“Did she ever tell you why?”
“No, but it was like she was sad about something.”
Kozak nodded and Jake continued.
“So I think Mom was mad at me and Dad and wanted a divorce and she ran away from us.”
Jake lowered his head and cried.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Kozak said. “These things are always complicated. You’re very brave to help us.”
“You did a good job,” Carillo said.
Jake sniffed while staring at his feet.
“I want Mom to come home. I’ve been putting the seat down every time now. I just want her to come home.”
Seventeen
Buffalo, New York, Trailside Grove
Greg’s hands were clenched fists as he stared across his desk at Carillo and Kozak.
They’d closed the door before sitting down in his home office.
“Is my wife dead? Tell me right here and right now.”
“We don’t know,” Kozak said.
“You must know something. How the hell did her car get in Blueripple? No way she’d drive in there after a book club meeting. It makes no sense.”
“That’s what we’re investigating,” Kozak said, touching commands on her phone, setting it on his desk. Greg had agreed to allow them to record their conversation.
“You must’ve found something besides her car, something to tell you what or who or—”
Greg looked away at nothing while the investigators stared at him for several seconds, their faces blank.
“Greg,” Kozak said. “We can’t disclose if we found anything, or not. At this time, we haven’t located Jennifer, but we’re stepping up our search and our investigation.”
“We need your help with some questions,” Carillo said.
Jenn smiled at Greg from her picture on his desk, her disappearance like a sledgehammer, pounding the truth into his gut.
She’s gone. She’s gone. She’s gone.
He looked at the drawings for the Pine Castle job, the invoices, emails, and contract bids, all neatly organized on his desk. The importance of his work was melting in the heat of his torment, but he had to be careful.
“We understand you’re a contractor and Jennifer is an optometric assistant?” Kozak said.
“She works at Crystallo View Optical and I run Solid and Strong Contracting.”
“We have your statement from Trooper Menza, but let’s go over that night. After work at Pine Castle, you went to the Mulberry Bar in Depew with your crew?”
“Yes.”
“Now, after the bar, you got home about nine thirty, your wife was still at her book club. You went to bed, but when you woke up around one thirty, she wasn’t home. You searched for her alone until you called police about four hours later.”
“Yes.”
“Did Jennifer have any issues at work?” Carillo asked.
“No, nothing that I know of.”
“And how’s business going?” Carillo asked.
“Things are tight.”
“Are you facing a large debt load?”
“We’re handling things.”
“Would you say you’re facing some financial stress?”
“Yes, but I’m looking at options to help get us through—what’s this got to do with—”
“What about Jennifer? How’re things going for her?”
“Fine. No problems. That’s why this makes no sense.” He shook his head. “It’s—just so—damn—”
“Greg,” Kozak said. “We have no evidence to confirm she’s been hurt. At this point, she’s missing.”
“Under suspicious circumstances,” Carillo added. “So you must brace for anything.”
Greg shut his eyes for several seconds. When he opened them again, the detectives asked him to give them a timeline of his search leading up to the moment he called police. Again, Greg related the history of Jenn’s disappearance with Carillo and Kozak asking questions and taking notes.
“Do you know of anyone who might want to hurt her?” Kozak asked.
“No.”
“Is there anyone she doesn’t get along with? Any long-standing or recent feuds, or enemies?”
Greg shook his head.
“Everyone loves Jenn. She’s involved in everything—her book club, yoga class, parent-teacher stuff and committees at Jake’s school, neighborhood charities, the church... Everyone loves her.”
“Has she received any recent threats at home, at work, socially, any run-ins with anyone?” Kozak asked.
“No.”
“Any unusual phone calls, hang ups, wrong numbers?” Carillo asked.
“No.”
“Anyone lost, looking for directions?” Kozak added.
“No.”
“Any strangers coming to the door, door-to-door salespeople, or tradespeople recently in the house?” Carillo asked.
Greg thought then shook his head.
“No, no one that I know of. Wait, I think we had a cable service guy come a few weeks ago. Maybe last month.”
“Do you have the name?” Kozak said.
“I’ll look up the invoice and send it to you.”
“All right,” Kozak continued. “Does Jennifer have any medical conditions, or recent surgeries?”
“I already answered much of this for the trooper.”
“That was preliminary work. Bear with us.”
“No medical conditions, no surgeries.”
“Is she currently under a doctor’s care, for any physical or mental treatment?” Kozak asked. “Is she taking any doctor-prescribed medication?”
“No to all of that.”
“Has she been despondent lately? Has she been having suicidal thoughts, or is she seeing a therapist?”
Greg hesitated.
If he told them Jenn had been withdrawn, distant, they’d want to know why, and that was a door he couldn’t open.
“Greg?” Kozak said.
“No.”
“Does she have any addictions to any type of drugs?”