Welcome to Sbluewolfy and wildehaywardsbabe: no need to luck in the back, we like people who let their voice heard around here.
Let's move the case along, shall we?
Even before talking to them again, Gillian had the strong feeling that Mary and Daniel Reed had nothing to do with their foster son's disappearance.
She spotted them from a distance from behind the wheel, standing outside the house with a nervous stance and anxiously waiting. Then, once she parked the car and got out, the couple nearly ran towards her frantically bombarding her with questions. They clearly couldn't wait to talk to her, hoping she would be less tight-lipped on the possible whereabouts of Toby and the latest developments. As much as Gillian wanted to be careful and remind herself that it wouldn't have been the first time suspects would try to throw themselves at them thinking they could fool them, their body language alone was so open and blatant that it was hard to believe they were hiding something about a possible involvement with Trepkos
Deputy Larry, who had been ecstatic about chaperoning the woman of the hour again, gently stood between her and the parents to calm them down and respond to their enquiries. It made sense, since they were mostly about the part of the investigation that concerned the Sheriff department, and that allowed Emily and Gillian to unload the car quietly and ensure they got everything they needed. They moved inside and Emily asked how she wanted to arrange for the recording, following her instructions while Gillian tried to reassure the Reeds that they were completely focused on finding Toby.
Once everything was ready Gillian started with some easy questions, simple queries to establish a baseline with them and to cross the ts on some of the new information they had acquired since the day before. The Reeds answered to everything in a rushed and frantic way, another sign that - Emily remembered - they were probably telling the truth. Their behaviour, annoyed by questions that they saw as disconnected from their missing son and impatient to get to the point, spoke volume about the lack of deception on their part. Which was probably why, Emily thought, Gillian moved on quickly to more important things.
"What can you tell us about Victor Trepkos?" She asked eventually, keeping her voice gentle and non accusatory, immediately registering disgust in their faces. "Have you ever heard about him before yesterday?"
"This is a small community, we almost all know each other." Mr Reed answered, in what was probably the first time Gillian had to drag more out of him.
"In what capacity?" She enquired, knowing that such a generic response wasn't going to help her much.
"Well, we go to the same church. He's not there every Sunday but he's always available for small jobs around the complex."
"Has he ever done any type of work for you?"
Mrs Reed shook her head, a comprehensible shudder running through her as she thought she might have dodged a bullet there.
"I saw him a few times at the orphanage," she volunteered then as if it was an afterthought, but Gillian picked up on it.
"Why were you at the orphanage?"
The couple looked at each other, exchanging a look of longing and sadness that piled up what they were going through.
"It was our first option, the first thing we thought about trying," Mr Reed explained. "It seemed a bit old fashioned, something out of a movie, but we figured if we could help a child that might have been a good place to start."
Gillian nodded and smiled, because she needed to stay on their good side and because she knew, exactly, what they were walking about.
"Why did you decide to foster instead?"
"We were afraid that it would have been too much of a commitment, and we didn't want to take the risk."
"For us and for the child," Mrs Reed urged to clarify, and Gillian felt something tugging at her but decided to ignore it.
"Tell me about Toby. How long has he been with you?"
Talking about the kid seemed to breathe a fresh enthusiasm in the couple, as they launched into a long duet about how much they loved the boy, how they had managed to overcome the initial issues of fostering and adjusting their lifestyle. There were tears when they talked about the first birthday and Christmas they had celebrated, and Mrs Reed broke down when her mind likely wondered if they'd ever get the chance to do any of that again.
Gillian let them calm down and recover before suggesting they'd take a break, and when she looked behind her at Emily it was clear the Reeds were not the only ones who needed it. Remembering something that her father had told her, Emily let the camera run just in case it might catch something, then followed Gillian outside while Deputy Larry stuck around the couple, just in case.
"You're the expert," Emily huffed once they were outside, "but they don't look like they are lying to me. Please tell me they are not lying."
Gillian gave her a sad smile and nodded.
"No, they are not. They are really devastated and they were not involved with Trepkos in any way." Gillian confirmed, gladly. "Did you see anything?"
"No, not really. They just seem so eager to talk, I think- Does it make it more complicated, when you expect people to lie and they don't?"
"Sometimes," Gillian chuckled, then checked her phone to see if Cal had reached out with any update on his front but there was nothing. Then she looked down at Emily, who was absently rocking on her heel in a way that reminded her disarmingly of the girl's father. "Are you ok Emily?"
"Yes, actually," she sighed, glancing back at the house. "I think I'm just sort of happy that these parents are, you know…normal."
"Yes, I know what you mean." She really did, after the Greys and the day before some parental love was exactly what she needed as well. "Ready to go back inside?"
Emily nodded and they went back inside, where Gillian resumed the interrogation asking if they could think of anybody who might have targeted them for personal reasons.
"No, not really." They both shook their heads. "We've thought about it from the start, we thought maybe we'd get a ransom request or something like that."
