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“And the cash, and your passport.”
“The passport was just there for safe keeping. As for the money, it’s wise to have a rainy-day fund.”
Amanda smiled but having five K in cash sitting around was a lot. She wasn’t one to judge, though, with a hundred grand in a bag still sitting in a locker down at Central. “Why a burner?”
“I use it sometimes when I make inquiries, to stay anonymous. You must think I’m obsessed.”
Amanda teetered her hand and smiled.
“You can say it.”
“I can say you don’t have a fan in Thad Coffey.”
“Not going to disagree there.” Katherine tried to laugh, and again it was cut short by pain.
“What about the case has you so committed to seeing it through? I know she was a sweet, innocent child, but is it somehow personal?” The last bit snuck out, even taking Amanda by surprise.
“If you’re interested, you could help me. Together, I’m sure we could figure out what happened to Julie Gilbert.”
Amanda could see herself doing just that. Ever since seeing that storage unit, that little girl’s face had haunted her. Katherine’s avoidance of Amanda’s question made her suspect even more that the case was personal for the former sergeant. “Who is Amy?”
Katherine’s gaze popped to Amanda’s, and she shook her head. “There’s no reason for you to know that.”
“You asked for my help, and I would be happy to. But not unless you tell me who Amy is.”
“Who Amy was.” Katherine’s voice broke, and tears beaded in her eyes. “You’ll want to sit for this story.”
SEVENTY
Amanda and Trent received the go-ahead to talk to Rodney Mitchell while they were still at the hospital. She hadn’t yet received any messages from Logan, and she was considering whether she should say something to him. As it currently stood, Amanda’s sister Kristen was going to pick up Zoe from Maria’s house at the end of the day. Amanda had told her Logan took off for a few days but avoided her questions of why and where. Who even knew if he was coming back, or when? And if he did, was he going to stay or simply collect his things and be on his way?
Before she and Trent went into Rodney’s room, his doctors told them he was on a heavy dose of pain medication and asked them to keep things brief.
Amanda made no promises.
Rodney looked away from her and Trent. His wrists were cuffed to the bed.
The Glock 19 in his possession had already been preliminarily confirmed by the lab as the one used to kill Leah Bernard and Lynnette Johnson. Rodney could have sourced it on the streets, either in the county or back in New York. Forensic trace at the Fill N Go, the blood and saliva from the gum aisle, was sent out of the county for rapid DNA testing, and it was a match to Rodney Mitchell. There was no question as to his innocence, but Amanda wanted to hear his motive straight from him. “Why did you do it?”
“Why did I—?” Rodney faced them. “She deserved every blow. Even worse.”
“Because she testified against your father? A violent and abusive man who killed his wife?” Trent asked, his voice loud.
“She would have done something to piss him off.”
Trent took a step toward the bed, and Amanda held out her arm to block him from going any farther. “You going to tell us she deserved it too?”
“You said it.”
Trent bunched up his face in a bitter scowl.
“A teenage girl got caught up in this vendetta of yours. You shot her twice. Killed her,” Amanda put out. “Did she deserve that?” The question rolled off her tongue, leaving bitterness in its wake.
Rodney didn’t respond.
“And what about Lynnette Johnson?” Amanda said. “Why did you kill her?”
“She was a liability. The idiot left the money, took off her mask. She was working against me.”
