Jane finally looked away from Betack. “It might be. It’s impossible for me to tell. For anyone to tell.”
“Was it checked for prints?” asked Michelle.
“Since it wasn’t sent here and passed through multiple hands before landing in mine, I think the answer to that is no,” she said coldly.
“Where is it?” asked Sean.
“I destroyed it.”
Sean looked uneasily at Betack. “Jane, this is a federal investigation. If you’re found to have knowingly withheld and then destroyed evidence….”
“Now that could tank the election for your husband,” added Michelle.
“But why would you withhold it?” Sean wanted to know.
Jane did not make eye contact with him. “It was a shock to receive it the way that I did. I was trying to evaluate things before I determined what to do with it.”
Okay, now she’s on full spin , thought Sean.
“I think the authorities need to evaluate it,” said Betack. “Please, Mrs. Cox, you need to understand fully what you’re doing here. You need to tell them what was in the letter.”
“Fine, I’ll tell you. The letter said that I would be getting another letter sent to a post office box. They also sent me the address for that box and the key for it.”
Sean, Michelle, and Betack exchanged glances.
Jane noticed this because she added, “And it said if anyone who remotely looked like a police officer or a federal agent went anywhere near the box, we would never get Willa back.”
“Is that why you kept the letter to yourself?” asked Tuck.
“Of course. Do you seriously think I want anything to happen to Willa? I love her like she’s one of my own children.”
How she said this struck Sean as a little odd. “When did it say the other letter would be coming?”
“It didn’t. But that I should check regularly. As of today there was nothing there.”
Betack said, “We have to tell the FBI about this.”
Sean and Michelle nodded in agreement but Jane shook her head. “If you do then we will never see Willa again.”
“Jane, the Feds are really good at this.”
“Yes, they’ve been superb so far. Figured everything out, haven’t they? I can’t imagine why they’d screw it up now.”
“That’s hardly fair,” began Michelle.
Jane Cox raised her voice. “What do you know about fair?”
“When you get the letter, you have to let us see what it says.”
She glanced over at Sean. “I have to?”
“You retained us to investigate this case, Jane. So
far, you’ve lied to us, withheld vital information, and caused us to waste time we didn’t have. Yeah, you need to let us and the FBI see the letter when it comes. Or else we can just pack it in right now and be done with it.”
Tuck spoke up. “Jane, for God’s sake, this is Willa we’re talking about. You have to let them help.”
“I’ll think about it.”