The Girl in the Woods

by Patricia MacDonald

  Rebecca, unruffled, extended a hand. ‘Nice to meet you. Sorry about … you know …’

  Janet stared at the outstretched hand.

  Blair sighed. ‘Look, if you want us to leave …’

  ‘No,’ said Janet. ‘On the contrary, I want you to stay.’

  ELEVEN

  Janet looked at Blair with a troubled gaze. She rubbed her forehead as if it were aching.

  ‘I’ve thought about a lot of things since the other night, Blair. It’s very hard for me to consider another explanation, after all these years. But, I keep asking myself, why would Celeste lie?’

  Blair felt a wave of relief wash over her. Janet had heard her. She had listened.

  ‘That’s what I was trying to say,’ Blair said earnestly. ‘Celeste had no reason to lie. Not at that point. So what we thought all these years was the truth …’

  ‘Was not,’ said Janet.

  ‘After I saw you, I went to the police,’ said Blair. ‘When I told them what Celeste told me, they didn’t want to hear it. They refused to reopen the case. I didn’t know where else to turn so I decided to go to the press. Rebecca offered to help.’

  Janet was shaking. Blair pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit down.

  ‘Please, Janet,’ Blair said. ‘It would be such a help to have your version of what happened.’

  Janet sighed and wiped her eyes. She hesitated, and then she sat down in the chair between them. Rebecca shot Blair a triumphant glance. Blair recoiled at her sense of victory and concentrated on the bereaved mother beside her.

  ‘You just caught us off guard the other night, Blair. I did not want to hear it. At least, before you came along with that story of your sister’s confession, I had some sense that justice for my daughter had been done. Now, I don’t know what to think,’ she said.

  Rebecca opened her mouth to speak and Blair shot her a warning glance that was impossible to misinterpret.

  ‘Look,’ said Blair gently. ‘Celeste did a terrible thing by keeping this a secret for so long.’

  ‘Why didn’t she just tell the truth when it happened?’ Janet wailed.

  ‘We’ll never really know,’ said Blair.

  Janet pulled a Kleenex from her pocket and sniffled into it. ‘You know, his mother, Lucille, still makes our pies.’

  ‘Yusef’s mother. Yes, I know Lucille,’ said Blair. ‘Molly and I stayed at her house after school one time, when you were called into work. She gave us pies.’ Blair could still conjure up in her mind the face of the tired-looking black woman who, in later years, she had always believed, was the mother of Molly’s killer. ‘She must have always associated me with my sister, who destroyed her son’s alibi. Although she still says hello to me if I run into her when I’m home.’

  Janet nodded. ‘Lucille is a good woman. Yusef – he was Adrian then – used to deliver our order sometimes, when Lucille was too busy to come herself. We knew him. He would stop and talk. He knew Molly. That only made it seem like more of a betrayal.’ Janet was quiet for a moment and her gaze was far away, as if she were looking back in time. Janet sighed. ‘Lucille tried to quit, back then, when her son was arrested for our daughter’s murder. She said she could never face us again. We did consider it, but we didn’t think that was right. We didn’t blame Lucille. We told her we still wanted to work with her.’

  ‘That’s the way I remember the two of you,’ said Blair. ‘You always gave everybody the benefit of the doubt.’

  Janet wiped her eyes and nodded. ‘You wouldn’t say that if you saw me this afternoon. Lucille came by with the pies for the week and she was walking on air. She was praising the Lord that Yusef was gonna get justice at last, and it was all I could do …’ Janet shook her head and staunched her tears. ‘I just wanted to scream at her. I knew it wrong of me … I mean, of course she was happy and full of hope for her son. But it just made me furious …’

  ‘That had to be very difficult,’ said Blair. ‘But Janet, look, all we want is justice too. For Molly. And for Yusef. We want Molly’s actual killer to be punished. That’s the important thing now. That’s what matters now.’

  ‘It’s too late,’ Janet wailed. ‘Whoever did it is long gone. The evidence is long gone. He got away with it and there’s nothing to be done about it.’

  ‘You can’t be sure of that,’ Rebecca corrected her. ‘Sometimes, if you go back and look at a case again with new information, you see things differently.’

