Page 52 of The Hanging Dolls
Zoe was back doing what she hated the most.
Meeting families of loved ones lost to violence.
The house was a modest, single-story structure, the kind that had seen better days. The lawn was overgrown, the weeds choking what little grass remained. The windows, though clean, were covered with heavy curtains, blocking out any glimpse inside. It was a house that seemed to want to be left alone, much like its owner.
As they approached the front door, Zoe noticed the faint smell of stale cigarettes and something else—metallic and sharp, like fear. She exchanged a quick glance with Aiden before knocking. The door creaked open almost immediately, and Logan stood staring at them.
Logan was in his late forties, his hair thinning and streaked with gray, and his eyes bloodshot, with dark circles beneath them. His hands trembled slightly, one of them clutching a cigarette, the other a beer bottle.
“Mr. Bennett,” Zoe began softly, “we’re very sorry for your loss. But we need to talk.”
Logan nodded, his expression blank, as if he hadn’t really heard her. He stepped aside to let them in. The inside of thehouse was dimly lit, the air thick with the smell of cigarettes and negligence. The living room was cluttered with old furniture, magazines stacked haphazardly on a coffee table, and empty beer bottles scattered across the floor.
Tara’s picture hung on the wall. She had dressed as Dorothy for Halloween. It was the only bright spot in the house.
“Sit down if you want,” Logan muttered, collapsing into an old armchair that groaned under his weight. Zoe and Aiden took a seat on the worn-out sofa across from him.
“We appreciate you talking with us, Logan,” Aiden said, his tone measured. “We understand this must be an incredibly difficult time.”
Logan took a long drag from his cigarette, exhaling slowly as he stared at the floor. “Yeah, well… what do you want?”
Zoe braced herself. “Logan, we’re trying to understand more about what might have happened. We need to ask you about some payments that have been going into your account every month from a company called Global Holdings Inc. Can you tell us about this company?”
Logan’s eyes snapped up, narrowing as he looked between them. His grip on the beer bottle tightened. “What’s that got to do with Tara? You think money’s got anything to do with my little girl?”
“We’re just trying to get the full picture,” Aiden said calmly. “We’re not accusing you of anything. We just need to know if these payments are connected in any way to what happened.”
Logan’s face flushed with anger. He slammed the beer bottle down on the armrest, causing Zoe to flinch. “You come here, into my home, and start throwing around accusations? My daughter’s dead, and all you care about is some goddamn money?”
“Logan, we’re not accusing you,” Zoe said, keeping her voice steady. “We’re just trying to find out the truth.”
“The truth?” Logan spat. “The truth is that you have no goddamn idea what’s going on. You couldn’t save Lily, you couldn’t save Tara, and you sure as hell won’t be able to save the next girl. You have no idea who’s behind all this. Just chasing your own tails.”
A cold nub settled in the pit of Zoe’s stomach. How was a killer able to leave clean crime scenes in a place like Harborwood which never witnessed violent crimes like this?
“Mr. Bennett, we need to follow up on anything that looks suspicious?—”
“Suspicious?” he barked, his eyes blazing. He stood up abruptly and paced the room, his agitation growing with each step. Zoe could see the strain in his movements, the barely contained rage simmering just beneath the surface. “So you want to pin this whole thing on me? Is that how you save your incompetent asses?”
“We’re not pinning anything on you, Logan,” Aiden said, rising slowly from the sofa. “But we need to know where the money’s coming from, because it could be important.”
Zoe stood up, feeling the tension in the room rising. “If you know something, anything, that could help us find out who hurt Tara, you need to tell us.”
Logan turned to face them. “It’s a side hustle I have. Freelance accounting work I do for a small company. It has nothing to do with what happened to Tara. You want to help?” He pointed to the door. “Then get the hell out and find out who killed my daughter instead of wasting your time harassing someone who just lost every damn thing!”
Blood rushed to Zoe’s face. This was a bad time, but they also needed answers.
“We’re sorry for your loss, Logan,” Aiden said quietly. “If you remember anything, or if you change your mind, you know where to find us.”
Logan slammed the door shut behind them with a force that made Zoe almost lose her footing. Outside, the clouds swollen with moisture had finally burst, leading to a drizzle that fell on them like little icicles. Zoe winced at the cold drops dripping down her neck.
“There’s an extra umbrella in the car,” Aiden said as they jogged down the jagged path.
“It wasn’t the best time to talk to the guy. He’s a single dad. I can’t even imagine what he’s going through,” Zoe said.
“Yeah…” he said, seemingly unaffected by the drizzle leaving spots all over his suit. “He’s lying.”
“Yeah?”
