She Who Watches (12 page)

“I will. I don't want you to worry about it. Just wanted you to know why I've been a little short-tempered lately.”

“Thanks for letting me know. You'll tell me if anything else happens, right?”

“Of course.” Her dimples deepened as she flashed a dazzling smile at him.

He focused on his hamburger. He wanted to ask Dana about a number of things—like why she'd called Agent Lauden “Jimmy” and if there was something going on between her and Russ, but he thought better of it.

“Is everything OK between you and Kristen?” Dana asked.

He didn't want to talk about Kristen anymore and had no idea what the woman was thinking. “I don't know. Why do you ask?”

“I keep thinking about how distant she seemed today.”

“As far as I know, we're still seeing each other. What about you?”

She ducked her head and speared some greens. “The only guys I seem to attract are cops and jerks.”

“Are you saying one is synonymous with the other?”

She chuckled. “Maybe I just need to get out more. Or lower my standards.”

“You could give up on your determination not to date a cop.”

“Actually, I almost did. Jim Lauden asked me out, and we met for coffee. He's nice.”

“But?”

She pushed her half-empty plate to the center of the table. Resting her arms on the table, she said, “Mac, if I were going to date a cop, you'd be the first in line. But I'm not, so. . . .” She leaned back.

“Do you have any normal single friends?”

“What happened to the attorney you told me about?”

She shrugged. “He's OK. Just . . . no sparks. Actually, that's not entirely true. I had to break several dates. Haven't heard from him in a while, so I figure he's given up on me.”

Mac thought about Kristen and how she'd asked him if he was really over Dana. He hadn't been able to answer and still couldn't. If Dana asked, he'd be there for her. So what did that say about him?

He really needed to get past the Dana thing if he ever expected to move on in his relationship with Kristen. On the other hand, did he really want to pursue his relationship with Kristen? She apparently had issues with her ex-husband. Mac finished his fries and crumpled the napkin a little harder than he needed to.

THEY ARRIVED AT THE WATSON HOME at nearly three in the afternoon after visiting the lab and getting the photos. Dana pulled the black-and-white photo Kristen had taken at the post out of the envelope and placed it in her briefcase in a manila folder. This was the one they'd show Scott Watson for identification. She slid the rest of the photos into a separate envelope.

“Think we should've called first?” Dana asked.

“No. These things are better done this way. Kevin taught me to study the reaction to a death notification, but not to put too much into the response. Everyone reacts differently.”

Dana pulled into the circular drive and checked out with dispatch before she and Mac made their way up to the front door. Mac rang the doorbell, peering through the partial glass door. Scott Watson, looking leaner than he had a few weeks ago, met them at the door. He was barefoot and dressed in jeans and a stained T-shirt. His dark hair was matted on one side, looking like he may have been taking a nap before they'd arrived. He leaned against the doorjamb. On their first visit, he'd been clean shaven and wearing a suit. Of course, this was Saturday.

“Can I help you?” Scott looked like he'd fall over if forced to stand on his own.

Mac and Dana held up their badge wallets. “We're with the State Police.” Mac answered. “I'm Detective McAllister, and this is Detective Bennett. You may not remember us, Mr.Watson, but we met a few weeks ago, the day Sara disappeared.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember you now. Is this about Sara?” He made no move to allow them entry.

“I'm afraid so, Mr. Watson. Is it OK if we come in and speak with you?” Mac asked.

Scott rubbed the back of his neck. “Did you find her? Is she OK?”

Mac wondered if Scott had read the morning paper or seen the news. “We'd like to come inside and talk, if that's OK.” Mac glanced over at the neighbor's home. He really didn't want to deliver a death message on the front porch.

“Sure.” Scott opened the door all the way and backed up. “Come on in.”

They followed Scott into the living room, more than a little concerned about his demeanor. Scott flopped on the couch, bent forward and elbows resting on his knees. “What's going on?”

“We've been working on your wife's disappearance with the FBI.”

