Page 112 of Shadow Sabotage
“I don’t, either,” Vance agreed. “But it might help if you can tell us why you think that.”
“Because he didn’t know where she’d gone,” she explained. “He thought I did. He tried to make me tell him. Said it was toprotecther. But I couldn’t tell him because I didn’t know, either.”
“Did he hurtyou?” I asked. My jaw clenched. I’d had just about enough of Tony bullying young girls. All I wanted was one good reason I could go after him.
She shook her head. “No,” she said softly. “He scared me, but he didn’t hurt me. And after that, he was just so sad. He kept checking in with me every week, asking if I’d heard from her. I think he was about the only person who actually listened to my podcast. And when we heard that she had died, he was as devastated as I was.”
I glanced at Vance, hoping he could see the question in my eyes. He seemed to, because he nodded.
“We think she had a new boyfriend and that she might have left Laramie to be with him. What can you tell us about that?”
Robin hesitated, biting her lip.
“It’s okay,” I said. “You can tell us.”
I glanced at my watch again, realizing I needed her to tell usquickly.The heli could be here any minute.
Robin’s face turned red. “I told her it was a bad idea,” she blurted out. “Worse than Tony. More dangerous.”
“Why?” I asked, heart pounding.
“Because he was married. That never ends well.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It doesn’t.”
Regret settled onto her face. “He whisked her off her feet, just like Tony had. I tried to tell her it was just a fantasy, thathe could never give her what she wanted. But she said he was different. That thesituationwas different.”
“How so?” Vance asked.
I heard the faint sound of the chopper in the distance. I caught Vance’s eye and saw that he heard it too.
We were almost out of time.
“She said he was powerful enough to give her anything she wanted. That it was different because she had no illusions about him leaving his wife for her. She didn’t even want him to. He was just a stepping stone.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, gripping her hand.
“He offered her protection, money, even a place to live. He told her he would help her make connections, meet other people with money. That he could help her get into graduate school or land a good job that would put her in the right circles to find the kind of husband she wanted. He was the exact opposite of Tony—he wanted to be a benefactor, not someone who controlled her or kept her for himself. All he wanted in exchange was some fun and excitement. She said he was a great lover and that it was a win-win for both of them. I told her that things that sound too good to be true usually are.”
“Wasn’t she worried about the wife finding out?” I asked.
Robin shook her head. “No. The wife knew. She didn’t care.”
“The wifedidn’t care?”
“Back up,” Vance said. “He offered her a place to live?”
The sound of the helicopter grew louder.
She glanced at both of us, unsure who to answer first. “They had an open marriage,” she said, choosing me. “Kate had met the wife and everything. The wife assured her she was welcome to have a relationship with the husband as long as she remembered her place and kept things discreet. The wife had a boyfriend of her own.”
She turned to Vance. “They had a guest house on their property. For discretion, they said. Kate wasn’t the first girl, obviously. She planned on spending the summer with them, but when Tony tried to rape her at that party, I guess she decided to leave sooner.”
“Tony tried to rape her?” Now, I was furious.
She nodded, biting her lip. “I got to the party as she was leaving. She was crying. She told me what he had tried to do. But she didn’t tell me she was leaving. She didn’t even say goodbye.” Tears welled up again.
The helicopter came into sight, spotted us, and hovered over the ravine.
