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“That’s not true,” replied Lara, expression pained. “I mean, Jasper said it, but it’s not true. I was always here.”
“Then why would he accuse you of that?”
Lara shook her head. “Because he was angry and tired. He was working two jobs, and… and he was mad because we couldn’t pay our bills.”
“We’ve also had a report that Jasper showed up to see Ava one day and you wouldn’t let him in. That you screamed at him that he scared Ava.”
“When he got anxious, he yelled. And yes, that scared Ava.” Perspiration beaded on Lara’s forehead.
Ellie studied the woman for a reaction. “Do you think he would hurt your daughter?”
Fourteen
Lara’s head spun with confusion. Nothing about this day made any sense to her. She thought back over the past two years and how her marriage had fallen apart. Sometimes she blamed Jasper and sometimes she blamed herself.
Both of them had felt the brunt of the bills, the threats of foreclosure on the house, their busy schedules and Ava’s illness, to the point that their relationship crumbled. She’d never wanted a divorce, but she couldn’t raise Ava in a volatile household.
“Lara, do you think Jasper would hurt Ava?” the detective asked again, slicing through her spiraling thoughts.
“I… don’t know…” Lara’s voice was shaky. “I mean, I don’t think so. He loved her, but…”
“But what?”
“His temper got the best of him sometimes. That’s why I asked him to move out. I wanted him to go to anger management.”
The detective showed no reaction, making Lara wonder what exactly she was thinking.
“We’re issuing a bulletin for him and his vehicle,” Detective Reeves finally said. “Is there any place you can think of that he’d go? Does he have property somewhere? Or family he might visit, someone who’d help him hide out?”
“His parents are deceased,” Lara said. “But he has a girlfriend.”
“Do you know her name or where she lives?”
“Her name is Autumn,” Lara said. “But I have no idea where she lives.”
“How about her last name or how to reach her?”
Lara rolled her eyes. “Her last name is Juniper.”
“Like juniper bushes?” the detective asked.
Lara nodded. “Jasper said her mother had a wicked sense of humor. I think it sounds like a stripper’s name. She works at that bar by the cemetery.”
“Haints,” Ellie said. “I’ll find her. Maybe she knows where Jasper is.” The detective pulled her phone from her pocket. “There’s something else. You mentioned having financial trouble. We sent an FBI agent to your husband’s residence, but he wasn’t home. When he searched inside, he said your husband was behind on bills. That he owed the hospital?”
Pain flashed in Lara’s eyes. “Yes, we did,” she admitted. “Ava had to have a liver transplant two years ago. We’ve been making payments ever since, but we still owe a lot.”
“I’m sorry your daughter had to have surgery,” the detective said. “Is she all right now?”
“She’s been doing great. We had to give her anti-rejection medication for the first six months. And now she takes immunosuppressive medication.” Lara stood, her legs wobbly. “Oh, my God, if she doesn’t take her meds, it could be dangerous for her. We’ve worked so hard to get her healthy again…”
The detective straightened and Lara saw the worry deepening on her face. “We’ll add that to our description of her and alert hospitals and pharmacies to be on the lookout in case someone tries to steal or purchase those type of drugs.” She paused. “But if your husband did take her, then he knows she needs the medication, right?”
Lara nodded and prayed that was the case.
“There’s one more question I have to ask,” the detective asked. “Was there a relative, or someone in the neighborhood or even a handyman or visitor, who showed special interest in Ava?”
Lara’s hands trembled as she twisted them together. “No one that I’ve noticed. Do you think a stranger took my daughter?”
