Page 67 of Three Girls Gone
“Slim to none,” Malone amended. “But they’re connected all right.”
The skin tightened on the back of Amanda’s neck. “You know this for certain.”
“There was a printed note on her bed addressed to Katherine.”
“Shit.” The expletive slipped out. “Does Katherine know?”
“She does. And you should know that I’ve sent her home. The chief’s orders.”
Amanda stiffened. “None of this is her fault.”
“That’s not the point. You know the chief’s primary concern.”
Optics,but she left it unsaid. That was a battle for another day. Poor Katherine. She must be spinning out. “Tell us where you want us to go.”
“The family home.” Malone gave them the address. “Detective McGee is already there, being the first to receive the report. Obviously, he’s there with first responding officers too.”
“All right. We’ll head right over.”
“Harrington has officially been released of suspicion. Clearly, we went down the wrong path there. The search on her home and car got us nowhere either.”
“Okay, thank you,” she told him.
Malone clicked off, and Amanda and Trent were left looking at each other.
“I can’t believe this is happening again,” he said. “And so soon.”
“Me either.” Her stomach tossed. “And poor Katherine. I should call her.”
Trent nodded and headed for the restroom door. “I’ll make sure the officer on duty uncuffs Harrington.”
She nodded, with her phone to an ear. Katherine’s phone rang once before pushing Amanda to voicemail.Rejected…“It’s Amanda. I promise you I’m going to find this guy.We’regoing to. I’m here if you need to talk.” She ended the call, not knowing what else she could say. Was there anything she could say that would comfort Katherine? Amanda doubted it. To think how this day started off on such a high note, and in a matter of a few hours had crashed and burned.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Katherine’s head was spinning as she drove away from Central. Another little girl was paying the price because of her. All because she just couldn’t leave things alone and let Julie go.
Not just a little girl. Say her name, coward…
“Eloise Maynard.” Katherine spoke out loud and caught herself in the rearview mirror. Her eyes filled with tears, and a few fell. She swiped them away. Indignant and angry at the undeserved display of emotion. As the cause of Eloise’s abduction, she had no right to fall apart. None. Just as she had no right to be involved in Julie’s case. She’d given that right away the second she resigned from the NYPD. And before that when she gave her beautiful baby girl up for adoption. But how was she supposed to turn her back on her own flesh and blood?
A car horn blasted her from her thoughts. She found herself in the oncoming lane with a pickup barreling straight for her. Cranking the wheel of her Mercedes, she overcorrected, and by some miracle didn’t spill over the curb onto the sidewalk.
That was close!
Her heart pounded as she heaved for breath.
If she went home to her empty house and stared at thewalls, she’d go crazy. But if she didn’t get off the roads, she might kill herself or someone else. And she already had enough deaths on her conscience. She pulled over to the side of the road. She’d give it a few minutes before she decided what to do next and where to go.
If only she’d had the courage to keep Julie all those years ago, but she just couldn’t swing it then. She couldn’t even face her rapist day in and out at the NYPD, and had slunk away for a few months to have her baby. It was her shame, and she even kept it from her mother. A tough feat because she loved that woman and still did. The veil of death wasn’t strong enough to shatter love. If so, there would be far less suffering in the world.
For years, Katherine had buried her secret so deeply inside, she could convince herself it was someone else’s story. Then came Julie Gilbert. Once Katherine pieced together that Julie was her biological daughter, the wound reopened. She transformed into a mother bear wanting to protect her daughter, but since she was too late for that, she was intent on catching her killer. But that intention escalated to obsession.
When she was overlooked for a promotion within the NYPD, she saw it as the chance for a fresh start somewhere else. But that wasn’t the only reason she considered a move. After her mother was murdered, she needed a change. It was around this time she saw the position for interim Homicide sergeant with the PWCPD come up, and the posting seemed meant to be. The location made it possible to connect with her mother’s estranged sister, May Byrd, and build a relationship with her. But she discovered that geography did nothing to sever her bond to the Gilbert case. It might even have made it stronger. She rented a storage unit and dedicated that space to finding the person who killed Julie, herAmy. That’s what she would have named her if she’d kept her.
Aunt May…Her name swept through. She was just onemore person who knew nothing about the baby girl she’d given up for adoption. It might be time to confide in her.
Katherine got back on the road and drove to the diner. The lot was packed, making it a challenge to find an available spot. To think when she came to the county, she believed it would also give her the chance to simplify and slow down the pace of her life. The plan was working until she handed in her badge and started full time at her aunt’s cafe. Then Katherine took it on as a personal mission to expand the business. She taught herself social media advertising through online courses, and it turned out she was quite good at putting what she’d learned into practice. The diner’s business boomed.
