End Game (Will Robie #5)(100)

It was the next day and Reel was by the window of her hotel room looking out while Robie sat in a chair staring at the floor.

“Not used to what?”

She turned to him as he looked up. “Being helpless. I hate it.”

He shrugged. “I’m not too fond of it myself, so I took a snapshot of the map and sent it to the Agency. They might be able to get us something on that.”

Someone knocked on the door. Reel crossed the room and looked through the peephole.

She opened the door to reveal Claire Bender standing there.

She was dressed casually in jeans and a light blue sweater. Her long silver hair was tied back.

“I heard about Valerie,” she said, stepping into the room.

Reel shut the door behind her as Robie rose from his chair.

“Has there been any word?” Claire asked.

“Nothing so far. There were signs of a struggle at the station and some blood.”

Claire turned a bit pale, and Robie helped her sit down in the chair.

She gasped. “I can’t believe what’s happening here. A little over a week ago everything was as right as rain. And now?”

“Have you spoken to your son?” asked Reel.

She nodded. “Derrick was the one who told me about Valerie. He’s very worried. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this.”

“Was that all he told you?” asked Robie, his gaze fixed on her.

She looked up at him. “Isn’t that enough?”

“I suppose it is,” agreed Robie, who shot a quick glance at Reel.

“But while we’re discussing communications, I have to admit that I didn’t tell you everything,” Claire said slowly. “It’s the reason I came by.”

Both Robie and Reel tensed. “Meaning what?” asked Robie.

“Meaning that Roger and I were a bit closer than I led you to believe.”

Reel said, “You were engaged to be married. That’s pretty close.”

Claire pulled a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. “Roger came back here after he finished graduate school. We were both still in our twenties, with our lives ahead of us. He wanted to make a go of it again, I mean with us as a couple. He wanted me to move with him to Washington. I loved Roger, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do that.” She paused, and glanced at each of them in turn. “But we parted on a very amicable note.”

“How so?” asked Reel, studying the woman’s features.

Claire let out a breath. “I’ve never really talked about this before, but what the hell. I ended up pregnant.”

“Are you saying that Patti—” began Robie.

Claire nodded. “She’s Roger’s daughter, yes.”

“Does he know?” asked Reel.

Claire shook her head. “The next time Roger came back here I was married. I got walked down the aisle about six months after Roger left that last time. Patti was four years old but he didn’t know her exact age. So he had no way of knowing that Patti was not the product of my first marriage. And I never told him. I . . . I just didn’t see the point.”

“How many times have you been married?” asked Robie.

“Three. Roy Bender was my first. Derrick is Roy’s son. And Roy always treated Patti as his own, even though he knew he wasn’t the father. And he never knew that Roger was Patti’s dad. After Roy died I got hitched twice after that, but only because I was bored. And lonely. Neither lasted all that long.”

“And Walton?”

“Roger continued to come back here. But there was no more talk of us getting together. That time had passed, I guess. And there was no more, well, sex.” She sighed. “It was stupid, I know. Roger had a right to know about his child.”

“You may be the reason he kept coming back here,” pointed out Robie.

“You might be right about that. I used to just think it was because it was his home. But it wasn’t like he was particularly happy here, especially after his parents died. But still, who knows how much time we have left. Maybe I should have told him how I really feel when he was here this time.”

“I hope you get a chance to tell him,” said Reel earnestly. “And you might be surprised at what he has to say to you.”

Robie glanced at her with a quizzical look but said nothing.

“But you have to find him first,” Claire pointed out.

“Can you think of nothing to help us?” said Robie.

“I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with something. But I haven’t. Look, we have bad types around here. I can only think that Roger might have stumbled onto something and these folks found out and . . .” Her voice trailed off and she dabbed at her eyes with the tissue again.

“I ran into one of Dolph’s guys,” said Robie. “Did Derrick tell you about that?”

“No. He’s very professional and keeps police business close to the vest.”

“The guy told me that Dolph might be at the bunker.”

She looked puzzled. “At Roark’s silo?”

“I guess.”

“I don’t see how that’s possible. I doubt that Roark even knows Dolph. It’s not like they moved in the same circles. And why would he be at the silo?”

“Hiding out?” suggested Reel.