Page 96 of The Hanging Dolls
Zoe’s anger flared. “And when Tara went missing and was found dead, you didn’t think anything of it then?”
“I didn’t. Please believe me.” The corners of her mouth pulled down. “I have a kid too. I would never… The note at the first crime scene suggested there would be more victims. I thought it was the killer.”
“And the differences between the crime scenes? That didn’t ring a bell?” Zoe’s voice climbed up a notch.
She flinched, looking down at her feet. “I… I didn’t make the connection, Agent Storm. Like you said, I thought it was the killer improving.”
She broke down in tears, but Zoe didn’t budge. There were too many people dead, people who now only existed in photographs and memories. “I had made it clear to everyone notto leak details outside.Thisis why. How do you plan to live with yourself? Because of you, Scott is dead!”
Travis quickly interrupted them. “What’s going on? Agent Storm?”
But Zoe’s eyes were pinned on Terri, undeterred by her crying. “Terri leaked case details to Connor in exchange for money. That’s why Connor was able to stage the crime scene and leave that note when he murdered Tara.”
A series of gasps. Eyes filled with accusation and disbelief.
The shock on Travis’s face was palpable. He cleared his throat. “Terri, is this true?”
Terri nodded solemnly. But Zoe kept glaring at her. It didn’t feel enough. No matter how many tears Terri shed and how red she turned, it wasn’t enough for Zoe. Her right eye twitched. An itch grew stronger. The desire to scratch it ran up her body. The carnal need to right a wrong, to dispense justice.
Terri’s hands trembled as she tried to compose herself. “I swear, Chief, I didn’t want anyone to get hurt,” she said, her voice breaking. “Connor made it sound harmless. He just needed some inside info to boost Regina’s image. I never imagined this is what his plan was all along.”
“When did this start?”
“He contacted me a few weeks ago,” she said. “He offered me a lot of money, and I—I was desperate. I didn’t think it would go beyond PR stunts. I just gave him some details about the ongoing investigations. I messed up. I didn’t see the bigger picture. Connor seemed so convincing, and I needed the money. I never imagined it would lead to this. Please, you have to believe me. I didn’t want Scott or anyone to get hurt.”
Travis sighed. “Terri, come into my office. We need to discuss your future. And Agent Storm,” he said, looking at Zoe who was still quaking with rage, “focus on finding Lucy. The clock is ticking.”
Before Terri followed Travis into his office, she turned back to Zoe. “Scott was important to me. He was like a brother. What I did is going to mess me up for life, but if there’s anything I can do to help, tell me. I don’t care about anything anymore but atonement. Please.” With that, she went into Travis’s office.
Zoe didn’t want to think about Terri. Loneliness was cold and brutal. With Scott dead and Terri rightfully fired, it dawned on her that she lacked allies in a new town. She shrugged off her jacket and recruited more patrol officers to update her on the latest reports from the rangers and anonymous tips.
Hours bled into each other and Zoe felt like a rock was sitting on her chest. Lucy’s picture was pinned to her desk. Where was she?
In the waiting area, Carly sat with her knee bobbing and shredded lips. She chewed on her jagged nails and glanced around waiting for some news. She came in every day and left after sunset. Her throat worked overtime, always swallowing and taking strained breaths. She was losing it. Every day that insanity inside her became a little more visible. Zoe watched her from a distance, thinking back to what Bella had said about still loving her mother.
The CPS had been alerted after Sam Buster’s statement. But with Lucy still missing, the CPS were on hold, ready to swoop in when she was found alive and well.
If.
Zoe took a break from reading one bad report after another. The suspicious man who Lily recognized was still a mystery. And Lucy’s friends and neighbors hadn’t reported any man lurking or Lucy mentioning anyone.
She went to get some water and paused next to Scott’s desk. It still hadn’t been cleared. Her throat closed as her fingers grazed his chair. His desk was sparse, only the things he needed—things still covered in him. One coffee mug with a sailor on it.A true resident of Harborwood. A rueful smile curled up her lips as she flipped open a diary. He had scribbled notes in there—reminders of leads to follow up, affidavits to write, and random ideas.
Her hand hovered over a page.
Lucy. Check dumpster contents.
Zoe frowned. He hadn’t mentioned this to her. Was this a random train of thought? Did he get around to it?
She asked a patrol officer she recognized as assisting in the case. “Were there dumpsters where Lucy was taken? Communal ones.”
He contemplated her question. “Yes, ma’am. They are maintained by the municipal waste management services.”
“Was anything collected from them when Lucy went missing?”
“Yes, Detective Cohen told us to. It was a surprising request, but he was being thorough. It’s in the evidence room. Not sure if anyone has looked into it.”
“Take me to it.”
