Missing Child (14 page)

He is alive, she thought. You have an advantage over the others because you know that it’s true. Hold onto that.

When they arrived back at the house Caitlin thanked him for the ride. She heard him pulling out. It wasn’t until she was lying in bed, huddled under the covers still in her clothes, that she remembered. They had kept her phone. She had no phone. If Geordie tried to call again . . . Despite her exhaustion, she tossed and turned, sleepless until dawn.

THIRTEEN

C
aitlin awoke after an hour’s sleep to a gray day and the sound of someone knocking on the front door. She forced herself to get out of the bed and pull on some clothes. Then she shuffled down the hallway to the front door. When she opened it, she immediately noticed the tow truck in the driveway.

‘Mrs Eckhart,’ said the officer standing in front of her. ‘We’ve come to impound the truck. Can you sign this please?’

Bleary-eyed, Caitlin signed the form on the clipboard, and then closed the door to avoid watching the men in the tow truck begin their work. They would haul it away and analyze it, and maybe, as a result, she would face being arrested. It was a sickening thought, but no worse than the thought that Geordie was still missing, or the memory of Noah recoiling from her. They would be going through this whole dreary, empty day of waiting separately. No comfort. No love. Stop, she thought. Remember this: Geordie is still alive. Nothing else mattered. As of last night, anyway, Geordie was still alive.

With that thought for consolation she went into the kitchen, where she rummaged in the cupboards. There was no coffee, and even if there had been, she knew her queasy stomach wouldn’t be able to tolerate it black. She opened a box of cereal, a year past it’s sell-by date, plunged her hand into the box and pulled out a handful. She tried to chew and swallow it dry. The cereal tasted like faded wallpaper.

I can’t do this, she thought. I can’t subsist on expired food and hide in this house. She reminded herself that there were things she needed to do. Go and get your phone back, she thought. Go and bite the bullet. Go and explain to Emily’s family the truth about what happened to their sister and their daughter. They deserve to know, and you have to be the one to tell them. Take this day in hand, before you end up hiding under the covers, paralyzed by your own misery. She threw the box of cereal into the garbage and turned out the light in the kitchen.

At the police station they made her wait for almost an hour, but she emerged from the station with her phone back in her bag. It felt like a victory, however minor. She stood on the station house steps and tried to decide what to do next. Her stomach was gnawing at her, and she suddenly realized that she could not go any farther until she fed herself. She descended the steps and turned in the direction of Jordan’s Bakery.

Haley was behind the counter when she walked in, and her face lit up at the sight of Caitlin. Caitlin sat down at the one of the little round marble-topped tables and settled herself while Haley dispatched the customer she was waiting on.

‘Is this a visit, or are you here to eat?’ Haley called out to her friend.

‘Both,’ said Caitlin.

‘What can I get you?’

‘Coffee and a roll,’ said Caitlin.

‘Done,’ said Haley. She busied herself behind the counter, and then emerged carrying a steaming mug and a plate with a golden brioche on it. Haley was wearing her kitchen apron which was spotted with jam and chocolate. She set the plate down on Caitlin’s table, and then slipped into the seat beside her. She squeezed Caitlin’s hand.

‘Is there any news?’

Caitlin fussed with her coffee, realizing how difficult it was going to be to begin to reveal the connection between her brother and Emily’s death. The words still stuck in her throat. Luckily, there was news, and she was glad to be able to tell it to someone who would believe her. ‘Last night, Geordie called me,’ she said.

‘Oh my God!’ Haley cried. ‘Oh my God. Did you tell the police? Do you know where he was calling from?’

Caitlin held up a hand to stem the flow of questions. ‘Yes, I told the police right away. It was the briefest of calls. He couldn’t tell me anything. And then the call ended. But it was Geordie.’

‘Thank God,’ said Haley. ‘Oh, I’ve got to call Dan. He’ll be over the moon.’

‘Don’t call anybody just yet,’ Caitlin said. ‘I’m not sure how the police want to handle this. Apparently it was a throwaway phone.’ She decided not to mention that the phone was purchased in Chicago. She wasn’t sure what the police considered public knowledge and what was confidential.

‘Oh, no,’ said Haley. ‘Damn.’

Caitlin broke off some of the brioche and ate it, and washed it down with Haley’s vanilla-scented coffee. ‘He’s alive, Haley. That’s what I have to hold onto.’

