“That would be great,” A.L. said. It had now been more than twenty-four hours since he’d slept.
Elaine led them into her kitchen and they took a seat at the table while she started a pot of coffee. Once she’d sat down, A.L. wasn’t sure how to start. Leah and Elaine had some bad history. Were he and Rena going to open new wounds?
“Going to the casino this morning?” he asked, for lack of something to say.
Elaine smiled. “Interestingly enough, I’ve sort of lost my interest in gambling. Every time I think about going I think about dropping Emma off at the day care. Was I distracted because I was excited about the gambling? Was I more interested in that than the safety of my own grandchild? You know, Leah is taking medication just to get through the day and then again at night, to sleep. I’ve caused my daughter so much pain. When does it end?”
Her spirit truly seemed broken. “I spoke to your boss at work, Elaine. He said that there’s been some mistakes in your work lately. Mistakes that might have been costly to the company.”
“I’m aware of them. I don’t think Milo has to worry about that anymore.”
“Why do you say that?”
“No reason,” she said.
A.L. took a breath. “I think the reason you say that is that you know that it was Leah who modified some of the files on your computer.”
“None of that matters now,” Elaine said.
“How long have you known?” Rena asked.
“For several weeks.”
“That must have made you pretty angry?”
She shrugged. “Angry. Sad. It’s taken me some years to realize that Leah has more pain from her childhood than I ever imagined. I regret that because it is largely my doing. Our sins really do catch up with us.”
* * *
“‘Our sins really do catch up with us,’” Rena repeated as they drove away from Elaine’s house. “Once this is over, Elaine and Leah have a lot to talk about.”
A.L. pointed at the time on his dashboard clock. It was 7:14. “Five days,” he said. “Five long days.”
“Missing people have been found months, sometimes years, after the event. You can’t give up hope until...well, until you find a body,” Rena said.
“Tell that to the Antler family,” A.L. said. “Listen, we both better grab a few hours of sleep. I’m probably a danger on the road right now.”
“Okay,” Rena said. Her cell buzzed. She read the screen. “We’re not going home,” she said. “The tail on Kara Wiese has something. They were in place for less than fifteen minutes when Kara left her house this morning.”
“She went to work,” A.L. said. “She starts at 6:30.”
“Yeah, she ultimately went to work. But first she drove to a park on the south side of town.”
“To jog?” A.L. said.
“To meet a man. They want us to see the video.”
* * *
A.L. and Rena went straight to the conference room where two FBI agents and Chief Faster were already seated. There was a laptop in front of Faster and they had a big screen pulled down at the far end of the room. “We’ve watched it once,” Faster said. “But don’t recognize the man.” He pushed a button on the keyboard and the screen lit up.
It was definitely Kara Wiese. The tail had started filming when Kara stopped her car near the park entrance. There was only one other car in the lot. She didn’t walk toward it. However, she went to sit on a bench. But she wasn’t sitting quietly. She was looking around, as if waiting for someone.
And four minutes later, a man walked into view. A.L. sat up a little straighter in his chair.
He watched as the man sat next to her. Then as he put his arms around her and kissed her. Not a nice to see you again kiss but more of a I might consume you whole kind of thing.
“What?” Rena asked, looking at him.
He looked around the room. “Allow me the pleasure of introducing you to Steven Hanzel.”
Twenty-Three
They debated whether to pick up Kara Wiese for questioning first, or Steven Hanzel. In the end, A.L. convinced them to start with Hanzel. “He’s going to crack first.”
What they expected him to “crack” about was yet to be determined. But the fact that Kara Wiese had lied about the relationship and that both she and Steven Hanzel were significant players in Emma’s disappearance was enough.
They’d watched Steven and Kara talk for several minutes, kiss a few more times, and finally part, each taking off in separate vehicles. The tail on Kara had continued and ended when she arrived at the Lakeside Learning Center.
“Hanzel was dressed for work,” he said. The man’s suit had been all neat and tidy. “I’m betting we find him there.” In his notes, he found the telephone number for Tamara Federer. He dialed. When she answered, he didn’t waste any time.
“This is Detective McKittridge. I am calling because my partner and I are going to want to have a discussion with Steven Hanzel. Can you verify for me if he’s at work?”
“Hold for just a moment, Detective.”
She was back within thirty seconds. “He’s here. I’ll reserve the first floor conference room for your use. If you’re coming now, the front door won’t be open yet. However, we have a guard posted and I’ll give him your names and authorize entry. Once inside, any discretion you can use when you’re in the bank around other employees would be appreciated.”
He got it. She didn’t want a scene. “Will do. Thanks.”
A.L. ended the call and pushed back his chair. “You drive,” he said to Rena. “I’ve got one more call to make.”
* * *
When they arrived at the bank, they saw the security guard at the front door. They showed badges and he said that he’d been expecting them. He didn’t ask why they were there; he just opened the door and looked the other way.
They walked through the lobby, past the empty teller windows, and back toward the area where the loan officers called home. A couple desks were empty but there were five people already working. Steven Hanzel was one of them. They approached from an angle that allowed A.L. to see that Hanzel was reading the sports page on his computer.
“Good morning, Mr. Hanzel,” A.L. said. “Not sure if you remember me. I’m Detective McKittridge and this is my partner, Detective Morgan.”
Steven minimized his screen. “Of course, what can I do for you, Detectives?”