Page 175 of The Woman Left Behind

“What guy?” he asked.

“Youngish. Dark hair. Beard. I thought it was weird, because he was never in a police car.”

If the electric level could ratchet up between these two guys, which I didn’t think it could, it did.

Astronomically.

“Do you remember the kind of car he was in?” Rus asked.

“Yeah, I remember everything about all of that,” I whispered, and it was safe to say, I was more freaked than I was freaked before, so that put me off-the-charts freaked.

“What kind of car was it, Lillian?” Rus pushed.

“A Ford. Dark blue. I don’t know what the model was called. Maybe a Fusion?” I asked like Rus could answer.

“A dark-blue Ford, you’re sure?”

I nodded again.

“And you knew he was one of Dern’s deputies?” Rus queried.

More nodding. “I saw him at the station when they took me in.”

“But when he was watching your house, he was never in a cruiser?”

I shook my head.

“And you thought he was sitting on your house, waiting to catch your parents if they came home?” Rus asked.

“Yes. I also thought he was messing with me, because he was really obvious about it, and sometimes he’d follow me.”

Rus instantly looked at Harry, and I knew why.

The vibe coming off him wasn’t electric anymore.

It was homicidal.

“Stay cool,” Rus said low.

“I’m cool,” Harry replied, even though he was not.

“What’s going on?” I asked again.

Rus returned to me. “Lillian, I’m sorry. I was wrong. This is going to take some time. I need you to come to the station and make an official statement.”

Oh God.

“Again, I’ll ask, what…is…going on?” I demanded.

Rus turned to Harry.

Harry jerked up his chin.

Rus came back to me. “We’re working on a theory. Lillian…”

He reached out a hand on the table toward me.

Automatically, I took it.

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