Payne & Misery Page 21

  A wooden clipboard of papers and files lay atop Silverthorne’s closed laptop, but he neither consulted them nor recorded anything while we talked. Maybe he had that kind of mind that retained things verbatim. Every now and then, he politely interrupted to ask a question. Mostly his sparkly eyes processed and assimilated like the lights that twinkle on the computer hard drive when it’s working.

  After a while, he asked for a description of Lila.

  I jumped to my feet. “I have a picture of her.” I retrieved it from the kitchen. “This must be an old one, because her dog looks like a puppy, but Lila’s face shows up well.” I pointed out the phone number indentations.

  Silverthorne studied the photo as if trying to memorize her features. “Does Lila look the same now?”

  “She’s thinner and unusually frail.” I pictured her in my mind. “Her hair is longer and grayer. She looks old, ’cause she’s sick, I guess. But you could recognize her from this.”

  He nodded. “I’ll check the phone number too. We might need someone in Iowa to interview this brother, Alan. Maybe he knows something he wouldn’t say to a stranger over the phone. Could get lucky. You never know.”

  Ed uncrossed his legs and rearranged his trim frame in the white leather cowboy chair. With his high energy level, perhaps he disliked sitting so long. “Maybe the McCarthys know more than we do. Lila visited them now and then. They might remember something else she said.”

  I gave Silverthorne the McCarthys’ phone number. He did write that down, along with the names and phone numbers of all the other people we mentioned, from the Coopers to Deputy Sam Colter. I also explained my latest deduction about Helen being the murderer of the baby and turned over the crumpled poem from Lila’s tablet. Everyone found the possibility intriguing, and we spent almost an hour discussing just that one bit of news without anyone suggesting it might be my imagination. I considered that progress.

  The only thing I didn’t share concerned the man I saw with Helen at the motel. I don’t know why exactly. I hadn’t even told Jesse about that. Maybe because of the parking ticket. How could I be so stupid?

  Altogether, almost three hours passed while we told, retold, and discussed the case. Silverthorne didn’t seem hurried. His patience and generous gift of time encouraged us. When we’d clearly run out of information to offer him, he prepared to leave. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I do a bit of research.”

  He faced us at the door. “You know, that little fellow in Harvard really impacted my life. My daughter’s son drowned in the family pool right before. What a tragedy for our family! We’ll never be the same. Then this baby.” His blue eyes brightened with tears that didn’t fall.

  Zora Jane laid a comforting hand on his arm.

  Silverthorne swallowed and shook his head. “I couldn’t get him out of my mind. A random accident didn’t take him like my grandson. Someone robbed him of the life he should’ve had. His death devastated our community too. Folks just couldn’t believe it—to be broken and discarded like trash—so small and helpless.”

  Ed nodded. Jesse looked at the floor.

  Silverthorne stared at the floor too. “I tell you, that little bundle haunts me every day. My wife calls it an obsession.”

  He looked up, a shaky smile playing on his lips. “On behalf of Guthrie County, God bless you for persevering. We may be the only people on earth who really care what happened. Thank you.” He shook each of our hands. “I promise I’ll do my best.”

  We thanked him back, grateful to have someone who believed in God take this investigation seriously at last.

  Zora Jane said, “We’ll pray for your success.”

  And we did.

  Near noon on Thursday morning, Silverthorne called our house to report, since the Callahans hadn’t answered their phone. His voice bubbled with excitement. “I’ve made a few interesting discoveries and I wanted you folks to know right away.”

  He paused just long enough for me to answer. “Oh?”

  “I collected a swatch of the blue blanket from the car, which appears to be a match with the one wrapped around the baby. Age looks the same, as well as the same nursery rhyme pattern.”

  “Well, what do you know!” Receiving blankets were often packaged in threes. “That might mean they came from the same package.”

  “Right. I interviewed Deputy Colter. He relegated the case to an investigator, a Deputy Dunn in the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department with the Crimes against Persons and Property Unit.”

  “Good,” I said. “He’s the Callahans’ son-in-law.”

