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“Leah told me to hide. There was a space in the back of our closet where you could hide behind the wall. She told me to go there and not come out until she came back with someone to help us.”
When the girl paused, Jessica said, “It’s okay, sweetheart, you’re not in trouble. We just want to know what you saw.”
So far Kinsley had been very forthcoming. She wasn't trying to protect her father, she had admitted he abused her sister and her mother. He’d worked cases where cracking abused kids had been harder than getting an abused spouse to turn against their partner. Thankfully Kinsley wasn't one of those kids.
“I heard loud voices, so I crept out.”
“Whose voices were they?”
“Daddy and Leah’s.”
“Did you hear what they were saying?”
“Leah was crying, begging daddy to stop. I went to the window, and I saw Daddy and Leah on the roof. He was holding her here.” The child pointed to her wrists. “And her feet weren't on anything.”
“What happened next?”
“He put Leah down and told her that she had to go back inside, but Leah said no. So, he pushed her, and she fell.”
That was exactly what they had suspected but needed confirmation of. So long as Kinsley passed the examination that would determine whether she understood the difference between the truth and a lie and was deemed competent to testify. Having spent the last ten minutes with the child he knew she would pass. She was a smart little girl, well-spoken, clear in exactly what she had seen and heard. When they arrested Jay Turner, he would stand trial for his older daughter’s murder and the testimony of his younger daughter would see him found guilty.
There was only one thing left that they needed to know.
“Kinsley, do you know where your daddy might be right now?” Jessica asked.
“Isn’t he at home?”
“No, he’s not. We don’t know where he is, but we need to find him. Do you know where he might go if he wasn't at home?”
“Uh-uh.” Kinsley shook her head.
“Do you have any grandparents, or aunts or uncles, that you go and visit?” Jessica asked. As far as they knew there was no other family, but it was worth asking anyway.
“No. It’s just me, and Leah, and Mommy, and Daddy.”
“Is there anyone who watched you sometimes if your mommy and daddy couldn’t?”
“Sometimes Sarah watched me. She always plays songs for me on her piano, and I dance to them.”
They didn't know anything about this Sarah but finding her had just become their number one priority. This visit with Kinsley Turner had gone even better than he had hoped.
* * * * *
5:26 P.M.
“All settled in?” Brian asked as Hayley walked down the hall and dropped onto the couch in the safehouse’s living room. The apartment was small, with two bedrooms, one bathroom, and one living area. The place was sparsely furnished, but it was comfortable, and more importantly, they would be safe here until Jay Turner was in custody. Only his Uncle Ryan and Brady knew where they were, and as much as he would miss his family if they had to spend the holidays here, he couldn’t deny the time alone with Hayley would be nice.
“I guess,” Hayley answered his question listlessly. She was a little pale, and she’d been quiet ever since they'd left the offices a little over an hour ago; the stress of the last few days was getting to her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, turning the stove down so the potatoes didn't boil over before joining her on the couch. “I mean, besides the obvious.”
“This place.” She looked around the room, at the round table with four chairs, the two couches, the coffee table, and the wide-screen TV on the wall. “It doesn’t feel like Christmas here. It’s only a few days until Christmas, and I might not be able to spend it with my family. We’re stuck here. There are no fairy lights, there are no garlands, we don’t have a wreath on the door, I don’t have my Christmas village. We don’t even have a Christmas tree.”
He should have known that Hayley needed a Christmas tree. “I’m sorry, Hayley. I’d get you a tree if I could, but we can't leave here, and I don’t want anyone coming here just in case Jay Turner is monitoring our friends and follows them.”
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault. I’m glad that I'm safe here, and I'm glad nothing happened to you today. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if you’d been hurt when Jay ran us off the road.”
“That wouldn’t have been your fault,” he reminded her. He was glad Jay’s abduction attempt had been unsuccessful and he was determined that the man wouldn’t get another chance. “Tomorrow, after you’ve had a good night’s sleep, we can see what we can do with what we have to make this place look a little more Christmassy.” Once she’d gone to bed he’d have a look around and see if he remembered any good craft ideas from when he used to earn some extra money working at the day camp his church ran over the term breaks.
