Page 28 of The Liar's Wife

I sniffed, running a finger under my nose.Where are you, Gray baby?Why weren’t they doing anything? Why weren’t they searching? Why were we still sitting here? “He…he doesn’t really have friends. There are a few guys he used to work with, but they didn’t…you know, hang out, really. Not since he left work. He began staying home when we had our son—”

“And you mentioned on the phone your son is just a few weeks old, right?”

I nodded, my voice catching in my throat as my chest grew tight. He was going to be turning three weeks old. I’d see him again before that happened, right? I had to. “That’s right. He’s just shy of three weeks old now.”

“Okay, great, go on.” As we spoke, Officer McGuire took notes from behind her, his eyes quietly wandering the room, expression solemn.

“Well, he doesn’t really have friends or anything, is what I’m saying. He hadn’t told me about any plans for today and, even if he’d planned to do something, there’s no reason for his phone to be off.” There was no reason for him to take my son away from me for any length of time. He knew how attached I was to Gray. He knew how much I needed him home with me.

She pressed her lips together. “Were there any issues between the two of you? You were newly married, is that right?”

I tried not to let her question offend me, but I dreaded telling her what I’d have to next. “We are. We’ve been married just over six months.” I let her piece together what that meant. Yes, we’d gotten married after we found out about Gray, but that didn’t change anything. Ben and I were happy, or so I’d thought. We loved Gray more than anything, I knew. That baby was the best thing to ever happen to me. To us. “But things have been fine. We argue over little things, of course, but nothing major.”

“Do you have any recent pictures of Ben and Gray? And I’ll need to know what they were wearing last.”

“Of course,” I said, rushing across the room and lifting the photo frame from the end table with myself and Ben. I could hardly look down at the photo without bursting into tears. Then I walked toward the pile of papers still on the counter from our hospital stay, searching for Gray’s hospital photos. I pulled one from the folder and carried them back to the officer, tracing a finger over his tiny features.Come back to me, sweet boy.“Here you go.”

She looked them over carefully. “Thank you for these. It’s okay that we keep them?”

“Of course.”Just bring me my son back.

She passed them to McGuire. “And can you tell me what they were wearing when you last saw them?”

“Right,” I said, remembering she’d already asked me that. I tried to picture Gray, the last time I’d seen him, without crying. It was nearly impossible. “Um, well…I believe Ben was wearing khaki shorts and a light blue T-shirt. Gray was dressed in a white onesie and blue jeans.” I breathed slowly, trying to make sure she could understand me through the sobs. She was gracious, letting me cry as much as I needed, while still moving the interview along.

“And that was this morning, correct? What time did you leave for work?”

I chewed my lip, sniffling and wiping my eyes. I needed to tell her everything, which included that I’d half-lied to the person I spoke to on the phone about the last time I saw them. “Actually, I didn’t go into work today. The last time I saw them was around noon. I’m sorry…I should’ve been honest about that right away. I don’t know why I lied. I just didn’t want it to be…I don’t know, I didn’t want it to make me look bad.”

“So you were home at noon with them?” she asked, not missing a beat, though McGuire was scribbling furiously.

“No, I…”Just spit it out, Palmer. Gray is missing. We don’t have time for this.“I followed my husband to a woman’s house this morning. A woman I believe he may be cheating on me with.”

Finally, I’d gotten a reaction from her. Her eyes opened wider, lips thinning. “You…you believe your husband has been having an affair?”

I just needed to explain it all. I didn’t care anymore. I just wanted Gray home and safe. “I don’t know for sure. I came home early from work on Monday, and he was gone, which struck me as odd. So, I followed him the next morning, and he met with a woman at a restaurant down the street from us. I had a feeling he was going to do it again today, and so I followed him to her house. He took Gray with him there.” I wasn’t going to mention that I’d already followed the woman to her house. I was doing enough damage, based on the skeptical look she was giving me. “They were there until around noon and then, when he left, I did, too. But when I got home, he wasn’t here.”

“Why didn’t you mention this before?” she asked, the warmth gone from her tone. I’d messed up. Big time.

“I wasn’t intentionally leaving it out, but it’s embarrassing. Right now, though, what I care about is finding Gray. It’s all I care about. Making sure he’s safe. Making sure they’re both safe. Please just find him,” I sobbed.

“Well, the best way to do that is for you to tell us the truth. From the beginning. We can’t do our jobs if we don’t have all the information. Do you understand?”

I nodded, grabbing a new tissue from the coffee table and dabbing my eyes. “Of course. I’m sorry.”

“Okay, so did Ben know you were suspicious about the alleged affair?”

“I don’t think so. I never brought it up to him, and he never mentioned it. I was careful not to be seen when I did follow him. I was…cheated on by my ex, and he managed to lie to me every time and keep me stringing along. I wanted to see it for my own eyes rather than asking Ben and allowing him the space to lie to me. I have enough experience to know ifthey are caught in a lie, they’ll just find new ways to hide it.”

Her expression changed ever so slightly, less of a wrinkle on her forehead, less judgment in her eyes. A muscle from her jaw relaxed. She’d been cheated on before, I thought. Or knew someone who had. In this day and age, who didn’t?

“Do you know the woman he met with?”

“Not personally, no. But I found her online. Her name’s Katie and she’s a food blogger from Crestview.”

“And do you know her last name? You said you know her address?”

“I know where she lives, but I don’t have an address. I can give you directions or…take you there. I don’t know her last name, though. Her profile didn’t have it.”