Page 55 of Three Girls Gone
“Or shedidn’tplay it up,” Amanda said. “That feeling could have been genuine. She may have been abused or neglected as a child.”
“Okay, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but don’t you think assaulting and killing a child pushes things a bit far?” Malone asked.
“Valid question, and I considered that myself. Short answer, no. Not after speaking with some men who have ROs against Harrington. The three I reached all said the same thing. She was high-maintenance and needy and didn’t understand boundaries even before the relationships ended. They said that she would pitch a fit, scream and cry and hurl things across the room, when she felt her control slipping.”
“Whoever did this to Julie and Hailey aspires to be in control,” Amanda reasoned. “Or at least to feel like they are.”
“Exactly.”
“Huh,” Malone huffed. “I admit the more I hear, the more this Harrington sounds worth investigating further.”
“And get this, Harrington used to work at the NYC venue,” Katherine started. “Now this was years before Julie’s last pageant but…”
“She could have remained in contact with someone who worked there to get backstage,” Amanda finished up what she believed was Katherine’s thought.
Katherinenodded.
“Which could also be how she found out about your interest in those backstage,” Trent put in.
“It’s possible. I called my contact there. Leslie Gallagher is the manager and the one I spoke to in the fall. She confirmed she was friends with Harrington for a while, but that they hadn’t been in touch for a long time. She told me that Anne had a rough childhood. No father in the picture, and her mother neglected her. Even as a young girl, Anne had to fend for herself.”
“Like the FBI profile,” Amanda said. “They pegged the killer as coming from a broken home.”
“That’s right. Now you probably remember my telling you I reached out to Detective Fitz to chat with Harrington. Well, get this. She wasn’t home. In fact, the landlord said Harrington rented her place out on short-term lease. The reason? Harrington was going to be visiting family here in Virginia.”
“Let me guess. No family?” Malone said.
“Oh, she has family. A grandmother right here in Woodbridge, and I have her address.”
“When did she come here?” Amanda asked. There had to be even more to this find that had netted Katherine’s suspicion.
“Detective Fitz said she was here for the start of December.”
“In plenty of time to latch on to Hailey Tanner atThe Nutcracker.” Amanda looked at Trent as she got up. “We’ll go talk to her right now.”
TWENTY-THREE
Amanda banged on the door for a second time. The address of Anne Harrington’s grandmother took her and Trent to a small white-sided house. The lot was tiny too, with the front step only about ten feet from the sidewalk. No car was parked in the driveway, but one could have been in the detached garage next to the house.
She was just about to turn around and give up when the door cracked open. An elderly woman with white hair stood there. She was hunched and regarded them with watery eyes.
“Yes?” One word, and the woman’s voice sounded stretched, like it took great effort to project that much.
A late-model silver Ford Mustang pulled into the driveway. Anne was behind the wheel. The car came to a jerking stop, and Anne catapulted from it and brushed past Amanda and Trent.
“Grandma, what are you doing up?”
The older woman retreated into the house guided by her granddaughter. Once she was tucked inside, Anne turned on them.
“I don’t know what this is about, but my grandmother needs all the rest she can get. She’s battling dementia and doesn’t need strangers turning up at the door.”
“We’re not strangers, Ms.Harrington,” Amanda said as she pulled her badge. “We’re detectives with the Prince William County PD, and we need to have a talk with you.”
“With me? Why? I haven’t done any— Did Bruce send you here? I called him. That’s all. The RO just says I’m not to come within a thousand feet of him.”
Amanda glanced at Trent.
“We’re going to need to talk with you down at Central Station,” he said.
