Here and Gone(63)

She looked at him, looked away again.

‘Like me?’

‘That’s not what I meant. I don’t even know you.’

Audra stood over the bed, looked once more at the map she’d borrowed from Mrs Gerber.

The landlady had balked when she saw Danny in the corner, demanded to know who this new intruder was, and how had he gotten inside? It had been all Audra could do to calm her down and reassure her that everything was fine.

After some persuasion, Mrs Gerber had fetched the map and pointed out the regions.

‘If I was going to hide two children,’ she’d said, ‘I wouldn’t do it in the low desert. I’d go north, where it’s cooler, up high into the forest.’ She had tapped the paper with her fingertip. ‘That there’s the Mogollon Rim. It climbs fast up into the Colorado Plateau. One minute it’s all prickly pears, next it’s juniper, then before you know it, you’re at seven thousand feet and it’s pine trees for miles and miles. Nothing but forest between there and Flagstaff. If I wanted to lose somebody, that’s where I’d do it.’

Audra looked at it now, the sheer expanse of it, and shook her head.

Danny came to her side. ‘Even if I sneak you out of here, where would you start to look? We need to get Collins. That’s the only way. You know I’m right.’

‘There’s another option,’ Audra said. ‘You talk to Mitchell.’

‘I’m not going over that again. I can’t—’

A knock on the door silenced him. He looked at Audra, and she at him.

‘Who is it?’ Audra called.

‘Special Agent Mitchell. Detective Showalter is with me. Audra, can we have a word?’

Audra went to the door, put her eye to the peephole, saw the distorted forms of Mitchell and Showalter waiting in the dimness of the hall.

‘Right now?’ she asked.

‘Yes, right now,’ Mitchell said, an edge to her voice.

Audra turned to Danny, pointed to the bathroom. He slipped inside, eased the door closed. Audra turned the key in the lock, pulled aside the chain, opened the door.

Mitchell and Showalter stepped through, without waiting to be asked.

‘I heard a voice,’ Mitchell said. ‘I thought maybe you had company.’

‘The TV,’ Audra said. ‘What do you want?’

Mitchell looked down at the map, still spread out on the bed. ‘Planning a trip?’

‘I was wondering where Whiteside and Collins would have taken my children.’

Showalter shook his head and rolled his eyes. Mitchell ignored him.

‘And did you come to any conclusions?’

‘North,’ Audra said. ‘Up into the forests. It’s cooler there, plenty of places to hide.’

Mitchell tilted her head. ‘Not east? Not back the way you came?’

Audra slumped down into the chair. ‘Please, I’m very tired. What did you come here for?’

‘To tell you that was a damn stupid thing you did earlier.’

‘I don’t care,’ Audra said. ‘I had to do something.’

Mitchell sat on the edge of the bed, leaned forward, her hands together. ‘You want to do something? Try telling me where your children are.’

Audra closed her eyes, leaned her head back. ‘Oh God, I can’t do this again. If that’s all you’ve got, then I’d rather you left.’

Mitchell stood, crossed the space between them, hunkered down in front of her. ‘Look, I came here so we could talk informally, off the record. No cameras, no notebooks. Give you one more chance before the state police take action.’

‘Take action?’

‘Audra, they don’t need a body to charge you with murder. The clothing we found in your car is enough. The only reason you haven’t been arrested for killing your children is because I wanted to give you a chance to tell the truth. To make things easier on yourself. Right now, I’m in charge of finding your children, but when this becomes a murder investigation, Showalter takes over. The Criminal Investigations Division decides when that happens, not me. I’ve held them off as long as I can, but I can’t do it anymore. You made sure of that with your little stunt this afternoon. Now, for God’s sake, tell me where Sean and Louise are.’

‘Jesus,’ Audra said. ‘How can you be so blind?’

‘Tomorrow morning, ten o’clock,’ Mitchell said. ‘Fourteen hours. That’s all you’ve got, Audra. After that, you’re in the hands of the state cops, the Department of Criminal Investigations. Then I won’t be here for you. You think this is tough? They will eat you alive.’

Audra straightened in the chair. ‘Have you questioned Whiteside?’

‘I’ve spoken with him, yes, but—’

‘Have you questioned him?’ Audra asked, her voice hardening. ‘As a suspect.’

Mitchell shook her head. ‘No, I haven’t.’

‘What about Collins?’

‘No.’

Audra looked her hard in the eye. ‘Then what good are you to me? I’d like you to leave now.’

She didn’t see Showalter move to her side, only felt his hand grip her hair and jerk her head back. She gasped and cried out at the pain. Her hands went to his fist, tried to pry his fingers away. He leaned in close and she smelt his cigarette breath, felt his spit on her skin as he spoke.