by Mary Stone
For a moment, Carla didn’t think the young woman would go on. Then she seemed to make a mental decision and pulled her shoulders back, chin up. “This might sound strange, but I had an, um, impression that Mrs. Ashby does believe that her son is capable of violence. I don’t think she knows for certain that he did it, and I don’t think she knows where he is. And I can’t blame her for trying to deny it, but…” She lifted a shoulder.
“But it was creepy,” Carla concluded for her. She didn’t think she got the full answer, but she didn’t want to push. “All right. That makes sense. I think you should trust your gut on this one. Emily might not be willing to say her son is a murderer, but I can’t see how it could be anyone else. Nobody else fits the bill.”
She nodded at the server. It was still an early night, but she needed to get back to the office. She still had so much to do. The young man brought the check, and she paid for the meal out of the department budget.
Honestly, her spirits had fallen fast, and she wanted to be alone for a bit.
Both women seemed to understand, and they walked out to the parking lot in silence. Winter offered to take Autumn to the hotel where they were both staying, and Carla bid them goodnight.
Then, instead of going back to the sheriff’s office, she decided her home office would be good enough. She could think better there.
Carla treated her small but tidy house more like a storage area with a shower than a real home. She wasn’t married, didn’t have kids, and didn’t own any pets. She had her job and her friends and liked it that way, most of the time.
But the thought of Linus murdering all these people in some kind of twisted desire to make up for the way his father and mother had treated each other made her feel like she should have found a way to steer him in a better direction back when Jonah died.
It was a sad truth of justice that offenders were often broken people who never really had a chance for happiness. But still, she should have known…should have done…should have…
For the first time in a long time, Carla let herself cry.
When all her tears were gone, she spread out her notes over her office table and wondered where the hell Linus was keeping Gina. On her laptop, she pulled up a video of Gina on her graduation day last year. It was from a file that Marcus had kept on his computer, now part of the case’s evidence.
It had been one of those rare spring days with bright sunshine. Marcus had been filming her in front of the high school. He followed her around the grassy open area as Gina ran in her scarlet graduation gown from group to group, hugging her friends.
One of the girl’s fathers patted her on the shoulder. “So, what are you going to do for the rest of your life, Gina? Do you have any plans?”
She smiled sweetly. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m still trying to find the right path for me.”
Her friend had turned to her and took both her hands. “Whatever you do, I’m sure you’ll be happy. You’re such a wonderful person.”
Gina blushed and hugged her friend, the two of them trading compliments. The camera swung over to Olivia Webster, wearing a flowered orange sheath dress and holding a bottle of water, standing back from the exchange and beaming with pride.
From behind the camera, Marcus spoke to his wife. “I can’t believe how lucky I am to see this day.”
She smiled at him warmly. “We’re all lucky.”
The camera swung back toward Gina. She had turned toward the camera, her arm around her friend’s shoulders. Both of them had put their caps back on.
“Daddy, can you believe it? I made it!”
“I can believe anything of you, little girl.”
She blew him a kiss.
Carla stopped the video, the girl’s bright smile filling the screen.
“Where are you?” she murmured.
After another few minutes, Carla closed her laptop and went to bed, wondering whether Gina would ever smile that brightly again.
She hoped so. But she wouldn’t bet money on it.
Carla shook her head. She needed to focus on catching Linus before he could hurt anyone else. She climbed into bed and tried to sleep.
It was a long time coming, and full of bad dreams.
27
Autumn sipped her coffee as Winter navigated the streets to the local hospital in the RAV4 she had rented. They had decided to visit Lisa Hill before heading to the community center to see Nancy Gaines, especially once they learned that the girl had been hospitalized.
Autumn was worried for the young woman. She was worried about Ashley too. And Gina…
There were so many things wrong with their country today. Racism. Drug abuse. Sex trafficking. And a child protective system that didn’t have enough resources to care for its most vulnerable citizens.
Winter waved her hand in front of Autumn’s face. “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m going to run for president,” Autumn blurted. She was grinning, but a tiny little part of her wanted to do just that.
Winter snorted, slapping the steering wheel. “I’ll vote for you, but why exactly are you planning on running for president in…let’s see, you’re twenty-eight, so another twelve years?”
Autumn drained her cup and wished she had a second one to replace it. She’d slept badly when she’d finally gone to bed.
“Because I’m just so sick of it all. I’m sick of people hating others that are different from them. I’m sick of how the elderly are treated, and the children…” She growled out her frustration for a few seconds. “How can these things still be happening? What’s got to happen for things to change?”
“Healthy and happy has to become more profitable than sick and angry,” Winter said with a shrug.
That was true.
Healthy people didn’t rack up healthcare and pharmaceutical dollars.
Happy people didn’t normally go to prison, which was a multibillion-dollar industry.
Satisfied people didn’t seek more and more and more stuff to keep them satisfied.
But what about the children?
There had to be a better way to ensure all children had a safe place to sleep at night and plenty of nourishing foods to support their growing bodies and brains. There had to be a better way to make sure they felt loved and valued. That they were not only educated but infused with life-enhancing skills. That they felt secure, knowing they were emotionally and physically cared for.
