Page 86 of Last Girls Alive
“That was one of my thoughts, but she didn’t want to talk to anyone. Me or anyone else. We couldn’t make her talk—she’d just go mute if we brought it up.”
“What about the other girls?”
“Mmmm,” he mumbled, thinking about it. “They were typical teenage girls with the added stresses of being in the foster care system. It’s not easy. There’s a lot of resentment, abandonment and anger issues that get thrown into the mix. Sometimes it’s difficult to separate everything to get to the main issue.”
“I see,” said Katie. “My partner and I will go over these reports and if there are any questions, we’ll call you.”
Jerry Weaver put the loose files back in his briefcase and then he made notes on what looked like a sign-in sheet. “Okay, then. It was nice meeting you, Detective.”
“Likewise.”
He picked up his jacket and briefcase and headed for the door.
“Dana,” she said, alerting her to let the social worker out. To Weaver, she said, “I have a hypothetical question.”
“Okay.”
“Do you think, in your opinion, that one of the five girls could be capable of murder?” Her words hung strangely in the air. Almost as if it were taboo to even ask such a question.
“Detective, I’ve been doing this a while. I’ve worked with the most passive to the most aggressive children that were capable of committing murder. But with these girls? I just don’t see it.”
“Okay, thank you, Mr. Weaver. I appreciate your time.”
Jerry nodded his goodbye and left.
Katie began to follow him out when she heard someone calling her name. Turning, she saw Undersheriff Dorothy Sullivan coming out the door. She tensed.
“I thought that was you, Katie,” she said.
“Hello, Undersheriff.”
“Let’s have that lunch tomorrow. Are you free?”
“I… yes, I think that would be fine.”
“Good. I’ll text you around 1 p.m. and then we can meet at a restaurant?”
“That would work.”
“Great. I’m so excited to have some time to talk with you. Sheriff Scott has talked about you so much that I feel like I already know you.”
“I hope not too much.”
Laughing a bit too long, she said, “All flattering, I assure you.” Turning to leave, she added, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Thirty-Six
Monday 1945 hours
Katie walked through the front door and was immediately greeted by Cisco running in his usual circles, filled with doggie glee. “Hey, I missed you too.” She inhaled deeply and said, “What’s that amazing smell?”
“Thought you’d never ask,” said Chad, in the kitchen. He met Katie in the living room and kissed her, then kissed her again. “You feeling okay?”
“You don’t need to keep asking me. I’m fine…” She kissed him once more to prove it.
“You look a bit tired, that’s all.”
“Gav and I spent most of the day running all over the county interviewing people, but not getting any further.” She let out a sigh louder than she had anticipated.