"We found that some of the other families had financial problems, which is probably why they agreed to work out something with Trepkos," Giliian shared.
"You can check whatever you want. We are not rich but we do ok, and we'd never done anything like that," Mrs Reed stated, again disgust seeping through her words.
Gillian looked down at the notepad in her hands and jotted down something, mostly to leave a bit of space before starting to stir the subject again.
"What can you tell me about the fostering process?"
"What do you mean?"
Gillian stopped doodling when she heard Mr Reed counter request, catching up on the tone of his voice even without looking at him. It wasn't fear, not something that could derail that line of questioning, but it was the first time she detected a higher pitch in either voice. She kept her composure and kept pretending to write, then looked up at them with an absent shrug as if she wasn't actually really interested in what she had just asked.
"Just the usual." She explained casually. "What channels did you have to go through, how long did it take? Were there any issues, at any point?"
Bingo! Gillian thought. She didn't know what it was, not yet, but there was a strange frown on the couple's faces now and clearly some substance behind it.
"We had to pass a few checks, on our finances and health mostly." Mrs Reed started off, unsure, and Gillian noticed for the first time she seemed to have the need to check with her husband before speaking. "They talked to our family and friends, they visited the house a few times to make sure we could accommodate Toby- I'm sorry, how is this helping to find him?"
"We just need to have detailed information. Until yesterday we assumed that all the missing children were connected but clearly Toby is different." She softened her voice and leaned in a little. "We think that Trepkos didn't approach you because he knew you'd never give up Toby, now we just want to make sure we're not overlooking anything." She paused again, less friendly now and a bit more decisive. "You never know what can be helpful."
And with that she was in, although it was still unclear what she was about to access. The Reeds looked at each other, getting closer, and the woman looked for her husband's hand. C'mon, Gillian thought, get it out already!
"It was quicker than we thought, going through the process."
Gillian knew that already, she had read their file and found it interesting that the arrangement to assign Toby to them had been made even before their certification came through. The innate bureaucracy of the system didn't allow for steps to be skipped, yet the Reeds had taken Toby home with them a good two weeks before their application had been completely vetted. She knew all that and had planned on bringing it up, but it seemed as the couple was about to finally cover that for her.
"There was another family for Toby."
"Well, not really a family," Mrs Reed urged to clarify on the back of her husband's words. "It was a single woman, she had been looking to become a foster parent too. She was supposed to foster Toby, I believe he was actually with her for a while but then they contacted us asking if we wanted to foster him instead."
"What was the problem with this woman fostering Toby?"
"We don't know," Daniel Reed stated. "It was all confidential, you know how these things are. They didn't want to put Toby in limbo after that and they felt safe enough with us, so we were allowed to start fostering right away."
"This family, do you know who they were?"
They both shook their heads, the sadness evident on their faces along with the frustration of not being able to help being a clear tell of their honesty.
"CPS should have records," Deputy Larry suggested, and Gillian nodded.
Yeah, she thought as she excused herself and made a quick but controlled exit, looking for the phone in her pocket. The same CPS we are already trying to throw under the bus. As soon as she was outside she called the Sheriff, thinking Cal could wait: he sure would have wanted to know what she was uncovering but it was the Sheriff who could help her dig. Once on the line with Sheriff Talbot, Gillian went straight to the point and asked her to find out who this other family might have been.
Then, feeling that time was of the essence, Gillian went back inside. She had tried not to rush out of the house but her reaction had clearly not gone unnoticed, and when she came back there was a hopeful light in the Reeds' eyes. It killed her to do so, but she had to manage their expectations and gave a vague explanation about needing to check with her partner. It wasn't a lie, not that they would have been able to tell, then Gillian asked a few more questions. Not that she needed to know much more, at that point it was merely a time wasting tactic with a double objective: tame the Reeds' sudden hope for a breakthrough and allow Sheriff Talbot the time to time to check on those records.
Only when she started feeling herself grasping for straws, Gillian decided that it was time to end it. She asked Emily to switch off the camera and pack things up, then addressed the Reeds with some mostly harmless and made up follow up notes; an update about what they had learned from Trepkos and what was going to happen to him, something on how the rescued kids were doing and how they planned on moving forward. The first two were little bones thrown at them, information that didn't really help their situation but made them feel included: the last one was a flat out lie, especially because she didn't really know what the next move might have been.
With the interview officially closed, Gillian was eager to get back to Cal and the Sheriff's office. She was confident she had seen and heard all that mattered from the Reeds but it never hurt to get a second opinion, and when she looked at her watch she realised that the deadline for Trepkos' transfer was fast approaching. Then, just when she was about ready to politely part from the Reeds, Gillian felt her phone buzz in her pocket and excused herself once again. She went outside, this time putting more distance with the door to make absolutely sure that they wouldn't hear her, then picked up and was met with Cal's teasing remark before she could even see who was calling her.
"Having fun without me, are ya? Out there rescuing children and solving cases all on your own."
