Back in the room, I tell Anna about the day’s developments.
She seems uninterested and a bit bored.
Usually, she listens attentively and asks insightful questions about the cases I’m working on, but in this moment I’m not sure she’s hearing me at all.
“Given all that,” I say, “especially Hal being back, I don’t think it’s a good idea for Taylor to be here. Had I known more about the case from the beginning I don’t think I would’ve brought her. With what I know now and with all that is happening . . .”
“Wait, you’ve put my daughter in danger by having us here?”
“I just want to make sure she’s not,” I say. “Magdalene’s disappearance feels like a one-off more than part of a series being done by a compulsive criminal, but I can’t be certain.”
She pushes herself off the bed and begins to gather things. “Then let’s go then. Help me pack our things.”
“They’ve asked me to lead a prayer service for Magdalene,” I say. “And to continue investigating the case even though they’re going to postpone the rest of the talks until the spring.”
“So what are you saying?” she says. “You don’t want us to go? Oh, wait, you want to just send me and Taylor away?”
“No,” I say. “Not at all.”
“That’s exactly it,” she says. “You’re tryin’ to get rid of us.”
“Anna,” I say, my voice firm. “Listen to yourself. Can you not hear how extreme and unreasonable you’re being?”
“Oh, I’m the one being extreme and unreasonable?” she says.
“Yes,” I say. “You are. I love you. I’m here for you. That’s not going to change. But you have changed. It’s like you’re someone else entirely. I want you to go have a physical and just see if—”
“I don’t need a fuckin’ physical. Just tell me what you were sayin’ if you weren’t sayin’ you wanted to stay and send us away.”
“My first priority is Taylor’s safety,” I say. “As much as I want to try to help find Magdalene, I’d gladly give that up to protect Taylor. If you’ll recall, I’m the one who brought this up. I was suggesting that we leave. Not just you and Taylor. All three of us. But I was letting you know that I’d like to come back to lead the prayer service for Magdalene and help with the investigation some when I can.”
“Sure you were,” she says. “When is the prayer service thing?”
“In the morning.”
“And you were going to go home with us and then drive all the way back out here in the morning to do the service?”
“That was my plan. I brought up the prayer service and continuing to help with the investigation to see if you’d have a problem with me coming back some—maybe even every day this week since I’m already off work.”
“So Taylor and I don’t get a vacation, but you get to keep playin’ detective?”
“I don’t actually play detective,” I say. “I am one—which is how I was able to detect the subtle changes in you recently.”
“Cute,” she says.
“It was mean and I shouldn’t’ve said it. I’m sorry.”
“Do you have your gun?” she asks.
“Anna, I’m not going to just let you shoot me.”
Without responding to what I said, she says, “Where is your weapon?”
“One is locked in the glove compartment,” I say. “And one is in my holster. Why?”
“I was just making sure you had one,” she says. “Magdalene was taken while she was alone in her room and her parents were in the other end of this huge house, right?”
I nod.
“We’re not going to leave Taylor alone for even a moment and you have a weapon,” she says. “There’s no need for us to leave tonight. We’ll stay tonight. You can do the service in the morning and work on the case some tomorrow while Taylor and I enjoy a little more time at the beach, and then we’ll go. She can sleep between us in our bed. No one’s breaking in here tonight and taking her from us.”
It’s the most reasoned and reasonable argument she’s made in two weeks.
“Okay,” I say. “The reason my Glock is locked in the car is that it doesn’t have a safety. The Smith that I have on me does. I’ll leave the safety on but have it on the bedside table next to me.”
“That’s fine,” she says, “but you won’t need it. Someone comes in here to do harm to my little girl and I will rip them apart with my teeth.”