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“Maybe not. And you think the kids finally caught up with the old man?” said Collin.
“I’m thinking that’s likelier than not.”
“One more thing.”
“Yeah?” said Gibson.
“I know I just laid out my thoughts on the kids, you know, born evil?”
“Right.”
“But there was something else. And I might walk back the born-evil spiel I just gave you. I could never prove anything, but I got the definite cop gut feeling.”
“About what?” said Gibson.
“Harry Langhorne was one sick son of a bitch. He was the furthest thing from a mild-mannered accountant as you could get.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Despite her sullen nature Francine was a real cute girl.”
“Can you just spit it out, Art?”
“I saw how Harry was around the girl. Let’s just say he acted in ways toward Francine that no father should ever act around his daughter.”
“Wait, are you saying he sexually abused her?”
“I have no proof, but if you want a veteran cop’s take, yeah, that’s what I’m saying.”
“Jesus.”
“Some maggots like them that age. And no telling what sort of shit he did to his son. So maybe they weren’t born evil. Maybe Harry made them that way.”
Gibson’s thoughts went to her own kids.If anyone ever so much as—
“So is your job to track them down?” asked Collin.
Gibson refocused. “It might come to that.”
“Well, let me give you a piece of advice.”
“Okay.”
“Shoot first and don’t ask questions later. Now I got to go, my lady friend is giving me the evil eye. Good luck.”
“Yeah, thanks, Art. I really appreciate the info,” she said as her heart settled into her feet.
She clicked off, drank her tea, and looked out the picture window again.
People watching the place.
Francine and Doug Langhorne, apparently sociopaths on another level.
But Francine and Doug perhaps abused by their father in horrific ways. That would shatter any level of trust a person could have. It could make you into something less than human.
Am I already in the well-lighted shopping mall with twin monsters?
Gibson saw one terrifying scenario after another march across the breadth of that picture window. She finally looked up to the room where her kids were sleeping peacefully, oblivious to all the danger their mother might have exposed them to.