“So, I’ve got twelve years to figure out how to make the world a better place, huh?” Autumn polished her fingernails on her jacket. “I can do that.”
Winter smiled. “Can I be your running mate?”
“Absolutely.
They whipped into the hospital parking lot and were lucky enough to find a good spot. After turning off the car, Winter turned to her. “Let’s not worry about twelve years from now. Right now, you get to make the world a better place for Lisa Hill, at least for a little while. You get to help make sure the woman who hurt her is put away.”
Doubt crept back in. “Is that enough?”
Winter reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s all you have right now, so it has to be enough.”
Autumn blew out a breath and mentally pulled herself back together. “Let’s go.”
Winter winked. “That’s my girl.”
The hospital lay on the far eastern side of town, along the highway to Portland. It was a new brick-and-glass building surrounded by sapling trees, their lower trunks covered by anti-deer wrap. The parking space lines in the asphalt lot were brightly painted. Even in the middle of winter, the grounds were neatly kept.
After showing their badges at the front desk, they were directed to Lisa Hill’s room. The brownish gray industrial carpets underfoot in the public areas were so new they still had that new carpet smell. Cleaners, sanitizers, and other medical scents filled the hallways, but it was quiet, with only low voices and footsteps to break the hum of the air vents overhead.
Lisa had a private room in a secured chil
dren’s ward, where Autumn and Winter’s badges were checked again. A male nurse with a goatee and dark scrubs walked them to the room, but before he could knock on the door, Autumn held up a hand. “How is she doing?”
From what Autumn had learned, Lisa’d had a pretty severe asthma attack on the way to the emergency room, and the doctors decided to keep her overnight for observation. None of her wounds had required stitches, but a few had been pulled together with medical glue to reduce the scarring.
Ashley was in much worse shape. Like Autumn had feared, she had turned septic and had been transferred to a children’s ICU in Portland. Last she heard, the girl was serious but stable.
“Lisa’s doing much better. She’ll be released today.”
Released where? That was the bigger question.
“Has she been given any medication that might interfere with her ability to answer questions?”
He shook his head. “Just acetaminophen in addition to an antibiotic and a tetanus shot.”
“Is it okay if I close the door behind me? We need to talk about some confidential matters.”
“Sure, go ahead. We’ll knock first if we need to come in for vitals.” He tapped gently and gave Lisa a second to answer before opening the door. “Hey, hon. You okay for a couple visitors? Autumn and Winter, but I’ll just call them The Two Seasons.” He waited for a laugh and appeared happy when he got one. Autumn liked him immediately.
“Yes.” The girl’s voice sounded weak and a bit hoarse, and Autumn wondered if she’d been crying. “Send them in, please.”
“Thanks.” Autumn shut the door, which closed on a spring that kept it from slamming or making any sound louder than a soft click.
The room had a mural all along one wall, of green trees along a mountainous background with cartoon bears, wolves, eagles, beavers, and other animals peeking out from behind the trunks. In her hospital gown dotted with tiny blue squirrels, Lisa seemed even younger and more childlike than she had at Helen Mathers’s foster home, even more innocent.
She had a great big smile on her face, which was disconcerting. But on closer inspection, the smile seemed forced. It didn’t reach her eyes.
“We came as soon as we could.” Autumn moved to a visitor’s chair on the girl’s left while Winter took the rocking chair on the right. “How are you feeling?”
The girl looked so small in the bed, even though she was only a few years away from being a woman. “Where’s Mrs. Helen?” The smile fell away, and fear captured her expression. “Is she here? I’m sorry I tried to make friends with the man who came with you. I hope you aren’t mad about that too.”
Autumn bit her lip, gripped by a fierce flash of pure rage. Deep breath, she told herself.
“Mrs. Mathers isn’t here.”
Lisa sniffed. “The social worker told me that she was arrested and put in jail.”
Since Autumn was officially conducting the interview on behalf of a law enforcement agency, she had to be very careful with what she said since Lisa was a witness to a crime.
Autumn glanced at Winter, who leaned forward and answered the question. “That’s true.”
Rather than reassuring Lisa, this only made her face crumple with so many emotions that Autumn couldn’t choose which one was primary. “But where will I go? You have to tell her that I’m sorry! You have to make sure that I can have a home to go to!”
Autumn reached out and laid her hand on top of Lisa’s. She could feel the hurt and confusion boiling inside the girl’s chest, the horrible anxiety and tension eating away at her. Autumn absorbed a series of images that flickered past, unfocused, disorganized: a darkness that Autumn somehow recognized as the basement room, sitting at a kitchen table with an empty plate in front of her, lying on a wood floor without a blanket.
When Lisa didn’t draw her hand away, Autumn gave it a squeeze. “Nothing that happened is your fault, so there is no reason for anyone to blame you for anything.”
A single tear rolled down the girl’s cheek. “Are you sure?”
Lisa just stared at Autumn with wide eyes. She was clearly uncertain as to what to believe, and Autumn couldn’t blame her. She had been betrayed by an adult who was supposed to provide care for her. Who knew who else might hurt her?
Who knew when she would ever feel safe again?
