the same place. It was uncomfortable enough just for her to be with him. They’d been on the road for twenty minutes before they spoke to each other.
“Is he sure it’s her?” Laura asked.
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“I’ve been disappointed enough times. I’ll be damned if I’ll let it happen again.” Laura said.
She ignored his snide expression and went back to focusing on the possibility that in a few hours she could possibly be reunited with Todd.
Seven hours later they drove up a dirt road lined with police cars, and the private eye jogged over to meet them. Laura wondered if all the police cars parked outside of the house would make Gabrielle Madigan, or whoever was in the house, suspicious, but the cops didn’t think so. Apparently no one had left the house since they’d arrived.
“Is there a back door?” Phillip asked. “Maybe they went out that way.”
“No back door. Only the front door and a side door, and we have clear views of both.”
Laura stared at the house, letting the conversation between Phillip and the private eye fade into the background. Could Todd be in there, just a few feet away from her? Doubt crept into her mind. For so long she’d been sure the Madigans were the kidnappers, but she saw no sign of a child anywhere. A little boy Todd’s age might have a tricycle or a pair of roller skates. She didn’t see anything like that.
“You’re sure she’s in there?” Laura asked.
“We saw her through the window about ten minutes ago.”
“Have you seen anyone else?”
“No.”
***
After a while, Gabrielle got bored with the game the men in the cars were playing with her. When more cars arrived she considered going outside and telling them to leave, but Brian told her not to.
She stopped, her hand on the doorknob. “What should I do?” she asked.
“Wait.”
She backed away from the door. “But I don’t like them.”
“They can’t do anything to you,” Brian said. “Don’t worry. I’m here to protect you.”
She glared suspiciously at him. “You better not be handing me one of your bullshit stories. I’ll kill you if you are.”
He yawned dramatically. “Yeah, yeah. I’d like to see you try. Shut up and stay away from the window. Do you want them to see you or something?”
She looked outside anyway and saw a man in a uniform get out of his car and walk to another car. Then they all strode toward her front door.
“Brian?”
He didn’t answer. Typical. Whenever she needed him, he disappeared.
“Who are you and what are you doing at my house?” Gabrielle demanded when she opened the door.
“Oregon State Police, Miss. We need to ask you and your husband a few questions. Is he around?”
“Do you see him anywhere?”
“No, I don’t. Do you have any idea when he’ll be home?”
“I talked to him a few minutes ago, but I haven’t seen him in ages.”
“What are you talking about?” Phillip asked, stepping forward. “You mean on the phone?”
Gabrielle opened her eyes, wide and mysterious, and put a finger to her lips. “Shh. Brian’s like a magician. Poof! He disappears.”
Laura shoved through the policemen in the front. “We’re here about my son. If you have our little boy, tell us where he is. His name is Todd and we miss him very much. Please tell us if you know anything.”
“Todd, Todd, Todd,” Gabrielle mused, her voice rising and falling in a singsong pattern. “Where are you, Todd?” She giggled, then the sound grew into a full-throated laugh. She didn’t stop until she collapsed on the floor.
The police turned back and called Doctor Chandler, who stepped into the house and spoke to Gabrielle for a few moments. When he was done, he turned and spoke quietly to Laura.
“If she knows anything she may tell you, or she may not. Mrs. Austin, I know you’re in the middle of a terrible ordeal, but this woman needs to be hospitalized.”
“Mrs. Madigan, where’s your husband?” The private eye asked, peering around the police. “Do you know when he’ll be home?”
“I don’t have a husband. He’s gone.”
“You won’t mind if we come in and take a look around then?”
They didn’t wait for her answer, but pressed into the house, walking around her and into the various rooms. They found Brian Madigan’s clothes hanging in his closet and folded neatly in his dresser drawers.
“Where is he?”
“In the garden,” she said, smiling calmly.
They looked outside, but it was empty.
“Where? I don’t see him.”
She grinned. “I planted him.”
***
Laura handed Phillip a glass of lemonade from Gabrielle’s refrigerator. They grabbed a couple of chairs, which they carried out to the porch. Gabrielle had fallen asleep on the couch and a cop sat across from her, on guard. The rest of them had headed into the extensive garden and had begun to dig.
