Page 66 of Five for Silver

Chad swallowed. He’d seen the complaint madeby Michael and Harriet, but nothing else. No reprimand for James,or beginning of the injunction process, the complaint had beenfiled away with no plan by staff to investigate it any further.

“I took matters into my own hands, warnedoff James and told the local schools about him. I made flyers,handed them out, and guess what, I was arrested. I was threatenedwith defamation. On the night she went missing, two weeks after Iwas arrested for protesting his behavior, she was seen in a carwith him.”

“He picked her up from the school gate,”Lucy closed her eyes. “I didn’t tell my dad at the time. I lied,said Harriet was going over to her friend Becca’s house.”

“Why did you lie?” Chad asked.

“I didn’t want dad to worry, I didn’t wanthim to be mad. He was trying so hard to keep James away, but helingered.”

Michael pressed his lips in a grim line.

“He was the last person to see her alive.The man I was trying to protect her from picked her up from school,and we all know the police protect their own, and no one came tospeak to us about James’s behavior. Even after he was arrested, noone was interested in his stalking of my daughter.”

Lucy reached across the table and took herdad’s hand in hers. “I told Chad, we thought it was him.”

Michael nodded. “Up until Vincent confessed,I thought James had killed her. I thought they’d protected him andhelped cover up whatever he did to her that night, but it wasn’thim. Harriet had just been in the wrong place at the wrong timethat night.” His nostrils flared. “But it was James that put her inthat place. If it wasn’t for him, she would’ve been on the bus, shewouldn’t have been walking down the side of the road. If it wasn’tfor James, she would still be alive.”

“Harriet had … a tattoo.”

“No,” Michael snorted. “Harriet didn’t haveany tattoos. She was seventeen.”

Lucy cringed. “She had a small one.”

“What?” Michael shook his head.

Lucy indicated the size of it with her thumband index fingers. “About this big, on her ankle. It was theoutline of a dolphin.”

“A dolphin,” Michael’s brow folded with afrown. “Why would she get a dolphin?”

Lucy shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“She didn’t even like dolphins. Are yousure?”

“I saw it.” Lucy said.

“You saw it and didn’t tell me?” His eyeswidened. “Did your mother know?”

“I don’t think so.”

“But you knew, and didn’t tell us?”

“You’d have been angry.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled with no humor. “A tattooon her ankle…” Michael sat up straighter with a gasp. He clutchedthe tablecloth. “Why is that significant? There’s no way you’vefound her—” he looked at Lucy. “I would know.”

“No,” Chad cursed himself. “We’ve not foundher.”

“Then why?” Michael looked between him andLucy. “What’s this talk of a tattoo about?”

“Vincent remembers … the tattoo.”

“What?” Michael breathed. “How couldhe—”

“He remembersseeingHarriet’stattoo.”

Michael’s frown morphed into horror, then helooked away.

Lucy swallowed. “And he knew … knew Harrietwas missing a rib.”

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