  “I’m on my way to meet with him now. Oh, and Colter reported several recent complaints of homeless men camping in the woods out your way. So far, no one’s actually been apprehended. Whoever they are, they’re gone by the time the investigator gets out there. But the sightings are on record.”

  “Really?” I didn’t like the sound of that. “Are you saying there might be more than one homeless person in the woods?”

  “He didn’t say that exactly. He just said one’s been spotted and there are multiple complaints.”

  “That’s not comforting.”

  “No, I suppose not.” He paused. “Also, the crime lab collected several hairs from the brown Buick, and they’re not blonde.”

  I didn’t expect that. “No kidding!” That sounded promising.

  “I spoke with Mrs. Sterne, as well.”

  “Oh?”

  “She seems delighted to have Lila gone. Had nothing complimentary to say about her. Evaded questions about the pregnancy, but eventually I got her to admit that Lila was already pregnant when they first met. Doesn’t know the father or what happened to the baby.”

  “How’d she know about any of it?”

  “Had a death in the family, one of their brothers. Helen went

  to Iowa for the funeral and found Lila living with Will.

  Actually, she said, ‘sponging off’Will.”

  “How’d you get all this out of her?”

  His chuckle had a lyrical quality. “Former deputy sheriffs have ways of getting people to talk.”

  “I’ll just bet.” Perhaps he inserted bamboo under Helen’s fingernails. I rather liked that idea.

  “I’m interested in Mrs. Sterne, actually. Something in her eyes when she talked about Lila—a coldness—just makes me wonder. Anyway, Deputy Dunn’s been most accommodating over the phone. I think he’ll include me in the loop whenever he can. I’m eager to interview Will too.”

  “You’ve been busy. Thanks for the update.”

  “I’ll come by after the interview this afternoon so maybe you and Jesse can round up Ed and Zora Jane.”

  “I’ll try.” I heaved a hearty sigh. Would he come up with something concrete soon?

  32

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  I watched from the guest room bathtub while Silverthorne’s rented white Taurus drove into Will’s driveway. Silverthorne stepped out, waiting while another man climbed out the passenger side and joined him. Together they approached the front of the house. During their two-hour interview, I rounded up Zora Jane, Ed, and Jesse.

  In our driveway, Zora Jane embraced Deputy Sheriff Baxter Dunn. Ed slapped him on the back and pumped his hand. With a grin, Ed introduced him as the father of four of their grandchildren. Deputy Dunn, a younger, brown-haired version of Silverthorne, stood at ease. I liked his broad shoulders, rosy cheeks, and sincere eyes.

  “I’ve come as a courtesy to Mr. Silverthorne,” Deputy Dunn said. “He says you folks hired him to look into an infanticide in Iowa. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation into the disappearance of Miss Kliner, so I’m not at liberty to share specific details of that case. However, in the absence of an official inquiry into the death of the infant, I’m going to hold off on that issue. I want to make sure you all understand that the time may come when I have to step out of these discussions.” He glanced at each of us for understanding of his tenuous collaboration.

 
We murmured, each expressing our compliance.

  “Meanwhile, I can consult with Mr. Silverthorne.”

  Silverthorne grinned at the young deputy. “These two cases intertwine, of course. But we’ll try to keep from stepping on your toes.”

  Deputy Dunn’s eyes sparkled with a sudden twinkle. “I understand you amateur sleuths have been helpful to Mr. Silverthorne.”

  Zora Jane took Deputy Dunn’s arm and patted. “That’s better, Baxter. Not so serious. Do try to relax. We have lots to talk about. It’s a slice of heaven having you work with us.”

  Jesse led the way into the living room and seated our new friends. Ed and Zora Jane sat on one end of the sectional facing them, with Jesse and me taking the other.

  Silverthorne began. “We heard an amazing story today. Will Payne is not much at communication, so we had to drag these few facts out little by little. He claims he doesn’t remember my first interview with him, back in Iowa. Has no memory of that huge investigation we conducted to find the mother of ‘Baby Blue.’ I have trouble with that. Everyone in Iowa knew about that investigation.” He shook his head in disbelief. “The media ran the story in all the papers and on TV for months.”

