The Investigator (34 page)

“I love you, too,” she whispered.

CHAPTER 29

Kate looked across at Riley and drew courage from the warmth in his eyes and the encouragement in his smile. She looked through the window of the squad car to the house on Baxter Road. It appeared much as it had before. The only exception was that two marked police cars were parked in the driveway. A couple of uniformed officers stood in the garden and Chase Barrington waited for her and Riley near the front steps.

Riley glanced toward her. “Ready?”

Kate sucked in a deep breath, filling her lungs. The awareness of her breathing helped her focus her mind on the task in front of her. With gritted teeth and a lifetime of determination, she gave Riley a brief nod. He opened the car door.

Holding her elbow, he guided her up the path. His face was set in a grim line. His eyes were dark with concern.

He looked at her again. “You don’t have to do this.”

Kate offered him a tight smile. “I know. But it might be the difference between finding out what’s really happened to my mother and not. If there’s any chance the answer lies in this house, I have to take it.”

His eyes filled with admiration and love. He bent and pressed a quick kiss on her lips and whispered, “You’re the bravest woman I know.”

She started in surprise. They were in full view of the other officers. Riley didn’t seem to care. Warmth spread through her from her belly up into her chest and then it blossomed into her cheeks. But it was a happy kind of warmth and she squeezed his hand in gratitude.

Chase met them at the bottom of the steps that led to the front door, his face somber. “It’s very good of you to do this, Kate. We really appreciate it.”

She acknowledged him with a nod and swallowed against the rapid onslaught of nerves. She was right outside the front door, ready to enter for the first time in more than a decade. Her legs started to tremble and all of a sudden she felt sick.

Riley must have seen something in her face. He pulled her to the side, his brow furrowing with concern.

“Kate, are you all right? You’re as white as a sheet. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea?”

Drawing in a few quick, deep breaths, Kate made an effort to restore her equilibrium. She rested her forehead against the cool fabric of Riley’s jacket and clung to his familiar scent. His arms came around her and drew her in close.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, you don’t have to do this. Let’s forget about it. I’ll take you back to your motel. We’ll figure something out. Chase and I will just go back through the place again, see if there’s anything we missed.”

There was nothing Kate wanted more than to turn around and run away as fast as she could, back to the sanctuary of her motel room. But that wouldn’t solve anything. Not the questions about her mother and certainly not her fierce determination to face her demons once and for all.

She lifted her head and offered him a weak smile. “Thanks. I really appreciate it. But I have to do this. Just give me a minute. I’ll be fine. I have to do this.”

She sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as him, but it was the best she could do. The last thing she wanted was to step inside Darryl’s house again, but she had to. There was no choice. It was as simple as that.

With another deep fortifying breath, she stepped out of the comfort of Riley’s arms and marched back to the doorstep. Chase looked over her head to Riley who stood not far behind her and after a moment’s hesitation, he slowly opened the door.

It was the smell of the place that hit her first. The unfamiliar, acrid burn of bleach in her nostrils distracted her enough to get her through the entryway and into the open-plan kitchen and living room.

She looked around her. The place was as spotless as she remembered. It was only the smell that was foreign. A decade ago, it had smelled of lemon and citrus and roses, not the caustic smell of cleaning fluid.

Her mother’s desk was still against the wall beneath the big front window. Kate remembered when Rosemary would open the curtains wide and enjoy the view from her wheelchair. A writing pad and a couple of fountain pens littering the desk were all that remained on the desk. The will that Riley had said he’d seen there was nowhere in sight.

Steeling herself, she walked across the living room and stopped outside her mother’s bedroom. The door was open and she could see the bed, neatly made up, in the corner.

Riley came up behind her and touched her elbow. She took comfort from his presence and, with another deep breath, she stepped across the threshold.

Like the kitchen and living room, the bedroom was spotless. Perfume bottles and tubes of hand cream were lined up neatly on her mother’s dresser. A book sat on the nightstand. She moved closer and read the title:
My Reckless Surrender
. From the look of the picture on its cover, it was a romance novel, complete with a half-naked woman in a passionate clench with a man that looked too good to be true.

