Page 28 of Three Girls Gone
“I don’t see why she needs to know,” Amanda said, glancing at Trent.
“My lips are sealed.”
“Very well. I was raped when I was with the NYPD,” Katherine started, her voice like a damp rag. “My rapist wasanother detective on the force. When I found out I was pregnant, I took time off to have the baby. I put her up for adoption after birth and told no one. Then, six years later, I was called in for the Gilbert investigation.” Katherine shared this devoid of emotion as if the subject under discussion was a stranger and not herself. “During that time, I watched a lot of video footage of Julie, and one day it clicked. She felt so familiar, and I’d already felt like I was connected. I’d just dismissed it as being the tragedy of the case, a young girl, and that it hit me for that reason alone. But I did a DNA comparison, off the record, and found out she was my daughter. The one I put up for adoption.”
The air in the room became heavy and silent. For the first time since they entered the office, Amanda heard the noises from the diner filtering in.
“Whoa.” Trent flopped back in his chair. “That’s… I don’t even know what to say, except for I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how you… what you’ve been through.”
He didn’t say it, but Amanda sensed he now understood Katherine’s obsession with the Gilbert case.
“I’m not going to lie. It’s been hell. I’ve been haunted by the what ifs. Like what if I’d just kept her? That’s the biggest one. But rehashing my personal cost isn’t going to help us. It seems like we’re in agreement that we need to find the photographer who took Dickson’s picture.”
“I’d say that’s our starting point, no matter how potentially broad,” Amanda agreed.
“With focus on anyone with backstage access at the NYC venue,” Trent said. “It was where Julie competed in her last pageant, close to where she was killed, and where the photograph was taken of Dickson.”
“That still leaves us with a lot of names. As you just said”—Amanda gestured to Katherine—“people travel with the show. So it’s hard to track everyone down.” Amanda was battling against feeling overwhelmed and losing.
“Only good news is we likely have his name,” Trent said, and held up his hands when Amanda and Katherine looked at him. “I know, a needle in a haystack.”
“But speaking of names,” Amanda started. “Does Mara Bennett, Nick Potter, or Susan Butters mean anything to you?” She was asking for due diligence.
Katherine shook her head. “But people change their names all the time. Criminals assume new identities. You think a woman might be behind this?”
“Or a partnership,” Amanda said.
“Which makes more sense to me,” Katherine said. “There was sexual assault in Gilbert’s case. A moment ago, I got the impression the same applies for the Tanner case?”
“It does, and Butters could have worked with someone,” Amanda said, not feeling convinced herself. The woman’s self-chastisement for being single rang true.
“Well, do you have pictures of them? I can see if they look familiar. Anything I’ve seen related to the Gilbert investigation is seared on my brain.”
Trent took out his tablet and brought up the photos of Butters, Bennett, and Potter.
Katherine looked at each one. “There’s nothing familiar about them at all.”
As Trent put his tablet away, Amanda met his eye. This released the three of them from their suspect list. “All right, well, we pare back to what we know,” Amanda said.
“This guy came down here because of me and now he’s sticking around to see what I’m going to do,” Katherine said. “But how can I back off? How can you? He must know we can’t do that.”
“Which makes me think he’s using you as an excuse,” Amanda said. “He’s not finished, regardless of what you do. But with that said…”
“You think I should back off, leave it alone?” Katherinesaid.
The immediate image in her mind was that of another dead girl. “I don’t see what choice you have. Not with the stakes involved.”
“Amanda, you just said a moment ago that what happens next isn’t dependent on what I do. Why not let me help? It’s not like I’m just anybody off the street. I’m former police.”
“Sergeant Malone is likely to take issue with theformerpart,” Trent said.
“I get that. I no longer have a badge, but I know more about the Gilbert case than anyone else. I can help.”
Amanda looked at Trent. Katherine made a solid point. Her knowledge could prove integral to bringing this creep down. If she worked behind the scenes and kept a low profile, the killer would never find out. “Let’s run your helping past Malone.”
“Thank you.”
It’s probably too soon to be thanking me…
