Page 9 of Remember Her Name

Josie shot Turner a warning look. He rolled his eyes and took out his phone again. Remy’s face turned red, his features hardening.

“We’re not accusing your wife of anything,” Josie said quickly. “We’re only trying to figure out what happened today so we can find Cleo as quickly as possible. Does Cleo often bring Gracie to the park?”

The baby sighed in her sleep. Remy glanced down at her, expression softening instantly. “Yes. If the weather is nice, she brings her here. She tries to come early before it gets too hot. All the fresh air wears Gracie out and Cleo said it’s good exercise for her.”

“Did Cleo ever mention having any trouble with anyone here in the park?” asked Josie. “Maybe someone who followed her or made her uncomfortable?”

“What? No.” Remy covered Gracie’s ear as if he didn’t want her to hear this line of questioning.

Turner looked up from his phone. “Your wife ever have any stalkers?”

“No, no.”

“How about any exes who couldn’t let go?” Turner continued. “Coworkers or neighbors or anyone else that took too much interest in her, or anyone she might have pissed off?”

“No,” Remy insisted. “There hasn’t been anyone or anything like that in her life. She would have told me.”

Turner’s gaze drifted back to his phone screen, thumb scrolling rhythmically. Josie wanted to smack it out of his hand. He said, “Is it possible she was stepping out on you?”

Remy’s eyes bulged. “You think Cleo was cheating on me?”

Josie edged around Remy and the stroller, putting herself between the two men. “Mr. Tate, I know these are difficult questions, but we have to ask them. We’re just trying to figure out if there is anyone in Cleo’s life—anyone at all—who might have wanted to harm her.”

Behind her, Turner sighed.

Remy shook his head, stroking Gracie’s back. “No. Absolutely not.”

Turner’s breath ruffled the top of Josie’s hair. “You sure about that?”

Fury flashed in Remy’s blue eyes. He looked up and past Josie, glaring at Turner. “Do we have a problem?”

“I don’t know. Do we?”

FIVE

If he hadn’t been holding his infant daughter, Josie was certain that Remy would have lunged for Turner. She stepped forward and put a hand behind his elbow, ushering him toward the door. “Just a couple of things before you go, Mr. Tate. Do you or Cleo own a polaroid camera?”

Shock slackened the features of his face. “Wh-what?”

Josie took out her phone and showed him the polaroid found in Gracie’s seat. She had taken the time to crop out the bloodied edges. “This was found in your daughter’s stroller.”

He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“Neither you nor your wife owns a polaroid camera?” she asked again.

“No. We use our phones for everything. I didn’t even know they still made those.”

“What about the picture itself?” Josie prodded. “Does it seem familiar to you at all?”

Remy looked from the photo to her face. “Do a couple of rocks look familiar to me? No. Shouldn’t you be trying to find my wife?”

“That’s what we’re trying to do, buddy,” Turner called, without looking away from his phone. “Unless you don’t want us to.”

Red bloomed across Remy’s cheeks. His mouth thinned into an angry line. Before he could unleash his wrath on Turner, Josie ushered him quickly through the door. “That’s all we have for you right now. Thank you for answering our questions.”

He craned his neck to look back at Turner, but Josie guided him down the hall to the first desk, which Brennan now sat atop. He jumped to his feet when he saw them. “This is my colleague, Officer Brennan,” Josie said. “He will take it from here. He’ll help you with whatever you need. If you’d like to take Gracie to the hospital or you would just like to go home.”

Face still flushed with rage, Remy glanced back down the hall, as if waiting for Turner to emerge. Josie held a business card out to him. “We need to get back to trying to locate your wife. Cleo is our priority right now.” When he didn’t respond, she repeated the words, more slowly this time. Blinking, he took the card.

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