After they found Mitchell’s office building locked and empty, Kala called in to the station that Jane Thompson was missing, and conveyed their fear that she was with Mitchell Eton and he could be distraught over his daughter’s suicide attempt. Gundersund drove them to the Hanson house while Kala spoke to Fred Taylor on her phone.
She dropped her cellphone into her lap and said, “Taylor’s spreading the word and will have patrol on the lookout for Mitchell’s car.”
“Good. We should be at the Hansons’ in ten minutes.”
Charlie answered the door after five minutes of ringing the doorbell and banging. His hair was spread out like a rooster’s comb and his eyes were red. “I’d just fallen asleep,” he said, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. “What do you want now?”
“Is anyone else home?” Gundersund asked.
“Mom’s at work and I don’t know where Tiffany is.”
“We have a few more questions. Can we come inside or would you prefer a trip to the station?”
Charlie’s voice was as sullen as he could make it. “I guess you can come in, since I don’t have a choice.”
Gundersund filled the small entrance and Kala stepped around him “We can talk here in the hall,” he said.
They angled Charlie against the wall and stood on either side of him. They’d agreed on the way over that Gundersund would be the set-up man and Kala would ask the questions.
“Charlie, we have you on camera at the Limestone Spa Hotel, entering by the back door with Sophie Eton on the day that Devon went missing. Devon let you in, in fact, at around four thirty. You’ve been lying to us and it’s time you told the truth.”
Charlie shook his head.
“What were you doing with Sophie at the Limestone that day?”
“We weren’t there.”
“We have proof that you were.”
“I don’t have to say anything.”
“Charlie, you need to tell us what you know so we can sort out the damage. Do you understand?”
Charlie stood with his head lowered, hair flopped over his eyes, mouth tightly shut. Kala stared at him, trying to figure out what to say to get him talking.
A voice from upstairs made his head snap up. Kala and Gundersund raised their eyes. Tiffany was making her way toward them. Today she was wearing black leggings under a black tunic, but her eyes looked naked without the usual black smudging. She seemed younger, more vulnerable. “He was there with Sophie,” she said as she came down the stairs. “Devon made Charlie do it.”
“Why were they at the hotel?” Kala asked.
“Devon wanted to hurt his father. He told Sophie that they were meeting Mitchell in Ivan Bruster’s room, but he drugged her with some Quaaludes in a drink when she arrived and left Sophie alone with Ivan. Devon made a thousand dollars, which he shared with Charlie to keep him quiet.”
“Is this true, Charlie?”
Charlie looked at his sister before nodding and bowing his head again.
Kala swallowed hard. “Did Mitchell find out what Devon did to Sophie?”
Charlie and Tiffany looked at each other. Tiffany answered for them both. “We don’t know. Charlie never saw Devon again after he took off. Devon was going to wait around for Sophie and take her home around seven. He said he’d done the same once before with some girl from school and gotten away with it.”
Kala looked at Gundersund. “This must be why Sophie tried to kill herself last night. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I’ll call Ajax police and get someone to check this out.”
“Wait, Sophie tried to kill herself? Is she okay?” asked Tiffany.
“What do you think?” Kala said more sharply than she’d intended. “Sophie is suffering. Keeping quiet about what Devon did to her was entirely the wrong thing to do.”
Charlie finally spoke. “Devon said she wouldn’t remember and if she did, nobody would back her up. He said part of him wanted his parents to know so he could see their faces when they found out, but he’d have to be satisfied with knowing what happened to her. A laugh behind their backs, he said. I have the money he gave me. You can have it back. I don’t want it. I never wanted it.”
Kala was at a loss for words, the evil in Devon Eton was so profound and terrible. The part these two played was unforgivable. She reined herself back in before she said something she would later regret. She reminded herself that they were kids and victims, too. “We’ll talk about this more later. Lock the doors after we leave and let your mom know what’s been going on. If Mr. Eton shows up, call 911 and don’t let him in.”
She followed Gundersund out of the house and down the stairs toward his car where he stood talking on his cell. She stood stock still while he explained the situation and asked someone, perhaps his cop friend in Ajax, to get over to the Bruster house. Gundersund lowered his phone and looked at Kala standing next to him. He put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug. “You okay with this?”
She nodded. “Although it’s making me sick to hear what they did to Sophie … and to Jane Thompson.” His arm was comforting and she let herself enjoy his closeness for a moment. “You know, it’s only a few hours to Ajax.”
“One and a half, if I floor it.”
She pulled back. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get going.”