Missing Child (9 page)

‘I know this is difficult,’ said Sam. ‘But there’s a reason for these procedures. It’s difficult to control the situation if the parents get involved in the search. Reporters can harass you, and important information can inadvertently leak out. We can’t have that.’

‘I wouldn’t talk to anyone, I promise,’ Caitlin pleaded.

‘All those nice people who have volunteered to look for your boy? You wouldn’t want to speak to them?’

‘I know how to speak to people without running at the mouth,’ she said indignantly.

‘For all we know,’ he said, ‘the kidnapper could be among the volunteers. Sometime these perps get their thrill from being on the scene, seeing the suffering up close and personal.’

Caitlin shuddered. ‘What a thought. How sick would you have to be?’

‘You don’t want to know,’ said Sam.

‘I’ve got to tell you,’ she said. ‘This is some special kind of hell, sitting around watching the rain and looking at the clock all day long. Is that what you’d want to do if it were your child?’

Sam frowned and sighed. Finally, he said, ‘All right. I know you’re getting stir crazy. If you like, you can ride along with me.’

‘Thank you,’ Caitlin sighed. ‘Oh, thank you.’

‘Don’t make me regret this,’ he said.

‘Just let me run in and get my rain jacket.’

Caitlin felt wobbly, like a patient who was finally allowed to leave the hospital. She sat in the passenger seat of Sam Mathis’s SUV and felt almost dizzy with the air and the change of scene. For a moment, she didn’t think about Geordie. But only for a moment. Then she sighed.

Sam glanced over at her. ‘There’s nothing worse than this,’ he said kindly. ‘The not knowing.’

‘That’s the truth. Do you have children, Detective?’

Sam nodded. ‘Two teenagers. A girl and a boy. They worry me half to death.’

‘I know,’ said Caitlin. ‘I remember.’

‘Being a teenager?’ he asked.

‘No, I . . . I was thinking of . . . my younger brother. Those are difficult years,’ she added hastily.

They rode in silence for a moment, the only sound the rain thrumming on the roof of the car. Then Sam said, ‘So, were you acquainted with your . . . Geordie’s mother?’

‘No,’ said Caitlin, shaking her head. ‘I feel like I know her, though. I think she must have been a wonderful woman.’

Sam nodded thoughtfully. ‘And how did you and Noah meet?’

Caitlin’s face burned, remembering. ‘Um, we met at a charity event,’ she said offhandedly.

‘Was this before or after his wife was killed?’

Caitlin swiveled in the seat and glared at him. ‘After, of course. Is this why you let me ride along? Are you accusing me of something?’

‘Just making conversation,’ said Sam smoothly, but clearly noting her discomfort. ‘I’ve gotten to know and like you people since this happened. I was curious about what brought you together.’

‘Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I never had any interest in married men,’ said Caitlin. ‘I always figured, if they would cheat on their wives, what would prevent them from cheating on me?’

‘A good point,’ he said.

‘Besides, as I understand it, Noah and Emily were very happy together.’

‘Yes,’ said Sam. ‘I remember when she died. Your husband was just completely distraught. I always felt badly that we weren’t able to apprehend the driver who killed her.’

Caitlin was silent, staring through the windshield.

‘Your husband has had unbelievable misfortune. First his wife dies in a hit-and-run accident. Then his son is kidnapped. It seems like more than a person should have to endure in one lifetime.’

‘Luckily, he is a very strong person.’

Sam turned right, and then right again into a familiar parking lot.

‘We’re at the school,’ said Caitlin.

‘You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to,’ said Sam.

Caitlin hesitated, her heart pounding. ‘I do want to.’

Sam put the SUV in park and turned off the engine. ‘All right, but please, don’t answer any questions. Just keep to yourself.’

The people in the main office looked stricken and uneasy at the sight of Caitlin. Caitlin knew that the secretary and the principal and many of the teachers had joined the search parties leaving out of the Presbyterian Church. She was grateful, and she felt as if she ought to try to put them at ease, but there was a part of her that was just too weary. She stood quietly by, avoiding their anxious gazes, while Sam Mathis signed them in and announced that he was here to see Mrs Hunt. He then gave Caitlin a visitor’s badge to wear. As she pinned it on her T-shirt she thought about Monday. If they had only been so careful on Monday . . . What’s the use? she reminded herself. The school prided itself on being welcoming to the public when there were programs. They wanted to encourage community participation. It was something she had liked about this school.

‘I’ll be right out,’ said Sam as he was ushered into the principal’s office.

