2:41 A.M., Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Moose Island, Maine
Eighty miles away, in Toby Mahler’s grandfather’s house, Conor Riordan’s words from the night before played over and over again in Harlan’s mind.
Tabitha, Riordan had called out, leave me Tiff’s package and I’ll leave you alone. I promise I won’t hurt you. I want Tiff’s package. Not you.
I want Tiff’s package. Not you.
Lying bastard. He wanted both.
The question Harlan wrestled with now was: how did Riordan know there was a package? How did he know Tabitha had it?
His first thought had been that Riordan had tortured the information out of Tiff before he killed her. But the more he thought about that the less he believed it. Every competent military interrogator he ever talked to in Iraq, and he’d talked to more than a few, always told him the same thing. Torture doesn’t work. All it gets you is lies. Inflict enough pain and you can get almost anyone to tell you something. But not the truth. At least not when the truth meant something important to the detainee. Especially not when the detainee was someone as tough and stubborn as Tiff. No. The more he thought about it the surer he was. Tiff would have lied and lied and lied. Lied until hell froze over before she’d give up her little sister. Lied until the bastard Riordan killed her. Lied until she was dead and, finally and safely, beyond his torture.
But if Tiff didn’t tell Riordan about the package, who did?
Harlan lay in the dark and pondered the possibilities. He wished he had a cigarette to suck on. One of those little old shorty Camels his father had smoked forever. Harlan remembered sneaking them from the old man, sometimes whole packs at a time, from a carton he kept in his underwear drawer. Harlan liked the smokes. Seemed like they always helped him think. And right now his thinking needed all the help it could get.
Okay, he told himself, only three people knew Tabitha had the package. Tiff. Tabitha. And Harlan himself. He knew he’d never said a word to anybody.
If Tiff hadn’t either, that left only Tabbie.
Could the child have been foolish enough to have blurted it out to someone, anyone, who might have passed it on? She’d promised Tiff she wouldn’t and, as she had told him over and over, a promise is a promise.
Harlan lifted himself off the ground cloth, leaned over on his elbow and moved his face close to Tabitha’s. Her eyes were closed. Her breathing slow and regular. She looked so young and innocent it was almost heartbreaking. He was happy that she’d finally stopped talking and had fallen asleep. But he needed an answer and he needed it now. He shook her awake.
‘What is it?’ Her voice sounded tired and cranky. She opened her eyes. ‘What do you want?’
‘Sit up. I need to ask you something.’
‘Now?’
‘Yes, now.’
Tabitha sat up and rubbed her face. Found her glasses. Put them on. ‘What time is it?’
‘Three o’clock.’
‘In the morning?’
‘Yes.’
‘What is it?’
‘Are you sure you never said anything to anyone about the package Tiff gave you. Except me?’
‘Yes. I already told you. I promised Tiff I wouldn’t and I didn’t. Except to you.’
‘How about your mother or your father? Did you say anything to either of them?’
‘No. They would’ve freaked out. Made me give them the package. I didn’t tell anyone.’
‘All right Tabitha, look at me. I need you to think hard. This is very, very important. Do you remember ever saying anything out loud about the package even when nobody else was around. Even when you didn’t think anyone could hear you? Anything at all. Don’t answer right away. Think hard.’
Tabitha thought hard. Suddenly she shut her eyes and squeezed her face tightly together like she was in pain. ‘Oh shit.’
‘Oh shit what?’
She looked up at him. ‘I did say something out loud. But only once. And nobody could’ve heard me.’
‘When?’
‘I called Tiff’s cell phone.’
‘Before she was dead?’
‘No. After.’
Harlan frowned. ‘Why would you call her after she was dead?’
‘I called her a bunch of times. I liked hearing her voice on the message. “Hi, this is Tiff. You know the drill. Leave your number and I’ll call you back.” One time I left her a message.’
‘And you mentioned the package?’
Tabitha nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Okay. What did you say? Try to remember the exact words if you can.’
‘First I said, “Hi, Tiff.” Then I told her I was really, really going to miss her and that I was really, really sorry she couldn’t get out of town like she wanted. Then I asked her what she wanted me to do with the package she gave me.’
‘ “What do you want me to do with the package you gave me?” Are those the exact words you used?’
‘Pretty much.’
‘Did you say anything else?’
‘No.’
‘And you only left the one message?’
‘Yes. Why? Did I do something really bad?’
‘No. No, you didn’t.’
Harlan smiled. Not only had she not done anything bad, she’d made it blindingly obvious what they had to do next. Right now. Harlan rummaged around in his backpack and found the disposable cell phone at the bottom.