My Wife Is Missing(11)
“I’d love that,” Audrey said, and it was clear she meant it, too.
“Great,” said Natalie, who was thinking about something else—or more specifically, someone else. Michael.
What Natalie had with Michael were her suspicions, and that wasn’t enough to blow up her family, her life. She needed more, concrete proof of his infidelity, before she’d take such drastic action. Thanks to this chance encounter, she might be able to get what she needed. Natalie knew she’d just done Audrey a big favor. Hopefully, Audrey would be willing to repay her kindness, and in doing so become what Natalie needed her to be.
Bait.
CHAPTER 6
MICHAEL
Michael got his wish, sort of. After viewing the video, Ouyang’s phone rang. She stepped out of the room to take a call, telling him it was from the station. She returned with news that her boss was coming to the hotel to speak with Michael directly, which to him meant they were taking his case more seriously.
“I have some more questions,” Ouyang said to Michael, “but I’m going to wait for Detective Kennett to get down here before asking them.”
To her credit, Ouyang seemed to welcome the help, didn’t seem at all annoyed by her supervisor’s imminent arrival, which came twenty minutes after ending her phone call with him.
Detective Sergeant Amos Kennett (that was how he introduced himself) had that grizzled look of a seasoned vet, weathered face, dark hair, and hooded eyes that seemed to carry the weight of his caseload, all of which pleased Michael who believed experience was needed here. He soon realized, however, that this perceived advantage worked against him too, for it appeared, judging solely by the look Kennett sent Michael’s way upon entering the back office, that he’d arrived already wary of the husband.
The detective greeted Michael with a tepid hello, which came out sounding more like “H’lo.” And while he did express his sympathies, Kennett never really warmed up, as if his dark goatee was there to prevent his mouth from forming a smile.
To Michael’s relief, Kennett eschewed small talk in favor for getting right down to it. He asked to watch the video of the security camera footage, and did so with his blue blazer off, revealing a shoulder holster and gun combo that served as reminders of Michael’s grave situation.
Kennett sat transfixed during the viewing, offering no commentary. After it was over, Michael let out a long, audible exhale, emotionally spent from seeing his family on video for a second time. His thoughts were muddled, but he gave himself some credit: he hadn’t broken down crying, even though that’s exactly what he wanted to do. When he glanced over at Kennett, he thought maybe he’d get a genuine show of support. Instead he read judgment in the detective sergeant’s piercing stare. By contrast, Ouyang, who had seemed quite harsh after she first saw the video, now appeared far softer and sympathetic. With the arrival of her boss, the roles were clearly defined. Ouyang would be the empathetic of the pair. Michael’s mind flashed on the old trope of good cop/bad cop, with Kennett being the latter.
“So, Mike,” Kennett said, with an expression that was equal parts curiosity and accusation. “Any reason why your wife appears to be running away from you? That’s what it looks like to you, too, right? Like she’s heading back out of town and didn’t bother to tell you where she was going, or why. So…” Kennett clapped his hands together like an audible exclamation mark. “Why do you think that is?”
Michael swallowed a gulp. He tried to keep his face muscles relaxed to hide his fear.
“Did you two have a fight?” Ouyang asked. “Are you under any extra stress at home? Financial problems, maybe an affair, anything like that?”
For a moment, Michael was left speechless. His guilty conscience took over as he thought back to the many times in recent months when he lost his temper. He never touched Natalie and the kids, but one incident from long ago in particular haunted him still. He knew he had frightened Natalie, revealing to her a darker side of himself that he normally could keep suppressed.
“No,” he said, with some bite in his voice. He didn’t enjoy being put on the defensive. “I told you already, she’s been dealing with insomnia. I don’t think she’s in her right mind. She shouldn’t be alone with the kids. This could be a dangerous situation for them.”
A fierce sense of foreboding sank into Michael’s bones. Nothing made sense.
Except it did, didn’t it? And if he was right, if his suspicions were confirmed, it involved the worst thing possible.
The truth.
“Look, Mike, there’s not much we can do here,” Kennett said matter-of-factly. “Last I checked, America is a free country and your wife can do as she pleases.”
“But she has my kids,” lamented Michael.
“Our kids, you mean,” Ouyang chimed in. “As in her kids, too. And in the eyes of the law, that’s kind of how it’s supposed to be.”
“You two don’t have a custody arrangement, do you?” Kennett asked.
Michael swiveled in his chair. Facing Kennett, he did his best to ignore the steady thump in his chest.
“We’re not divorced or separated,” he said. He didn’t mean to come off sounding irritated and snippy, but he wasn’t feeling particularly in control at that moment. “What I mean to say is we’re married. I told you that.”