Chapter 3 - The Blue Folder
I didn't run toward the parking lot.
Every instinct told me to.
But Wren was sitting on that couch waiting to see whether I would disappear into another problem without her.
I'd spent enough years letting duty pull me away from my daughter.
I wasn't doing it again.
"Delma, stay with her."
"Absolutely."
I knelt in front of Wren.
"Two police officers are here. I'm going to speak to them right outside the door."
"Is Hollis coming back?"
"Not in here."
"Promise?"
"I promise I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."
She considered that.
Then she reached into the flower basket.
There were still a few white petals at the bottom.
She gave me one.
"For luck."
I closed my fingers around it.
"Thank you."
The deputies stood in the hallway with Andrew Bell.
Deputy Elena Ruiz was in her forties, compact and observant.
Her partner, Deputy Carter Wells, was younger, with a notebook already open.
I explained the sequence of events.
Ruiz listened without interruption.
When I finished, she asked, "Where is the child now?"
"With her aunt in that room."
"Has anyone documented the mark on her neck?"
"Not yet."
"We can arrange for a photograph, with your permission, and make sure she's medically assessed if necessary."
I nodded.
"I'd also like someone trained to interview children to speak with her."
Ruiz looked at me.
"That's a good idea. We want to minimize the number of times she has to repeat this."
Andrew cleared his throat.
"The hallway cameras cover the laundry room entrance. I've asked our security supervisor to retain the footage."
"Thank you," Ruiz said. "Please give us the appropriate contact information."
Then I asked about Hollis.
Wells looked toward the front entrance.
"We haven't spoken to him yet."
"He's trying to leave."
Ruiz nodded.
"We'll locate him and ask for his account."
I handed her my phone.
She read his messages.
Her expression didn't change, but she photographed the screen and noted the times.
"And the necklace?" she asked.
"My late husband's military identification tags. Hollis took them from my daughter's neck."
"Has he returned them?"
"No."
"Do you have reason to believe he still has them?"
"Yes."
She wrote that down.
I also showed her the trust document.
Ruiz read it carefully.
"This might be a separate financial matter."
"My attorney thinks so."
"Then preserve it. We'll document where it came from."
I nodded.
What mattered most was that Wren's story was being heard.
Not argued about.
Not dismissed as a misunderstanding.
Heard.
A commotion rose from the front of the lodge.
I looked toward the sound.
Hollis was standing by the entrance with his mother.
Patricia held the blue folder against her chest.
Delma's husband, Thomas, stood several feet away.
He wasn't touching either of them.
He was simply watching.
Ruiz walked toward the group.
"Mr. Garrity?"
Hollis turned.
Relief washed across his face.
"Officer. Thank goodness."
He pointed toward the hallway.
"My fiancée is having some kind of breakdown."
I stopped behind Ruiz.
Hollis saw me.
His expression tightened.
"She's been under a tremendous amount of stress. Her husband died several years ago, and she's never really dealt with it."
Ruiz looked at him.
"We're here regarding a report involving a child who was confined in a locked room."
Hollis spread his hands.
"That's been completely exaggerated."
"Then we'd like to hear your explanation."
"Of course."
He smiled.
"I'm happy to cooperate."
Patricia clutched the folder.
"We don't need all this police business. The wedding is ruined already."
Ruiz glanced at it.
"Ma'am, what's in the folder?"
"Personal documents."
"Whose?"
"My son's."
I spoke.
"Some of those documents appear to contain information about my daughter's trust."
Hollis turned sharply.
"Sloane, don't start."
Ruiz raised one hand.
"Everyone, please speak one at a time."
Patricia drew the folder closer.
"These are private family matters."
"Then why did your son bring them to my wedding?" I asked.
She stared at me.
I stepped forward.
"Why did he know the exact value of Abel's trust?"
Hollis's mouth tightened.
"Because we're getting married. Married people share finances."
"Not Wren's inheritance."
"I never said they did."
I held up the folded paper.
"Then explain this."
He recognized it immediately.
For half a second, I saw genuine surprise.
Then anger.
"Where did you get that?"
"Wren found it."
His eyes narrowed.
"Of course she did."
I took one step closer.
"Don't talk about my daughter that way."
