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"Great way to begin with a cooperative minor," Daddy muttered.
Lieutenant Cooper glanced at him and smirked. "There were things you could have told us before but didn't," he corrected. "Why not?"
"I had promised Karen I wouldn't tell anyone," I said. "She was very embarrassed about it, ashamed. She told me it made her feel dirty."
"Okay, but now you know this is about as serious as things could be, and you are required to give us any information that pertains to the situation, right? You're not going to keep anything else secret?"
"She came to tell you what she was told," my father said very slowly. "Why don't you just get to that without all these dramatics?"
"Jesus," Detective Simon muttered. Daddy glanced at him
"Go ahead, Cooper," Chief Keiser pressed.
"All right. Tell us what you told your father Karen said was happening."
I began, describing the first incident as detailed as I could manage without blushing and being embarrassed myself. As I spoke, they all stared at me, only Chief Keiser looking shocked.
"How many of these incidents occurred? To your knowledge, that is?"
"Nothing she has said so far is to her knowledge," my father corrected. "She is telling you what she was told, not what she witnessed. I just want to make that clear."
"Right. How many incidents like that did Karen Stoker describe?"
"I don't remember any number. She just said it was getting worse and worse, and when I asked her to explain, she was too embarrassed to get into any more detail about it. One time," I added, "I came into town to buy an ice cream, and I saw her walking and crying. She didn't want to talk then, but later, when I asked, she told me it was because of what was happening. She told me she was having headaches because of it, too. I already told you about the headaches."
"Right. Okay, let's get to what you claim she said about her mother's involvement or lack of involvement in all this. Did she tell you she told her mother about any of it?"
"No, she didn't tell me of any specific conversation, but she said her mother knew. She said her mother knew about her bruise, and she said her mother ignored it."
"What bruise?"
"She had a bruise on her shoulder one morning. I asked her about it, but she was too ashamed to tell me about it then. Later, she told me Harry would often get violent, frustrated with her, and do things like push her or pinch her too hard."
"And her mother knew about this?"
"She said she did but ignored it."
"And the reason she ignored it? Did she tell you?"
"She said her mother thought that she was making things up because she just didn't like Harry or her marrying him. She said it was always worse when her mother was away and she was alone with Harry."
"To your knowledge, did she tell anyone else about these incidents?"
"No. I mean, I don't know if she did or didn't."
"You mentioned her telling you that she spied on Harry when he went to his mother's apartment, that she saw him talking to a manikin head in the bed with a wig on it?"
"Yes. Karen said his mother wore wigs because her hair was getting too thin," I said. I wondered now if they would think about the wig found with Harry's body in Karen's room, but they said nothing or asked nothing about it.
Instead, the detectives looked at each other for a moment before Lieutenant Cooper flipped open a small pad he had in his hands and read something Then he looked up at me.
"We're kind of intrigued by the fact that Karen called her mother from New York City the same day you were in New York City. We've followed up pn that with the phone company. Did you see her there?" he asked.
"No," I said. I looked at my father.
"She was with my wife all the time and never out of her sight. You were told that the other day."
"Remarkable coincidence," Lieutenant Cooper muttered.
