Page 96 of Three Girls Gone
“They paid cash upfront for six months.”
Couldn’t bethateasy…But six months, including December, would put them through May. This month. “And if he was staying away longer?”
“He told them, he’d reach out. And before you ask, they haven’t heard from him.”
“But they have a phone number for him?” If so, they could track the phone.
“Nope. He just has theirs, and he’s never called.”
“We can’t say the guy’s a complete idiot,” Trent said. “Andthat rent money could be how Wilcox is funding this little venture. How much are we talking about?”
“Twenty-one thousand dollars.”
Trent whistled. “Tidy sum.”
“I told you. Rent in NYC isn’t cheap, but he’s probably making a healthy profit. Housing is scarce.”
Amanda was disheartened by one fact. “Cash doesn’t leave a trail for us to follow.”
“Well, Malone’s requesting his financials. Wilcox could have slipped up. But I don’t see him updating his address with any institution when his move was temporary,” Amanda said. “NYPD should watch his place.”
“All arranged. Fitz went to his sergeant, and there will be a uniform posted at Wilcox’s apartment until we apprehend him. Fitz spoke to the building manager and found out the guy provided references, but they all turned out to be bogus. So no luck tracking down any of Wilcox’s friends. The next of kin on file is his mother, but she’s been deceased for years.”
“Well, we just finished speaking with Anne Harrington, and she provided us with some valuable insights.” Amanda shared what they’d learned.
“He had her dress up like a…? Sick freak,” Katherine muttered across the line, and Amanda was impressed she went with the PG-version.
“I think he’s a victim of childhood sexual assault. Possibly at the hands of his own mother.” Since there was a chance of her theory being right, Amanda felt no remorse at casting a stone at a dead woman. “And I say this because he wanted to assume a dominant sexual role with Harrington. Then, there was the whole ‘you’ve been a bad girl’ thing.”
Katherine’s end of the line went silent.
“You still there?” Amanda prompted.
“Oh, I’m here, and I don’t think you’re far off the mark. When I was talking to Wilcox’s former boss, she saidthat he fell quiet upon seeing her in the interview room. Before that he was chatting away loudly with an intern. I don’t know the intern’s gender, but as you know, the boss’s name is Leslie. A unisex name.”
“Maybe he was expecting to be interviewed by a man, not a woman,” Trent said.
“Holy shit. I think we’re on to something here. And sexual abuse at his mother’s hand could explain his dysfunctional relationships with women,” Katherine said. “His boss and Harrington, just two that we know of.”
“And his only way of coping with his feelings of inadequacy is to take it out on little girls,” Trent said.
“We’ve got to save Eloise.” Katherine’s voice sliced across the line. “I’ll make some more calls, see if I can get anywhere else.”
“And press Briggs about that online form too,” Amanda said. “It’s still feasible that Wilcox identified that janitor to keep the spotlight off himself. And, yes, I realize this is before you started pushing more about venue employees, but this guy is anxious, in my opinion. He’s likely been keeping tabs on the investigation and you from day one.”
“Nothing creepy about that thought,” Katherine said.
“Well… it makes sense he’d be watching you and your website,” Amanda said.
“He’d want to know if you were getting close to finding him,” Trent added.
“Even if that’s the case, we’re getting close to stopping this guy now. I must believe that.”
“I think we all do,” Amanda put in.
With that, the call ended, and Trent was pulling into the parking lot of Petey’s Patties.
“I think you took a wrong turn.” She pointed from the restaurant to the road.