  I hadn’t seen a TV at the Payne house. Maybe they’d never owned one.

  Silverthorne cleared his throat. “Says he met Lila at a truck stop restaurant just west of Des Moines toward the end of the summer ten or eleven years ago. They struck up a conversation. He knows nothing about where she came from—has never heard of a brother named Alan. He didn’t know about her pregnancy until she’d been living with him awhile.” His voice went scratchy as he finished these last words. “Please go on, Deputy. I feel parched from all the talking.”

  Jumping up, I headed for the kitchen. “Where are my manners? I didn’t even offer you a drink.”

  Zora Jane helped me provide drinks all around.

  When we settled again, Silverthorne signaled Deputy Dunn to continue while he slugged down water.

  “Mr. Payne and Miss Kliner made an agreement. If she kept house and cooked, he would provide food and shelter. Mr. Payne’s wife had been dead more than two years then. He had difficulty coping with housework and cooking, as well as keeping his business going.”

  Silverthorne interrupted. “Did you notice he kept saying he never had any romantic notions toward Lila? Methinks he protests too much. Made me wonder about his original intentions.”

  Deputy Dunn nodded. “They kept separate bedrooms from the beginning. Mr. Payne felt it necessary to point that out three times.”

  Silverthorne lowered his glass. “Lila never kept her end of the bargain. She can’t do housework or cook worth a toot. Has funny rules about food. Nothing red is allowed in the house. Requires each food to be eaten on a separate plate without touching anything else. Certain foods are taboo all together. Won’t touch meat. Insists on wearing gloves if forced to. The list of acceptable foods keeps getting smaller. Got to a point she refused to cook at all.”

  I showed off my library gleaning. “Definitely anorexia nervosa— an advanced stage.”

  Silverthorne met my gaze. “That’s my guess.”

  Deputy Dunn consulted his notebook. “One day, Mr. Payne came home to an empty house. Thought she’d gone for good, but she returned late that night no longer pregnant. He doesn’t know how she went or came back either.”

  Silverthorne looked at me. “Apparently, she doesn’t drive.”

  I nodded. “Speed kills.”

  Silverthorne continued. “Helen must have taken her, just as you surmised. She was visiting at the time. Will claims he left for work that day, same as always, and Lila never said anything more about it. But she sat in her room and cried for days. Will tried to make her stop. He thought a pet might help, because she’d always been fond of dogs. So eventually he got the dog.”

  The four of us had been sitting on the edges of our seats. When Silverthorne paused for another sip of water, we collectively turned to Deputy Dunn, in anticipation of another disclosure. But he only re-adjusted his position in the chair.

  Silverthorne set his glass on the end table. “Helen had been in California for several years already. She begged Will to join her with stories of fine living and wonderful weather. He’d grown tired of the cold winters in Iowa. His business had slowed down, so he sold out and relocated. Thought a change of scenery might help Lila. They moved in the spring. Perhaps April or May.”

  I nodded. Zora Jane took the cookies to Lila around the middle of May that year.

  Silverthorne gestured for Dunn to continue. Deputy Dunn shifted in his seat. “Mr. Payne recalled that just before moving, something set Miss Kliner off. She went into the crying mode again, ‘crazy as a pig on ice,’ he said, throwing fits and breaking dishes.”

  “That happened right before the move,” Silverthorne said. “A year after she disappeared the first time. She wouldn’t eat for days again.”

  Ed leaned forward, resting one elbow on the knee of his plaid golf pants. “Maybe that was when she read the article about the discovery of the dead baby in Harvard.”

  Silverthorne glanced at Ed. “Could be. Must have been right around the time I first interviewed Will. However, Will is adamant that he doesn’t know what happened to the baby.” He stared at the carpet. “Anyway, Lila perked up after they moved here, so Will thought she’d be okay.”

