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“My brother mentioned you are looking for pedophiles.” Angelique sat in the chair opposite her and frowned. “Why would you think I would know any?”
Jenna offered her a smile then took out her cellphone, found the photographs of Price and Dorsey, and held it up for her to see. “These men were found murdered recently and we’ve discovered both worked as clowns with the same company as Stu Macgregor.” She noticed the girl’s face had paled. “At their homes, we discovered girls they had kidnapped.”
“That’s awful but I don’t know anything.” Angelique rocked back and forth in her seat, clearly agitated.
“I know what happened to you.” Jenna lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Could there be any chance that the man who molested you could have been more than one man?”
“What do you mean, more than one man? I don’t understand.”
Obviously, she needed to be blunt. “Tell me about the man who kidnapped you. How many times did he visit you in one night?”
“Oh my God.” Angelique’s hands went to her face. “I went over this in court.”
Jenna pushed a little harder. “I’m sure you did but I am not allowed to view the files and I have reason to believe at least four men are abusing girls. Two are dead and we need to arrest the others involved. This has been going on for at least ten years and you might have vital information. Will you try and think about that time again to help the other girls?”
“Two are dead? If it has been ten years, I’m not surprised—people die every day.”
The cold look in Angelique’s eyes sent a shiver down Jenna’s spine. “Someone murdered these men.”
“Maybe they deserved it.”
Jenna cleared her throat. “Where did Macgregor hold you?”
“In a dark room, a basement. When he came down, he only had a flashlight and he’d shine it on me.”
“You identified him, so he never wore a mask?”
“He had a clown mask, but I knew he was the magician because he took me from the party.” Angelique let out a long sigh. “He has a tattoo on his arm as well. It is a heart, blood dripping, with an arrow through it.” She chewed on her nails and frowned. “I saw it at the party, and when he took me, he had pushed up his sleeves.”
“Can you answer the questions I asked before? It may be very important to my investigation. Did he visit you once or twice or many times?”
“I can’t believe you’re asking me this.” Angelique gripped the edge of her seat and her knuckles went white. ?
?Many times, all the time. He would go away for a few minutes then return.”
“How many times, say in one evening?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe six or eight.” Angelique blinked a few times as if recalling the horror. “That’s impossible for one man, isn’t it?” She rubbed at her face. “I was so frightened and at first I was tied to the bed and blindfolded. I begged him to take off the blindfold and said I couldn’t breathe. I’m sure I saw flashes before he removed the blindfold. I think he took pictures of me, the sick asshole.” She lifted her angry gaze to Jenna. “Yes, I guess there could have been more, but they did not have fat guts like those men in the images on your cellphone. Macgregor was twenty-two, I think, at the time. If there were other men, they didn’t say anything to me and all I could see was a grinning clown mask.”
“Do you remember if they smelled different?”
“Smelled different? How does a stinking man smell? They all smell the same… I don’t know.” Angelique’s eyes flashed with anger but Jenna could see the frightened child cowering within.
“Okay, that’s all about that for now, but if you can recall anything at all, give me a call.” Jenna handed her a card. “I understand you work at the Black Rock Falls Library part-time and here as well. When are you usually in Black Rock Falls in case we need to speak to you again?”
“I’ll be working there all week from tomorrow. Before it was odd days: Monday through Wednesday, and Friday.” Angelique changed back into the sweet-tempered woman who had greeted them without missing a beat. “I’m moving there in the morning. My brothers have a house just out of town. It’s such a long drive back and forth from here.”
“You’ll be moving in with them?”
“No, I already have an apartment on the outskirts of town. Living there, I can avoid the festivals. I received a settlement after the court case so I don’t need to work, but I love books and it’s nice working in the library after hours.”
Jenna smiled. She had admitted being in town at the time of the murders; all she needed now was to pinpoint the times. “What time are you usually in town?”
“Oh, I get there by lunchtime. I like Black Rock Falls. I look at the stores, have a meal at Aunt Betty’s Café. I don’t have to be at work until closing.” Angelique smiled. “It’s not a difficult job, and some days it only takes me an hour to stack the shelves. People don’t read that many books anymore, it is all about e-books now. Once I’ve finished, my time is my own.”
Time enough to commit murder. Jenna pushed to her feet. She did not have enough evidence to obtain an arrest warrant. “Well, that’s all we need for now. Thank you for all your help. We’ll see ourselves out.”
Jenna thanked Parks for her help then climbed into the front seat of Kane’s vehicle and looked at him. “What do you think?”
