Here and Gone(30)

‘I suppose that’s why you haven’t got the money to fix your dashcam,’ Mitchell said.

Whiteside let the air out of his lungs in a long exhalation before turning to look at her.

‘Special Agent Mitchell, what is your salary like?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m not going to answer that.’

‘Well, I’ve had to take a pay cut for five years straight. Either that or lose my job, that’s how the mayor put it to me. I’d wager you pay more in taxes than I take home in a year. You know, I voluntarily gave up my salary for three months last year, just so there was money to pay Deputy Collins. And as shitty as my pay is, hers is worse, and she needs it more. Right now, you might be standing on the poorest patch of ground in the United States, and I’ve got a budget of about two quarters, a nickel, and a stick of gum to keep it safe.’

Mitchell stared at the distant mountains for a time, her lips sealed tight, before she said, ‘You know I’m going to have to ask the question.’

Whiteside nodded. ‘Yeah, I figured that. Go on, then.’

‘Is there any truth to what she said? Did you or Deputy Collins play any part in the disappearance of Audra Kinney’s children?’

She turned her eyes to him and he held her stare, hard as it was.

‘You know we didn’t,’ he said. ‘It’s a fantasy. Maybe she believes it. Maybe it’s easier for her to dream up a story than it is to face the truth.’

‘Maybe,’ Mitchell said. ‘But I have to investigate all possibilities. Whether you like it or not.’

‘I got nothing to hide,’ Whiteside said.

‘I’m sure. I’ll have Special Agent Abrahms send that video to the behavioral analyst at the Phoenix field office. We’ll know soon whether or not she’s lying. And I’ll have my team search the back of Collins’ cruiser. If there’s no truth to Audra Kinney’s allegations – well then, you have nothing to worry about. Do you?’

‘No,’ Whiteside said. ‘I don’t.’

Mitchell smiled, nodded, and opened the door. She stepped into the station, let the door swing closed.

Whiteside put a hand against the wall to stop himself from falling.





15


AUDRA WOULD HAVE screamed if she’d had the voice for it. Every time she tried to shout, it turned into a squeak and whisper in her throat. She paced the cell, willing herself not to bang her head on the bars. A coiled spring strained at the middle of her chest. Panic lurked at the edge of everything, threatening to swoop in and take her control away. So she focused on the anger. Anger was more use to her now than fear.

No one would listen. No one. As though what she said meant nothing to them. She had felt certain when Mitchell walked into the interview room that this woman would at least consider there might be truth in her words. But no, Mitchell was just another cop in a suit, unable or unwilling to look past what Whiteside had put in front of her.

By the clock on the wall, forty-five minutes passed before Mitchell entered carrying a Styrofoam container in one hand, a plastic bag in the other, and a large paper sack tucked under her arm. Audra kept pacing as Mitchell approached the cell.

‘Have you eaten since yesterday?’ Mitchell asked.

As if woken by the words, Audra’s stomach let out a long, deep growl. She stopped walking, wrapped her arms around her belly.

‘I guess not,’ Mitchell said. ‘I got this from the diner down the street. It smells pretty good.’

She placed the container on the desk by the door, a napkin and a plastic fork beside it, along with the paper sack.

‘First, though, I want those clothes. I went over to the Goodwill store and got some things. I had to guess your size, but they should do for now. They didn’t have any underwear, so I put in some things of mine.’

Mitchell unlocked the cell door, slid it aside, and tossed the bag of clothes across the floor to land at Audra’s feet. Audra stayed put, didn’t reach for it.

‘I need your clothes,’ Mitchell said. ‘I don’t want to have to get some of those state cops in here to strip you by force. The camera’s off, and I’ll turn my back.’

She turned away and Audra opened the bag, pulled out a shirt, a pair of jeans. She found a sports bra that looked like it would fit well enough, two pairs of panties, and a single pair of socks. As quickly as she could, she stripped and dressed again.

She brought her clothes to Mitchell, who bundled them into the clear bag and left them on the desk. Mitchell lifted the polystyrene container, the fork, and the napkin, and brought them back to the cell. Audra kept her hands by her sides.

‘Come on,’ Mitchell said. ‘You need to eat.’

Audra stepped closer and took the box from Mitchell’s hand. She opened it and the aroma of beef and tomato and rice swamped her senses. Her stomach growled again, and her mouth filled with saliva.

‘Chili,’ Mitchell said. ‘Strange, isn’t it? The hotter the place, the hotter the food. You’d think people would want to cool down.’

Audra retreated to the bunk, sat down, dug in with the plastic fork. She couldn’t help but give a moan of pleasure as she chewed.

‘I got you this too,’ Mitchell said, taking a plastic bottle of Coke from her jacket pocket. ‘Can I come in?’