Caitlin sat in a chair beside the door, feeling conspicuous. She could tell that the secretaries behind the desk were stealing glances at her, as if she were some kind of circus freak. She wanted to yell out, ‘What are you looking at?’ but she knew better. The office door opened and she heard a man laughing. She turned to look and saw Mr Needleman talking to another young man who waved as he walked on down the hall. Mr Needleman entered the office, calling out, ‘Hello, my fair ladies.’ The secretaries behind the counter gave him a warning look. Mr Needleman turned to see what they were warning him against. When he saw Caitlin, he let out a cry. All the color drained from his face.

‘Hello, Mr Needleman.’

‘Mrs Eckhart. I didn’t know . . . Is there news about Geordie?’

Caitlin shook her head.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be laughing just then,’ he said, pointing vaguely in the direction of the hallway. ‘I was just talking to the music teacher . . .’

Caitlin’s face reddened at his words. It was as if all happiness was forbidden in her presence. ‘Don’t be silly,’ she said softly, avoiding his gaze.

There was a brief, awkward silence. ‘So, no word yet?’ he asked.

‘No. Nothing,’ she said. She could tell that he wanted to flee from her. She felt like someone with a contagious disease.

Mr Needleman hesitated, and his complexion turned from pallid to pink. He took a deep breath. ‘Look, Mrs Eckhart, I can’t imagine anything worse than what you’re going through. I just wish I had been more alert that day. I wish I could have done something – anything – to prevent it.’

‘It’s not your fault. I was there too, remember? How could we have known?’ She hesitated, and then she added, ‘I hear you’ve been harassed. I’m sorry about that. People can be vicious.’

Needleman smiled wanly and shrugged. ‘What’s a few eggs cracked on your windshield? I can take it. Just so long as you understand, I love kids. All kids. I would never do anything to harm a child.’

‘Don’t,’ said Caitlin. ‘You don’t have to defend yourself.’

‘I pray for Geordie’s safe return every single day,’ he said earnestly.

‘Thanks,’ said Caitlin. ‘Keep doing that.’

Mr Needleman nodded and approached the counter solemnly, ready to transact his school business in a hushed tone.

Caitlin got up from the chair and left the office to wait for Sam in the hallway. She couldn’t stand to sit there any longer, under all that sympathetic scrutiny. She leaned against the wall, and closed her eyes so that she wouldn’t have to meet the pitying glances of those who came and went in the hallway.

EIGHT

O
utside the Presbyterian Church, high school students who had volunteered to give up a study hall were standing in the drizzle handing out flyers with Geordie’s picture on it to passing motorists who slowed down to rubberneck. A uniformed officer, his hat covered with plastic shower cap-type protection from the rain, was stationed at the outer door of the church basement, and a couple of reporters and photographers were huddled under the overhanging roof, buttonholing those who came and went from the search headquarters within.

The officer at the door nodded briskly to Sam, who spoke to him briefly before entering the huge meeting room. Caitlin, her hands jammed in the pockets of her rain jacket and her hood pulled up to cover her face, came in behind him.

The basement of the Presbyterian Church had seen many a genial gathering for a chicken dinner, church bazaar or men’s club meeting, but today it had a grim atmosphere, unusual in that gently weathered space.

The first thing Caitlin saw when she entered the room was the easel with the enlarged photo of Geordie in Tigger’s embrace which stood at the front, beside three long tables which had been pushed together. Behind the tables was a bulletin board with a map attached to it. The areas which had been searched were marked, as well as how many times they had been searched.

A cluster of volunteers in rain gear sipped coffee, ate from plates of sandwiches and wiped off their rain-spotted glasses as they conferred. As Caitlin scanned their faces for some hint of hope, she suddenly recognized two of them. Naomi, dressed in heavy duty coveralls, her wet hair plastered to her head, was talking to an elderly man in corduroys. Martha sat beside them, her quivering eyes averted, occasionally interjecting something into their conversation. Caitlin walked over to them.

Naomi looked up at Caitlin and then turned to her mother. ‘Mom. It’s Caitlin.’

They did not have a demonstrative relationship, but Caitlin felt a surge of affection for her sister-in-law, obviously here to search for her nephew. She reached out to hug her and Naomi awkwardly returned the embrace. Caitlin reached for Martha’s hand and squeezed it. ‘Good to see you, Martha.’

‘Wish I could say the same,’ said Martha. ‘That’s a joke.’

‘I know. Were you out on the search today?’ Caitlin asked Naomi.