“I know.” Scott sat motionless, his gaze shifting from Mac to Dana. “Did you find her?” Tears seeped into his eyes. As so often happened, Scott knew what they had come to tell him. Still, it didn't make the telling or the receiving any easier.

Mac nodded. “I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but we've recovered an adult female body on the east side of Mount Hood and have reason to believe it may be Sara.”

Scott's shoulders sagged. He started to stand but then sat back down and shook his head. “You're sure it's Sara? I mean, how do you know?”

“Well, sir,” Mac answered, “we have a visual likeness and several distinguishing marks and scars that are consistent with Sara's. We have a black-and-white photograph we'd like you to take a look at and verify that it's your wife.” Dana pulled the eight-by-ten from her briefcase. “This can be pretty rough. Is there anyone home that you'd like to come sit with you? We could call a friend if you want.”

He shook his head. “Chloe's upstairs sleeping, and Claire should be back from the mall pretty soon. Claire is Sara's cousin; I think you met her the day Sara disappeared. Anyway, she's staying here for a while to help me with Chloe. I'd rather just take a look and get it over with.” Scott held out a trembling hand.

Dana glanced at the black-and-white picture. Sara had been so beautiful in life, and now. . . . The face was fairly intact, the eyes wrinkled and sunken, her hair wet and combed straight back. The black-and-white film softened the cadaver image and lessened the impact of the gray-tinted skin. Kristen had combed back her hair with water after cleaning her up. If not for the barely visible striations apparent at the post, Sara almost looked as though she was resting after a shower.

Dana walked around to sit next to Scott and held up the photo for him to see.

He glanced at it for a moment and then looked away. “That's her.” He covered his eyes and leaned forward.

Dana settled a hand on his shoulder. “I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Watson.”

Mac teared in empathy at the man's response. He swallowed hard and blew a puff of air into his eyes to dry them—a self-taught trick he'd used countless times to maintain his composure at times like this. Mac wasn't much for tears, but he never got used to other people's suffering and at times found their crying contagious.

“Are you sure we can't call someone?” Mac asked.

“I'm OK,” Scott looked at the picture again. “I'll have to let her aunt and uncle know.” Looking up at them, he said, “Please, before you go. It was supposed to be a kidnapping, and now. . . . How did this happen?”

At that moment, Claire came in, talking with Allysa about spending the night with her grandparents. She stopped when she saw Mac and Dana. Then turning to her daughter, said, “Allysa— why don't you run upstairs and check on Chloe, okay?” She waited until Allysa was out of sight before acknowledging them.

“You . . . you're the detectives who were here when Sara first disappeared.”

Her gaze slipped from the detectives to Scott and to the photo. She dropped the bags she'd brought in and covered her mouth. “It was Sara? The body you found last night?”

Dana hurried to Claire's side. “Why don't you come in and sit down.” Claire glanced at the bags and then let Dana lead her into the living room. “We were just about to tell Scott about our findings,” Dana told her.

Claire dropped to the sofa next to Scott, her arms going around him, his around her.

Dana searched for and found a box of tissues for them.

Interesting,
Mac thought. The husband and cousin seemed pretty close. Something he intended to find out about. They waited for a few minutes while Claire and Scott pulled themselves together, then Mac and Dana spent the better part of an hour attempting to answer their questions without giving away investigative leads.

They both knew they would have to eliminate Scott as a suspect, and possibly the cousin, but they wanted to be sensitive to their grief right now. Once the questions had been answered, Mac and Dana sat through several heart-wrenching phone calls to friends and family members, while Scott broke the news to them one by one and Claire busied herself in the kitchen preparing dinner.

Mac made a mental note of who Scott was calling, as these were people they might want to interview at a later date. Mac also kept a watchful eye on Scott, noting his reactions and facial expressions. He'd called Anne, the senator's wife; his parents; Jackie, his secretary; and a family friend. Mac recognized the names from the list he'd compiled that first day.

They had no real leads at this point, only speculation. They would let the family grieve for a couple of days before delving into the details of Scott's and Sara's lives.