‘You’re right. That’s what’s important. Someone should really tell the Bergens. They’re desperate for news.’

‘Noah may have already called them,’ said Caitlin.

‘Where is Noah?’

Caitlin pressed her lips together, trying to force a smile. ‘I’m not sure. We’ve had a . . . parting of the ways.’

Haley gaped at her in disbelief. ‘The two of you . . .? I don’t believe it.’

Caitlin nodded. ‘We’re under a lot of stress.’

‘It’s hard not to fight, I’m sure.’

Caitlin left it at that. ‘I’ve moved back into my parents’ house for the time being. It’s still on the market so it was empty . . .’

‘That must be depressing,’ Haley observed.

‘Oh, that doesn’t begin to describe it,’ said Caitlin.

‘I’ll bet,’ said Haley.

‘So, I think I’m going to drive out and see the Eckharts myself. I . . . need to talk to them, anyway.’

Haley seemed to find this perfectly natural. ‘I want to send them some apple cake. Westy loves my apple cake. Will you bring it out there to them?’

‘With pleasure,’ said Caitlin.

Haley nodded and got up. ‘I’ll be right back with it,’ she said.

That’s what I have to do next, Caitlin thought. Just get it over with. Whether or not there was a criminal case against her, Caitlin thought, she couldn’t escape her moral responsibility. She had known the circumstances of Emily’s death all this time. It was up to her to tell Emily’s parents and her brother the truth, and ask for their forgiveness. Telling Dan would require a trip to Philly. She would start with Westy and Paula. They would be the worst, after Noah. Maybe even worse than Noah, she thought. Now that she had learned, because of Geordie, how it felt to be a mother, she understood that there could be no greater loss than the loss of a child. She shuddered with the dread of what she had to say to Emily’s parents. But she couldn’t avoid it any longer.

Haley came back to the table with a white box tied with twine. ‘Yoo hoo,’ she said. ‘You look like you’re miles away.’

‘I am,’ Caitlin admitted with a sigh.

Haley handed her the box. ‘Apple cake for Westy,’ she said.

‘I’ll deliver,’ said Caitlin, getting up from her chair. She walked over to the cash register and took out her wallet.

Haley waved her off. ‘No, no, put that away. You’re family.’

Kind as they were meant to be, the words sounded almost ominous to Caitlin’s ears. Sooner or later, she would have to tell Haley the truth as well.

The house where the Bergens lived sat on a low rise and their property sloped down to the shores of a marshy lake. At the edge of the lake was Westy’s workshop, surrounded by a railing that boasted several telescopes pointed out over the water. An aluminum canoe and its paddles sat upside down on the shore. The yard was beautifully landscaped with gardens and trees and was studded with elaborate birdhouses on poles which Westy had made in that workshop. As she drove onto their property Caitlin was struck by the peaceful charm of the setting. The Bergens’ house was probably built in the Colonial era, and had been carefully restored. Paula had a greenhouse out beside the main house, and everything about the place, thanks to Westy, was carefully tended and perfectly maintained.

As she pulled into the driveway, she was surprised to see Travis in the front yard, desultorily raking the leaves into piles which seemed to scatter as soon as he collected them. Caitlin got out of the car and lifted the box of apple cake off the front seat.

‘Hi, Travis,’ she said. ‘Don’t you have school?’

‘Half day,’ said Travis.

‘Nice of you to help out with the leaves,’ she said.

‘She’s paying me five bucks.’

‘Mrs Bergen?’

‘Yeah,’ he said.

She’s being robbed, Caitlin thought, as Travis dragged the rake through a pile of leaves he had already collected. ‘I brought an apple cake,’ she said. ‘Maybe you could have some.’

Travis shrugged, but Caitlin could see that the burly kid was definitely interested.

Paula came to the front door and opened it. She was stylishly dressed and her hair was highlighted and cut in a fashionable coif, but there were huge dark circles under her eyes that gave evidence of how worried she was. ‘Caitlin. Come in. I’m sorry. This place is a wreck. I don’t get anything done all day. All I do is worry. I’ve been trying to work from home just in case we hear something. I can’t go to the office. I just can’t manage it.’

‘Me neither,’ said Caitlin.

