn’t parked in the driveway.”

  Snuffles barked and wriggled, and Ty wrinkled his nose at her. “Is that Chloe’s dog?”

  “Yeah. She could use some water. Can we come in or what?”

  Ty looked behind him for a moment before widening the door. “Okay, just for a second.” They followed him to the kitchen, where he tripped over a chair and then fumbled the plastic dish he was using to get Snuffles some water. Bingo, Ellery thought.

  “Did you see the news?” she asked.

  “Yeah, that crazy dude grabbed Chloe. That’s wack. I saw he’s dead now. Is that true?” He folded his arms over his chest, leaning back against the counter in an attempt to seem casual.

  “It’s true. We haven’t found Chloe, though.”

  “Yeah?” His voice cracked and he coughed to cover it. “That’s, uh, that’s too bad.”

  Ellery put the dog down near the water bowl. She took one lap at it and then took off sniffing around the kitchen. “You have any idea where she could be?”

  “Me? Why would I know?” He jumped when Snuffles started vigorously sniffing at a crack under a door. “Hey, she’s not going to pee in here, is she?”

  “What’s behind that door?” Ellery asked as Snuffles started to whine and paw at it.

  He scratched the back of his head. “Uh, nothing. I mean, just the basement. There’s storage and crap down there.”


  “I’d like to check it out.”

  “You guys already been down there,” he protested. “Remember? You checked every inch of this place and I told you—I did not take Chloe.”

  “We believed you then,” Ellery replied, limping for the door. She opened it and Snuffles took off like a cartoon animal, paws scrambling, practically leaving a vapor trail in her tracks. She barked excitedly as she hopped down the stairs. Ellery grimaced as she hobbled behind the dog with her bum ankle. Reed and Ty followed, too.

  “Look, I can explain,” Ty began as Snuffles found another door, this one apparently to the furnace room. She stood on her hind legs and did a dance in front of it. Ellery gave a crooked smile.

  “Whatcha got there, girl?” She tugged the door open and Snuffles flew inside—right onto Chloe Lockhart’s stomach.

  The girl lay on a sleeping bag with a blanket over her. A half-eaten sandwich and a large cup of water sat nearby. She roused as Snuffles wriggled and pounced over her body. “Snuffy,” she murmured, giving the dog a clumsy pat. “I missed you.”

  “She just showed up here on my porch in the middle of the night,” Ty said. “You gotta believe me. She said the guy dropped her off and told her not to call the police or he’d kill her mother. I didn’t know what to do, man. I’ve been waiting for Grams to get off shift so she could sort it out.”

  “It’s okay,” Ellery said, still smiling. “We believe you. Chloe … I’m Detective Hathaway, and this is Agent Reed Markham from the FBI. We’re here to take you home now.” She knelt next to Chloe and looked her over for any injuries, but the girl seemed to be in better shape than Ellery was. Ty had given her a bandage for the cut on her arm. She had visible bruises on her face and wrists and of course her hair had been shaved off, but otherwise, she appeared perfectly whole. “It’s going to be okay. You’re safe now.”

  Chloe cuddled the dog to her chest. Tears appeared in her eyes and her chin trembled. “I want my mom.”

  “She’s right outside.”

  “Really?”

  “She’s been searching for you this whole time. Here, can you stand up or do you need help?” She held out a hand and Chloe took it as she got to her feet. She wore a giant T-shirt of Ty’s and a pair of gym socks that slouched around her ankles.

  “I didn’t have nothing that fit her,” Ty said with regret.

  “You did fine,” Reed assured him, clapping the kid on the shoulder.

  Ellery led Chloe slowly up the stairs and out onto the front stoop. A second later, the back door of her SUV swung open and Teresa rushed out. “Chloe!”

  “Mommy.” Chloe sobbed as she fell into her mother’s arms. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I ran away.”

  “It’s okay. It’s okay. I love you so much.” Teresa rained kisses down on her daughter’s fuzzy head. “Oh God, thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

  Chloe sniffed. “He cut all my hair.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “I threw away my phone.”

  “I don’t care about that, either.”

  “Mommy.” Chloe clung to her and buried her face in Teresa’s chest. Her voice was muffled, mournful. “I did a terrible thing. I—I had a second phone. One that … that…”

  Teresa took her daughter’s face in her hands. “One that your other mother gave you. Yes, I know.”

  Chloe cried harder. “No, I didn’t want another mother. I just wanted to know the truth. She seemed so nice.”

  “It’s okay, my darling. We’ll figure it out. If you want to talk to her, it’s fine with me. If you don’t want to talk to her, that’s fine, too. Whatever you want, I will help you.”

  Chloe had a death grip on her. “I want to go home. I want to see Daddy. I don’t ever want to go outside ever again.”

  Ellery looked away. That terror was too familiar, even now. Teresa stroked her daughter’s back and held her close. “Yes, you will,” she said fiercely. “You will grow up and go out into the world and live your life.”

  “No. He’s out there.”

  “No, he’s dead. He can’t hurt you anymore, sweetheart.”

  The way Chloe shrank from the words told Ellery that the girl had already learned the hardest lesson. Bobby Frick was a threat she hadn’t seen coming. What you can’t see you can’t protect yourself from. He might be gone, but there would be others. “He was crazy. He had a gun.”

