Hide (Detective D.D. Warren, #2)(68)

Sinkus turned ever so slightly in Mrs. Eola's direction, bringing her more fully into the open line of his body, the encouraging contact of his gaze. "It sounds like a very nice party, Mrs. Eola."

"Oh yes. Christopher had only been back home a few months from his travels. We wanted to do something special, both to mark his birthday and his homecoming. I invited his friends from school, many of our associates. It was a lovely evening."

"His travels, Mrs. Eola?"

"Oh well, he went abroad, of course. He'd taken time off after high school to see the world, sow a few wild oats. Boys. You can't expect them to settle down too quickly. They need to experience a few things first." She smiled weakly, as if she realized how frivolous it sounded now. She picked up more briskly "But he had returned around Christmas to start working on his college applications. Christopher had an interest in theater. But he didn't think he was quite that talented. He thought maybe he'd pursue a degree in psychology instead."

"After spending over a year on the road? Can you be more precise, Mrs. Eola? What countries did he visit, for how long?"

Mrs. Eola waved her hand in a fluttery, birdlike motion. "Oh, Europe. The usual sort of places. France, London, Vienna, Italy. He had an interest in Asia, but we didn't feel it was safe back then. You know"—she leaned forward to confide—"given the war and all."

Ah yes, the Vietnam conflict, which Christopher had conveniently managed to dodge. Conscientious objector, Daddy's money, his college aspirations? The possibilities were endless.

"Did he travel alone? Or with friends?" Sinkus asked now.

"Oh, a little of both." Another vague flutter of the hand.

Sinkus changed strategy. "Do you have any notes from that time? Maybe postcards Christopher sent you, even a line or two you might have entered in your diary—"

"Objection—" Barron started.

[page]"Not asking for the diary," Sinkus clarified hurriedly "Just want to get a more detailed picture of Christopher's global adventures. Dates, locations, people. When you get a chance."

Meaning it could provide a list of places where Christopher might have gone to hide after leaving Bridgewater in '78. Why hide out in a seedy hotel in the U.S. if you could run to Paris instead?

Mr. Eola grunted his consent. Sinkus moved on.

"So Christopher finished high school, did some traveling, then returned home to work on his college applications—"

"Target universities?" Bobby spoke up. He got a warning glance from Sinkus, but ignored the look. He had his reasons.

"Oh, the usual." Once again, Mrs. Eola was vague. "Harvard, Yale, Princeton. He wanted to stay on the East Coast, not go too far from home. Though, come to think of it, he also applied at MIT. Funny choice, that one. MIT for fine arts? Well, one never knew with Christopher."

Sinkus resumed the reins of the interview: "Was it nice to have him back?"

"Oh yes," Mrs. Eola gushed. Eola Sr. shot her a look. She clammed up.

"Look," Eola Sr. said impatiently. "I know what you're trying to ask. Why don't we just cut to the chase? We committed our son. We personally drove our only boy to a mental hospital. What kind of parents do such a thing?"

"All right, Mr. Eola. What kind of parents do such a thing?"

Eola Sr. had his chin up, his skin looking as if it had been stretched too thin over his skeletal face. "This account cannot leave this room."

For the first time, Sinkus faltered. "Now, Mr. Eola—"

"I mean it. Turn the recorder off right now, young man, or I won't say another word."

Sinkus darted a look at D.D. Slowly, she nodded. "Turn it off. Let's hear what Mr. Eola has to say."

Sinkus reached forward, snapped off the recorder. As if on cue, the legal secretary set down her pen and folded her hands in her lap.

"You have to understand," Mr. Eola started. "It wasn't entirely his fault. That girl, the Belgian. She ruined him. If we had understood the situation sooner, been quicker to act…"

"What situation, sir? How did you fail to act?" Sinkus's voice stayed patient, respectful. Eola was going to give them what they wanted. All in due time.

"An au pair. We hired her when Christopher was nine and Natalie three. We'd had a wonderful woman up until that point, but she left to start a family of her own. We returned to the same agency, and they recommended Gabrielle to us. Given our previous experience, we didn't think twice. Surely one well-trained au pair was as good as another.

"Gabrielle was younger than we had expected. Twenty-one, fresh out of school. She was a different personality—more festive, more…giggly." He made a face. Clearly, giggly was not a compliment. "Sometimes, I thought she was too informal with the children. But she was energetic, had a sense of adventure the children seemed to appreciate. Christopher, in particular, was smitten with her.

"When Christopher turned twelve, there was an incident at his school. He was slightly built for his age, more sensitively inclined. Some of the boys started to… take exception. They singled Christopher out. Started picking on him. One day, things went a little too far. Blows were exchanged. Christopher didn't come out on the winning side."

Eola Sr.'s lips twisted in distaste. Bobby couldn't decide if the man was appalled by the thought of violence or that his son had been incapable of dealing with it.