“Talking to herself.”
“That’s what it seemed to me. My dad called her the wolf the pack would’ve left behind. I know that sounds mean but I respect his opinion.”
I mouthed,Mom.
Milo said, “Your mother didn’t agree with him?”
“It was an issue between them, yeah,” said Huralnik. “But not a big one, she wasn’t around much.”
“Did Mary ever talk about friends, acquaintances, people she hung out with?”
“Not that I heard, sir. She and Mom would have conversations but I stayed away from them. Life’s hard enough without bringing extra problems on yourself.”
“That’s for sure,” said Milo. “So she never asked you for money?”
“Never,” said Huralnik. “She had, I’da said no. Maybe she knew that. Maybe she wasn’tthatcrazy.”
—
Milo scrawled a few notes and sat back. “Schizophrenic?”
“Probably.”
“Completes the picture: victims with no connections.” His cell rang. A number he didn’t recognize. “Sturgis. Oh, hi, Dr. Bauer.”
He switched to speaker.
Andrea Bauer said, “This is probably nothing but the employee you spoke to—Justine—just called in a panic because another employee, Marcella McGann, is two days overdue and still hasn’t shown up. I’d already brought someone from another facility to sub and Justine’s done a few doubles, she’s exhausted. So I’m bringing an additional worker and sending Justine home for an extended weekend.”
Lots about her situation, very little about McGann.
Milo heard it, too, and rolled his eyes. “Marcella was due back Wednesday.”
“That’s right.”
“She was the one on shift when Benny Alvarez didn’t come home.”
“She was,” said Bauer. “I supposed this could be just a vacation overstay but Marcella has always been dependable. In any event, I thought you should know.”
“Thanks. Why’s Justine panicking?”
“Obviously because of what happened to Benny,” said Bauer. “Not that I can see any connection to Marcella being late. But Justine’s young and I suppose working alone could be tough. This is going to sound terribly sexist but the sub’s a man and the second person will be, as well.”
“You feel you need extra security?” said Milo.
“I don’t, it’s more a matter of reassuring Justine.” A beat. “And I suppose reassuring myself. I don’t feel any sense of personal responsibility for Benny but it is horrible. Any progress?”
“We’re working our way.”
“I see. One more thing, Lieutenant. According to Marcella’s Facebook page she’d be at a Cabo hotel called Hacienda Del Sol. Obviously, I wanted to talk to her about scheduling so I called but they told me she’s not there. I asked if she actually had a reservation, thinking maybe she’d just changed her mind. They refused to tell me, even though I speak decent Spanish. I must admit, that bothers me a bit. Mexico, you know how it is, nowadays. My husband and I used to vacation in Acapulco. Now you’re taking your life in your hands.”
“We’ll check it out,” said Milo. “As long as I have you, let me shoot a name your way: Mary Jane Huralnik.”
“Who’s that?”
“A street person Benny might’ve encountered.”
“A dangerous street person?”
