Page 7 of Lost Without You
“Thank you for welcoming me to your home,” Ethan replied as they walked into a large living room filled with bright, modern furniture and artwork.
“Coffee? Wine? Water?”
“Water for me, thanks.”
He started to sweat again and felt a strange pressure in his chest. Ignoring his unease, he followed Rachel to the dining area, taking a seat at the far end. After the usual small talk, they dug into plates of braised beef, spicy beans and rice, followed by a coconut and mango mousse. Tina prepared coffee for her and Rachel and green tea for him. She was just as charming as her daughter, and they talked about books and travel and art for two hours.
But the time had come for the tough questions, and he couldn’t delay it any longer.
“Tina, do you mind if I chat with you alone? I have some questions about Walter.”
“Of course. Rachel, do you mind dealing with the dishes while I talk to Ethan?”
“Of course, Mama,” Rachel replied as she cleared the plates.
“Let’s go into my office,” Tina said as she got up and walked down the hallway. She turned to the first door on the right and motioned for Ethan to enter. The room was compact but functional with a white desk and chair under the window and two leather club chairs on the other side of the room. He sat down on one of them and pulled out his phone and a notebook. Tina closed the door and walked over to take the seat opposite him.
“I appreciate how difficult this is for you, but I also know you want answers. I hope you don’t mind if I record our conversation and take notes?”
“Do what you need to,” she replied as Ethan tapped his phone and started recording.
“I’ve reviewed the case notes from the investigator you hired so I think I’ll start there. Can you recall, around the time your husband left, if he mentioned anything about issues at work or with his colleagues?”
Tina pursed her lips. “Walter didn’t talk much about his work, but I knew that he wasn’t happy there. I thought he wanted to change jobs or start his own business. The army paid for his accounting degree and a few of his colleagues looked down on him for it. One day he mentioned to me that he wasn’t ‘an ivy league man with goals to climb the corporate ladder’. He said others at work didn’t understand him. He didn’t want his whole life consumed by his job.” She paused and took a deep breath. “But that’s the only thing I can think of. Walter was quieter than me, an introvert, much like my son Ryker. Many times there were things that troubled him that he didn’t share with me. I would ask him, but it was futile. When he was ready, he would tell me if something was bothering him.”
“Did he keep a journal or diary?”
“No, and I never found one. The investigator asked me the same thing. I tore our apartment apart after he left to find any clue, but nothing. Just the goodbye letter,” She murmured and clutched the arms of the chair tightly.
“And what about your marriage? Sorry, let me back up. You met in Puerto Rico, where he was stationed with the army, and you were a nurse. Then you were married six months later and moved to New York. He finished college, left the army and you had Rachel and Ryker. You were together for seven years when he disappeared.”
“You have the timeline correct. And yes, those were the happiest seven years of my life. If you’re asking about affairs, the answer is no. Not on my part. I loved Walter and we were happy together. Naturally we had arguments, mainly about household things and him spoiling the kids. Nothing unusual. Outside of work, he spent all his free time with us, so I think I would’ve known if he was having an affair.”
“Any mention of ex-girlfriends?”
“He dated a woman a year before he met me, but it was a casual thing. They went to the same high school, I believe. She married a few months after they stopped seeing each other and moved away.”
“Did he have any special items that he kept around the house? Pictures? Collections? Anything that he valued?”
Tina pointed to the floor to ceiling bookcases on the opposite wall. “He was a voracious reader, and I kept his extensive collection of books. He did have one collection that he prized above all others. First edition novels from his favorite author, but I have those in a storage box in my bedroom. Would you like to see them?”
“Please,” Ethan paused as he took notes. “Going back to his work, did he have a specialization or just general accounting?”
“He conducted audits for mid to large scale companies.”
“And he never discussed his work with you at all?”
“Not in detail. Like I said, certain things he didn’t talk about. And I suppose given his clients, there was a confidentiality issue. Looking back, around that time, therewassomething bothering him, but I don’t know if was work or something else. I just wish I had kept asking. He was waking up a lot at night. I thought maybe he was having nightmares again. Walter’s childhood was painful, I do know that his father was verbally abusive. I don’t know if he fully got over it. But he didn’t let what happened ruin his life. He worked hard, loved hard, and did everything in his power to be a good husband and father to our children. And he was.”
Tears welled up and spilled over her cheeks as she reached for a tissue on the nearby table.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Talking about all this, even thirty years later, and I still feel the pain of his loss like it was yesterday.”
“I’m sorry to bring this all up again.”
Tina shook her head. “It’s okay. Let me get that collection for you. I’ll be right back.”
Tina left the room and Ethan finally let out the breath he’d been holding. He stopped the recording and jotted down a few notes. Standing up, he wandered over to the bookcase and perused the titles. A minute later, Tina appeared with a large box.