Page 140 of We Are All Guilty Here

Emmy let him have his moment. “Adam used to repair lawnmowers, right?”

“I let him use the shed out back. It was going well for a while.” The weak smile reappeared. “As with everything else Adam attempted, it fell apart eventually. He stopped doing right by people. I was getting calls at work. Alma had recommended him to some of the teachers at school. Teachers don’t make much money, as you know. They couldn’t afford to waste it.”

Emmy took the opening. “Adam told me that Dale Loudermilk was one of his lawnmower repair customers.”

The silence in the kitchen was different this time. More stifling. More telling.

“Dale Loudermilk?” Walton took off his glasses, started to clean them with a fresh corner of his handkerchief. “There’s a terrible name from the past. I heard he died in prison.”

Emmy watched him put the glasses back on. He stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket. She couldn’t hear a change in his voice or see a shift in his features. What she noticed most of all was that he’d stopped blinking.

She said, “Dale’s alive and well in Dooley State Prison.”

“Oh?”

“Did you ever see Dale hanging around Adam?”

He still hadn’t blinked. “Yes, now that you raise the question. I think I saw them together in the shed a few times.”

“Were they ever in Adam’s basement apartment together?”

His eyelid had started to twitch. “Yes, come to think on it. Dale was here a lot. They were very secretive, the two of them. Alma had started to complain.”

“About Dale being here?” Emmy asked.

“Not as much as all that, but that Adam was distracted.” Walton took a quick breath. “The agreement was that Adam got to live in the basement, but he was supposed to drive Alma to school and back. He was always late. She couldn’t see well even back then. Macular degeneration. Hit her in her fifties. She’s completely blind now, poor thing.”

Emmy felt a lightbulb clicking on in her head. “I guess Alma had to sell her car when she stopped driving. Do you remember the make and model?”

Walton finally blinked, glancing at Brett, then back at Emmy. “I’d have to ask her about that. She bought it on her own. Took Adam with her to the dealership to help negotiate. I think he wanted the car more for himself than her. He kept the spare key even after Alma sold it. Said he lost it, but he lies about so many things.”

Emmy didn’t respond this time, but she wondered if she’d been incredibly naïve about his bullshit twelve years ago, or if Walton had lost his touch in the ensuing years. He kept putting Adam front and center, first by saying he didn’t know anythingabout Adam’s whereabouts, then calling him a loner, then intimating that he’d kept the key to the Audi. It was all so clear to her now. The man was desperate to put his son back in prison.

Walton said, “Anyway, I’ll ask her what she remembers. I was working a lot at the time. Volunteering. I’m in a group called the Tooth—”

“Troopers,” Emmy finished. “Did you guys ever volunteer in Hidalgo, Texas, or Tillar, Arkansas?”

“I don’t—” Walton started scratching the side of his neck. “I don’t recall exactly. We get around. Lots of people need our help. We go to the most desperate areas. People deserve healthcare. It’s one of my passions. Giving back. Helping the least among us.”

Emmy could tell that she was about to lose him. She had to give it one last try, if only to get his lies on the record with Brett as a witness. “Dr. Huntsinger, how well did you know Dale Loudermilk?”

“Oh, no, not well at all. Just to say hi to around town. Or when he was here with Adam, of course. As I mentioned, they spent a lot of time together. Alma and I were surprised as anybody when he got arrested. Terrible thing. People trusted their children with that man. The whole town felt the betrayal. You can’t get that back once it’s lost.” Walton’s hand dropped back to his side. His fingernails had left deep scratches on the side of his neck. “You know, I wish I could be of more help. My memory’s not what it used to be. It was a long time ago.”

“Twelve years,” Emmy said.

“I should—” Walton motioned toward the hall. “I should check on Alma. She gets scared lately. Completely depends on me for everything. Her life would fall apart without me. You understand?”

Emmy understood exactly what he was saying. He wanted a pass on murdering and raping children because his wife was blind. “What about Paisley? Is she scared, too?”

Walton chewed his lip. His animal instinct had told him that Emmy was on to him. She could practically see his brain working the odds. In the end, he plastered on the goofy smile, pretending he was still the same hapless old man. “You can search thehouse, officer. You have my permission. Check the basement. Adam’s truck. Whatever you need. We have nothing to hide.”

“It was nice of you to keep his truck for him,” Emmy said. “And all his things. Like his wallet and driver’s license.”

Walton’s eyes went to the wallet on the counter. She could tell he was remembering the suitcase in the foyer, the way the wallet had stuck out of the front. He knew that he’d made a mistake back then, and he rushed to cover it now. “Alma held onto Adam’s belongings. She always believed he was innocent.”

“Really?” Emmy asked. “What made her think that?”

Walton’s goofy affect disappeared. “I should go check on her. See if she needs anything. Take all the time you need searching the house.”

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