She flipped open the cover. It was stamped Watervale Public Library. There was nothing remarkable about it, except for the book’s location. She turned to Riley.

“It’s on the wrong side.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, it’s on the wrong side. My mother always slept on the other side of the bed, closest to the bathroom.”

He caught on immediately. “I can’t picture Darryl reading romance books.”

“Exactly. He’s placed it there because it’s something you’d expect to see on a woman’s nightstand. And it’s a library book—more evidence to support his story that she hasn’t gone for good.” She shook her head. “The only thing I can’t figure out is why he’d put it on the wrong side.”

“Maybe he was in such a hurry, he didn’t think? I mean, for him, going to that nightstand is probably as familiar as climbing in on his side of the bed.”

Kate shrugged. “Maybe. Whatever the reason, it’s definitely suspicious.”

“Yeah, I agree.” Riley turned to Chase, who hovered in the doorway. “Get onto Reynolds. Tell him we need someone down here with a camera. I want to photograph it
in situ
before we bag it. I also want to find out when it was checked out of the library.”

“No worries.” Chase pulled his phone out of his shirt pocket and backed out into the living room.

Kate wandered into the ensuite. White tiles and ceramic surfaces sparkled in the mid-afternoon light. The smell of bleach was fainter in here and she breathed a little easier.

“Better put these on,” he said and he handed her some gloves, then pulled on his own pair.

Gloves on, she opened the top drawer of the bathroom vanity and pulled out two bottles of prescription drugs. The labels were from the local pharmacy and had been prescribed by Dr Shepherd. They were made out to Rosemary Watson.

“What have you got there?” Riley asked.

“Mom’s medication. Some of it, anyway. From what Daisy said, she was on much more than this. It’s odd she didn’t take these with her. The bottles are nearly empty, but Daisy told us she didn’t keep her appointment with her doctor. She wouldn’t have had any more with her.”

Riley came to stand beside her and took one of the bottles from her hand. He looked at the contents and checked the label. “Daisy was right. I called Doctor Shepherd. He confirmed your mother hadn’t renewed her prescriptions.” He tugged a plastic evidence bag from his pocket and dropped the bottles in. Sealing it, he scribbled a time and date on the panel provided.

He looked up at her, his face grim. “I’m not sure why these were overlooked the first time, but we have them now and that’s what matters.”

Kate nodded and followed him out of the ensuite, into the bedroom and then out into the living room. She bit her lip and looked at him. “I guess that leaves upstairs.”

Each step upwards took her closer to her room at the top of the stairs. Blood pounded in her ears. She was grateful for Riley’s presence behind her, but even so, it was difficult to keep the panic at bay.

She held onto the wooden banister, her hands slick with sweat. She turned and stumbled and would have fallen if not for Riley’s quick reflexes. Catching her against him, he held her tightly, allowing her to regain control.

“I’m okay,” she said, her voice still shaky. “I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?” The concern in his eyes was touching. It had been more than ten years since someone had looked at her like that, worried for her well-being. She owed it to him, she owed it to
both
of them to dig deep and find the courage to get through this.

Pulling gently out of his embrace, she continued to climb the stairs. Three more steps and she’d be in the hall. Her room was a tiny jump from there. A single, tiny jump.

She could do it.

With fierce concentration, she lifted one booted foot and then another. One more step.

She was there.

Her heart hammered and her chest felt tight, but she pushed forward, determined to get this over with. The door to her room was closed and she wished she could just turn away without going inside, but knowing Riley was right behind her, she turned the knob and stepped through the doorway.

Memories bombarded her from every angle, pummeling her from all sides. The room was almost exactly as she’d left it, except the bed had been made and the soft toys she’d swept to the floor in helplessness and rage after Darryl and Hannaford left had been lined up neatly in their usual spot on the cane chair that stood by the window. Mrs Fitzgerald must have picked them up. She couldn’t see Darryl taking the time to tidy—or to keep the room free of dust.