  Jesse shook his head. “Sounds like he cares a whole lot more than he admits.”

  “Good point.” Silverthorne paused, drawing his lips together in a thin line. “Well, the irregular eating got worse. She goes for days refusing to eat and getting thinner. Then all of a sudden she’ll gorge herself. He can’t predict whether she’ll eat or not, so he brings food every day. Most of it gets thrown away. She won’t go anywhere anymore, not even outside, and sleeps a lot.”

  Memory of the disgusting garbage contents surfaced in my brain.

  They’d answered some questions, but plenty of new ones rose to take their places. “Did he tell you about the padlock on the garage refrigerator?”

  Deputy Dunn nodded affirmation while Silverthorne answered. “Lila put the padlock on the refrigerator. Got this idea food came from the devil and didn’t want any more in the house. She hears voices telling her not to eat. Will eats at his sister’s mostly, rather than try to make Lila cook.”

  Zora Jane’s expression saddened. “She isn’t getting enough nourishment, and it’s making her crazy. The poor thing really is starving to death.”

  Someone who refused to leave the house had driven a car into the freezing wilderness. I pictured her frail body shivering. What made her go out there?

  Silverthorne spoke again. “We asked about the rumors of wealth too. Will claims to be near poverty. Says living in California is expensive and he doesn’t trust banks out here.”

  Many other questions clambered for attention in my brain. “What about the furniture? The house was bare when I saw it, except for beds. Is there furniture now?”

  Deputy Dunn glanced at Silverthorne before answering. “When Miss Kliner left, Mr. Payne moved the furniture back into the house. Of course, the bed in Miss Kliner’s room is gone, as you suspected.”

  I watched their faces for reactions. “His story is so full of holes. Is any of it true?”

  Deputy Dunn leaned back in his chair. “I’d guess it’s mostly lies.”

  Silverthorne shook his head. “It’s partly true. He hopes the true parts will substantiate the lies.”

  Ed nodded. “An amateur. Did you notice some parts of his story had a lot more detail than others? When amateurs lie, they throw in extra details because they think that makes their story sound plausible. People don’t actually remember many details of ordinary events.”

  Silverthorne acknowledged that with a single nod. “Some of it sounded a little canned, as if he rehearsed it. I’ll compare today’s interview with what he told Colter before. See where the answers contain the same phrases. We’ll corroborate his story if we can.” He
cocked his head. “The thing that bothers me most is that he categorically denies knowledge of Lila’s whereabouts. That’s impossible. He was at the house that night. Lila left in his vehicle. I think the funnel means Will tried to throw us off by siphoning gas and ditching the Buick, so he was at Sierra Meadows with Lila.”

  I raised my eyebrows but didn’t ask how he knew that. The others nodded. One thing for sure: Will definitely knew more than he’d told.

  Jesse spoke next. “Did you look through the house? How about the stain on the basement floor?”

  Deputy Dunn shook his head. “There’s nothing on that floor now.”

  Jesse pressed, expressing my question. “Can you test for blood?”

  Silverthorne stifled a small yawn. “Sorry. Haven’t slept much lately. We might test the floor as you suggest—probably will, eventually.”

  Deputy Dunn appeared thoughtful. “We may need a search warrant.”

  Impatience overwhelmed me and I heaved a loud sigh.

  Ed had questions too. “Hang on now. Why did he burn Lila’s gear so soon after she left? Including her mattress. How does he know she won’t be back like when she took off before? Same with the furniture. He moved that back right away. How did he move all that heavy stuff into the house without help? He’s not a young man.”

  Deputy Dunn and Silverthorne shook their heads.

  Ed continued. “There are problems with the Buick too. Will told Colter that Lila packed her clothes and drove the car out Saturday night. Now he admits she doesn’t drive?”

  I remembered the Coopers’ account of Lila’s erratic driving. “If Lila doesn’t drive and Will siphoned the gas, what woman did the Coopers almost run into that Saturday night?” I looked from one face to another. “I know who gets my vote. She’s not a blonde.”