Page 191 of The Woman Left Behind

“One of the ones you instructed him to steal from you,” Bakshi corrected.

Dietrich looked away.

“And that’s when the money demands started?” Bakshi asked.

“Yes,” Dietrich answered and looked back at Bakshi. “And they were never ending. Sometimes, he’d disappear, a month, two, three, even four, we’d think it was over, then he’d be back. You cannot even imagine. It was a nightmare.”

“Now see,” Patterson entered the conversation, “my definition of a nightmare is being nineteen, having my parents accused of a crime they didn’t commit, they disappear, I don’t know where they are for sixteen years, then I hear they’ve both been shot multiple times, including in the head and buried on the side of a mountain so all I got back of them is bones. Not I got my shit fucked by making bad investments and I didn’t tighten my belt. Instead, I decided to do something illegal, and as illegal shit has a tendency to do, it spiraled out of control, and I gotta pay for it in a variety of ways over the years. That sounds to me more like consequences.”

Dietrich’s mouth tightened.

“Let’s talk about Dern,” Bakshi suggested.

Dietrich turned to the other agent, her face going slack. “Leland?”

“Shit,” Jason muttered.

Yeah.

She sounded confused his name was brought up.

“Yes. Leland Dern,” Bakshi confirmed. “Did he play a part in all of this?”

“I…” She shook her head. “No. I honestly don’t know how Ger found Karl. He never said. He just said he had an idea, because you’re right, we were having money troubles, and he was going to work with this man to sort it all out. Then it all got crazy.”

“So Leland Dern played no part in it?” Bakshi pushed.

Dietrich’s face got hard. “I honestly don’t know what so many people’s problems are with that poor man. He was a good sheriff.”

“Depends on how you define ‘good,’ considering, after he did time for corrupting his office, he’s up for further charges right now for criminally stalking and harassing women in this county,” Patterson drawled.

Dietrich rolled her eyes.

The woman actually rolled her eyes.

She then said, “People always like to tear other people down. Especially if they have power. Or money. It’s ridiculous. It’s pure jealousy. Kicking a man when he’s already out? Shameful.”

“Karl Abernathy is not only wanted for the murders of Simon and Avery, a man named Clifford Ballard, and Roy Farrell, but also six counts of attempted sexual assault, two of actual sexual assault, all of which he committed while wearing a uniform. Was he a good deputy in your eyes?” Bakshi asked. “I mean, all of that as well as him assisting you and your husband with stealing from an insurance company, that is.”

Dietrich just stared at her.

Rus leaned forward, and while doing it, he pushed a pad with a pen on top in her direction.

“If you would,” he started politely, “write down in your own words all that happened, starting from the beginning.”

Dietrich looked Rus over, her expression turned coy, and she requested, “It’d really help if I had a skinny mocha latte from Aromacobana.”

Both agents appeared ready to intervene, but Rus just said, “You get on writing, Mrs. Dietrich, we’ll get on that coffee. You want a brownie too?”

“I shouldn’t,” she said like she was fishing for a compliment about her figure.

“This bitch is a trip,” Jace growled.

“We’ll get you a brownie as well,” Rus murmured then he got up and left her in the room with the agents.

She squinted between them.

Bakshi reached out and tapped the pad. “How about you get started.”

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