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“Not until recently. But someone pointed out to me that seventy percent of false convictions are based on eyewitness testimony.”
“Well, in this instance you were correct. He had photos of Andi in his house. Of while he stalked her and of her…after…” His voice trailed off, and the area around his mouth turned white.
“Oh, Dad.” I knew about the photos, but it still hurt hearing about them.
He gave me a tight smile. “It was him, Harper. No doubt about it, Besides, he confessed.”
“Yeah, but still…” Why was I questioning his guilt? He’d confessed. He had photos of my sister. Damn Malcolm and Hale for making me doubt myself.
He inhaled deeply and tilted his head. “Now, the chief did catch some flak for how he handled arresting the guy.”
“Oh?”
“Stevens’s residence was technically in the sheriff’s jurisdiction, but the chief decided to raid the house without their help or notifying them. People claimed he wanted to hog the glory, but he said he didn’t want to waste time organizing the task force. He was worried Stevens would catch word and flee. So he and the entire police force—all seven of them—raided Stevens’s house. But the guy didn’t go willingly, and a few of the officers were shot.”
I hadn’t known any of this. None of it was in the file. “Killed?”
“No, no,” he said, shaking his head. “Just injured. There was an investigation into it all, but the chief came out all right. It was hard to fault him when he was considered a hero.” He made a face. “Of course, times were different then.”
“Yeah.”
“There was a shakeup and restructuring of the department after that. The state thought the chief had too much power, and I think there was some other stuff going on, but it all worked out in the end.”
We continued to eat, and then my father’s face scrunched up. “Is Ava Peterman still missing? Is that why you’re asking all these questions? I’m sure it’s dredging up a lot of emotions. I know it has been for Sarah Jane.” He gave me a direct look. “And before you think I’m leaving because of that, I’m not. It’s so much more than her reaction to Ava Peterman.”
I nodded.
“That man who took your sister has nothing to do with Ava. Your mother says she ran away.”
“I don’t think that’s true, Dad,” I said softly.
“He’s still locked up behind bars, Harper,” he said in a soothing tone. “He can’t hurt anyone ever again.”
Maybe he couldn’t, but someone else sure was.
“When Andi was taken, were there people who…” I took a breath. “People who blamed me for what happened? I mean, other than Mom.”
He started to protest, then stopped. There was no point in him trying to deny it. “No,” he said. “There were the typical armchair judges who thought we and the police force should have handled things differently, but I refused to entertain their comments.”
“So some people did blame me?”
He made a face, clearly uncomfortable. “I suppose.”
“Anyone in particular who comes to mind?”
He stared down at his half-empty plate as he considered it. “It’s been so long, Harper. I don’t remember anyone in particular. It was just the general stuff like you should have fought him. You should have stopped at the first house.” He hesitated. “You should have run after her.”
Guilt was like a knife to my gut.
“That’s all utter bull crap, Harper,” he said insistently. “You were fifteen. He outweighed you by a hundred pounds. There’s absolutely no way you or your sister could have fought him off. And as for stopping at the nearest house, it was nearly ten minutes from where Andi was taken. It was another five minutes home. It wouldn’t have made any difference. By the time you reached the first house, he had already put Andi in his car and taken off.” When I gave him a questioning look, he added in a soft voice, “He said so in his confession.”
The food in my belly felt like a lump of goo.
“Thanks.”
“We’ve run away from this for too long,” my father said. “We thought pretending it didn’t happen was the way to get over it, but obviously it hasn’t worked. None of us are over it.”
I didn’t think any of us ever would be.
