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“Jesus, poor kid didn’t stand a chance, did she?”
Stunned, Lori really looked at the man and saw he cared, the words weren’t just to fill a silence.
“Exactly what I thought. Any more on her parents?”
“No. Thought I’d go check out their place and maybe ask some of the neighbors what they can tell me. Being ahh… respectful, I waited to see if you wanted to come along.”
Ignoring his dig, she answered civilly. “Yeah, I do. Thanks.” She rose and grabbed her small bag to throw over her shoulder. “Talking to people is my kind of investigating.”
***
Lori knew Beau had been upset with her when she’d arrived and didn’t believe in letting things fester without digging into the problem. Once they were in his vehicle, she started questioning. “What upset you earlier? If looks could kill…”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit. You were snarky. I didn’t get the feeling that’s normal. Did I do something?”
Beau turned to stare. “What makes you think it was you that set me off?”
“So, at least we agree you were off.”
“Hey, you put the words in my mouth.” When she didn’t answer but kept staring at him as if she waited for him to continue, he did. “You didn’t let me know what you were up to. I thought we were working this case together. I like to be kept in the loop.”
“Noted. I’ll do so from now on.”
Beau’s head swiveled and his earlier glare turned to shocked surprise. “You agree!”
“Of course. I wasn’t being disrespectful when I went off on my own, but I should have let you know. So from now on, I’ll mend my ways, okay?”
“O-kay. Good.”
Lori had to hide the grin she couldn’t help when she’d taken the wind out of his sails. Stealing his reason for being bitchy was a simple thing to do. When she looked back, she supposed he was within his right to want to know her plans.
If she’d understood that in his mind they were now partners on the case, she’d have been more thoughtful. Feeling the energy become more positive, she relaxed and thought back to her interview yesterday with the director at the Bureau and his request that she take on this case and work it along with the investigating team… which Agent Walker would be leading.
The way he’d approached her part in the investigation had left her feeling she’d be working in tandem but not as an equal. Guess Beau had different ideas. Feeling uplifted, she asked, “Have they found Jessica’s family yet?”
“Nope. We have an APB on the vehicle and their description has been circulated everywhere. It’s just a matter of time.”
“What about an update on the multiple injuries sustained by the kids in Mellie’s class?”
“Everyone’s back home now, they released the teacher this morning. Most of the abrasions were from the damage the bullets made, like cuts from the flying glass and chips from the wall and blackboards. One girl got cut on her face quite badly, but it will heal in time. Thankfully, nobody took any direct hits from the rifle itself, so no bullet wounds.”
“Good. Jessica’s in enough trouble without adding murder.” The pity in Lori’s tone surprised even her. After all, the kid had taken a loaded AK-15 into a school with the intentions of killing her peers, right? So why did she have this protective feeling about Jessica? It didn’t make sense. Best thing she could do is get the kid to share what she knew so they could find the real killer. Whoever had been pulling the strings behind this mess had a lot to answer for.
“Has she opened up to you yet?”
“Not really. Figured I’d give her some time to assess what we already talked about before trying again. I know she’s protecting someone, and from what I can ascertain, he’s been the only one to ever show her any compassion. He got through her emotional barricades, and I don’t believe a lot of people have.”
“So you know, I have faith in your ability and no doubt in time you’ll be getting her to share.” He pulled over on the street where a neglected, ramshackle old house still showed the broken bits of yellow police tape blocking it off to others.
Within minutes, both she and Beau were wandering inside the bleak, nose-wrinkling, seedy house, where Lori hid her shudders and took shallow breaths through her mouth. Lord, what a miserable hole. Dirty is one thing, but stinking grime from years of neglect was another.
The only place that looked recently lived in was the saggy couch covered with blankets and filthy pillows. The scratched and stained coffee table in front held a multitude of empty beer bottles as did the floor near the only other chair in the room. Beside both places sat large dirty plates filled with dried sandwich pieces, cigarette butts and ashes spread everywhere.
The newest item in the room had to be the dust-ridden, large screen TV attached to the wall where the wallpaper might have once had a design, but most of the color had been overpowered by the yellowed collection of grunge and smoke.
On either side of a revolting bathroom, there were two small bedrooms, both disheveled and disgusting. One held twin beds that Lori supposed could be where Jessica and her brother slept. In the other bedroom, a queen bed sagged, the bedclothes looked sordid, and the stench there overwhelmed.
