The Stranger
Page 61
“I don’t know.”
Thomas didn’t push it. They stopped and picked up Ryan. Ryan slipped into the backseat and said, “Oh, gross, what’s that smell?”
“My lacrosse equipment,” Thomas said.
“Nasty.”
“Agreed,” Adam said, lowering the windows. “How was school?”
“Good,” Ryan said. Then: “Anything new on Mom?”
“Not yet.” He debated saying more and then decided that some of the truth might offer comfort. “But the good news is, the police are involved now.”
“What?”
“They’re going to look for Mom too.”
“The police,” Ryan said. “Why?”
Adam gave a half shrug. “It’s like Thomas said to me last night. This isn’t like her. So they’ll help us find her.”
The boys, he was certain, would have follow-up questions, but as the car pulled onto their street, Ryan said, “Hey, who’s that?”
Johanna Griffin sat on their front stoop. She stood as Adam turned into the driveway, smoothing out the institutional-green pantsuit. She smiled and waved like a neighbor who’d stopped by to borrow sugar. Adam pulled the car to a stop as Johanna, still smiling, strolled casually and unthreateningly toward them.
“Hey, guys,” she called out.
They all got out of the car. The boys looked wary.
“I’m Johanna,” she said, shaking the boys’ hands. Thomas and Ryan looked toward their father for answers.
“She’s a police officer,” he told them.
“Well, not officially when I’m here,” Johanna said. “In Beachwood, Ohio, I’m known as Chief Griffin. But here, well, I’m out of my jurisdiction, so I’m just Johanna. Nice to meet you guys.” She kept the smile up, but Adam knew it was just for show. The boys probably knew that too.
“Mind if I come in?” she asked Adam.
“Okay.”
Thomas opened the back of the car and pulled out his lacrosse bag. Ryan strapped on a backpack ridiculously overstuffed with textbooks. As they headed toward the door, Johanna lingered behind. Adam stayed with her. When the boys were out of earshot, he simply said, “Why are you here?”
“We found your wife’s car.”
Chapter 44
Adam and Johanna sat in the living room.
The boys were in the kitchen. Thomas had boiled up the water for pasta. Ryan microwaved a packet of frozen vegetables. It would hold them for now.
“So where did you find Corinne’s car?” Adam asked.
“First off, I have to come clean.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I meant what I said out there. I’m not a cop in New Jersey. Heck, I’m barely a cop back home. I don’t do homicides. The county does them. And even if I did, I’m way out of my jurisdiction here.”
“But they flew you out here to question me.”
“No, I came out on my own dime. I knew a guy from Bergen who called a guy from Essex, and they extended me a courtesy by picking you up and bringing you in.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because the county guys back home heard about it and they got pissed. So I’ve been officially taken off the case.”
“I’m not following. If this wasn’t your case, why did you come out here at all?”
“Because one of the victims was a friend of mine.”
Adam understood now. “That Heidi woman?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.”
“So where was Corinne’s car?”
“Nice change of subject,” she said.
“You came to tell me.”
“True.”
“So?”
“At an airport hotel in Newark.”
Adam made a face.
“What?”
“That makes no sense,” he said.
“Why not?”
Adam explained about the locator app on the iPhone showing Corinne in Pittsburgh.
“She could have flown somewhere and rented a car,” Johanna said.
“I’m not sure where you’d fly that you’d pick up a car and drive through Pittsburgh. And you said it was in a hotel parking lot?”
“Near the airport, right. We found it right before it got towed. I asked the tow company to deliver it back here, by the way. You should have it in an hour.”
“I don’t get something.”
“What?”
“If she was taking a flight, Corinne would have just parked in the airport lot. That’s what we always do.”
“Not if she didn’t want anyone to know where she was going. She might have figured that you’d look there.”
He shook his head. “I’d look for her car in an airport parking lot? That makes no sense.”
“Adam?”
“Yeah.”
“I know you have no reason to trust me. But let’s go off the record here for a second.”
“You’re a cop, not a reporter. You don’t go off the record.”
“Just listen to me, okay? Two women are dead. I won’t go into how special Heidi was but . . . look, you need to come clean now. You need to tell me everything you know.” She met his gaze and held it. “I promise you. I promise you on the soul of my dead friend that I won’t use anything you say against you or your wife. I want justice for Heidi. That’s all. Do you understand?”
Adam could feel himself squirming in his seat. “They can compel you to testify.”
“They can try.” She leaned forward. “Please help me.”
He thought about it but not for long. There was no choice now. She was right. Two women were dead, and Corinne could be in serious trouble. He had no solid leads anymore, just an uneasy feeling about Gabrielle Dunbar.
“First,” he said, “tell me what you know.”
“I told you most of it.”
“Tell me about how Ingrid Prisby is connected to your friend.”
“Simple,” Johanna said. “Ingrid and that guy showed up at a Red Lobster. They talked. The next day, Heidi was dead. A day after that, Ingrid was dead.”
“Do you suspect the guy Ingrid was with?”
“I certainly think he can help us figure this out,” Johanna said. “I assume they talked to you too, right? At that American Legion Hall.”
“The guy did, yes.”
“Did he tell you his name?”
Adam shook his head. “He just said he was the stranger.”
