The Last Thing She Ever Did(51)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

MISSING: SIX DAYS

Amanda Jenkins was sorority-girl pretty, an all-American beauty with the tone and frame of a young woman who loved sports and didn’t have to work out for the sake of doing so. She rented a modest though still expensive apartment above Bend’s Old Mill District. She lived in a second-floor unit with a half-dead Martha Washington geranium, a gift from her mother, next to the welcome mat. When she let Esther inside, she did so being very careful not to let Toby, her cat, snake her way between her legs and out the door. The cat tried that every chance she got.

“She’ll never come back once she gets out to the real world,” Amanda said, shutting the door behind her.

Esther loved cats but was desperately allergic. She wanted to pet Toby, who playfully rubbed against her ankles, but that wasn’t an option. Antihistamines made her drowsy.

“I’m glad you called,” the detective said.

“It feels right,” Amanda said. “Uncomfortable, but right.” The young woman found her way to her sofa and sank into its soft, mint-colored velour cushions. She wore faded blue jeans and a white cotton top. Her red hair was pulled back and hung behind her in a luxurious ponytail. She wore no makeup. Around her wrist was a charm bracelet that she’d later say had belonged to her grandmother. She was a young woman who grew up with a solid foundation. Doing the right thing wasn’t a stretch.

Even when she’d perhaps done something so very wrong.

Amanda cast her green eyes downward. “I don’t want to lose my job. I guess that’s my only concern. But I know that I will. You know, once I tell you what I know.”

Esther was skeptical about Amanda and David’s relationship. Was it purely professional? It was the elephant in the room, and—considering that a little boy’s life was at stake—there was no point in mincing words.

“Are you and David having an affair?” she asked.

Amanda bounced to the edge of the sofa. She didn’t stand up, but she nearly propelled herself to her feet. “No,” she said. “Never. Who told you that?”

“That’s not important, Amanda. You can tell me the truth.”

“I’m telling you the truth. I would never be involved with that man—and it’s not just because he’s married. He’s a complete ass. A jerk. He only cares about one thing and that’s his stupid restaurant.”

“Really, Amanda? Why call me to come over to tell me what a jerk he is? I think that’s pretty much the opinion of half of Bend.”

“And the other half hasn’t met him,” Amanda said.

“From where I sit, yes. Now, we’re in the middle of an investigation, and I need to know why you wanted to talk. If it isn’t about the affair, then what?”

“There is no affair,” she said. “At least not with me. I really don’t appreciate your tone, Detective. I’m trying to do right here.”

“Sorry,” Esther said. “Continue. Please.”

“I’m upset now,” Amanda said, running her fingertips on her charm bracelet like a silver rosary.

“I’m sorry,” Esther said, though she wasn’t. She backtracked, though, keeping her voice quiet and respectful. “Tell me what you think I need to know.”

Amanda waited a second, calming herself before unspooling a string of observations about her boss. Yes, she was pretty sure he was, in fact, having an affair, and she suspected he’d made a morning date with whoever he’d been seeing.

“He lied about meeting a supplier. He treats the suppliers like dirt, then kisses their asses if they bring him something special. He’s always pulling crap on them. Complaining about spoilage. Shorting them. Bad-mouthing them. The one thing he’d never do is miss an appointment with a mushroom or fish guy. That’s how he is. You know, it’s all about the restaurant. His story about where he was that morning was a complete lie. I’m sure of it.”

“So he is having an affair. What does that have to do with Charlie?”

“I don’t know. You should know about it. It was something else that I heard him say one time when I came in early and he was on the phone. Couple months ago. He was in his office and I was restocking the votive candles for the tables in the little alcove right outside. I could only hear one side of the conversation.”

“What did you hear?”

Amanda picked up Toby and proceeded to pet the cat, sending wisps of fur floating into the air. Esther was pretty sure she was going to have a hard time breathing later that day.

“He was talking to someone—I’m not sure who—but he said something about how Charlie had ruined everything.”

Esther kept her expression flat, but inside her a storm was building.

“What did he say specifically? Was he talking about his love life? His relationship with Carole?”

Amanda continued to pet Toby. More cat hair floated in the air. “He said something along the lines of ‘Before that brat was born, I could get whatever I wanted out of Carole.’ She was, in his words, his ‘personal ATM.’”

“Did he say that one time?” Esther asked. “In anger?”

“No,” she said, “he bitched about it all the time. When he wanted to get new linens and was short on cash, someone asked if he could get some money from his wife. Everyone knows she made a bundle at Google.”