“Did you call Muller and tell him what’s happened?” Phillip asked.
“I did, but I told him not to come. There’s nothing he can do here. Besides, it would be too uncomfortable for all of us.”
“But what if—”
“Then I’ll need him.”
Five hours passed, then six, then seven. Digging was heavy work, but they kept at it. They had to stop when the light got too dim, but at dawn they began again. Phillip went with them and Laura wanted to, but they wouldn’t let her. She was just as glad they didn’t.
A few hours later she heard yelling and saw Phillip running toward the house. Not Todd. Please God, don’t let it be Todd.
“Phillip! Did they find him?”
He grabbed her hands. “Her husband, yes. Not Todd.”
Laura felt all the tension from the past two days melt from her shoulders. At least she knew that much. “Are they sure?”
“It’s the remains of an adult.”
A couple of hours later the medical examiner came and took Brian Madigan’s remains away. Throughout the day the police continued to dig. By nightfall they’d discovered nothing. The next morning it all started again. By early afternoon they’d dug up the entire property six feet deep and still found no sign of Todd. By that point, Gabrielle had fallen into a catatonic state and didn’t respond to anything.
Laura stared at the woman, shaking her head. “She could have done anything to him and will never be able to tell us,” she said.
They brought Gabrielle Madigan to police headquarters and booked her on suspicion of murder. The following morning Doctor Chandler arrived. He tried to reach Gabrielle, to talk to her, but couldn’t.
“There’s nothing more I can do,” he told Laura and Phillip. “They’ll commit her to the state hospital and try to bring her out of this so she can stand trial, but they may never be able to.”
“Do you think she kidnapped my son?” Laura asked.
“No, as a matter of fact. I doubt that she did.”
After he left, Laura and Phillip stared at each other over their coffee cups.
“I have to be back in L.A. in the morning,” Phillip said.
Laura shook her head, trying to control her quivering chin, but it was no good. Tears squeezed from her eyes. “How could we have been so wrong? We were so sure Brian Madigan was the kidnapper that we ignored other leads. Now he’s dead and his wife’s insane and we may never know what happened.”
“I’d rather be wrong and have Todd alive.” For once, Phillip made sense.
Laura sniffed. “She could have killed him and buried him anywhere. We wasted so much time looking for the Madigans and now we have nothing. I can’t think of any other connection to us, can you? I mean, if someone were just going for a ransom, they’d have grabbed one by now. This is more personal. Almost like they were teaching someone a lesson.” She paused, thinking hard, trying to see through the confusion in her head. “Maybe I should have paid attention to Erich. I just didn’t want to believe him. Have I been fooling myself all this time?”
***
Erich awoke to the aroma of fresh coffee. He reached for Laura, but her side of the bed was cool and empty. He forced his eyes open and noticed her peach satin dressing gown wasn’t where she’d left it the night before. He put his robe on and went downstairs, where he found her in the kitchen, mixing pancake batter.
“I was just coming upstairs to wake you,” she said when he kissed her neck from behind.
“What time is it?”
“After nine.”
He put his arm around her and stuck his finger into the pancake batter. “Mmmm, delicious.”
She slapped his hand. “Stop it.”
“Didn’t know you liked to cook.”
“I love to cook. Phillip never wanted me to. I think he felt it was beneath him to have his wife cook. You know, like if I cooked I was some kind of servant.”
“Hey, if I could find a maid who looked like you I’d hire her in a second.”
“Funny. Very funny. As a matter of fact, I’m thinking of taking a culinary class at Southampton College.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” He turned the volume up on the radio and frowned at the news. “Looks like that hurricane is going to pound the New England coast.”
“It’s not coming here, is it?”
“They don’t think so, but we’ll keep the radio on today, just in case.”
Erich looked out the kitchen window, eyebrows raised. The grounds of Willow Pond looked back at him. “You’ve got a delivery from Country Furnishings.”
“They’re early.” Smiling, she put the spoon down and headed for the front door.
Erich was right behind her. “What are they delivering?”
“A new dining room set.”
“Oh.”
