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“Yeah,” David said shortly. “I know I shouldn’t say it, but I’m so glad he killed himself. I don’t know how many girls make up the ‘several,’ but it was several too many.”
Kit nodded. “We agree. We’re trying to fill in the gaps. He obviously couldn’t be questioned and we have so many unanswered questions. Can you tell me about your interaction with him? We know he assaulted you.”
David nodded stiffly. “My jaw was wired shut until last week. At least I lost thirty pounds.” His attempt at a smile fell flat and his wife made a hurt noise.
“Driscoll was unhinged,” Gemma said. “He just attacked my David. For a moment, the people who were there just stared. We were all shocked. Then two of the neighbors pulled him off David, and Driscoll stomped off. We called 911 for David and figured the cops could go after Driscoll because none of us were willing to go near him.”
“Makes sense to me,” Kit said. “What happened next?”
Gemma shook her head as if still unable to believe it. “He got in his car and tried to run David over.”
“The two neighbors who’d come to help pulled me into the garage,” David added, “then Driscoll drove away. He got probation and therapy.” He spat the two words. “Fucking judges.”
“Did you see him again after that?” Baz asked.
“No,” David said. “He kept to himself. He lost his driver’s license, so he ended up taking the bus. Maureen used to take the local city bus to school. My wife’s been driving her there and picking her up. I’m glad, too. With as much as he hated me... Well, I’ve been horrified since last night, knowing he was even worse than we thought he was.”
“Again, that makes sense to me,” Kit said. “What caused him to lose his temper that day?”
“He’s a liar. Lies about everything. He claimed he was a Navy SEAL, for God’s sake. That man was no SEAL. He never served anyone or anything but himself.”
“Stolen valor,” Kit murmured. “I served, too. Coast Guard. People who lie about service make me upset, too.”
“I didn’t attack him,” David said. “I just told him that he needed to knock off the lies or I’d report him. It’s a misdemeanor, you know.”
“He wouldn’t have gotten any time for it,” Mrs.Epstein said, her body rigid with rage. “Just like he didn’t get any time for attacking my husband.”
Kit understood her rage. “Did you ever see him with any young women?”
David shook his head. “No sixteen-year-olds. Driscoll’s lived here for about ten years. Had two wives in that time—both just barely legal. He liked to come to our block parties and tell his stories. We’d try to time them for when he was on vacation, but he never went anywhere. It got to the point where we’d rotate responsibility for keeping him talking and away from everyone else. The last block party was my turn.”
“And when the fight broke out?” Baz asked.
“Wasn’t really a fight,” David said dryly. “I was injured in combat twenty years ago. I don’t have full use of my right hand and I still limp on that side. I didn’t swing back.”
Kit sighed. “What a nightmare for you all.”
David’s newly healed jaw tightened. “Would have been worse if he’d touched my girls. I asked them both and they both said he never did. I haven’t talked to many of the others on the block, but the few I did talk to say their daughters said the same.”
“Got it.” Kit glanced at Baz, and he nodded once. They’d gotten all they could from the parents. “Could we maybe talk to your daughter?” Because if that had been fear in her reaction, Kit wanted to know why. “She might have heard something in school. She’s at the age of the other victims.”
David shuddered. “I’ll stay with the baby. My wife will stay with Maureen.”
“Of course,” Baz murmured. “We just want to ask her what else she might know. We’ll be gentle. I promise.”
With another nod, David went into the kitchen and Maureen came out, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. Warily she sat next to her mother.
Kit smiled at her. “You’re not in trouble, Maureen. We just wanted to ask if you’d heard any of the girls in school mention Colton Driscoll.”
Her shoulders sagged in unmistakable relief. “No. Some of the girls on the block would say how weird he was, especially after a block party. The dads would team up to keep him away from everyone. Just talking to him,” she raced to add. “Nobody did anything bad.”
“So the girls thought he was weird?”
“Well, yeah. He was always talking about knowing Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Or even Meghan Markle. It was like he’d read People magazine and just spewed it all out.”
Baz smiled. “That’s pretty accurate, from what we’ve heard. If you do hear anything at school, can you have your mom call us?”
She looked at her mother uncertainly. “Sure.”