  Janet shrugged slightly, but the look in her eyes was one of hopelessness.

  ‘Let’s just … revisit that day. Now according to Mr Muhammed,’ said Rebecca, ‘he and Celeste picked up your daughter, because they saw her walking in the rain and they drove her all the way home. Yet, somehow your daughter ended up back in the woods. So we are wondering why she would have gone back into the woods after she had been safely deposited at home, when the day was so rainy?’

  Janet shook her head miserably. ‘I have no idea.’

  Blair shook her head and turned to Janet. ‘I’m sorry, Janet. I know you’re hurting …’

  Janet shook her head. ‘No, that’s ok. For Lucille’s son there’s no time to waste. What do you want to know?’

  ‘I want to know everything,’ Rebecca said, leaning toward her. ‘Molly’s routine. What she usually did. What happened that day that was different?’

  ‘Well, I can tell you one thing,’ said Blair. ‘She was not supposed to be home that afternoon. She came home from school on my bus with me and was supposed to stay for dinner at my house, cause her parents were in Philadelphia. As I remember, you didn’t want her staying alone. Some trouble in the neighborhood …’

  Janet frowned, as if trying to remember. ‘Oh, you mean the guy who lived in the next house up the road. Knoedler. I forget his first name. He used to get drunk and beat up his wife and kids. I don’t think he was dangerous to anyone but his family, but sometimes you could hear a terrible commotion from over there. The police came several times. I thought Molly might be scared if it started up again and she was all alone.’

  ‘She and I were having fun together,’ Blair remembered, ‘until my uncle came home. Speaking of commotion, my uncle was mad at me for something and started yelling. I forget what. He never did need much of a reason. Molly stuck up for me.’

  ‘That was Molly,’ said Janet. ‘She was like that. I never knew where she got that self-possession.’

  ‘She was fearless,’ Blair agreed. ‘I used to wish I could be more like her.’

  Janet warmed to the memory of her daughter. ‘It seemed like she was born with it,’ Janet said. ‘Most girls her age are shy but not Molly … She always stood her ground.’

  ‘She did,’ Blair agreed, nodding. ‘I admired her so much for that.’

  Rebecca seemed impatient with their reminiscing about Molly. ‘So, then …?’

  ‘Well, Molly let my uncle know that he was being unfair to me. That’s when he told her to leave. So Molly gathered up her stuff and headed for the door. I wanted to go with her but … I wasn’t as brave as Molly. I was afraid of him. Of his anger,’ said Blair.

  ‘You lived there,’ Janet said kindly. ‘You had no choice.’

  ‘So she left your uncle’s house,’ Rebecca continued, ‘and we now know that Muhammed stopped and offered her a ride home. He and Celeste. And after she got home, we know that Molly left the house and went back out into the woods. Why? When you came home, were her things inside? Her backpack or whatever?’

  Janet frowned. ‘No. No. At the time he said that he brought her home. But no one believed him because she never entered the house and they found her backpack on the ground in the woods, not far from her … body …’

  ‘But now we know that he did, indeed, bring her home. So why didn’t she go into the house?’ said Rebecca. ‘That seems very strange.’

  Janet shook her head hopelessly. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Someone called her, perhaps?’ Rebecca offered. ‘Asked her to come and meet them?’ />
  Janet shook her head slowly. ‘No. Her phone was found in Muhammed’s car, between the seats. It must have fallen out of her backpack while they were driving her home.’

  ‘Could she have gone looking for her phone?’ Blair asked.

  ‘Why would she?’ Rebecca pointed out. ‘She hadn’t been anywhere but in Muhammed’s car.’

  ‘True,’ said Blair. ‘Maybe she thought she left her phone at my house. Maybe she was walking back to get it.’

  Rebecca frowned. ‘She could have just called you on the land line and asked. Do you have a land line?’ she asked Janet.

  ‘We did in those days,’ said Janet.

  ‘Ok, so that rules out walking back to Blair’s house. Normally, what would Molly do when she came home from school?’ asked Rebecca.