He turned and saw Mrs. Nickerson standing behind them with Rachel in her arms. The baby held out her arms to Erich and he was happy to bundle her in his arms.
“The cook isn’t feeling well again this morning. I’ll set the table and start breakfast,” Mrs. Nickerson said.
Laura smiled at her. “Set the table, yes, but there’s no need to start breakfast. I already have. Just watch the pancakes for me, would you?”
“She’s trying to show us she’s a gourmet cook,” said Erich.
Mrs. Nickerson winked and headed into the kitchen.
“What’s wrong with your old dining room set?” Erich asked. “Hey!”
Laura giggled, seeing Rachel had grabbed hold of his nose and wouldn’t let go. “Nothing,” she said, “but it’s Phillip’s taste and I hate it. Since he and I aren’t together anymore, I’m going to have what I want. That’s not a problem for you, is it?”
Erich grimaced. His nose was reddening under the little girl’s grip. “Not at all. What are you going to do with the old set?”
“Sell it. For now I’ll have them put it in the garage.”
Rachel had such a firm grip on his nose he was beginning to find it difficult to breathe. Laura gave him the baby’s bottle and he tried to distract her with it, but she was fixated on his nose. Finally he had enough and unclamped her hand. Rachel began to wail.
“Well, you do have a nice nose,” Laura said, trying to contain her laughter. “If I didn’t have other things to do, I’d grab it, too.”
“She hurt me, tiny little thing that she is.” He looked into his daughter’s moist blue eyes and she stuck out her bottom lip.
Laura grinned at them both. “Put her in the high chair and give her some peaches. She loves them.”
After the new, solid oak, art deco dining room set was in place, they sat down to a breakfast of pancakes, juice and coffee while they waited for the movers to carry the old dining room set into the garage.
“She loves those peaches. She’s almost finished the whole jar.”
“Something else she has in common with Todd. You better get some cereal into her before she’s full.”
He managed to get a half dozen spoonfuls of Gerber’s barley cereal into her before she pushed the dish away.
“Let’s take a walk after the movers finish,” said Laura. “I want you to see the rest of the property. It’s beautiful.”
He drained his coffee cup. “Let’s see who can get dressed the fastest.”
Chapter Fifty-Six
Later that afternoon, Erich and Laura arrived at the East Hampton police station where they were met by Detective Wilson. Laura handed Wilson a single white child’s sock and a gray rubber mouse, and remembered the last time she’d seen Todd playing with the mouse. It had been in the bathtub of their Patchin Place apartment. For a moment she could practically hear him splashing in the water.
“Where did you find it?” Wilson asked.
“On the West side of Willow Pond about an hour ago,” said Laura.
“It was covered with dirt and leaves. I was about to throw it away when Laura grabbed it out of my hand,” said Erich. “I didn’t understand her reaction at first until she told me what it was.”
“Mrs. Austin, can you positively identify this as having belonged to your son?”
“Yes. Mrs. Nickerson told me he was playing with it in the pond that day. She repeated the story when I spoke to her a while ago.”
“We’ll have to dust it for prints.”
“I hope we didn’t destroy any evidence.”
“I doubt it,” Detective Wilson said. “After all this time, who knows what we’ll find. What I don’t understand is how it could have been on the property all this time without anyone seeing it.”
“Animals,” Erich said. “Animals could have dragged it from one place to the other. There are teeth marks on it.”
“The West side of the property is pretty woodsy,” Laura admitted. She shuddered at the thought of Todd lost in those woods. “I rarely go there.”
“Let’s see what we can find,” Wilson said. He carried the sock and toy into another room and returned a few minutes later.
“Well?” Laura asked.
“Nothing great, but we did get some prints. Now it’s a question of finding a match.”
“How long will that take?”
Wilson shook his head. “There’s no way to tell. It could happen tomorrow, or it could take a year. Or more.”
***
Two days later, just before five o’clock, the phone call they’d been waiting for finally arrived. Erich had been at the Herald Tribune’s offices in Washington when it came in. Another five minutes and he would have been out the door on his way to catch a train back to New York.
