The crew car pulled into the parking lot outside the Warrenstown Police Station.
If she had been some kind of hard-hitting investigative reporter, Caroline would have been more confident of her abilities to deal with the local police force. But she was a film and theater critic. With Linus expecting her to follow through on Belinda’s disappearance, this wasn’t a time to make mistakes because of inexperience. Lamar and Boomer were used to being out in the field, covering breaking news. The responsible thing to do was use their expertise.
She swallowed her pride and said, “I could use a little help here, guys.” As the two men looked at each other, she caught Boomer rolling his eyes.
“I’ll go in with you,” said Lamar with a sigh.
They got out of the car and walked toward the entrance.
“They probably aren’t going to tell us much, Caroline,” he said. “The cops are usually pretty tight-lipped about an ongoing investigation.”
“Well, we have to make the attempt,” she said. “Linus will want to know what the police are saying.”
The front desk stood on a raised platform. Behind it, a young uniformed officer looked down at them. “May I help you?” he asked.
Caroline introduced herself and the cameraman. “We’re with KEY News, and we’re here about Belinda Winthrop.”
The officer looked at them but didn’t volunteer any information.
Lamar stepped up. “What can you tell us about the report we’ve heard that Belinda Winthrop is missing?”
“Sorry, but I don’t have anything to tell you.”
“Well, we already know something is up. We were just out at her place, and your guys were out there, too.”
“What did they tell you?” the officer asked.
“Nothing,” Caroline piped up. “They told us to get off the property.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, she knew she had made a mistake. From the corner of her eye, she could see Lamar looking at her, thinking her, she imagined, a fool. The officer’s answer confirmed Lamar was right.
“Well, if they didn’t tell you anything and wanted you to get off the property, what would make you think that I would give you any information? My boss is out there, and if he isn’t ready to talk to the press, I’m certainly not going to.” The officer picked up some papers and tapped them on the desk to neaten them. “Besides, doesn’t the left hand know what the right hand is doing?”
“What do you mean?” asked Caroline.
“Somebody from KEY News already called about Belinda Winthrop. We didn’t give her any information either.”
Caroline felt her already flushed cheeks grow hotter. Of course, Linus didn’t trust her to handle this. She wasn’t really surprised, but it stung a little to think he’d had someone else check up on what was going on here when she was right on scene. Still, she was glad that he was taking her trip seriously.
“Can we ask you this?” said Lamar as he pulled out his wallet and took out a business card. “If you have any news or if you will be holding a press conference or something, would you please give us a call? My cell phone number is written on the back of the card.” He handed it up.
The cop took it. “No promises,” he said. “But I will tell you one thing. It’s not all that uncommon for someone to go out for a pack of cigarettes and never come back.”
As Caroline and Lamar turned away from the desk, a call came in on the radio.
“We’re doing a small search of the area to make sure Belinda Winthrop isn’t lying out there hurt. In the meantime, check with the North Adams Regional Hospital and the Berkshire Medical Center down in Pittsfield and see if she’s shown up in the emergency room.”