Stolen(47)

Spense’s neck and shoulders loosened. Someone had still lost a daughter, but at least for the time being, they didn’t have to jerk all hope from the parents waiting in the next room.

“I might warn you, the Chaucers aren’t alone,” Hatcher said, the timbre of his voice suddenly rising. He was definitely not pleased about the sidekick.

“They brought a lawyer?” That would be a dick move on their part. With their daughter missing, naturally, the task force would have to look at the parents carefully, but lawyering up would only make it harder to get to the truth, and the truth was what a loving parent should be after. Of course, sometimes, good people get bad advice from others around them.

“Not a lawyer.” Hatcher grimaced. “The senator insisted on bringing along our favorite shrink. Just in case we have bad news, he wants someone there to comfort his wife.”

To Spense’s way of thinking, Chaucer, himself, should be that someone. All he said, though, was, “Caity’s my favorite shrink.” Then he opened the door and placed his hand on the small of her back as she preceded Hatcher and him into the interview room.

Caity approached the senator’s wife and extended her hand. “Mrs. Chaucer, I’m Dr. Caitlin Cassidy, and I want you to know Agent Spenser and I will do all we can to help bring Laura home. We’re developing a profile—”

Mrs. Chaucer’s already pasty complexion transformed to a sickly gray. She wobbled on her feet, and her husband extended a supportive hand. “Profiles are for killers. Does that mean you think our daughter is dead?” she asked.

Caity kept a poker face. “Profiles are for all kinds of things. And I’d love for you to call me Caitlin. May I call you Tracy?”

“Of course.”

“Tracy, we’d prefer to speak with you and the senator alone.” Caity aimed a polite smile at Webber. “For the sake of their privacy.”

Good for her. Clearing Webber out was in everyone’s best interest. If the Chaucers wanted to fill Webber in later, that was their business, but Spense knew his presence in the room could influence the parents’ responses, and that would be no good for anyone.

Tracy Chaucer gripped Webber’s hand. “Oh, you can speak freely in front of Grady. He’s part of the family.”

Spense kept his manner businesslike. “It’s better for Laura if we speak to you alone. We have information for you, but we also have questions. It’s helpful not to have any outside—”

Webber threw his arm around Tracy Chaucer. “I’m not an outsider. I’m Tracy’s psychiatrist, and I’m here at her request.” He turned to the senator. “And my friend, Whit’s. I’ll thank you to respect their wishes. If you’re worried about leaks, don’t be. I’m a vault.”

But they’d had no trouble prying Laura’s secrets out of him. Which was good for the investigation, but Spense wasn’t buying the vault comparison. Hard to trust a man you don’t like, and Webber had rubbed him the wrong way from the get-go. “You’re treating both mother and daughter. Isn’t that a conflict of interests?”

“I’d think Caitlin would have educated you more than that. I’m a systems therapist. I don’t believe in treating a patient in isolation from her family. I get everyone involved.”

“Including the senator?” Spense asked.

“Whit doesn’t have time.” Rather abruptly, Tracy let go of her therapist’s hand. “But I’ve been going all these years—for Laura’s sake. I have to admit Grady’s been a tremendous help to me, too. Sometimes I think he knows our family better than we know ourselves. So when he offered to come with us, today, I was truly grateful.”

Spense caught the surprise on Caity’s face.

Supposedly the family had requested Webber’s presence, but now it seemed . . . “So then, it was actually your idea to come along, not the senator’s,” Spense said, addressing Webber.

“I really don’t recall who suggested it first.” Webber exaggeratedly turned to Hatcher as if to make the point it was the detective who would decide who could stay. “But I’m sure whatever Tracy says is right. In any case, she’s been through a lot, and I’d like to be here to make sure no undue pressure or bullying tactics—”

Caity’s shoulders drew back. “We have news for the family. And the purpose of any questions we ask is to help bring Laura home.”

“The Chaucers aren’t persons of interest in her disappearance? Don’t the police always consider the family members suspect?”