“Lindsay Boxer, I am quite excited to meet you. I will keep in close contact about when I can visit. It may be just a few days. Unfortunately, like all government employees, I first must get permission for any variation in my travel plans.”
I thanked him, then hung up the phone and leaned back in my chair. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet.
CHAPTER12
CINDY THOMAS MADEgood use of her weekend. At least as far as the Eric Snaff situation was concerned. She found a mountain of information about him and his missing daughter, Nicole, but so far everything was academic. She hadn’t interviewed anyone other than Eric. She hadn’t visited anyone who knew Nicole.
So on Monday morning, she took State Route 24 and stopped at the small town of San Julio, not too far from Lafayette Reservoir. It was quite a change from her usual experiences in San Francisco. Traffic was almost light. Visibility was good. And people appeared to be nice. Several pedestrians had waved to her. It was shocking. When she pulled up to a stoplight, the man in the car next to her turned, smiled, and nodded. It was enough to make a San Franciscan nervous.
It wasn’t hard to find the police department. It was on the main road, connected to the city hall, and shared a parking lot with the fire station as well.
Cindy had already called ahead and spoken to a detectivenamed Stephanie Davis. Sergeant Davis had agreed to meet with Cindy at her office midmorning, though she hadn’t sounded particularly interested in spending much time with the reporter.
Cindy waited in the lobby longer than she wanted and was caught by surprise when Sergeant Davis walked through the inner door and directly toward her. By the time Cindy realized who she must be, the sergeant had already called her by name.
Cindy said, “I’m sorry. You weren’t what I was expecting after we spoke on the phone.”
The petite and attractive sergeant had short brown hair and was dressed in casual clothes. She grinned. “You thought I’d be six feet tall with broad shoulders and a sour attitude?”
Cindy laughed and said, “Pretty much.”
Sergeant Davis said, “So I guess you won’t be upset if I admit I thought you’d be an older woman with a pack of cigarettes in your front pocket. That’s the sole kind of reporter we have around here. Her name is Susan Pierce and she’s pretty much the only reporter left at our local newspaper. She’s been there forty-something years.”
“I’d like to meet her.”
“I’m sure, if you hang around San Julio long enough, you will.” She led Cindy down several hallways through the small bureau to her private office.
Cindy had been in a lot of detectives’ offices, and this looked like most of them. Old case files were stacked on top of old file cabinets, leaving only a tiny space for a desk, crowded with a computer monitor and a phone. There were the usual photographs of her receiving commendations. One was with the governor of California. Impressive.
The two women got through the initial small talk quickly andjumped to the reason for the visit: Nicole Snaff. Cindy explained to Sergeant Davis exactly how she’d become interested in the case, and the contact she’d had with Eric Snaff.
The sergeant listened patiently. She made a note now and then. Finally, when Cindy was done with her story, Davis looked up and said, “It sounds like you’ve done a lot of research. Of course we’ve been working on Nicole’s disappearance for months now. We even have a suspect. The problem is, we’ve hit a wall. We have no usable evidence. We can’t find the girl. But we’re not giving up.”
Cindy leaned in closer. “I had no idea. Can you tell me who your suspect is? Off the record?”
Sergeant Davis gave her a dead stare and said, “It’s Eric Snaff.”
CHAPTER13
CINDY SAT SILENTLY,just staring at Sergeant Stephanie Davis. Maybe she’d misheard.
The sergeant said, “I know it’s hard to comprehend. Sometimes a book with a pretty cover can fool you. But I think he’s a creep who did something to his daughter. Either intentionally or accidentally. Then he had to hide the evidence. At least that’s the theory we’ve been operating on for months now. Probably since about two weeks after Nicole disappeared.”
Cindy stuttered a little bit. “I, I, I, um, I hadn’t considered that after reading all the articles about how Eric Snaff is a pillar of the community.”
“Because he works with young offenders? That only makes us more nervous about him.”
“Have there been complaints about him from anyone at the youth center?”
“Nope. They think he’s a great guy.”
“He is very charming and well spoken.”
“So was Ted Bundy.” Sergeant Davis set down her pen and said,“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re just that sick bastard’s type. You should be extremely careful while you look into this shit show.”
Cindy was still reeling when she left the small San Julio Police Department. She drove around the charming town for a few minutes, trying to regain her composure, and came across the youth center where Eric Snaff worked.
The two-story redbrick structure looked like an administrative building or an older school. There were several young people hanging out in front of the building. That was consistent with what Cindy had learned. The facility acted as an alternative school as well as a juvenile detention facility.
