Murder in the Forest, Chapter Seven

The team visiting Courtney Cassidy's family took Blacklaws's cruiser, to save having to follow him in traffic and to allow them to talk as they drove. Seaver rode in front with Blacklaws and Reid sat in the back. Seaver found that Blacklaws was a witty raconteur with a droll sense of humor, telling the others about the town and the department as well as the case. Seaver learned that he had lost a wife in an auto accident three years before and wasn't dating anyone in particular.

At the family residence on a gracefully elm-shaded street that spoke softly of comfortable wealth, they found both parents awaiting them, the sheriff having notified them that investigators were en route.

Vaughn Cassidy was a tall man with handsome features and a worried look that showed the strain that he was under. He wore a classic green Izod shirt with tan Dockers or similar slacks and dark brown Timberland handsewn shoes, heavier than boat shoes, but along those lines. His wife was well-bred and classy, with a beauty queen or socialite look about her. She was in a blue and white floral pattern dress, knee-length, with short sleeves and white high heels. The silver and turquoise pendant around her neck and matching earrings looked expensive. These were probably of Zuni, Hopi, or Navajo origin. Seaver noticed that the wedding rings boasted a substantial number of carats. One sensed that the Cassidys, Vaughn and Christie, were athletic and aware of themselves as glamour people, certainly more "Hollywood" than most in this small city. Pictures of Courtney and her sister Tessa adorned a whole wall in the well appointed living room. The girls were shown over the years in beauty contests and as cheerleaders. The team noted that other photos depicted Mrs. Cassidy in similar roles. The girls were clearly being raised in her glamorous shadow, and looked polished and prime. They appeared smart but a bit satisfied with themselves, aware of their looks and their social positions. Cassidy said that he ran a very successful insurance agency and Mrs. Cassidy asked a Mexican maid to bring coffee and cookies before admitting that she was exclusively a housewife. She was active in social affairs and in hosting parties for her husband's business. Travel photos and memorabilia revealed that the family had vacationed in France, the UK, Germany, and other countries, some in the tropical Americas. Several pictures taken on boats depicted oceanic fishing, with tuna, barracuda, wahoo, and a sailfish as catches. The mounted sailfish graced a wall in the next room, visible through a wide door. The BAU agents revised their opinion of the family and the town. This was hardly just a rural village as they'd half expected. Reid began to suspect that kidnapping for ransom might be more likely to explain Courtney's absence than one of the Bigfoot cases.

Blacklaws looked closely at the photos of Courtney and excused himself to make a phone call from the porch. He had seen this girl before, and thought he knew where. And that was not the image of her that one would expect from this home and these parents…

In a few minutes, he was back and listened politely to the accolades from the parents, who were insistent that Courtney was a fine young lady and never in trouble; didn't run with a questionable crowd, etc.

And then, he asked as nicely as he could phrase it about Courtney's job. He had just confirmed with Harry's Boobalicious Club that it was indeed her that he'd seen dance there while checking the club for violations and general compliance with local regulations. She used a different name, Misti Waters, but he knew her face and her voice and her body language, the sexy saunter that she employed to drag male eyes after her as she walked. Courtney Cassidy was not a girl whom men forgot easily, once seen.