Page 26 of Bring Them Home

They entered the home. The open concept afforded a view of most of the main level from the doorway—the kitchen, dining room, and living room. Dark floors with matching beams accentuated the high ceiling. Luxury touches also extended to wide baseboards.

Bruce gestured toward a seating arrangement set up around a fireplace. He sat on the couch, and his wife dropped next to his side. Amanda and Trent each sat on a wingback chair.

“I’m Detective Amanda Steele, and this is Detective Trent Stenson.” She felt it was only right they knew their first names, given the news they were about to deliver. “We know that you’re Bruce Archer,” she said to the man, then turned to the woman. “That makes you his wife, Deborah?”

Both Archers nodded.

“What is this about Paul?” Bruce was holding his wife’s hand as they sat there.

Witnessing their stiffened posture, prepared to weather a storm together, caused an ache in Amanda’s chest. There is no more putting it off… “We’re sorry, but we need to tell you that⁠—”

“No.” Deborah wailed out and sank into her husband’s side. He wrapped his arm around her. He wasn’t meeting anyone’s eyes, and his had filled with tears.

“Paul was found dead this morning in Haymarket.” Amanda pushed ahead—for them, for herself. This was their hell, not hers, which she respected. Her emotions would drive her forward for justice, but they had no place competing with their loss.

Deborah rocked back and forth. Bruce stared into space.

“We are very sorry for your loss,” Amanda added, respecting the couple’s space to assimilate what she had just told them. There was only more devastating news to come.

Bruce licked his lips and rubbed his jaw. “What happened to him?”

“An autopsy is going to be conducted to determine the exact cause of death, but he suffered multiple stab wounds.”

Deborah gasped out again.

“There is more though…” Amanda eased her way to part two.

“More?” Deborah asked between sobs.

Amanda took a steadying breath, determined to be strong for the Archers. “It’s early yet in the investigation, but we believe your son was taken along with his wife and daughter.”

“What? No, you can’t be serious.” Deborah blinked, and fat tears dangled from her lashes like crystal beads. “Valerie and Brooke… Are they…?”

Amanda shook her head. “We have no reason to believe they are dead, but we have seen video that shows them getting into the back of a black Ford Transit this past Saturday. We believe the same people who took them are responsible for your son’s death.”

Bruce swallowed, his Adam’s apple heaving. “Then, maybe… maybe they’re…”

“Our granddaughter.” Deborah wiped fresh tears from her cheeks.

Had the woman intentionally left out mention of Valerie? Was there a rift between them and their daughter-in-law? Did they know about her sleeping around? Or was it nothing more than her mind going to the youngest and most vulnerable family member? “There’s no reason we need to go there at this point.”

Deborah quivered. “But you can’t know for sure.”

“Do you have any leads on who might have taken them? Or why?” Bruce asked, saving Amanda or Trent from responding to his wife.

Amanda was impressed by his clarity of mind and attributed this to a professional life he must have led before retirement. Whatever it had been, he seemed seasoned in dealing with extreme stress. “The investigation is still rather new⁠—”

“New? You said they were taken on Saturday, and Paul was found today. When did you even get the idea they were taken?”

“Last night,” Trent said, speaking up for the first time since stepping on the Archers’ property.

“And it took you until today to speak with us?” Bruce fired back.

“It took us some time to figure out what we were dealing with. There are procedures in place…” Amanda stopped talking there. The Archers wouldn’t care about initially limiting the circle of those who knew, or appreciate the safeguard it could provide. Not now, not in retrospect. “We’re doing all we can to find Valerie and Brooke and who is behind your son’s murder.”

“Please pardon me for saying this,” Bruce began, “but we heard the same thing from the police back when our daughter went missing. We’ve heard it many times over the years from our son-in-law too. He’s a detective with the PWCPD. Lloyd McGee. Do you know him?”

She nodded. “We met on a previous case.” Another dark investigation but for reasons different than this one.