Jodie walked through the thick trees towards Graham’s home kicking crusted snow so it dispersed into powder in front of her boots. Puffs of air escaped her mouth similar to an old-fashioned train fuelled by coal chugging along a rail line. Eyes were on her and not just those of the forest animals. She could feel them. Graham had cameras set up out here. She had seen the screens in his home.
Bright sun penetrated the tall spikes of trees. The white snow threw the light into her eyes and she was grateful for the sunglasses perched on her nose. She crested a small rise and on the other side stood Graham with an axe resting on his shoulder looking at her. A pile of wood lay about his feet, neatly chopped. Smoke from the chimney drifted lazily into the air and Jodie thought the scene would make a great cover for a romance novel about the lonely lumberjack in the woods hoping for love. Graham’s damaged face ruined the illusion. He glared at her with one eye, the hood on his coat thrown back as though daring her to take a good, long look at him.
She smiled and taking her hands out her pockets eased her way down the slight decline to stand before him.
“Hello, Graham.”
He nodded. No smile, no warmth of any kind.
“It sure is cold out.”
No response.
“Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?”
He sighed and swung the axe blade into the chopping log. He turned his back to her and said over his shoulder, “C’mon then.”
. . . . .
Again in the kitchen. Graham placed a cup of coffee in front of Jodie, picked his cup off the counter and sat across from her. Jodie glanced at his hands holding the mug. The knuckles were bruised and raised on the right hand. On his left hand were dotted-line scratches. Graham saw her glancing at his hands and a corner of his lips lifted briefly and then returned to being a straight line in his face.
“What can I do for you officer?”
Jodie removed a voice recorder from her pocket, held it up and said, “Do you mind?”
Graham said, “No.”
She placed it on the table between them and hit the record button. She stated the date, time, where they were and who was present. She asked him if she was coercing him to speak with her. He said she wasn’t. Did he understand he could conclude the interview at any time and that the interview was voluntary? He did.
Jodie said, “So. I don’t know if you heard the good news but little Francine has been found and is safe at home.”
Graham pointed to the portable radio by the sink, “I heard.”
“Do you know the details of how she was found?”
“A good Samaritan found her? Something like that.”
Jodie nodded and said, “Yes. Something like that. The same night we talked to you.”
Graham sipped his coffee.
Jodie said, “Aren’t you curious how this person found her?”
Graham shrugged.
“I am. And not just because it’s my job. Countless cops and volunteers running around searching for little Francine, and nothing. This guy finds her, or knew where she was, and the best part is, instead of calling the cops he breaks in there, beats on the guy holding Francine, puts the guy in the hospital actually with a broken orbital bone, some fractured ribs, then points Francine in the right direction to get home and poof! The Good Samaritan disappears. Have you ever heard such a crazy thing?”
“I’ve seen crazier.”
Jodie, eyes flitting to the hole where Graham’s eye used to be, nodded.
She said, “Can you offer any reason why the guy wouldn’t call the police?”
“Why would I know anything about that?”
“I think your insight would be invaluable.”
“Again, why do you think that?”
“I’m just curious as to what you think about it all. We were at your house one night, and the next morning, Francine shows up at home. I want to know if you can think of any reason why this person wouldn’t call the police? The person would be at no risk. An anonymous phone call, that’s all it would have taken.”
“I have no idea why this person did anything. No insight. Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing.”
Jodie said, “There are two reasons, in my mind, why a guy wouldn’t call the cops and wouldn’t stick around afterward. One: the guy wants nothing to do with anyone. A real loner. The type of guy who builds a home in the woods that no roads lead to. But still, that person could have placed an anonymous call.” She smiled at him and continued, “Two: the guy was a partner in the deal. He didn’t call the cops because we would ask all of the questions we like to ask so we can understand. And if the guy stuck around, we might find out he was involved after all and then, well, that wouldn’t be good for that guy would it?”
“I don’t care either way since I’m not either one of them. However, I do prefer direct questions. From what I understand of interviews, someone asks questions and someone answers. I haven’t heard a lot of questions from you. Just statements.”
