Warren turned on a small gas heater, then invited O’Connor and Norton into the kitchen, saying it was the largest room in the house. He started the coffee percolator as O’Connor and Norton took seats at the kitchen table. O’Connor heard the cups rattle in their saucers as Warren set them on the counter.
Warren watched the coffeepot for a moment, then sat down with a kind of resignation, as if unable to come up with another way to delay hearing what was about to be said.
“The coffee will take a few minutes. What’s this all about?”
“I’m afraid it’s about your family, Mr. Ducane.”
“My family? My parents? Has something happened to my parents?”
“Your brother and his wife joined your parents on their boat late Saturday night. They haven’t returned.”
Ducane face went from chalk white to a gray color. “Not… not all of them? Not all of them together?”
“Yes… Are you all right? Maybe you should put your head down between your knees for a moment.”
Warren obeyed, and a little of his color returned to him. But when he sat up again, he still seemed dazed.
The coffee began to percolate, the coffeepot making intermittent burbling sounds.
Ducane sat staring and then asked, “Todd and Kathleen, too?”
It was always like this, O’Connor thought. People in shock thought if they asked the question in a different way, the answer would be different. As if enough questions would bring about an answer they liked, or one that made sense to them.
“Yes,” Norton said, perfectly patient. “Your parents and Todd and Kathleen.”
Warren trembled. “No… there must be some mistake. Yesterday was Kathleen’s birthday. There was a party. My parents were going to take their new boat out after the party. On their own. Not with Todd and Kathleen. Todd and Kathleen must be somewhere else.”
“Your parents invited them to go with them. Many people at the party have said they were told this, including Kathleen’s parents.”
For a moment, there was only the arrhythmic hiss and boil of the coffeepot.
“No,” Warren said again. “They didn’t take Todd. Not Todd.”
Norton said nothing.
Warren’s face crumpled, and he made a horrible, wounded sound, one O’Connor had heard a thousand times and never wanted to hear again. Norton, who had probably heard it a hundred thousand times, put a hand on Warren Ducane’s shoulder. Warren covered his face and sobbed in earnest.
The coffee percolator stopped, its red indicator light on, and O’Connor stood and poured the coffee. He placed cups before each of the other men and offered one to Arden, who politely declined. For a time, O’Connor was the only one who drank any of it.
Warren stood up, hastily excused himself, then moved back to the bathroom. They heard him retching, the flush of the toilet, then the sound of water running in the sink. After a while, he came back out.
“Sorry,” he said shakily.
He reached for his coffee and drank a little, then pushed it away.
“Are you sure the boat is lost? I mean, couldn’t there be a chance they’re all right?”
“Yes, of course,” Norton said. “We haven’t given up hope by any means. The Coast Guard is watching for it. The Sea Dreamer could just be blown off course. We’ve tried raising her on the radio, but so far, no luck. But then, it could just be that there’s some problem with the radio on board.”
Warren nodded, then fell silent. He looked at O’Connor. “Why are you here, Conn?” he asked, as if it had suddenly dawned on him that Conn was not a policeman.
“Jack Corrigan asked me to stop by Todd and Katy’s place tonight.”
“Oh.” He still seemed confused. “Will he be coming here, too?”
“No. Jack’s not feeling well, I’m afraid.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “Tell him I said hello.” O’Connor couldn’t hear any insincerity in that, just distraction. Warren suddenly hit upon another explanation for Conn’s presence. “Are you here to get a description of the boat for the paper? I think I have a snapshot of it. Maybe that will help.”
“I’m afraid, Warren, that I’m here-”
“Oh, you just said-because of Kathleen! Jack and Kathleen are friends. Kathleen…” Tears welled up in his eyes again. “And the baby? What’s going to become of that little boy?”
“Mr. Ducane,” Norton said, drawing his attention. “Mr. O’Connor assisted me in finding you. I’m afraid there’s more I must tell you.”
Warren looked at him wide-eyed, anxious.
“Your nephew Max-Todd’s son?”
“The baby! Oh my God! They weren’t crazy enough to take an infant on that-”
“No, sir.”
“I’ll take care of him. I will, somehow. My God, I just can’t believe that Todd-”
“Mr. Ducane, I’m sorry. There’s no easy way to tell you this, but tonight we’ve learned that the baby has probably been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped?” he asked. Blank-faced again. Disbelieving.
“The child’s nursemaid was murdered.”
Warren seemed to sway, and for a moment O’Connor thought he was going to pass out. But he steadied himself and said, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I just can’t seem to understand. I just-Todd’s baby is missing?”
Norton went over it with him at least a half a dozen times. Finally, Warren got past the stage of simply repeating whatever was said to him. Norton kept pouring coffee for him.
“Tell me about your brother,” Norton said.
Warren seemed on the verge of tears again. Norton waited while he struggled to regain his composure.
“He’s a good man,” Warren said in a hoarse voice. “A great brother.” Deep breath. “The best. I-I can’t think why he would have gone with my parents. It’s crazy. They’re crazy.”
“Your parents?”
He nodded. “But not Todd. Todd’s smart. God! I hope it’s all some mistake.”
But he didn’t look as if he believed it could be, O’Connor thought. He looked as if he didn’t have any real hope.
“Your brother mention any problems lately?”
Warren seemed surprised at the question. “No, not really.”
“I mean,” Norton said, “most young couples have problems…”
“Oh.”
O’Connor could see him hesitate, trying to figure out what he should or should not say.
He sighed heavily. “I think they have a few. Adjusting to life with a new baby in the house, things like that. But nothing they couldn’t work out, I’m sure.”
“What about outside of his home life?”
“Todd didn’t mention anything to me. My God, he’s…he’s…he’s on a missing boat, and his child has been taken…how could any of that be his fault?”
“I’m not saying it is. Not at all. I just wondered who might want to put pressure on him.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Mr. Ducane, I suspect there will be a call or a letter or something of that nature sent to your brother’s home, asking for ransom. And I can only believe that this is going to come from someone who doesn’t realize that your brother himself is missing.”
“I see. Yes. All right. But who could it be?”
“Any enemies?”
“None that I know of.”
“Did he mention any strangers coming around, or persons who might have taken an unusual interest in the child?”
Warren shook his head.
“Any work done on the house recently?”
“No… at least…well, I don’t really know. Lillian-Kathleen’s mother would have arranged for anything like that.” He suddenly sat up straighter. “Lillian! Have you told her…?”
“Yes.”
“Poor Lillian. Kathleen’s her only child. My God. My God. What has happened?”
Norton continued to question him, about Todd, Todd’s friends, Katy, Katy’s friends. How the household staff had been hired. In the end, O’Connor wasn’t convinced that Norton had learned much, mostly because Warren Ducane didn’t seem to know much about his brother’s life since marriage.