  ‘Come inside,’ said Janet. ‘Take her coat off. Probably have a drink or a snack, but there were no dishes in the sink …’

  Blair tried to think back. Back to that fateful day when she and her best friend were chatting and applying new nail polish. Blissfully unaware of what was to come. What had they chatted about? Their schoolwork, boys they liked, something about camp. Then Blair had a moment of clarity. ‘Her dog,’ Blair said.

  ‘Yes,’ Janet exclaimed, remembering. ‘You’re right. That’s how we knew for certain that Molly was never in the house. When we left in the morning, we left the puppy in the basement. She wasn’t trained yet. So, we put her in the basement and closed the door. But if Molly had come in, she would have let her out right away. Would have put on her leash and taken her out for a walk. First thing. And she would have kept her upstairs, with her. But that evening, when we got back, Pippa was still in the basement, barking frantically.’

  Blair and Rebecca exchanged a glance.

  ‘At the time, I hardly thought about it,’ said Janet sadly, shaking her head. ‘It didn’t seem to matter, after they found … Molly … in the woods.’

  Blair looked up at Rebecca. ‘But if he drove her up the driveway …’

  Rebecca shook her head. ‘I think he said he left her at the foot of the driveway.’

  ‘I think we need to ask,’ said Blair. ‘Because somewhere between the time he dropped Molly off, but before she could walk into the house …’

  ‘She was lost,’ her mother wailed. ‘She was lost.’

  TWELVE

  For a moment Blair and Rebecca sat in silence, humbled by a mother’s fresh grief after so many years.

  Finally, Rebecca spoke. ‘So what we need to know is where exactly did he leave her and what happened in the time it took for Molly to walk up the driveway?’

  Janet shook her head. ‘That’s impossible to know. It was fifteen years ago.’

  Rebecca and Blair exchanged a glance. Blair could tell what Rebecca was thinking. It was not impossible. But they were wasting time sitting here. Suddenly Blair felt extremely grateful to Rebecca for her involvement in this.

  Janet reached out and took Blair’s hand in her own. Blair was surprised at the softness and warmth of her touch.

  ‘I appreciate this, Blair. I really do. I’m sorry Robbie and I were so cold to you the other day. I know that you really do care about this for Molly’s sake.’

  Blair squeezed the older woman’s hand back. ‘I won’t give up on her.’

  Janet held Blair’s hand for a moment and then she sighed, and stood up. ‘All right. I’d better get back to the kitchen. Listen, if there is anything I can do to help …’

  ‘We’ll ask you. Don’t worry,’ said Blair.

  ‘Whoever killed my girl …’ Janet began, and then bit her lip as her eyes glistened. ‘I thought I knew. But now … well, I still need to know.’

  ‘Tell the police that,’ said Rebecca.

  Janet frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘It might help if Molly’s mother wanted the investigation reopened.’

  ‘All of those policemen. They worked day and night. They did everything they could for us,’ Janet protested.

  ‘They helped convict the wrong man,’ said Rebecca flatly.

  ‘I can’t be the one to say that. Not without proof,’ said Janet.

  Blair shook her head. ‘Janet, never mind. Don’t worry. We’ll take it from here.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I do want the truth …’ Janet’s voice faded away. Her head down, she started to make her way back toward the kitchen.

  Blair turned back to Rebecca. ‘What’s the matter with you?’

  ‘What?’ she demanded. ‘If she were to go to the police, we might get a little cooperation. That wouldn’t hurt anything.’

  Blair shook her head. ‘All we have is Celeste’s admission, which they’ve already discounted, and a raft of questions. They are not going to care.’

  ‘You’re right about that. They won’t cooperate,’ Rebecca said.

  ‘So how do we find out what happened in those crucial few minutes it took for Molly to walk up the driveway?’

  ‘We keep asking questions,’ Rebecca said, draining her beer glass and setting it down on the table. ‘Until we find someone who knows the answer.’

  Blair frowned. ‘Someone must know.’

  Rebecca looked at her coolly. ‘The killer knows.’

  Blair nodded and finished her beer. ‘That’s true. Just tell me where we begin.’

  It was late when Blair got back to the house. Ellis and Malcolm had both retired for the night. Blair did not want to wake either of them up. She tiptoed upstairs to take her shower and managed to slide, unnoticed, into her room and under the covers. After the long day she fell instantly asleep.