Autumn rubbed the back of Lisa’s hand with her thumb. “You’re a bright, beautiful, and brave young woman, Lisa, and you deserve a home that will treat you as you deserve.”
Lisa’s hand squeezed tight on Autumn’s. “What about Ashley? What about the boys? What about Mrs. Helen?”
Autumn squeezed back, and as much as she wanted to share with the girl her opinion about Helen Mathers, she couldn’t. Not right now, at least. For this interview, she had to be careful about planting information into a juvenile’s mind, and then later being accused of leading the witness. If that happened, any of Lisa’s future testimony could be considered unreliable and tossed out of court.
She was in a unique position. She was a trained psychologist, but she was working on behalf of a law enforcement agency. She had to choose her words carefully even while offering support to a child who had been through a recent trauma.
“Ashley and the boys are equally deserving. Just like you.”
Lisa frowned. “Ashley is a troublemaker.”
Winter cleared her throat and leaned forward. “Lisa, did you know that Autumn was in the foster care system when she was a kid too?”
The girl blinked, her gaze focusing back on Autumn. “You were?”
Autumn smiled. “Yes, I was, and you know what? I was called a troublemaker too.”
Lisa giggled. “Really?”
Autumn crossed her heart. “I sure was. My last home was with a good couple who raised me like they were my grandparents.”
The smile slid from the girl’s face, and Autumn caught another flash of insight from where she squeezed Lisa’s hand. An unfamiliar man screaming at a boy Autumn didn’t recognize, slapping his face; a hand grasping Lisa’s forearm so hard that the skin between the fingers turned white.
A tear slid down Lisa’s cheek. “I’ve never had anyone wonderful. I think you just got lucky.”
“It took me awhile to get it right, but I did. And I believe with all of my heart that you’ll get it too.”
Lisa sniffed hard, and Winter handed her a tissue. “But what about the boys?”
“They’re with the social worker right now. They’re safe.”
Lisa sniffed again, crumpling the tissue in her other hand, balled up into a fist. Her grip on Autumn’s hand tightened. “I know who you’re talking about. She’s okay. Mrs. Helen called her a drunk slut, though. She talked bad about everyone behind their backs. She hated everyone. She acted like she was so nice to their faces, then as soon as they were gone, she would tell us about how they were all terrible people. About how she was our only option.”
Autumn focused on her touch on Lisa’s hand. Was the girl okay to talk about what she had gone through? The flashes that Autumn was picking up through her connection to the girl were another confused muddle of faces that Autumn had never seen before, but they were mostly set in Helen Mathers’s kitchen. Coffee in cups, cookies on a plate, the lace tablecloth under the clear plastic cover.
“I need to ask you some questions about what happened yesterday? Is that okay?”
Lisa looked grim. “Will my new foster parents know that I tattled on Mrs. Helen?”
Winter put her hand over her mouth, and Autumn knew she was doing her best to keep quiet. She was so enraged that her pale face was practically glowing. Helen Mathers had done a number on this child.
Autumn leaned toward the girl, making direct eye contact. “Mrs. Mathers’s arrest will be in the newspaper, so there is no way to keep that quiet from your new foster family or other people. But you’re a juvenile, Lisa, so that means the newspaper can’t print your name or your picture. They’ll only be able to write about the charges against Mrs. Mathers.”
>
Lisa seemed startled at the word. “Charges? Is she really in jail?”
Autumn nodded. “Yes. And right now, I need to record us talking about went on in Mrs. Mathers’s home, okay?”
Lisa’s eyes weren’t quite trusting. She pulled her hand away from Autumn’s and balled both of her hands into fists. “I wanna talk, but I did some really bad things and I don’t want everybody to know about it.”
Autumn was going to suggest intensive counseling for this girl. For all the children in the Mathers’s home.
She would like to spend more time with Lisa, talking her through all kinds of healthy, normal conversations she must have missed out on. But Lisa was going to run out of nervous energy soon, and there were some things Autumn needed to know now.
Reaching into her bag, Autumn pulled out her tape recorder. “I’m going to record our conversation so that I won’t forget any details and so that our interview can go in your file. Is that okay?” When Lisa nodded, Autumn clicked the button and relayed the time, date, and persons involved in the interview for the record.
“Thank you, Lisa, for allowing me to record our conversation and for being open to talk to me and Agent Black about your experience in Mrs. Helen Mathers’s foster home.”
Lisa took in a deep breath. “That’s okay. I want to talk about it.”
Both Autumn and Winter smiled, then Autumn eased the girl into the conversation, asking vital information like her age and how long she’d lived with Helen Mathers. She asked for the names of the other children in the home as well. After a few minutes, she knew it was time to dig a little deeper.
“Can you explain to me what happened to you yesterday, January eighth, in Mrs. Mathers’s home?”
Lisa took a deep breath and began to talk. It was hard to hear the girl recount the beating, but Autumn was proud of her for speaking so openly.
“Who witnessed this punishment?”
Lisa chewed on her lip. “Well, besides Mrs. Mathers, Benji and Nicholas were there too.”
Autumn took in a breath. She needed to be very careful. During any interview, it was important that the interviewer not lead the witness, which was very easy to do.