“Alright. Your hands. How’d you hurt them?”
“I do all the maintenance around here. Building, repairing, chopping wood.” He shrugged and said, “It happens.”
“Did you find and rescue Francine?”
“No.”
“She described the man who saved her as having distinct features. She said the shape of his face was weird. What do you think of that?”
“Nothing. Sounds to me like the guy could have been wearing a mask. Since he didn’t want his identity known, it would make more sense if he had worn one.”
Jodie smiled. Mask. She hadn’t thought of that.
“One last question, if you had any information about this crime, would you share it with police?”
“Yes.”
“Unless you have any questions, that concludes our interview.”
“I have no questions.”
Jodie turned off the recorder. She said, “Can we go off the record here?"
Graham sighed and folded his arms, “What do you want?”
Jodie sipped her coffee and placed it down. She leaned forward and said, “Look, I’m not here as a cop. Well, yeah I am, but right now, not really. I didn’t actually expect you to tell me anything. Not with all the elaborate steps taken to remain anonymous. You’re a loop I had to close and I closed it. I don’t think you had anything to do with Francine’s disappearance, okay?”
“Okay.”
“But I am dying here. I need to know how you did it?”
“Did what?”
She smiled and said, “I know it was you. And it was fucking awesome.”
Graham didn’t move. He sat as a statue, staring at her from his one dark eye. When she didn’t continue, he shook his head and stood saying, “I have a lot of work to do and I’d appreciate it if you’d leave.”
“How did you find her? Half the town, police officers trained in searches, canine dogs and even drones couldn’t find her, but you did. How?”
“Maybe I wasn’t being direct enough. Please. Get out of my house.”
Jodie stood and picked up her coat from the back of the chair. She put it on and said, “Graham. I’m not here to arrest you…”
He laughed and then grimaced, sucking air through clenched teeth.
“Are you okay?”
“I get headaches. Now go.”
“Okay, okay.” She backed towards the front door and she thought if she left she’d never know and it was too much so she started talking, trying to convince him of her intentions to learn and she realized she was babbling, but the door was getting closer and if she walked out, he’d never let her back in so she talked to forestall what she knew to be inevitable; her ejection. She said, “I just need to know how you did it. I’ve been thinking about it all week and I know you want to be left alone and I’m here as, uh, as a person, not a cop, because you did something wonderful and you don’t want the world to know and you know how rare that is? Everyone wants their fifteen minutes, hell, the whole world seems to chase that dream and it’s like people don’t do good things anymore just because they are good, no, they want a payoff of some sort. They want a pat on the head, a parade and some cash in hand. But you, you find a girl that would have been murdered, that would have had terrible things done to her before she died and you want…nothing. That’s amazing to me.”
“Your boots are on the mat.”
She slipped on one boot and continued, “But that’s not the only amazing part. I don’t have any idea how you found her. None at all and I think that if I don’t know, it’ll bug me for the rest of my life. I swear, whatever you tell me, stays with me. I won’t tell anyone. I respect your privacy.”
He raised his eyebrows at her and she put up a hand and said, “I know, I know, me being here and not leaving kind of means I don’t respect your privacy, but I had to show up at some point. It’s my job after all. But don’t you see? I have to know.”
“I don’t care.”
He reached past her and opened the door. The gust of wind pushed snow across the mat. She slipped on her other boot and handed him a card from her pocket and said, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for coming out here and bothering you. Take my card. And if you want, you can call me and you know, invite me next time.”
He took the card and nodded at the open door.
“I mean what I say, Graham. If you told me something, I wouldn’t tell anyone. My word means something.”
“I know it does Detective.”
“Jodie.”
“Alright. I know it does Jodie.”
“Unless of course, you told me you murdered someone or something along those lines, then you know, I’d have to do something. Just, I don’t know, I can be a good friend Graham. We all need friends.”
“I don’t. Goodbye Jodie.”
She stepped out and he closed the door behind her. He watched her walk away and when she passed over the hill and out of sight, he smiled. She was amusing and as far as people went, he didn’t mind her. He returned to the kitchen, swallowed a couple of Tylenol and got back to work.