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“That’s a long time to drag around that image,” Lucien noted. “Maybe getting justice for Regina will give us all our faith back in the system.”
Patty stared toward the Subaru and the two adult women inside. “Maybe. But I’m afraid for me it’s not that easy. You see, my girls understood the trauma I went through as a kid. But once I reached my twenties, they also wanted to know why I didn’t come forward years earlier and tell someone. Fear is a real thing. Even now, I’m not sure that will change for me.”
“Start by forgiving yourself,” Brogan suggested. “It’ll help when you face them in court. That’s when you’ll face your fear for real. The biggest fear of your life was knowing those three murderers never paid for what they did. Courage is facing them in person and then watching them get locked up for life.”
Patty nodded. “Where were you four decades ago?”
“Not born yet,” Brogan cracked. “But I’ll be in the courtroom when you testify. That’s a promise.”
23
Twelve hours later, Brent had Eastlyn march Tazzie into one of the county jail’s cold, drab interview rooms. He watched as the redhead shuffled through the doorway wearing leg irons. Handcuffed, Tazzie had trouble settling into the metal chair across from Brent.
He didn’t offer to remove the cuffs or ask if she wanted coffee or water. Instead, he took a hardline approach, making sure to keep his face expressionless and his brown eyes stone-cold. He opened the file folder in front of him, making sure she could see the crime scene photographs taken from 1978.
Waiting in the adjacent room, Lucien and Brogan had a first-row seat. Yes, there were perks to knowing and working for the Chief of Police. Staring at Tazzie through the two-way mirror, all the frustrations of the past two weeks dropped away the moment Brent informed her why she was there. The charge was murder. The look on Tazzie’s face was worth a thousand infuriating moments to see her drown in a sea of panic.
Brent noticed the beads of sweat pop out on Tazzie’s face. Her demeanor changed. The panic swept away her once mighty swagger. But it only lasted for a few seconds before Tazzie regained her emotions.
“You’re here because we discovered who killed Regina Paige Miller.”
Tazzie frowned. “Sorry, I have no idea who that is.”
“Get used to the name. Regina Paige Miller, you’ll be hearing it a lot.”
“Nope. Never heard of her.”
“For decades, we referred to her as Gidget Jane Doe. But her real name was Regina Miller from Denver. She was here in Pelican Pointe that summer looking for her birth father.”
“What do I care about some dead chick from Colorado?”
“We know who killed ‘that dead chick’ because we got DNA from exhuming her body. It was you, Tazzie. It was Dennis Marshall. And it was Richie Plunkett. You beat Regina up. The guys stood by and watched until you battered her face so badly she was almost unconscious. You must’ve towered over the smaller girl. Did you enjoy picking on smaller targets back then? Because Regina Miller was petite. She stood barely five feet. How tall were you at fifteen? Five-seven at least.”
When she didn’t respond, Brent went a step further with the insults. “I knew you wouldn’t have the guts to admit how mean you were. Bullies never do. You were the first one that night to try and strangle her. You’re being charged with an accessory to commit first-degree murder. Then you held her down while Dennis finished her off. I know that because we have a witness who saw the whole thing—from start to finish. And because you left your DNA all over her clothing, the county prosecutor has an airtight case.”
“It has nothing to do with me.”
“Sure it does. Regina’s clothes had your DNA all over them. That’s when it hit me. You pretty much admitted to targeting Regina that first time Brogan talked to you. You’re the one who brought it up. You thought Regina was putting the moves on Dennis. At least, that’s what you told Brogan. But it was just an excuse, a reason to go after Regina because she was the new girl in town, somebody weaker you could push around. That’s the way you rolled back then, wasn’t it, Tazzie? You didn’t like newcomers. You didn’t like anyone infringing on your beach, your territory, let alone making eyes at your boyfriend. My guess is that last part was all in your head. Regina had no reason to go after Dennis. She was too focused on finding her father. But back then, that detail was probably lost on you. You didn’t need a reason to beat up anybody, certainly not the new girl. You beat her senseless because you could. Then you let your boyfriend sexually assault her. Did you three plan the whole thing in advance? How long did you think about what you wanted to do?”
“You’re hallucinating,” Tazzie spit out. “I never touched the girl.”
“Your DNA says otherwise. I’m sure Dennis Marshall will tell me how it went down to save his scrawny neck. If not him, Richie will crack like thin glass. How did you manage to persuade Dennis and Richie to help you target Regina? Ah, I forgot. Your little gang must’ve had a lot of experience bullying other people, namely classmates, long before you ever got to Regina. We have a long list of witnesses who suffered from the bullying you dished out then. They’re all itching to testify in court about your past behavior.”
“That’s hearsay.”
“No, it’s testimony. You might want to bone up on your legalese before your trial.”
“Dennis promised to pay for our lawyers, lawyers for Richie and me. I’ll get the best one money can buy.”
“Good luck with that. You’ve been here for how long? The deputies say you don’t have a lawyer yet. Why is that? I doubt Melissa will go for that kind of expense. But you can always hope she’ll have a change of heart. Who knows? Maybe she’ll go along with Dennis helping out his ex-wife. The thing is, you’ve been free all these years, but now it’s time to pay the price for what you did to Regina.”
“I was sixteen. If I did kill anyone back then, I’ll go to jail as a juvenile. That also applies to Dennis and Richie.”
For the first time, Brent found that funny and grinned widely. “That’s where you’re wrong. If there’s sexual assault involved, that tosses your age right out the window. Best to consult with a lawyer. Even a public defender should be able to explain it to you fully so you’ll understand the implications.”
Brent stood up and knocked on the door, a signal that had Eastlyn entering the room.
“Problem?” Eastlyn asked.
