The manager slipped back out onto the deck, toting two mugs of coffee along with sweeteners and a little pitcher of milk. It wasn’t even seventy degrees, but I found it invigorating to be outside with a warm mug in my hand, watching a few motorboats crisscross that lovely, limpid lake water.
We both took a moment to sip our coffee, and I studied Alice without being too obvious. I was sticking to my guess of her age as late fifties. She wasn’t an unattractive woman, but she’d done little to enhance her appearance. Her hair wasfrizzed on the ends, her bushy dark brows were in serious need of grooming, and she didn’t appear committed to the final step in the directions for foundation and blush—the one that said, “Now blend.”
“You mentioned something back at the volunteer center that intrigued me,” I said. “About local people not wanting to suggest that Cody Blaine could be behind his wife’s disappearance. Could they be thinking it but not saying it out loud?”
“Not sure. I’ve crossed paths with the guy a couple of times socially, though I only know him to nod to, but I hear he’s a good boss, generous with bonuses, that sort of thing. And reportedly a good family man, too. So people may actually be reluctant to even entertain the idea.”
“Should they be less reluctant?”
“We’re talking off the record, aren’t we?”
“Uh-huh.”
“The stats are in favor of the husband being guilty as sin, right? And Cody’s got only a partial alibi. So yeah, suspicion is warranted.”
“Have the cops been able to get their hands on any security-camera footage from homes along her jogging route?”
“Motels and restaurants have cameras but not so many private homes do, and from what I hear, the police came up empty. So there’s no proof she left the house alive after returning from the school drop-off. And as you suggested, the earbuds could have been planted, to confuse the authorities.”
“By the way, how’d Cody end up with the Baker familybusiness?” I’d heard one version from J.J. but was curious if there was another.
“He went to work in sales for Baker when he moved here with Shannon. The father apparently thought he walked on water and asked him to take over the whole company when he became ill. Congestive heart failure, if I remember correctly. Shannon, Kelly, and the mother share in the profits, too. I haven’t found out yet if there’s a stipulation that he’d be out of a job if he and Shannon divorced.”
“So what doyouthink? Has he killed her?”
Alice tugged one side of her mouth up in a half smile, and I caught a twinkle in her eye.
“You know, just because you’re from the big city doesn’t mean you’re the only one who gets to ask the questions.”
“Okay, I’ll go first with that one. Yes, there’s a good chance Cody offed his wife. But it’s also not uncommon for women to be abducted by predators. So we can’t rule that out.”
Alice nodded.
“Plus,” I added, “I’m struck by Cody’s demeanor. In cases where the husband’s guilty, he often gives himself away. Cody Blaine looks distraught, and he also seems fully engaged in the search for his wife.”
I didn’t mention the incident last night, which I was keeping to myself for now, waiting to measure it against what emerged over the next few days.
“Maybe,” Alice said, “he watched those other dudes on YouTube, saw what they did wrong, and decided he didn’t want to end up onAmerica’s Dumbest Criminals.”
“Is that what you think?”
She smiled slyly. “You said you’d go first, I didn’t say I’d go second.... Kidding, kidding. The jury’s still out for me. There’s something about the guy I don’t like. He seems a little slick to me, someone who’s more sizzle than steak—like one of those Texas guys who people describe as all hat and no cattle. It’s not hard for me to imagine that he more or less charmed his way into the family business.”
“I know what you mean about him. I guess we’ll have to see if a motive emerges over the next day or so. A girlfriend. A big insurance policy for Shannon. If the police have any leads on either, they’re not giving them away.”
I watched Alice’s face closely to see if she had knowledge on either of these points, but it betrayed nothing. She glanced at her watch. “Unfortunately, I need to skedaddle,” she said. “There’s another story I’m covering this week.”
Skedaddle. I hadn’t heard that word in ages. While Alice was clearly a pro, a sharp, dogged reporter who didn’t want to be muscled out of a scoop, she also had a folksy, homespun quality. Like maybe she’d crocheted that black beret herself. The brisk manner, I suspected, was partly for show, part of her professional persona, and not reflective of the kind of woman she was after five—or whenever it was she called it a day.
She signaled for the check through the window, and as I started to insist on paying for my own coffee, the manager gave us a wave that indicated there’d be no charge.
We walked down to our cars, exchanged cell numbers, and said goodbye.
“See you around campus,” she said as I unlocked my Jeep. “And, look, in the interest of playing fair, there’s something I should tell you. A post of mine is going on the paper’s website in about ten minutes reporting on the family’s life insurance situation, compliments of a source of mine. Cody had a policy on himself for $500,000 and a supplementary policy for Shannon for $50,000. That wouldn’t give him much of a payday for killing her.”
Alice didn’t wait for a reply, simply offered a fast wave, jumped into her MINI Cooper, and took off. I smiled to myself. A little voice told me to be vigilant with her. She might be folksy and salt of the earth, but I suspected she could also be as wily as a Lake George trout.
Sitting in my Jeep, I mulled over what she’d told me about the insurance policy. That removed only one of Cody’s potential motives. There was still, however, the possibility of an affair. If Cody had a girlfriend, killing Shannon would prevent a messy divorce that might impact his life with his kids and his stake in Baker Beverage.
