Page 70 of Peak Suspicion
“Did he say why he wrote the letters?” Travis asked.
“He hated me because he thought I was the one who turned George Suarez in to the police in Santa Fe. Ed was George’s friend. They were part of a group of people who traded and sold child pornography. George apparently told Ed that I had turned them in to the police. But I had no idea what they were up to. I was beyond shocked to learn the truth.” She stared down at her hands, knotted in her lap.
“Did you know Ed in Santa Fe?” Gage asked.
“No. I’m sure I never met him. But he apparently recognized me. Maybe he had seen me with George, or a picture of me. Or maybe he only knew my name and recognized it when he heard about the new teacher at the school.”
“Did he say if he was the person who kidnapped Bryce Atkinson and tried to abduct two other boys?” Gage asked.
“Yes. He thought no one would suspect him because they all thought he was a helpless old man. But he’s not helpless.”
They walked her through everything that had happened that evening. By the time they were done, daylight streamed through the front windows and her whole body ached. “That’s all for now,” Travis said, and stood. “Try to get some rest.”
“I need to see Carter.” She stood also.
“Where’s Mira? Is she all right?”
She turned and saw Dalton pushing his way past the law enforcement personnel who were still examining the scene. Bethany was right behind him. “Hey, Mira.” Dalton stopped a few feet in front of her.
Bethany came right up to her. “Are you okay?” she asked, and touched Mira’s arm lightly.
“I’m okay. But Carter…” Her voice broke.
“We just talked to the hospital,” Dalton said. “He’s in surgery right now, but they think he’s going to be okay.”
“We’re on our way to see him right now,” Bethany said. “We thought you might like to come, too.”
“Yes. Yes, I’d like that. Thank you.” She looked down at the blanket she clutched to her. “I need to get dressed.”
“I’ll help.” Bethany put her arm around Mira. “It must have been awful for you.”
She could only nod, and let Carter’s sister lead her to the bedroom, where she dressed in the same clothes she had worn the day before.
“Mom and Dadare driving separately but we insisted on stopping here first,” Dalton said as he led the way across the parking lot.
“We’ve got coffee and pastry in the car,” Bethany said. “That should help.”
The coffee and sugar helped, but an even bigger lift came from Dalton and Bethany’s assumption that she was one of themnow—another member of the family. They didn’t ask for details, but she told them anyway—how Carter had goaded Ed into confessing everything.
“I think both of us still thought of Ed as a feeble old man,” she said. “We never thought he would really shoot. When he did, I was terrified—and then I was furious at him for hurting Carter.”
At the hospital, she followed Bethany and Dalton into the cubicle in the ICU where Carter had been moved after surgery. The three of them crowded around the hospital bed and stared at Carter—the shadow of his beard dark against his pale, pale face.
Mira took one hand and Bethany the other. His shoulder and much of his chest was bandaged, and an oxygen cannula was in his nose. His hand was cold and still. Mira swallowed hard. She wasn’t going to cry.
Then his eyes were open, looking into hers. “Hey,” he said, his voice a harsh rasp.
“Hey.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m not feeling anything.” He squeezed her hand. “How are you?”
“You scared me.”
“Yeah, I’ve gotten in trouble for running my mouth before, but no one ever shot me.” His expression sobered. “What happened to Ed?”
“Ed’s in jail,” Dalton said. “I doubt he’s ever coming out.”
There was more movement at the door and Mr. and Mrs. Ames peered in. A nurse hovered behind him. “He’s not supposed to have more than one visitor at a time,” she said.