Thomas didn’t push it. They stopped and picked up Ryan. Ryan slipped into the backseat and said, “Oh, gross, what’s that smell?”
“My lacrosse equipment,” Thomas said.
“Nasty.”
“Agreed,” Adam said, lowering the windows. “How was school?”
“Good,” Ryan said. Then: “Anything new on Mom?”
“Not yet.” He debated saying more and then decided that some of the truth might offer comfort. “But the good news is, the police are involved now.”
“What?”
“They’re going to look for Mom too.”
“The police,” Ryan said. “Why?”
Adam gave a half shrug. “It’s like Thomas said to me last night. This isn’t like her. So they’ll help us find her.”
The boys, he was certain, would have follow-up questions, but as the car pulled onto their street, Ryan said, “Hey, who’s that?”
Johanna Griffin sat on their front stoop. She stood as Adam turned into the driveway, smoothing out the institutional-green pantsuit. She smiled and waved like a neighbor who’d stopped by to borrow sugar. Adam pulled the car to a stop as Johanna, still smiling, strolled casually and unthreateningly toward them.
“Hey, guys,” she called out.
They all got out of the car. The boys looked wary.
“I’m Johanna,” she said, shaking the boys’ hands. Thomas and Ryan looked toward their father for answers.
“She’s a police officer,” he told them.
“Well, not officially when I’m here,” Johanna said. “In Beachwood, Ohio, I’m known as Chief Griffin. But here, well, I’m out of my jurisdiction, so I’m just Johanna. Nice to meet you guys.” She kept the smile up, but Adam knew it was just for show. The boys probably knew that too.
“Mind if I come in?” she asked Adam.
“Okay.”
Thomas opened the back of the car and pulled out his lacrosse bag. Ryan strapped on a backpack ridiculously overstuffed with textbooks. As they headed toward the door, Johanna lingered behind. Adam stayed with her. When the boys were out of earshot, he simply said, “Why are you here?”
“We found your wife’s car.”
Chapter 44
Adam and Johanna sat in the living room.
The boys were in the kitchen. Thomas had boiled up the water for pasta. Ryan microwaved a packet of frozen vegetables. It would hold them for now.
“So where did you find Corinne’s car?” Adam asked.
“First off, I have to come clean.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I meant what I said out there. I’m not a cop in New Jersey. Heck, I’m barely a cop back home. I don’t do homicides. The county does them. And even if I did, I’m way out of my jurisdiction here.”
“But they flew you out here to question me.”
“No, I came out on my own dime. I knew a guy from Bergen who called a guy from Essex, and they extended me a courtesy by picking you up and bringing you in.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because the county guys back home heard about it and they got pissed. So I’ve been officially taken off the case.”
“I’m not following. If this wasn’t your case, why did you come out here at all?”
“Because one of the victims was a friend of mine.”
Adam understood now. “That Heidi woman?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.”
“So where was Corinne’s car?”
“Nice change of subject,” she said.
“You came to tell me.”
“True.”
“So?”
“At an airport hotel in Newark.”
Adam made a face.
“What?”
“That makes no sense,” he said.
“Why not?”
Adam explained about the locator app on the iPhone showing Corinne in Pittsburgh.
“She could have flown somewhere and rented a car,” Johanna said.
“I’m not sure where you’d fly that you’d pick up a car and drive through Pittsburgh. And you said it was in a hotel parking lot?”
“Near the airport, right. We found it right before it got towed. I asked the tow company to deliver it back here, by the way. You should have it in an hour.”
“I don’t get something.”
“What?”
“If she was taking a flight, Corinne would have just parked in the airport lot. That’s what we always do.”
“Not if she didn’t want anyone to know where she was going. She might have figured that you’d look there.”
He shook his head. “I’d look for her car in an airport parking lot? That makes no sense.”
“Adam?”
“Yeah.”
“I know you have no reason to trust me. But let’s go off the record here for a second.”
“You’re a cop, not a reporter. You don’t go off the record.”
“Just listen to me, okay? Two women are dead. I won’t go into how special Heidi was but . . . look, you need to come clean now. You need to tell me everything you know.” She met his gaze and held it. “I promise you. I promise you on the soul of my dead friend that I won’t use anything you say against you or your wife. I want justice for Heidi. That’s all. Do you understand?”
Adam could feel himself squirming in his seat. “They can compel you to testify.”
“They can try.” She leaned forward. “Please help me.”
He thought about it but not for long. There was no choice now. She was right. Two women were dead, and Corinne could be in serious trouble. He had no solid leads anymore, just an uneasy feeling about Gabrielle Dunbar.
“First,” he said, “tell me what you know.”
“I told you most of it.”
“Tell me about how Ingrid Prisby is connected to your friend.”
“Simple,” Johanna said. “Ingrid and that guy showed up at a Red Lobster. They talked. The next day, Heidi was dead. A day after that, Ingrid was dead.”
“Do you suspect the guy Ingrid was with?”
“I certainly think he can help us figure this out,” Johanna said. “I assume they talked to you too, right? At that American Legion Hall.”
“The guy did, yes.”
“Did he tell you his name?”
Adam shook his head. “He just said he was the stranger.”