Naomi shrugged. ‘Things were quiet at the recycling center. The free bookstore doesn’t get too many customers when it’s raining. I decided to try and do something useful and take a shift on the search.’ She nodded toward her mother. ‘I left her here to talk to people. She’s better off sitting here talking to people than sitting home alone worrying. Paula and Westy were just leaving when we arrived. They were on the early shift.’

‘Everyone is helping,’ said Caitlin.

‘Where’s Noah?’ Martha demanded in a loud voice.

‘He had to go into work for a little while,’ said Caitlin. ‘I decided to come down and join the search. Detective Mathis didn’t want me to, but I can’t stand the waiting.’

‘No kidding,’ said Naomi, shaking her head. ‘The time just drags.’

‘I guess there was no sign . . .’ said Caitlin.

‘No. Not where we were. Well, I’m gonna take Mom home and get back out to the center. Call me if you hear anything. Come on, Ma. I’m taking you home.’

‘We’re praying for Geordie night and day,’ said Martha.

‘I know,’ said Caitlin. ‘Thank you.’

At the front table, Sam Mathis was speaking to a middle-aged woman in an Eagles ball cap. Caitlin walked up to them.

Sam Mathis introduced Caitlin as Geordie’s mom. Then he turned to Caitlin. ‘Mrs Eckhart, do you know Madelyn Crain?’

Caitlin nodded. She recognized the woman who, along with her husband, Burt, was the de facto civilian coordinator of the search. ‘We’ve met before. Thank you so much, Mrs Crain, for all you and your husband are doing for Geordie.’

The woman in the ball cap enveloped Caitlin in a motherly embrace. ‘Don’t you worry. We won’t stop till we find him. One party just came in, and we’ve got another getting ready to go out.’

‘I thought people might have lost interest by now,’ Caitlin admitted.

‘Lost interest? In a child who disappeared from school? We’ve all got kids or grandkids in that school. No one is going to lose interest,’ said Madelyn.

‘Well, I can’t tell you how much it means to me and my husband. You know,’ said Caitlin, avoiding Sam Mathis’s gaze, ‘I thought I might go out with them today.’

‘Oh, dear, is that a good idea?’ asked Madelyn. ‘If those reporters outside see you going out on a search they’ll be chasing after you.’

‘It’s not a good idea,’ said Sam.

‘I’ll keep my hood up and my head down,’ said Caitlin stubbornly. ‘They didn’t notice me coming in.’

Madelyn looked at Sam. ‘You can’t blame her.’

‘I’d prefer you didn’t,’ Sam said firmly.

Caitlin looked at the cadre of women of varying ages in sweatshirts and slickers, the fit young construction workers and the stooped, white-haired men who were assembling at the front of the room, all of them giving their time to search for her son. ‘I have to,’ she said.

The team leader, a young police officer wearing a yellow plastic vest over his black rubber raincoat, gave them instructions before they set out. ‘My name is Ralph,’ he said. ‘I’m wearing this vest so I’m easy to spot in those marshes. You need to keep one eye on me when you’re out there.’ Ralph showed everyone the area on the map that they were searching.

‘This is going to be messy, people,’ said Ralph. ‘I want you all to pay attention. I don’t want anybody ending up in the bog. Just keep one eye on me and the other eye out for any sign of our victim.’

Caitlin winced at the term, and immediately understood another reason Sam had discouraged her from joining in. It wasn’t possible to spare her feelings in all this. She had to be matter-of-fact like the rest of these people. They were searching for a kidnapping victim.

‘Now, we know what he was wearing. Here’s a picture,’ he said, holding up a photo made of clothes similar to Geordie’s. ‘We’re looking for clothing, anything from his backpack, any sign of the boy. If you find anything – whether you’re sure it’s important or not – do not pick it up or touch it. Is that clear? I have to emphasize that. Call for help immediately. OK? There will be half a dozen police officers out there on Goshen Hill Road to examine whatever you find. Let us make that determination. We can’t take a chance on losing any possible evidence by mishandling. Does everyone understand?’

There was a murmur of assent from the group.

‘OK, people. Let’s get in our cars and get out there,’ said Ralph. Everyone trudged out the meeting room doors and into the parking lot. Caitlin was assigned to a car with a fire department license plate and a driver named Jerry. She pulled up the hood of her rain jacket and tied it, calling herself Kate when asked, and left it at that. Jerry was a nice-looking, stocky man with squarish hands, curly black hair and a gap between his front teeth. He drove a Subaru Forester. Caitlin got into the front seat with him and two elderly men in foul weather fishing gear got into the back.