Caitlin followed Paula into the house. Paula’s idea of a ‘wreck’ was a mystery to Caitlin. The place looked pristine. The ceilings of the old house were low and there was a hearth in the living room which took up most of one wall. There were flowering plants on every windowsill, and prints and watercolors of birds decorated the walls. On the mantle were family photos. Emily, Noah and Geordie when Geordie was born. Dan and Haley’s wedding. Westy and Paula on an anniversary. To look at all those smiling faces, you would never know what disaster had ensued. ‘You have such a lovely house,’ she said.

‘Thank you, dear. Come in the kitchen. I’m making Westy his tea.’

‘Haley sent this apple cake.’

‘Sweet of her. But who can eat?’

‘Travis seemed interested,’ said Caitlin.

‘Travis,’ Paula said with a sigh. ‘Naomi asked us to pick him up. She’s out at recycling and couldn’t get downtown. I don’t know how she can go to work with Geordie missing. Who can concentrate?’

Caitlin nodded. ‘It’s impossible.’

‘Naomi said I could take him straight home since Martha was there, but I thought it would do him good to rake some leaves and get a little fresh air. Not to mention the five dollars which he was most interested in earning. It’s never too early to instill the work ethic in these kids.’

‘She was never able to instill it in me,’ Westy teased. ‘She’s still trying.’ He wore a plaid shirt and sneakers.

Paula shook her head and rolled her eyes as she took the kettle off the stove. ‘You’re always working.’

Caitlin was listening to what was being said and answering, but her mind was distracted. She was trying to compose what she was going to say and wondering how in the world she was going to bring herself to say it.

Westy was seated at the kitchen table in front of a well-worn cup that said #1 Grandpa. He had the pale, doughy look of an old man and an air of befuddlement, in contrast to his wife who seemed to vibrate with energy. ‘Any news of our boy?’ he asked forlornly.

Caitlin looked from Westy to Paula. ‘Didn’t Noah call you?’

Paula shook her head. ‘No. Has something happened?’

Caitlin hesitated. ‘I don’t know if I’m supposed to say . . .’

Paula pounced. ‘What? What happened?’

‘I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t tell you. I got a phone call from Geordie last night.’

Paula let out a cry and clapped her hand over her mouth.

Westy jumped up from the chair where he was sitting, almost knocking over his mug. He caught it before it slid off the table. ‘My God. Is he all right? Where is he?’

‘He wasn’t able to tell me anything,’ said Caitlin apologetically. ‘We were cut off almost immediately. But it was him. The police think maybe it was a hoax, but it wasn’t. It was Geordie.’

Paula turned to her husband and he held out his arms to her. They embraced for a minute. ‘Thank God,’ Paula whispered. ‘I’ve hardly dared to hope . . .’

‘Seems odd to me,’ said Westy. ‘Why would the kidnapper let him call in the first place?’

‘The police wondered the same thing,’ said Caitlin.

‘Did they trace the number?’ Westy asked.

Caitlin explained about the tracfone. Paula nodded, familiar with the current technology. Westy looked somewhat confused by her explanation.

‘I got the impression,’ said Caitlin, ‘that they should be able to pinpoint where the phone was purchased. And maybe that can lead them to Geordie.’

‘Good,’ said Westy, nodding. ‘That’s something, anyway.’

‘Thank you, Caitlin. This gives us hope,’ said Paula. She went over to the sink, wet a rag, and began to quickly wipe up the table where Westy had spilled his tea.

Caitlin frowned. She rubbed the damp palms of her hands on her pants and took a deep breath. ‘That’s not the only reason I’m here,’ she said.

Paula, who had returned to the sink and was refilling the tea kettle, looked up vaguely at Caitlin.

‘There’s something I need to tell you both. Could I sit down?’ she asked, pointing to the chair on her side of the table.

‘Yes, of course,’ said Paula. ‘I’m making some more tea. Would you like a cup? Or something cold?’

Caitlin pulled out the chair. ‘No, nothing,’ she said, taking a seat. Her legs were trembling, and she did not think she could make this confession standing up.

Paula and Westy glanced at one another, and then back at Caitlin.

Caitlin covered her eyes with the palms of her hands, and then folded her hands in her lap. Paula and Westy’s fluffy gray house cat sidled up to Caitlin and rubbed his fur on her pants leg. Caitlin looked down at the cat, wishing she could change her mind. Say it was nothing. Get up and leave. But Noah was bound to tell them sooner or later. She was surprised he had not told them already. Just spit it out, she thought.

‘I want to say, first, that you two have been more than kind to me since Noah and I . . . got together. You never made me feel like you resented me or anything.’