Wilson was succinct. The sock had yielded no results, but they’d found a match on the toy mouse. The guy’s name was Rudy Strauss, a small time hood with a record of petty theft who’d spent four years behind bars. His record dated back to the 1920s. His last arrest had been in June of 1929, for which he was put on probation.
Erich decided to wait until he saw Laura to tell her. This wasn’t something he wanted to explain over the phone. She had come into the city so they could spend some time together, away from the baby, and was meeting him at his apartment in the village.
Erich grabbed a cab at Penn Station and arrived at the apartment twenty minutes later. When he walked in the door he did a double take at the trail of rose petals leading from the living room into the bedroom. Erich left his jacket at the door, loosened his tie and happily followed the trail. At its end he found Laura lying on the bed, clad only in a black lace bra and matching panties.
He sighed, smiling broadly. “This is what every man dreams of coming home to.” He shook his head, incredulous. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Well, why are you just standing there?” she purred.
He sat on the bed and she took his hand, drawing him toward her. Bad timing, he thought, but he had to tell her now.
“Laura, we have to talk.”
She sat bolt upright. “Something’s happened. What is it?”
“Wilson called me. They found a match.”
She climbed out of bed and put her robe on. “Why didn’t he call me?”
“He tried but got no answer at Willow Pond. He didn’t know where you were so he called me.”
“So who do the fingerprints belong to?”
“Rudy Strauss. Is the name familiar?”
“No.”
“I was wondering if your aunt might have mentioned him to you.”
Laura frowned. “She rarely discussed that part of her life with me. Why? Does he have something to do with her?”
“I think we need to talk to Harry Davis.”
Laura hadn’t been to Bacchanal since Harry had become the manager. She knocked and the peephole opened, allowing Laura to show her card and give the password, which she hoped was still the right one. Someone unlocked the door and she and Erich went right in.
A few people were at the bar, drinking openly. They found Harry in his office, which had once been Virginia’s office. It felt strange, seeing him at her aunt’s desk. When he saw Laura he got up and kissed her cheek.
“Laura, my dear. What brings you here?” Then he noticed Erich and gave him a polite but cool smile. “And you, Mr. Muller?”
“We need to ask you about a man named Rudy Strauss. Do you know who he is?”
“Can’t say that I do. Why do you ask?”
Laura told him what had happened
“Wish I could say that I knew who Rudy Strauss is, but I don’t.”
“Are you sure about this, Mr. Davis?” Erich asked, flicking one eyebrow.
Harry set his feet apart and crossed his arms. “Mr. Muller, I never liked you or your attitude. But I’d never do anything to hurt Laura. If Virginia ever found out that I had, it would be too damn bad for me.”
***
Five minutes after Laura and Erich walked out of Bacchanal, Harry dialed the overseas operator. Virginia picked up the phone on the other end.
“We were just going to have a can-can contest, Harry.” He could hear laughter in the background. “Think of what you’re missing.”
“We may have a problem,” he said.
“Like what?”
He told her about Laura and Erich’s visit.
“You did the right thing. They can’t know. Not yet.”
“He’s a damn good reporter. He’ll find out. You can’t keep them in the dark forever.”
“I can and I will. And you’re going to help.”
“How?”
“By destroying anything that connects us in any way to Strauss. Understand? They can’t know anything until I find Todd.”
“Any leads?”
“I’m working on it.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Where was Rudy Strauss? That was the question weighing on Ben Wilson’s mind in the days following the discovery of Rudy’s fingerprints on Todd Austin’s toy. Was Rudy the kidnapper? To answer the second question, he’d have to answer the first. And right now answering either one seemed impossible.
Working out of the second precinct in Manhattan, Ben spent days going through missing person’s files, and each time he came up empty. He decided to go under the assumption that Strauss was the kidnapper and tried to put himself in Rudy’s shoes. The file on Strauss wasn’t big, but he knew enough about him to know he was a punk whose main goal in life was to make a quick buck. To a guy like Strauss, half a million dollars was the jackpot. Wilson assumed Strauss had spent it as fast as he’d gotten it. By now he wouldn’t have much left. He’d be looking for his next big touch.
Virginia Kingsley’s people denied it, but Ben had the feeling