Free Cold Lake by Jeff Carson Page A

then what happened?”
    “Well,” she took a sip of coffee with steady hands, “we watched the fireworks, and then hung out for another couple hours. By that time it was past midnight, and people were already pretty much streamed out of the place. I went into the bar and called our house. My daughter and I were just about to try and hitch a ride, when my husband came back.”
    “In the boat?”
    “Yes. In the boat.”
    A pause. “Please continue.”
    She looked up at the ceiling and shook her head. “It was just so weird when he finally showed up. He was wearing a different outfit. Different shirt, different jeans. I asked him about it, and he just ignored me. He was upset, so I dropped the line of questioning. He was so… serious the whole ride back. Never looked at Kimber or me.”
    “And then what happened? When you got home?”
    Katherine’s lip quivered. “We got home, and he went crazy. He was yelling at Kimber, and I was scared for her. I was so scared.” She exhaled and closed her eyes, and a tear slid down her cheek.
    She looked up at Wolf’s father with sudden horror.
    “I went outside to have a cigarette. To get out of the house. I couldn’t take listening to it. And … that’s when I saw a plastic bag on the ground next to the house. It was strange, because we never put trash alongside the house. You know you can’t do that with the wildlife up here. So I approached it and … then I saw it.”
    “Saw what?”
    “The blood. The bloody clothes.”
    Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and steeled herself.
    “What bloody clothes?” Burton asked a little too forcefully.
    She opened her eyes. “The clothes he was wearing before, earlier in the night, were in the bag. I opened it and looked inside. They were … caked in blood. It was so much. I freaked out, and ran back inside. I thought he might be killing my daughter.”
    A scraping noise on the video pulled Katherine Grey’s gaze upward.
    Burton’s crotch came into view as he leaned against the wall behind her. “You told us yesterday that your family, husband and all, stayed at the fireworks show all night. You never mentioned anyone leaving. You never mentioned that phone call your husband got.”
    “I know. I know. I … we were scared. I saw the blood, and you have no clue how—”
    “We have no clue? Okay. So why don’t you clue us in, sweetheart.” Burton said.
    Katherine Grey turned toward him, and turned back with the remnants of a glower.
    “Damn,” Rachette chimed in, “Look at Burton go.”
    “Shut up and listen,” Patterson said quickly.
    Rachette made a face at Wolf and Wolf shrugged, keeping his eyes on the screen.
    “Mrs. Grey, may I call you Katherine?” Wolf’s father asked.
    Katherine looked at Wolf’s father and nodded.
    “Katherine, what time did you guys get home from the boat ride back? From the fireworks show?”
    “It was twelve-thirty, no probably one a.m. by that time.”
    Burton bent down and got in her face. His mustache was the same minus the grey and his face was bone thin. “Which one was it? Twelve-thirty or one?”
    “I don’t know.” Katherine narrowed her eyes at him. Her face was turning red and her lips were shaking. “I didn’t have a watch on. I just remember, yes, it was twelve-thirty when he came back and picked us up.”
    “Because you were in the bar and you looked at the clock.” Burton sneered.
    She looked at him and nodded.
    “Words.” He walked out of view of the video shot. “We need words for the recording.”
    “Yes.” She glared at him in defiance.
    “Sergeant Burton,” Wolf’s father said, “could you go get us another cup of coffee? Maybe a bottle of water for Katherine?”
    There was a long pause. “Yeah, sure thing.”
    The door squeaked open and clicked shut.
    “Please, Katherine. When you went back inside, after seeing the clothing. What happened?”
    “I went inside and he was … going crazy again. He took Kimber and locked her in the room,