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He seemed stuck on this point, his reaction genuine. It had her taking pause. “Lynnette Johnson has been identified as one of the perps involved with the murder and abduction earlier this week. And, yes, she is dead.”
The uniformed officer stepped forward again, and she held up a hand to stop him from taking further action.
“How?” Barry asked.
“Gunshot to the back of her head,” she told him.
His eyes welled up. “Lynnette didn’t deserve that.”
“No, she didn’t.” No one does.
“She was so broken.”
Maybe it was a case of it takes one to know one. From the outside, some might describe Barry as broken. “What makes you say that?”
Barry didn’t respond but toed the floorboards of his front porch.
Amanda motioned to the officer.
“Wait,” Barry said. “Lynnette was down on her luck, but she struck me as someone very familiar with the landscape, if you know what I mean.”
“Let’s assume that we don’t,” Trent interjected.
“Bad life, poor childhood. She held a deadbeat job at some dive bar in town. And don’t ask me the name. We weren’t slumber buddies, but she needed a break. It’s why I let her stay in a room upstairs.”
Amanda doubted Barry was some selfless, helpful Samaritan. Even his probation officer told them Barry was out for himself. “It had absolutely nothing to do with her being young and beautiful?”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Very well. How long did she live here?”
“Six months, give or take. But I haven’t seen her in a few weeks.”
“Why is that?” Her patience allowed her to play along some. It wasn’t far from her mind that the man before her could be wrapped up in this mess and know Katherine’s whereabouts. The fact his name had surfaced twice in this investigation certainly didn’t work in his favor.
“I kicked her out.”
She struggled with the decision of moving the conversation back to Central. So far, Barry was talking. If they put him in an interrogation room, that could stop with one demand for a lawyer. “And why was that?”
The uniformed officer gave her another look as if to ask whether he should take Barry. She shook her head, and he sighed.
“Why did you kick her out?” Amanda asked.
Barry’s expression blanked.
“I asked you a question, Barry, and if you don’t want to continue this conversation here, we can move it back to Central,” she pushed out.
“It’s just— Wait. It’s all coming together for me.”
“What is?” The dance was exhausting. While they stood here, who knew how these precious seconds affected Katherine?
“Those plates being used in that murder and abduction Monday. I didn’t put it together until now.”
She glanced at Trent, and he shook his head, obviously tapped out of patience. She debated whether to rush Barry along to get to the point, or remain silent. She opted for the latter.
He met Amanda’s gaze. “Lynnette must have lifted them from me.”
And here we go, down story lane.
