35
AUDRA WATCHED THE news report, her hand over her mouth.
The studio handed over to Rhonda Carlisle, Silver Water’s main street darkening behind her.
‘Another major development in Elder County this evening, following the earlier shocking statement given by Audra Kinney,’ Rhonda Carlisle said. ‘An anonymous source within the investigation into the whereabouts of Sean and Louise Kinney has leaked images of physical evidence taken from their mother’s car, which was stopped outside this small desert town forty-eight hours ago.’
The photographs of the stained T-shirt and torn jeans. Audra wanted to look away, but she couldn’t.
‘The source tells us these items were found hidden beneath the front passenger seat of Audra Kinney’s station wagon by a team from the FBI’s Phoenix field office. The source also tells us that traces of blood were found around the rear of the car, deepening the authorities’ fears for the children’s safety.’
Back to the studio, and the male anchor addressed the reporter.
‘Now, Rhonda, is it possible this leak is a direct response to the accusations against the Elder County Sheriff’s Department that Audra Kinney made earlier today?’
The reporter again, her expression stern.
‘It’s certainly a remarkable coincidence, Derek. Of course it’s only speculation, but a good guess might be that the investigation team wanted to undo the damage done by Audra Kinney’s statement. Given the find of bloodied children’s clothing, and what we know of this woman’s emotional and mental health problems, along with her issues with addiction, it doesn’t paint a very bright picture for her, or her son and daughter.
‘And the source has gone further and told us that with this physical evidence in hand, the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division has all it needs to arrest Audra Kinney for the suspected murder of her children. But, we’re told, the FBI’s Child Abduction Response Deployment team, who are heading up the search operation, have been holding the state police at bay in hopes of Mrs Kinney giving up the location of her children, dead or alive. According to the source, the authorities’ patience is at an end, and they are scheduled to execute a warrant for her arrest sometime in the next twenty-four hours. When that happens, this will officially no longer be a missing persons investigation: it will be a murder investigation.’
Audra switched off the television and said, ‘Whiteside leaked the photos. It had to be him.’
‘I told you he’d hit back,’ Danny said. An empty cup and a plate of cake crumbs sat on the floor beside his chair. ‘If they were going to arrest you today, they’d have done it by now. My guess is they’ll come for you in the morning. If we’re going to move against Collins, we have to do it tonight.’
‘We can’t,’ Audra said. ‘I can’t. I’m not …’
She looked at him, looked away again.
‘Like me?’
‘That’s not what I meant. I don’t even know you.’
Audra stood over the bed, looked once more at the map she’d borrowed from Mrs Gerber.
The landlady had balked when she saw Danny in the corner, demanded to know who this new intruder was, and how had he gotten inside? It had been all Audra could do to calm her down and reassure her that everything was fine.
After some persuasion, Mrs Gerber had fetched the map and pointed out the regions.
‘If I was going to hide two children,’ she’d said, ‘I wouldn’t do it in the low desert. I’d go north, where it’s cooler, up high into the forest.’ She had tapped the paper with her fingertip. ‘That there’s the Mogollon Rim. It climbs fast up into the Colorado Plateau. One minute it’s all prickly pears, next it’s juniper, then before you know it, you’re at seven thousand feet and it’s pine trees for miles and miles. Nothing but forest between there and Flagstaff. If I wanted to lose somebody, that’s where I’d do it.’
Audra looked at it now, the sheer expanse of it, and shook her head.
Danny came to her side. ‘Even if I sneak you out of here, where would you start to look? We need to get Collins. That’s the only way. You know I’m right.’
‘There’s another option,’ Audra said. ‘You talk to Mitchell.’
‘I’m not going over that again. I can’t—’
A knock on the door silenced him. He looked at Audra, and she at him.
‘Who is it?’ Audra called.
‘Special Agent Mitchell. Detective Showalter is with me. Audra, can we have a word?’
Audra went to the door, put her eye to the peephole, saw the distorted forms of Mitchell and Showalter waiting in the dimness of the hall.
‘Right now?’ she asked.
‘Yes, right now,’ Mitchell said, an edge to her voice.
Audra turned to Danny, pointed to the bathroom. He slipped inside, eased the door closed. Audra turned the key in the lock, pulled aside the chain, opened the door.
Mitchell and Showalter stepped through, without waiting to be asked.
‘I heard a voice,’ Mitchell said. ‘I thought maybe you had company.’
‘The TV,’ Audra said. ‘What do you want?’
Mitchell looked down at the map, still spread out on the bed. ‘Planning a trip?’
‘I was wondering where Whiteside and Collins would have taken my children.’
Showalter shook his head and rolled his eyes. Mitchell ignored him.
‘And did you come to any conclusions?’
‘North,’ Audra said. ‘Up into the forests. It’s cooler there, plenty of places to hide.’
Mitchell tilted her head. ‘Not east? Not back the way you came?’
Audra slumped down into the chair. ‘Please, I’m very tired. What did you come here for?’
‘To tell you that was a damn stupid thing you did earlier.’
‘I don’t care,’ Audra said. ‘I had to do something.’
Mitchell sat on the edge of the bed, leaned forward, her hands together. ‘You want to do something? Try telling me where your children are.’
Audra closed her eyes, leaned her head back. ‘Oh God, I can’t do this again. If that’s all you’ve got, then I’d rather you left.’
Mitchell stood, crossed the space between them, hunkered down in front of her. ‘Look, I came here so we could talk informally, off the record. No cameras, no notebooks. Give you one more chance before the state police take action.’
‘Take action?’
‘Audra, they don’t need a body to charge you with murder. The clothing we found in your car is enough. The only reason you haven’t been arrested for killing your children is because I wanted to give you a chance to tell the truth. To make things easier on yourself. Right now, I’m in charge of finding your children, but when this becomes a murder investigation, Showalter takes over. The Criminal Investigations Division decides when that happens, not me. I’ve held them off as long as I can, but I can’t do it anymore. You made sure of that with your little stunt this afternoon. Now, for God’s sake, tell me where Sean and Louise are.’
‘Jesus,’ Audra said. ‘How can you be so blind?’
‘Tomorrow morning, ten o’clock,’ Mitchell said. ‘Fourteen hours. That’s all you’ve got, Audra. After that, you’re in the hands of the state cops, the Department of Criminal Investigations. Then I won’t be here for you. You think this is tough? They will eat you alive.’
Audra straightened in the chair. ‘Have you questioned Whiteside?’
‘I’ve spoken with him, yes, but—’
‘Have you questioned him?’ Audra asked, her voice hardening. ‘As a suspect.’
Mitchell shook her head. ‘No, I haven’t.’
‘What about Collins?’
‘No.’
Audra looked her hard in the eye. ‘Then what good are you to me? I’d like you to leave now.’
She didn’t see Showalter move to her side, only felt his hand grip her hair and jerk her head back. She gasped and cried out at the pain. Her hands went to his fist, tried to pry his fingers away. He leaned in close and she smelt his cigarette breath, felt his spit on her skin as he spoke.
‘Now listen to me, you crazy bitch. If it was my choice, I’d beat it out of you. I still might. You got until morning to tell us what you did to your kids. After that, you’re all mine. And I don’t play nice.’
Mitchell got to her feet. ‘Detective Showalter, let her go.’
He leaned in closer, tugged at Audra’s hair. ‘Tomorrow morning. You hear me?’
‘Goddamn it, Showalter, stop.’
Audra cried out as he tightened his grip.
‘Take your hands off her,’ Danny Lee said.