Her gaze drifted to the wall where the camera had been. She could still see evidence of the sizeable hole she’d smashed into the wall with her fist and then with a chair. It had been repaired with a new sheet of plasterboard, but it hadn’t been repainted and the spot stood out a chalky gray against the pink of the rest of the wall.

She forced her legs to move, bringing her closer. Running her hand over the rough surface, she struggled to get a handle on her painful memories.

Riley stopped a few feet behind her. “Has anything changed since you were here?” His voice was low, unobtrusive and she was grateful for his understanding.

Her voice caught. “N-no.”

His hand reached for hers, warm, strong, safe. “Let’s get out of here.”

She nodded and turned to leave. “Wait.”

He halted. “What is it?”

“That wall. The one over there.” She pointed to the wall opposite the bed. “It’s different. It never used to be brick.” Letting go of Riley’s hand, she walked over to it and placed her palm against it. “Why would he have changed the wall?”

Riley shrugged and pursed his lips, a frown creasing his forehead. “It seems a rather strange thing to do. And brick for a bedroom doesn’t make sense.”

“You’re right. It doesn’t make sense. As far as I know, there was nothing wrong with this wall. The damage I did was to the one over there. You can see the new plaster work.” She indicated the wall in question with her head. “Not that it’s new now, but you can see it’s never been painted.”

“Yes, I see.” Riley turned back to the brick wall. “What kind of wall used to be here?”

Kate shook her head, bemused. At least the surprise about the change in the wall had taken her mind off the horrors the room held for her. “It was the same as the others, plasterboard painted pink.”

“I wonder why it was altered?” Riley mused, running his hand across the uneven surface. “It’s a fairly rough job. Whoever did it wasn’t much of a bricklayer, that’s for sure. The mortar looks fresh.” He bent and put his nose to it and inhaled. “I can still smell the lime. It can’t have been put here too long ago. What’s behind it?”

“Another bedroom. It was never used. At least, not while I lived here. Mom and Darryl slept downstairs.”

Riley walked back through the doorway and into the adjoining room. Kate followed him, flicking on the light switch. The smell of dust and mildew was strong in the air. Boxes filled with old clothes, discarded furniture and three suitcases were piled haphazardly around the room. The only area clear of debris was a few feet of space beside another new brick wall.

Riley squatted and picked at a few specks of material strewn along the edge of the carpet. Pulling on another pair of latex gloves, he tugged an evidence bag out of his pocket and collected pieces of the chalky-colored particles.

Kate stepped closer. “What are they?”

“They look like pieces of mortar that have fallen off a trowel and then dried. They smell of fresh lime. They’ll have to be examined by the lab to know for sure.”

“Will they be able to tell how long they’ve been here?”

“I’m not sure, but they should be able to tell us how much dust is on them. If they’ve been here for a while, they should have at least some kind of coating like the other things in this room. “I’ll collect a couple of the boxes over there and maybe a suitcase for comparison. Those things are thick with it.”

Kate sighed, not sure what to make of it. “Why would Darryl build two brick walls up here, of all places? It doesn’t make sense.”

Riley stood. Sealing the evidence bag, he dropped it into the pocket of his jacket and tugged off his gloves. “Why does anyone build a wall?”

“To keep something out, I guess. Or…”

“To keep something in,” he finished.

The look in his eyes terrified her. She moved closer, concern flooding through her. “Riley, what is it?”

He shook his head, but the shock on his face didn’t ease. “The wall…” he choked.

An awful thought took root in her mind. It was a horrible, sickening, terrifying thought and she didn’t want to give it voice. She gulped. Her chest was suffocatingly tight. She gulped again, and emitted a harsh, strangling sob. Tears burned behind her eyes. “You think she’s behind it?”

Riley stared at her. Slowly, he nodded.

Kate’s body shook in time with the chattering of her teeth. She was suddenly freezing. She turned this way and that, rubbing her arms with hands that were icy as she tried to control the turmoil of her raging thoughts.

Riley dragged a hand through his hair and blew out his breath. Anger and helplessness darkened the depths of his eyes.