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“I know about her. She stabbed her father to death and served jail time.” Bradford’s gaze moved over Kane’s face. “Why would you suspect her?”
“She was in a juvenile detention center for three years and had her son in there.” Kane reached for his coffee and took a sip, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. “I have a gut feeling there were more men involved in her case than she told the court. She claimed to have stabbed her father because he was constantly abusing her. Problem is, the boy she claimed was fathered by him belongs to someone else. As she was fourteen at the time and her mother helps her raise the kid, I wonder if Lizzy finally told her about the other men. They could be taking out the pedophiles one at a time.”
“And if they’re not the killers, then you figure they might know the names of the men involved in the pedophile ring.”
Kane nodded. “Exactly.” He turned the SUV around and headed toward a cluster of small landholdings on the outskirts of town. “They are working on two houses this afternoon. Let’s see what we can find out.”
He drove to the first address on the list but as their work vehicle was not out front, he started to back out of the driveway, stopping when the front door opened.
“Someone is home after all.” Bradford’s mouth curled into a smile. “It looks like the mother. Maybe she’ll be easier to talk to.”
Kane slid from the seat. The woman standing at the door wearing a thin cotton dress, apron, and a pair of kitchen gloves eyed him with suspicion. He strolled toward her with Bradford close behind. “I’m Deputy Kane and this is Deputy Bradford. We’re looking for Mrs. Harper and her daughter Lizzy.”
“I’m Rosemarie Harper. Lizzy had an appointment in town but she should be back soon. What do you want? I’ve already told you more than I should have.”
“I appreciate your help, ma’am, but I have a few more questions.” Kane pulled out his notebook and pen. “I believe you and your daughter cleaned the property at 3 Maple Lane?”
“Yes, but that was a week ago last Friday afternoon.”
“So I’ve been told.” He observed how nervous she appeared and stepped back. “So where were you this week?”
“We’ve been cleaning all of Rockford’s houses for the real estate office, so we’ve been all over the last couple of weeks.” She gave a nervous shrug. “They would have a list.”
“Okay, what about Friday night? Did you or Lizzy go out for any reason?”
“Lizzy is always in and out, she hates being cooped up in the house.” Mrs. Harper sighed. “She went into town for a couple of hours. She wanted to have a look around at the stalls and pick up some takeout. I remember she was gone for quite some time. She said she had a long w
ait at Aunt Betty’s due to the festival. Why?”
Kane made a few notes in his book. “We found a kidnapped child in a cabin in the mountains. The man involved is Amos Price. Have you heard the name? Could he have been involved in the incident involving Lizzy and her father some years back? Did Lizzy ever mention anyone else?”
“No. There wasn’t anyone else involved the day Pete died. Lizzy waited for him to come home that night and killed him.” She glared at him. “Don’t look at me like that. She never said a word. Yes, I should have known, should have seen something, but it happened on their weekends away. My husband used to take her fishing with him.” She bit her bottom lip. “Lizzy hated fishing but he insisted she do outdoor activities and would spank her if she refused to go with him.”
“Has she ever said why she didn’t tell you something was wrong?” Bradford flicked Kane a glance as if asking his permission.
“Not in so many words but the truth came out in the trial.” Mrs. Harper’s eyes hardened. “A bit too late for me to do anything to help her after she stabbed him to death.” She wet her lips. “My husband threatened her. If she mentioned one word of their secret, he would kill me.”
Sick to his stomach, Kane pushed on. “Are the names Ely Dorsey or Stewart Macgregor familiar to you? Could they have been friends of your husband?”
“Why?”
Kane observed her face and the way her eyes blinked. “Just answer the question.”
“I know all about Stu Macgregor. My husband loved magic tricks and he made friends with a magician by the name of Stu. It was sometime after he died I discovered Stu is the man who went to jail for kidnapping the Booval girl over in Blackwater.” Mrs. Harper placed one hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, was he involved with my Lizzy as well? There had to be another man but Lizzy refuses to speak about it.” She glanced up as the sound of a car engine came down the road. “There she is now but don’t expect her to open up to you. She will only get angry.”
Kane rubbed his chin. “Angry, huh?”
The van pulled up beside Kane’s SUV and a young woman stared at him open-mouthed. She slid out of the door, collected a number of takeout boxes, and walked toward her mother. Kane moved closer to Bradford and dropped his voice to just above a whisper. “If she is hostile toward men, you might have to question her instead.”
“Okay.”
“Is something wrong? What are you doing here, Deputy Kane?” Lizzy Harper’s eyes flashed with anger. “Mom, what’s going on?”
“Nothing to worry about. I’m sure Deputy Kane will explain.” Mrs. Harper’s agitated demeanor spoke volumes.
“Well?” Lizzy stood, hands balled on her hips, and glared at him.
Kane kept his distance but met her gaze head on. “May I speak to you in private, or would you prefer to speak to Deputy Bradford?”
