Page 10 of All He Sees
"Oh, yes!" Beverly exclaimed. "I was feeding the squirrels in the backyard at say, five o'clock in the morning, just as the sun was rising up. Then I heard it! A scream from a young girl, and the sound of an engine revving. I rushed to the side of the house, but then there was no one there!"
"Ma'am," Nicky said, "when did you first hear the engine?"
"As soon as I heard the scream," Beverly said. "It was so loud, so close. When I looked around, I saw nothing, but I heard the engine like it was right in front of me. Then, I heard the girl scream."
"And you saw the car?"
"No," Beverly said. "Nothing but the road, and that was empty."
"And you saw no one?" Nicky asked.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “I did see the car.”
Nicky paused. “Ma’am, you just said you didn’t see the car.”
“No, I said I did.”
Nicky sighed. Don’t get frustrated. The woman was old, and probably not all there upstairs. So how credible could her testimony really be?
"But there was that scream,” Beverly added on.
"Are you sure it was a girl's scream?" Ken asked. "It could have been a boy's."
"Oh no dear," Beverly said. "I'm sure. I'm quite certain it was a girl. She was screaming so loud and so scared. I thought I would go deaf."
"Did you see anyone or anything else in the area?" Nicky asked. “Did you see the model of the car?”
“What car, dear?” Beverly said.
Nicky resisted a sigh yet again and reminded herself to be kind to elders, even when someone’s life was on the line. “So there was no car,” Nicky said. “You didn’t see a car.”
"No!" Beverly said. "It was just me and the squirrels and the noise. And the girl's scream. Oh, it was so frightening."
Nicky wasn't sure about this. Beverly definitely seemed confused and scattered, and she didn't actually see anything. Or maybe she did, but even if there was a car, Nicky couldn’t trust the woman to describe it. She couldn’t even remember if she really saw it.
"I know the girl, Mira," Beverly went on. "She lives with roommates normally, but the police said her roommates are out of town and Mira was there all alone. The poor thing!"
Nicky glanced at Ken, and she could tell he was having the same doubts about Beverly as she was. "That's correct," Nicky said. "Like I said, ma'am, we're just here to confirm the details. Do you have any idea who might have done this? Did you ever see Mira bring any boys around her house?"
"Oh no," Beverly said. "None whatsoever. She's a very sweet girl. Never had any problems with her."
"Of course," Nicky said. She paused. "Ma'am," she said, "are you absolutely sure about what you heard?"
"Positive honey," Beverly said. "I'm positive."
Well, it was better than nothing. The car was inconsistent, but Beverly seemed hellbent that the scream really had occurred. Nicky hoped she was right—if she was, then maybe they’d have something to work from here.
"Okay," Nicky said. She gathered her files and her laptop, then stood up and offered Beverly a smile. "Thank you for your help, ma'am. You've been very helpful."
"No problem, dears," Beverly said. "It's my pleasure."
Nicky and Ken left Beverly Johnson's house, stepping into the warm Florida afternoon. Nicky glanced at Mira's house, then down the street, imagining the scenario Beverly had described. This area was quiet, but there was a convenience store across the street with a small parking lot, built into what looked like used to be someone's house.
A business.
Maybe it was a longshot--but they could have security footage.
"You think that woman was lying?" Ken asked as they started toward their car.