He looked at Ruiz.
"Do you see what I'm dealing with?"
Ruiz remained calm.
"Mr. Garrity, did you direct a lodge employee to lock Wren in the laundry room?"
"No."
"Did you ask her to keep Wren there until after the ceremony?"
"Absolutely not."
Mara's voice came from behind us.
"Yes, sir. You did."
Everyone turned.
The young employee stood beside Andrew.
Her hands were trembling.
"You told me the little girl wanted to play hide-and-seek."
Hollis looked at her as if he'd never seen her before.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Mara swallowed.
"You said she was waiting for a surprise. You said if she got nervous, I shouldn't open the door because she'd spoil it."
Ruiz turned to Mara.
"May we speak with you separately?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Hollis shook his head.
"This is unbelievable."
Then Andrew spoke.
"We have camera footage."
Hollis stopped moving.
Andrew looked at Ruiz.
"One of our cameras recorded Mr. Garrity walking into that hallway with the child. It also recorded him returning without her."
Hollis laughed.
"That doesn't prove anything."
"No," Ruiz said. "It's something we'll review as part of the investigation."
Patricia took a step backward.
I noticed her eyes dart toward the parking lot.
Then she spoke.
"Hollis, we need to go."
He didn't look at her.
"Mother, please."
"We have an appointment."
"What appointment?" I asked.
"None of your business," she snapped.
Ruiz looked between them.
"You're free to speak with us here voluntarily. We may also need to arrange follow-up interviews."
Hollis stared at me.
"You've completely destroyed our relationship."
I felt nothing.
That frightened me more than anger would have.
Because the part of me that had loved him was already beginning to understand something.
I'd never known who he really was.
I wasn't mourning the man standing in front of me.
I was mourning the person I'd believed him to be.
Ruiz turned to me.
"Lieutenant Colonel, you said you wanted your late husband's tags returned. Would you like us to ask Mr. Garrity about them?"
"Yes."
She faced Hollis.
"Do you have the tags?"
He hesitated.
Then reached into his pocket.
Something metallic flashed between his fingers.
My breath caught.
He held up the chain.
"There. Happy?"
I reached for it.
Ruiz gently interrupted.
"Let's document the item and arrange for its return."
Hollis dropped it into her gloved hand.
I stared at the two metal plates.
For five years, Wren had worn them.
She'd polished them with a little blue cloth.
She'd carried them through kindergarten, first grade, thunderstorms, nightmares, and every Father's Day she'd spent without a father.
And he'd treated them like a piece of unwanted jewelry.
Ruiz examined the chain.
"Is this how it looked before?"
I leaned closer.
Then froze.
"No."
She looked up.
"What's different?"
"One of the tags is missing."
Hollis rolled his eyes.
"There's no pleasing you."
I ignored him.
Abel had worn two tags.
One had his identifying information.
The other had the same basic details.
Wren knew that.
She counted them every night.
Ruiz held the chain steady.
There was only one plate.
"Mr. Garrity," she said, "where's the second tag?"
Hollis shrugged.
"How should I know?"
Mara made a small sound.
We turned toward her.
She looked terrified.
Then she said, "I think I know."
Hollis's face went rigid.
Mara looked at Ruiz.
"When I was cleaning the hallway, I saw him put something small inside that blue folder."
Patricia lowered her eyes.
My pulse began to pound.
"Why would he do that?" I asked.
Nobody answered.
Then Thomas stepped forward.
"I may know where they were going."
He held up his phone.
"A few minutes ago, I heard Patricia say they had to get to the notary before the office closed."
I looked at the blue folder.
Then at Hollis.
The wedding had been scheduled for one o'clock.
The county clerk's office had a weekday satellite appointment service.
And Hollis had spent the previous evening insisting that we complete our legal paperwork immediately after the ceremony.
At the time, I'd thought he was simply excited.
Now I remembered something else.
He hadn't seemed particularly interested in the vows.
But he'd checked three times that I had my driver's license.
Ruiz asked Hollis a question.
"What documents were you planning to have notarized?"
He looked at me.
For the first time, he didn't even try to smile.
May you like
And when he answered, his voice was no longer gentle.
"Documents she already agreed to sign."