"Emily is with me," she pointed out with a smile, glad the person in question was actually still inside putting away the equipment so she couldn't see the little girl smile on her own face.
"Not really making it better, love."
"Oh, and Deputy Larry, of course"
"Again," Cal sighed, "not better."
Gillian chuckled and closed her eyes for a brief moment, shamelessly enjoying the banter which, for people like them, counted as an intimacy expression of sorts.
"I called the Sheriff first because it was urgent, Cal," Gillian explained then, and when he hummed softly she figured she didn't have to justify herself at all.
"I know, and it was the right thing to do. But it might be tricky."
"Connor didn't agree to the deal?"
"He did and he's working on it, but the local CPS has probably gotten wind they might be on the chopping block and might not be all that happy to play ball and share confidential information."
"Can't we ask CPS before the deal is done?"
Cal paused and Gillian rolled her eyes, knowing he was probably biting his lip, all happy and satisfied as he usually was when she suggested a shady move.
"Sheriff Talbot is on it right now." His voice trailed off a little, and Gillian imagined he might be checking on the Sheriff with a quick glance. "She's good at this game, I think we can get something here."
"Ok, call me when you do?"
"Of course. How did it go over there? I reckon you don't think the Reeds might be up to something."
"No, I really don't think so." She sighed, glancing back at the house. "They are really devastated."
"That's kind of a good news, if I may say so." Gillian was inclined to agree. "And how's Em doing?"
"Good, great." Gillian smiled. "She's a strong young woman, Cal. Give her credit."
"I do, love, all the credit in the world." He groaned a bit louder, his voice betraying fatigue and a bit of tension. "And I think she's gonna need a holiday after this vacation."
"That's not a bad idea."
"You know," Gillian heard his voice melt into a low pitch, a gentle whisper he was probably trying to hide from indiscreet listeners. "Maybe when this is over and we tell Emily then we could think about- Hold on a minute Gill." He cut himself off and he must have put his hand on the phone because she heard his voice muffled and distant for a few seconds before he got back to her. "We've got a name."
"What?"
"They are faxing it through… Who the hell still uses a bloody fax in this day and age?!" Cal grunted in frustration. "Gotta go love, the moment I have that name I'm gonna talk to Trepkos."
"Ok, we'll be there as soon as possible."
They didn't waste time with parting words, they both hung up and moved. Gillian shrugged off the premature excitement and composed herself before going back inside, graciously but expeditiously taking leave from the Reeds, not without the solemn promise to keep in touch. Once they were inside the car, Gillian immediately updated the other two on the latest from Cal and announced that they were going back to see how Trepkos would react to the new information.
They had plenty of additional questions but she didn't have answers for them, and much rather preferred to focus on driving. So, when her phone rang again Gillian swiftly attached it to the dock on the dashboard and put it on speaker.
"Tamara Lewton." Cal's voice barked, barely edging what sounded like a very chaotic environment around him. "She was supposed to be Toby's foster parent but she lied on her application. That's what they took the kid back."
"What did she lie about?"
"She said she was married, she lied about being a single mother and having the necessary support system to foster a child." Gillian's heart dropped to her stomach, but she reminded herself of what she had told Cal the night before and brought it back up with a deep breath. "I brought it up with Trepkos, he lit up like a Christmas tree."
"Was he posing as Lewton's husband?" Emily asked.
"No, she got her own brother to do that." More rustling sounds in the background, the Sheriff's voice yelling orders. "But when she got Toby he did try to get her to participate in his scheme."
"And she said no," Gillian nodded to herself.
"Categorically, He- Which one?" He stopped, probably to ask which car he should get in. "Trepkos said she was hell bent on keeping the child, pretty much assaulted him when he brought it up. Looks like she has a history of manic episodes, another thing she tried to sweep under the rug."
"No wonder they took Toby away," Emily mumbled, then raised her voice to make sure her father could hear her. "Do you think she kidnapped him?"
"We don't want to jump to conclusions Em, but we're heading there right now."
"I know Tamara," Deputy Larry contributed, his face suddenly nervous. "I know she's not well, but she's always been trouble around here. If she does have Toby and we storm in there's no telling what she might do."
"We should keep a low profile," Gillian suggested, focusing on the road with her eyes but also on the task at hand with her mind. "If she went as far as kidnapping a child the wrong approach could have horrible consequences."
"It'll just be me and Dr Lightman," the Sheriff chimed in from the other side of the line. "Backups we'll keep out of sight."
"Ok we'll meet you there."
That said Gillian hung up, happy that she could devote her entire attention to the drive and glad she knew where she was going.
"I know where it is," Deputy Larry said then, and even though he hadn't said much Gillian could easily detect a certain determination in his voice "We're only a few minutes away, and it will take them longer to get there. She knows me, she doesn't exactly like me but she hates the Sheriff."
Gillian quickly glanced at him on the passenger seat, trying to figure out if he was really suggesting what she thought he was suggesting. And when she was done with that, she nodded at Emily in the rearview window and asked him to give her directions.