Page 36 of Everyone Here Is Lying
Bledsoe says, “We’d like to ask all of you to come down to the station to answer a few questions, if that’s all right.”
His wife regards him with fear in her eyes. But it’s the expression on Ryan’s face that hits him hardest. Ryan looks absolutely terrified.
•••
William Wooler is closetedin his hotel room late in the afternoon. He’s sitting on the bed with his new cell phone, following the news feeds. Because the police had taken his cell phone—and his laptop—he’d had to slip into a local store this morning after calling Nora to get a new one. Now, in disbelief, he watches footage of his wife—looking like a madwoman—storming her way into the Blanchards’ house. There was some kind of altercation inside. This is his fault. He shouldn’t have told her about the anonymouswitness saying they saw Avery get into Ryan’s car. This is what he has wrought. His wife has lost her mind.
But it doesn’t matter now whether he told her. Because he has the TV on and there’s a reporter standing in front of the Blanchards’ house explaining that the police are exercising a search warrant.
She says, “Police have revealed that an anonymous witness, whom they deem to be credible, claims to have seen the missing girl get into Ryan Blanchard’s car at approximately four thirty on the afternoon of her disappearance.”
It must be true then, he thinks—someone really must have seen Avery get into Ryan’s car. William leans back against the pillows, suddenly breathless. How is it possible that Nora’s son might have taken his daughter?
Twenty-five
Gully and Bledsoe have separated the members of the Blanchard family. Each is in a separate room, waiting to be interviewed. They are taking up all three interview rooms; it’s not a large police station. The mother has arranged for their young daughter to be picked up by the parent of a friend. Ryan has his lawyer, Oliver Fuller, with him, and they are closeted together privately for now. In the meantime, Gully and Bledsoe will speak to the parents. Ryan’s car has been transported to the forensics lab.
They begin with the mother, Nora Blanchard. She’s distraught, understandably, and Bledsoe tries to put her at ease. “I know this is hard,” he begins.
She stares at him as if he has no idea how hard this is. Gully’s with her on this one—Bledsoe doesn’t even have kids. He can’t possibly imagine what she’s going through.
“We want to ask you again about the whereabouts of your son that day.”
“I told you,” she answers. “He was at home. His shift had been canceled. We were both in the house until I left to run some errands sometime around two o’clock.”
“Where did you go?” Bledsoe asks.
Gully notices that the question seems to make her uneasy. That’s no surprise if Nora Blanchard is William Wooler’s lover, which now seems likely. How else would William have learned about the witness, if not from Nora? And Nora is an attractive woman; she and William would make an attractive couple.
Nora says, “I did some shopping, ran some errands, you know.”
“What time did you get back?” Bledsoe asks.
“It must have been sometime around four forty-five, before Faith got home from soccer at five. Around there, anyway. I’ve told you all this already.”
“And Ryan wasn’t home?”
Nora shakes her head.
“His car wasn’t there?”
“No. He already told you he went out in his car around four thirty.” She sounds impatient.
“What time did he get home?”
“It was after six, maybe closer to six thirty.”
There’s a knock on the door of the interview room, interrupting them.
“Yes?” Bledsoe calls, looking over his shoulder at the door.
A uniformed officer beckons him out, and Gully is immediately curious. A moment later Bledsoe returns and sits back down. “Guess what they just found at your house?” he says.
Nora Blanchard goes rigid.
“A pay-as-you-go phone, hidden behind the air vent in your bedroom.” He adds, “How about that?”
Gully watches the other woman’s face collapse and can’t help feeling sorry for her.
