jumped to conclusions,’ said Erica. ‘Because of the whole working late thing – it’s a cliché, I know … but …’ She shrugged. ‘To be honest, it’s probably just me being paranoid.’
‘And from your text, you say he denied it.’
‘Yes,’ said Erica.
‘But, you write “Hmm” …’
‘I was tipsy,’ said Erica. She shrugged. ‘If you’re asking me right now? I do believe him. Of course I do. I get a little dramatic. He’s right. He’s got a lot of work on. Making him sound like he’s sneaking around behind my back sounds terrible right now.’
You bet.
‘What was your husband’s demeanor when he returned from checking on the kids?’ said Ren.
Erica frowned. ‘Fine – why?’
‘Was there anything in his behavior that caused you concern?’ said Ren.
‘No – not at all.’
‘What did he say?’ said Ren.
‘He said that the kids were sleeping, and that the sitter was watching television. Are you putting out an Amber Alert?’
‘We’re not in a position to do that,’ said Ren, ‘we don’t have enough information to release. We don’t know what happened to Laurie. We don’t have a description of an abductor, we don’t have a vehicle description—’
‘But you have a photo of Laurie!’ said Erica. ‘Taken tonight! And I’m sure you have a photo of the sitter. She could be the … perpetrator here …’
‘We have already released their photos,’ said Ren. ‘Their images will be displayed around Breckenridge, they’ll be on local news, in the newspapers first thing.’
‘But … Amber Alerts, they’re on the highway signs, right?’
‘Yes, but without a vehicle description, drivers won’t know what to look out for,’ said Ren.
‘What about at a rest stop? Someone might see them. Didn’t a guy in California rescue a little girl when he saw her in a pickup? That was an Amber Alert.’
‘There were witnesses to that kidnapping,’ said Ren. ‘The police had a description of the vehicle, and there was surveillance footage of the vehicle shown on television, along with the girl’s photo.’
‘Don’t you have surveillance footage here?’ said Erica.
‘Most of the cameras were not operational at the hotel,’ said Ren.
‘I don’t believe it,’ said Erica. ‘So, you’re telling me you have nothing.’
‘For an Amber Alert, we have to know that an abduction has occurred—’
‘What do you think this is, Adventures in Babysitting?’ said Erica. ‘That they’re out on the town somewhere having fun?’
‘No,’ said Ren. ‘But we are limited by the amount of information we have to release.’
‘I can’t believe this, I can’t believe any of this—’
‘I know this is difficult,’ said Ren. ‘Just a few more questions.’
Erica nodded.
‘Have there been any changes in Laurie’s behavior over the last little while?’ said Ren.
‘No,’ said Erica.
‘Have a think about that,’ said Ren.
‘I’m telling you straight off, because I know. We have Laurie Saturday during the day, every second weekend. I don’t know what happens the rest of the time, but she’s been the same as she always is. Oh … tonight, she had a pain in her stomach, that was all, but she was fine shortly afterward. We got out of the SUV, and she kind of got a sharp pain, she was bent double with it, but by the time we were checking in, she said it was gone. And she didn’t look ill: no fever, rosy cheeks, and she was running around after Leo.’
‘So, this weekend … you were picking her up from the Merritts’ house?’
‘Yes – on Saturday afternoon, it was about four o’clock. We told Laurie about Breck when we got there – it was a surprise. Obviously, we had run it by Cathy and Dale. So we headed for Breck, but then Laurie asked us could we go back so she could pick up her new ski jacket. We hadn’t the heart to say no. Leo had spilled his drink all over himself, so it suited us to have the chance to get him cleaned up.’
‘What time was that at?’ said Ren.
‘It was five by the time we left again,’ said Erica.
‘Who was there when you went to the house?’ said Ren.
‘The second time? Just Joshua – that’s Dale Merritt’s son.’
‘Did you spend long there?’ said Ren.
‘Not long,’ said Erica. ‘I don’t know. Laurie ran up to her room to grab her jacket. I went in after her to find somewhere to change Leo’s clothes and then we left.’
‘Did Mark go inside with you?’ said Ren.
‘Yes, he came to help with Leo.’
‘How does Laurie get along with her stepbrother?’ said Ren.
‘He’s a teenage boy, she’s an eleven-year-old girl … you can imagine.’
Ren nodded. ‘With three big brothers, I sure can. Could you elaborate a little?’
‘Laurie bugs Joshua, he bugs her, but they get along just fine. You’ll hear about them bickering one minute, then Laurie’ll say that they were having fun playing Shaun White Snowboarding on Xbox or whatever. So it’s up and down. Nothing unusual, as far as I can make out.’
‘What kind of kid is Joshua?’ said Ren.
‘I don’t know him very well,’ said Erica, ‘but … he seems like a nice kid. His mom died when he was five years old. He had his father to himself for quite a few years, and then Cathy and Laurie came along. It took him a while to adjust. He’s sixteen years old, it’s not an easy age …’
‘And how would you describe your husband’s relationship with Dale Merritt?’ said Ren.
‘Good, actually. There’s no tension there. He’s a very nice man, and he’s very good to Laurie.’
‘We’ll be going through Laurie’s cell phone records,’ said Ren. ‘Does she use it a lot?’
‘Not really, she’s still a little young, I think …’
‘Is she ever secretive about who she’s calling or texting?’ said Ren.
‘She isn’t allowed to be,’ said Erica. ‘Cathy and Dale got her the phone and they explained to her very clearly that the only reason she has it is so that her parents can be in contact with her at all times, and that we all know she’s safe. I know that Cathy told her about the rapist that’s out there, so Laurie was aware that she had to stay safe, and that we would be worried if we didn’t hear from her.’
‘Mrs Whaley – what happened back there with Cathy Merritt?’ said Ren.
‘I know that didn’t look good,’ said Erica, ‘and you’re probably thinking all kinds of things about Mark … but it’s just not how it seemed. I think that was a rant from somewhere in Cathy’s past. I met Mark when he was in recovery. I guess I see him how Cathy did when she first met him. He’s a wonderful guy. So I understand, to a point, how she could be so bitter that he left. I think she’s still hurt. She sees it that he cleaned up his act for me, even though he was doing it for himself. Mark’s been through a lot. Yes, he was an alcoholic, but he’s in recovery – he’s