Page 61 of Dirty Looks

“She tried to protect Evie,” I said. “Evie was at your grandparents’ house when she was taken, and your grandmother stayed in the room with her. Slept in the bed next to her. But someone drugged her. That’s how they got Evie out of the house.”

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“The drugs they gave her caused complications, and your grandmother passed away early this morning.”

Her hand clasped over her mouth.

“This is all my fault. I should have said something. Done something. But I believed him when he said if I told anyone then my family would die. He said maybe in a nice house fire. No one would really miss my dad. He wasn’t important. And my motherwas a nobody. And I didn’t even have a brother so there was no one to carry on the family name. He said all we were good for was spreading our legs and acting out our parts, and if we were good enough at it maybe we’d have our own fortune someday. But I didn’t want a fortune. I just wanted a childhood.”

She laid her head down on the table and sobbed, her shoulders shaking violently.

“This is not your fault,” I told her. “The one who is to blame is the man who raped you. The man who sold you to his friends. And the only person to blame for your sister’s and grandmother’s murders is the one who killed them. And we are going to find the son of a bitch who did and take them all down. That is a promise.”

She lifted her head and looked at me out of tear-drenched eyes, and I wondered if I saw hope or if that’s just what I wanted to see.

“Who did this to you?” I asked her. “Just start there. Just a name. We’ll take it the rest of the way.”

She was silent for what seemed an eternity, and I wondered if fear was going to win in the end. But she finally nodded and said, “My grandfather.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

We leftEmma in Sharon’s capable hands. It was hard not to feel guilty after the look Sharon had given us, as if we’d been kicking small puppies, but I knew Emma was in good hands. She’d found a good community and a surrogate mother. And maybe after some time and healing, Emma could go home to her own mother and things could be healed there.

“I’ve got a couple of missed calls from Martinez,” Jack said, starting the truck and plugging in his phone. He immediately dialed him back.

“Sorry,” Jack said, when Martinez answered. “We were interviewing Emma Lidle. What’s up?”

“A judge sprang Astrid Nielsen on bond this morning,” Martinez said.

“You’re kidding me,” Jack said. “We have her cold on first-degree murder and they allowed bail?”

“Half a million dollars,” Martinez said. “Guess who hired a fancy attorney and bailed her out?”

“Let me guess,” Jack said. “Robert Lidle.”

“Right the first time,” Martinez said. “How’d it go with Alex Wheeler?”

“I asked him about the statutory rape charges,” Martinez said. “He wasn’t defensive about it. Didn’t try to hide it. He had he was nineteen and was dating a friend of his sister’s who was still in high school. I guess the dad walked in on them having sex and called the cops. He told them Alex was forcing himself on the daughter, and the daughter was so scared and embarrassed she didn’t refute it. Wheeler ended up being charged and did a year in prison. The girl came forward to try and help clear him once she’d graduated and was out of the dad’s house, but it was too late for Wheeler.

“He actually ended up on work release at a ranch not far from the prison, and that’s how he started learning about horses. He said that year in jail was probably the best thing that ever happened to him, and said Kitty gave him a chance despite his past, and he’d always be grateful. It all rang true.”

“Okay,” Jack said. “Anything interesting at Alan Goble’s place?”

“Oh, yeah,” Martinez said. “I’ve got a team heading over to go through it. He’s got enough weapons to start his own army, a dozen burner phones, and a go bag with a hundred thousand cash inside and a falsified passport.”

“Sounds like he was thinking about getting out of the business,” Jack said.

“That was my take,” Martinez said. “Do one last big job, cash in, and disappear off the face of the planet.

“Maybe Astrid Nielsen knew that,” I said.

“Did you find Emma Lidle?” Martinez asked.

“Oh yeah,” Jack said. “We’re heading back from Prince Frederick. It’s time to pay Robert Lidle a visit in person.” Jack filled him in on the conversation with Emma.

“Son of a bitch,” Martinez said. “Let me know when you’re in the area. I’ll meet you there.”

“Will do,” Jack said and disconnected.

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