Mac wasn't looking forward to that. They would have to ask uncomfortable questions about her work and home life, in addition to any other issues that may be known or unknown to her husband. These investigations too often revealed awkward practices by suspects or the deceased, which could hinder or obscure the investigation. Mac knew firsthand how people could obstruct key evidence if it might embarrass them or put them in a poor light.

He'd worked a death investigation in a rest area once where homosexual men frequented the area at night. The victim, found strangled wearing women's underwear and a dog collar, was an upstanding member of the community with a wife and children. It took Mac months to locate witnesses and discover that the death was an accident. The delays came only because the other men at the scene were businessmen with families, and many were not openly gay. The risk of embarrassment was too much for them, and the case almost went unsolved.

Anne Wilde, the senator's wife, arrived just as Mac and Dana were about to leave. Scott's secretary pulled up right behind her, and then came Scott's mother, who introduced herself as Judith Watson. The women were all crying, and Mac couldn't imagine having to deal with the four of them at once. Mrs.Watson joined Scott on the couch. With one hand she fumbled with a tissue, trying to stop the flow of tears; the other hand lightly massaged Scott's shoulder.None of the women seemed shocked at the news, though they, like Scott, had questions.

“How long has she been dead?” Judith asked. She must have been around sixty, stocky, with reddish hair. She wore no makeup and had on slacks with a loose short-sleeved shirt and sandals.

“We suspect she was killed around the time she disappeared,” Dana answered.

“The senator and I saw on the news that a body had been found,”Anne Wilde said. Her silver hair was pulled back in a severe chignon. She wore a gray pantsuit with a fuchsia blouse. “My first thought was that it might be Sara. When we heard the location, we felt sure of it.”

“Why is that?” Mac asked.

“Well, there had been some talk about the Warm Springs casino—that one of them may have kidnapped her. That's the first place I'd look.”

“We'll do that.” Mac wondered how she'd come by that information and made a note to talk to the senator's wife later. Of course, there had been reference to the casino in the news. Maybe there was more to it than what the feds had told them.

Anne excused herself to go into the kitchen to make coffee for the others.

“I can't imagine anyone killing Sara.” Jackie sat on the edge of her chair, her hands tightly clasped. The secretary seemed more a family friend than an employee, but he'd noticed that during their earlier visit. She was a brunette with wide blue eyes, attractive. As Mac recalled, she'd blamed herself for not alerting Scott to Sara's initial phone call after the robbery. If her facial expression had any merit, the guilt feelings were still there, only magnified now that Sara was dead.

Mac and Dana excused themselves, agreeing to call on Monday to set an interview time with Scott and Claire. They both left business cards in the event Scott had any questions for them over the weekend.

They sat in the car for a while to gather their thoughts and share impressions.

“His grief seemed genuine, don't you think?” Dana asked.

“Yeah,” Mac had to agree. “Either that, or he's a darn good actor.”

“I'm glad Scott has family with him. I have no doubt they'll take good care of him.”

Mac nodded. “I wonder how long the cousin has been staying there.”

Dana shrugged. “You caught that too? She and Scott seemed a little too intimate for my blood.”

“Yeah. The wife is kidnapped, and the cousin moves in. You gotta wonder if something wasn't going on before Sara disappeared. Maybe the two of them decided to eliminate the third part of the triangle.”

“I don't know, Mac. The information we got before indicated that Sara and Claire were like sisters. Maybe she felt obligated.”

“I'd be interested in Lauden's and Miller's take on it.”

Mac left a message for agent Miller with the FBI to confirm the identity of the body and hopefully set up a meet time for Monday. He would have liked to talk to the FBI agents immediately, but that wasn't going to happen. He also called Kristen's office, hoping she'd had time to officially attach a name to the body. She had.

Mac was turning down the police radio on the way back to the office so he could speak on the phone with their agency public information officer, or PIO, as they referred to them. “What's going on here?” Mac slapped the phone shut. “The PIO had to get off the phone. His pager was going nuts.”