  “I know he was scary. I know. I was afraid, too, the whole time you were gone.” She rested her cheek on her daughter’s head. “You know what else I saw, though? I saw these people—Detective Hathaway and Detective Bennett. Agent Markham. Captain Conroy. So many others, too. Your friends left messages for you. Your friends’ parents dropped off food. Hundreds of people came out to look for you and to offer any help they could.”

  Chloe sniffed and wiped her cheeks with her hands. “What about Devon James? Did he leave a message?”

  “Um, I’m not sure. Who is Devon James?”

  “The most popular boy in school. He doesn’t know I exist.”

  Teresa hugged her daughter tight. “Well, I’m sure he does now. Let’s go home.”

  Dorie stepped forward with an apologetic cough. “She’s going to need to be checked out by a doctor.”

  “I am a doctor.”

  “With all due respect, ma’am, you’re her mother.”

  Teresa looked down at Chloe’s face and brushed away the last of her tears. “Yes,” she said with wonderment. “I’m her mother. Okay, a doctor. But one can come to our house to see her. I am not bringing her anywhere but home.” She ushered Chloe to Ellery’s SUV, and Ellery turned to see Tyreek watching the whole exchange from his stoop. She limped over to him and he gave her a wary look.

  “I’m not busted?”

  “You’ll probably get a medal from the mayor before it’s all done,” Ellery said.

  He waved her off with both hands. “No, thanks. I’m just glad she’s okay.”

  Ellery looked at the tinted windows of her car, imagining the girl on the other side. “She’s safe now. It may be some time before she’s okay.”

  Ty looked uncomfortable. “How’d you know she was here with me?”

  “Bobby Frick told me, in so many words. He said she looked happiest when she was with you.” She smiled at him. “You’ve been a good friend to her.”

  He shrugged, embarrassed. “I don’t know. I didn’t do much, man. I have no idea what to say to her now.”

  Here Ellery had a hard-won answer. “Just be the same. Be the person who treats her the same. Because she’s not going to get that anywhere else.”

  He nodded, sober. “Okay. Okay, I’ll try.”

  She joined Teresa and Chloe in the SUV, and Reed drove them back toward the Lockhart house. Chloe promptly passed out in Teresa’s lap, the dog curled up with her. As they neared their destination, he said, “You may wish to cover Chloe with a coat for added privacy,” and Dorie produced a Boston PD windbreaker from the way back. Reed steered through the gathered throngs, into the Lockharts’ driveway and around toward the back of the house. “There,” he said with satisfaction as he cut the engine. “Home at last.”

  Teresa’s eyes were wet. “Thank you.” She didn’t move to get out of the car. “You know the most ironic part of all of this? I didn’t call Carol Frick to our house that day. I was in back-to-back surgeries that entire afternoon and well into the evening. It must have been Ethan who asked her to come. Of course, it’s the mother who gets the blame, right?”

  “Did you tell the police that at the time?” Reed turned in his seat to look at her.

  “I don’t know. I’m sure I didn’t think it mattered.” She stroked Chloe’s shoulder. “I never dreamed we’d end up here.” She nudged her daughter. “Wake up, darling. We’re home.”

  Dorie followed them up the path, but Reed and Ellery remained in the car. “Where to now?” he asked her.

  Ellery watched as Martin Lockhart emerged from the back entrance, his face crumbling at the
sight of his wife and daughter. “Home sounds plenty good to me.”

  32

  Reed awoke to a strange sensation of cognitive dissonance. He had been sleeping soundly, yet daylight streamed in around the edges of the window shade. Outside the room, the voices that had awoken him were achingly familiar: his wife and daughter, chatting happily about a topic he could not discern. The cadence of their words, their musical back-and-forth rhythm with Tula’s giggle as a bubbly grace note, transported him instantly back to his old home. Meanwhile, he had Ellery asleep next to him, her body curled into his with her injured arm cradled protectively between them. He knew it was the drugs that had created this complete surrender in her, but he allowed himself a few minutes to enjoy the feel of her bony knees against his hairy leg and her warm breath fanning across his arm.

  When his phone buzzed on the nightstand, he reached over to check it and found he had fifty-seven new messages. Time to get up. He eased out of the bed without waking Ellery from her dead sleep, took a quick shower, and went in search of the voices from the other side of the door. The smell of chocolate hit him the moment he opened it, and he discovered Tula and Ashley frosting a crooked cake at the kitchen island. Bump’s long nose reared up to snuffle dangerously close to the edge, but no one else seemed to notice a giant hound on the prowl. “Down, boy,” Reed ordered, and they all turned to look at him. The dog ambled over to lick his bare feet.

  “It lives,” Sarit remarked dryly.

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s no bother. The girls baked you and Ellery a cake as a congratulations on solving your case. Of course, they only had me and the internet for instruction, so there you have it.” She waved at the lopsided confection.

  Reed dropped a kiss on Tula’s head. “I love it,” he declared.

  Ashley frowned at her attempt to make a pink rose. “Do you think Ellery will like it?”

  “Ellery will devour it whole.”

  Pleased, the girls returned to finishing up their work while Reed and Sarit had a side conversation in the living room. “It’s all over the news,” she told him. “Chloe’s parents made an appearance outside their home so the world knows the truth. It’s an incredible story, Reed. You saved that girl.”