The Replacement Child - By Christine Barber Page 0,92
waiting back at the state police station.
Mrs. Baca was shivering now as she prayed, but Gil still couldn’t persuade her to come inside. As the crime-scene techs worked, Gil pulled Adam Granger, the lead tech, aside. Gil had known Granger, who was also the tech in charge of Melissa’s case, for years. Their daughters were on the same soccer team.
“I don’t suppose there was dirt on the syringe found in Melissa’s car?” Gil asked him.
Granger kicked a clump of dried mud. “I was just wondering the same thing. I’ll go to the lab right now and check on it.”
Pollack came up to Gil and asked, “Do you think she knows anything else?”
Gil stared at Mrs. Baca for a minute before saying, “No.”
“Well, in that case, we got a bunch of loose ends that we need to tie up,” Pollack said. “Where do you want to start? I’m thinking about the brother….”
“Actually, I’d rather track down the principal and get his take on the pictures,” Gil said. He was worried about Sandra Paine, despite what her parents had said. For him, the endangered living took precedence over the dead. He wanted to find out who had abused her, and, knowing that the parents wouldn’t help, he hoped Strunk would.
Pollack nodded. “Yeah, and tell him one of his students is banging an adult. That might get his attention.”
Pollack said that he’d keep an eye on Mrs. Baca until the counselor showed up.
Strunk’s home was in the foothills, down a long driveway. The house must have been about ten thousand square feet. It was finished with adobe-colored stucco and had a big, arched entranceway. It couldn’t have been more than a few years old. In Santa Fe’s market—where the average price of a home is $282,000—it had probably cost at least $2 million.
As Gill pulled up to the house, he saw Ken Strunk standing outside. He got out of his car, and Strunk shook his hand warmly as the two of them stood in the driveway, where Strunk had obviously been cleaning out his car. The trunk and all the doors were open. A bucket of water and a few wet rags dripped on the pavement next to the gray Lincoln Town Car. A wet/dry vacuum sat nearby.
“Detective Montoya. I received your messages. Sorry I haven’t gotten back to you. My wife and I drove to see her mother in Las Cruces Wednesday night, and we just got back in town.” He gestured at his car. “I never realized how much stuff you find between the seats after a long road trip.”
“Was it a planned trip?” Gil asked, mostly to make small talk.
“Actually, no.” Strunk hesitated. It took him a moment to add, “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but we went because the school’s board of governors thought it would discourage the media’s interest in our school. It was a public relations move. The hope was that things would have died down by the time I got back. But clearly that’s not the case if you’re here.” Strunk put down his wet cloth. “So, what can I help you with, Detective?”
“Did Melissa ever mention anything to you about a student of hers named Sandra Paine?”
“Yes. About a month ago, Sandra was caught drinking vodka on school grounds.”
“How was Melissa involved?”
“She’s the one that turned Sandra in.”
“What did you do?”
“We called Sandra’s parents. They insisted we call the police. The parents wanted to scare her straight, that sort of thing. So two officers came and brought her down to the police station. There were no charges filed.”
“Do you remember the officers’ names?”
“I don’t know, off the top of my head, but I keep my school files here at the house for security reasons. I made a note of it in her file. We can go check.”
They walked though the garage and into a study done in the same muted tones as Strunk’s office at school.
“Detective, do you mind if I ask why you’re asking about Sandra? She’s an intelligent girl but has an inconsistent home life.”
“Do you know her well?”
“Actually, we only met that one time when she was brought to my office. Is she in more trouble?”
Gil answered his question with a question: “Did Melissa ever mention anything else to you about Sandra?”
Strunk smiled. “I get the feeling you’re not going to tell me why you’re asking. Okay, Detective, I’ll try to control my burning curiosity. Did Melissa ever mention Sandra?” Strunk thought for a moment. “No, just that one time.”