  She was awakened by the sound of knocking at the front door and was surprised to see that it was morning. A gray morning, but morning all the same. Blair looked at the clock and realized she had failed to set it.

  ‘Coming,’ she hollered as she pulled on her robe and ran her hands over her disheveled mass of hair. She slid into her slippers and descended the steps.

  Amanda, Peter and Zach stood at the front door. Amanda looked stricken when she saw Blair.

  ‘I’m sorry. We woke you up.’

  ‘That’s ok,’ said Blair.

  Amanda looked ruefully at her husband. ‘I told you we should have called.’

  ‘No, no,’ said Blair. ‘It’s fine. I was just so tired. A lot’s been going on. Come on in. What’s up?’

  ‘Well,’ said Amanda, ‘we’re going to rent ATVs and ride through the mountains. We thought Malcolm might want to join us.’

  ‘That sounds like something he’d enjoy,’ said Blair. She looked out in front of the house. Ellis’s truck was gone. ‘Let me call upstairs.’ She pulled her robe closed and stood at the foot of the staircase.

  ‘Malcolm,’ she called out.

  Malcolm came out of his room and looked over the railing with sleepy eyes.

  ‘What?’

  ‘The Tuckers are here. They want to rent ATV’s today. They thought you might enjoy going with them. Is that something you’d like to do?’

  ‘Cool,’ said Malcolm. ‘That would be awesome.’

  ‘Ok. Well, get dressed. You need to have some breakfast before you go.’

  Malcolm rushed off into his room and Blair invited the Tuckers to sit down in the living room. ‘He just needs to get dressed and have some breakfast.’

  ‘We thought we’d stop for breakfast on the way,’ said Amanda.

  ‘Can I go up to Malcolm’s room?’ Zach asked, who was jiggling impatiently from one foot to the other.

  Amanda looked at Blair.

  ‘Sure. Knock on his door,’ said Blair.

  She indicated towards the battered-looking sofa and Peter and Amanda sat down. Blair sat down on the edge of Ellis’s chair.

  ‘This is really nice of you,’ she said.

  ‘Well, we thought it might be fun for him,’ said Amanda. ‘You know, get his mind off things.’

  ‘I’m sure it will be.’

  An awkward silence descended.

  ‘How are you doing?
’ Amanda asked.

  ‘I’m ok,’ said Blair. ‘How about you?’

  Amanda hesitated and then grimaced a little. ‘I’ve been thinking that we probably should talk about when we’re going to … you know, move Malcolm and his things in with us.’

  Blair pushed her hair back out of her eyes and nodded. She fumbled in the pocket of the robe and found a coated elastic band. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail. ‘I have to give my uncle some warning.’

  Peter and Amanda exchanged a worried glance.

  ‘Is he going to oppose this move?’ Peter asked. ‘Because all the legalities are in order …’

  ‘I know,’ said Blair. ‘And he’s going to have to adjust to the idea. I mean, this is a done deal.’

  Amanda shook her head. ‘I wish it didn’t have to be like this,’ she said. ‘Malcolm doesn’t need to have people arguing about him. It’s going to be hard enough of an adjustment …’

  ‘I will talk to Ellis again today,’ said Blair. ‘He’s been avoiding me, I think. And I’ve had … other matters to attend to. But I am going to lay this all out for him. Do you have a … a date for when you want Malcolm to move in with you?’

  Amanda looked at Blair apologetically. ‘We were thinking maybe … Thanksgiving weekend. It would give him the long weekend to adjust, and the holiday is a happy time. I was thinking we might invite Ellis to our family’s Thanksgiving.’

  Blair frowned. ‘That is beyond the call of duty.’

  ‘And you too, Blair,’ said Amanda. ‘Really. I want us all to be family.’

  Blair realized that her first impulse was to say no. Other people’s holidays made her anxious. There had not been much celebrating in Ellis’s house. She didn’t really know how. But then she remembered her promise to Celeste – that she would be present in Malcolm’s life. This first holiday in his new home might be a time when he really needed his family around.

  ‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Everybody brings something,’ said Amanda eagerly.

  ‘I don’t really cook,’ Blair demurred.

  ‘Bring wine,’ said Peter.