“I did,” Cate said softly, the sting of the unfinished case suddenly raw and fresh. Her shoulder bag grew even heavier. She looked at George, whose gaze was on his wife. He glanced at Cate and quickly looked away. He had yet to hold eye contact with her for more than a split second.
Cate didn’t like it.
Please don’t be involved in this.
“Come sit,” Ellen said, leading Cate to a charming nook with large windows. “I’ve got fresh cinnamon rolls from—oh! From your place!” Ellen’s laugh was a lovely soft sound. “I saw you in the bakery for the first time just last week, but I didn’t want to interrupt. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about seeing someone from a case during a nonwork encounter, and I didn’t want to ask why you were here instead of with the FBI. I assumed that was personal.”
“You should have said hello,” said Cate. “I would have loved to catch up.” Ellen’s genuine warmth was impossible to ignore. It was a steady welcoming light.
“Well, we can do that now.” Ellen indicated a chair and grabbed a plate of rolls as Cate sat. George brought the coffeepot and poured.
Cate noticed the elegant dishes and how perfectly clean the kitchen was.
They prepared for my visit.
She was flattered and wished she’d known earlier that the couple lived on the island. The three of them made small talk as Ellen dished up the cinnamon rolls. They’d moved to Widow’s because George’s cousin had died and left him the house. It’d been a hard decision to leave Orcas Island, but Ellen had been ready for a change.
“Tell me how Kori is doing these days,” Cate finally said. “She had decided to train as a dental assistant last time I talked to her.”
“She’s been working in a dental office outside of Bellingham for over a year now,” said Ellen. “She loves it and lives with another assistant who works in the same office. She dated a nice young man for a few months, but it didn’t work out. It was a learning experience for her, though.”
“I bet,” said Cate. “I remember that Rich was the only man she’d dated before she got married.”
Ellen sighed. “Now I can see all the red flags about that man. But at the time, George and I had thought Rich was good for her. She was so naive and struggled with independence. We thought having someone to support her was perfect.”
I don’t consider what Rich did to be support.
“Asshole,” muttered George as he took a bite of roll.
That’s putting it mildly.
“He wasn’t protecting and supporting her; he was isolating her,” Ellen said. She laid down her fork, her roll half-eaten, and dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. “Both her and Jade.”
“You’ve never heard from him or had anyone tell you they’ve seen him since then?”
Both Ellen and George emphatically shook their heads.
“Every now and then I search online,” said Ellen. “I don’t sleep very well, and some nights my brain simply won’t stop. I get up and poke around various websites. I’ve done age progression on Jade’s photos and used them in reverse image searches, hoping to stumble across her somehow. I’ve searched with every possible name variation that I think Rich might use.” She looked down at her hands, which were clasped tightly in her lap. “There’s a lot of rabbit holes to get lost in when you’re searching for someone.”
Cate agreed.
“I have a cousin in Puyallup that’s convinced she’s seen Rich a few times. She sends me useless photos that add to my sleeplessness at night.” Ellen shrugged.
George cleared his throat. “Her elevator doesn’t go to the top floor.”
“She means well,” Ellen added, with a reproving look at her husband.
“She’s a nosy busybody who can’t keep to herself. All she does is get you upset.” He made a dismissive noise.
Cate eyed the man. It was the most he’d said since she’d arrived. And it sounded very heartfelt. His gaze went to the photo of his daughter and granddaughter, and pain flashed in his eyes.
“When did you last hear from Kori?” asked Cate.
“Yesterday,” Ellen answered. “She called just before the FBI called us. She was upset that someone she didn’t know from the FBI was asking questions. She told us not to talk to them unless it was you.”
“Did she say if she was going out of town or anything?”
Ellen frowned. “No. Why do you ask?”
“They’ve been unable to contact her since that initial phone call. They stopped at her home yesterday, and she’s not returning texts or calls.”
“Of course not. You know she’ll only talk to you.”
Cate fought to keep exasperation out of her voice. “But I don’t work for the FBI anymore. She needs to cooperate with whoever contacts her. I can’t help anymore.”
“Yet here you are,” Ellen said with a wide smile.
“Only because you live in close proximity. This visit is a single exception.” She glanced at George. “It doesn’t seem odd to you that she ignored their attempts to reach her? Would she answer a call or text from you now?”
“She should be at work,” said Ellen. “But I’ll text her.”
Ellen stretched to grab a pair of reading glasses from the kitchen counter and pulled a cell phone out of her pocket.
Cate turned her attention back to George. “I’ve been here ten minutes, and no one has asked what prompted the FBI’s new interest in Kori’s case.”
“I figured you’d tell us when you’re ready,” said the quiet man. “Not one to pry.”
“You don’t pry when it comes to your granddaughter’s kidnapping?”
“You’ve always kept us informed of what we need to know.”
He won’t let me push his buttons. Or at least he won’t show it if I do.
“I assume you got a report of a sighting of Rich,” said Ellen, setting her cell phone on the table. “That’s what it usually is.” She seemed as content as George to wait for Cate to bring up the new evidence.
My interviewing skills are rusty. I can’t prod anything out of them.
Maybe there’s nothing to come out.
The mandible in her bag was impossible for Cate to ignore. As if it had a flashing light that only she could see.
“Yesterday someone dropped off a package for me at Shiny Objects. It had my name and the bakery address on it but somehow ended up at the wrong place.”
Polite interest showed on their faces. Nothing else.
“We also have problems with the mail sometimes,” Ellen added.
Cate leaned forward, her forearms on the table. “Inside the box was one of the old newspaper articles about Jade’s disappearance. Handwritten on the margin was a message that implied that Jade didn’t survive, and this person was scared that Rich would do the same to her baby. Then it asked for help.”
Both the Astons were silent, mild confusion in their eyes.
“I don’t know what to think of that,” said Ellen. “You used the word ‘implied’ . . . it didn’t say this person knew for certain that Jade didn’t . . . survive?” Her voice cracked on the last word. “Maybe they’re making an assumption. A lot of people believe she’s . . . gone.”