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She shrugged. “I didn’t see her that day. I wish I had.” Sadness fell over her face. “I should have told her to stop. I should have told someone what she was doing. But I was afraid. I ... was even afraid to tell the police.” She stared at Finley, her eyes urging understanding. “I was only seventeen, and I didn’t want my life to be over because people found out I failed to tell anyone what she was doing. My parents even said it was best if I didn’t allow myself to get dragged into the case since I didn’t really know anything useful. It’s not like I knew his name.”
All the little missing pieces that could have made a difference were never revealed. Finley desperately wished she could make people understand how even the smallest truth could make a difference.
“Was there anyone else who was close to Lucy with whom she might have shared her feelings on her project?” Obviously, just because it wasn’t in the case file didn’t mean it didn’t exist.
Williams hesitated, her brow furrowed in thought. “That creepy custodian. Bowser ... no, Brewer. He was always talking to Lucy. He was like obsessed with her or something.” She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know how Lucy tolerated his slobbering attention. It was pathetic.”
“Are you referring to Howard Brewer, the custodian Lucy wanted to help after he lost his wife?”
“That’s the one. It was like she flipped some sort of switch on the old guy. He followed her like a sick puppy.”
“Do you believe he represented some threat to Lucy?” Finley couldn’t see it at this point, but she had only just met the man.
Williams cocked her head and frowned. “Probably not. He was mostly just creepy. It didn’t help that Lucy encouraged him by being overly nice. She never learned her lesson about being too helpful. Too kind. People take advantage of you when you’re that way. If you ask me, that’s probably what got her killed.”
And only moments ago she had been talking about how bad Lucy was for taking advantage of the unknown older guy. Finley suspectedthis abrupt change was her guilt speaking. “Did you tell the police about Lucy’s relationship with Brewer after her murder?”
Williams went still. Her eyes rounded a bit. “Like I said, my parents thought it would be best not to say too much since I didn’t really know anything.”
It wasn’t easy, but Finley kept her thoughts on the matter to herself. Though she’d already said no, repeating the question might garner a slightly different response now. “Did you mention the car wash or any of the other details to the police?”
“Wouldn’t have mattered,” she said with an adamant shake of her head. “I didn’t really know anything.”
Too bad.
“One more thing,” Finley said then. “Were you ever aware of Lucy having a babysitting job?”
Williams laughed. “Are you serious?”
“I’ll take that as a no.”
Finley thanked Williams and passed a card, the same as she always did. Though she wasn’t sure this woman would bother calling even if she did think of anything else. Even thirteen years later, she was still too busy trying to prove how much smarter she was than her dead friend.
Though Finley had more questions for the custodian, considering this woman’s comments, right now her focus had shifted to their client. Her questions for him would not wait. The more she’d learned about Lucy’s secret project, the more convinced she was that Ray Johnson knew a hell of a lot more than he was sharing.
He was about to learn that it wasn’t nice to stretch her patience this way.
As she drove away from the courthouse and before she forgot again, Finley called a local floral shop and ordered flowers for Helen Roberts. Then she called Houser and had him check the case file for anything regarding staff members at the school. He’d already done so, he said,and found nothing. There certainly had been nothing in the parts that he had been permitted to share with her.
With that out of the way, she could focus on lowering the boom on Johnson. He had climbed his way to the top of her shit list—even knocking her father aside for a bit longer.
Then she would circle back to Bart O’Sullivan. He had not returned her call.
Considering her father’s lunch with Downey and then his visit to Johnson’s office and what she’d learned from Lucy Cagle’s friends, there appeared to be a lot that hadn’t ended up in the case file.
It was way past time all those little pieces were put together.
19
Johnson Development Group
Hillsboro Circle, Nashville, 2:00 p.m.
Finley didn’t stop at the receptionist’s desk. She ignored the woman—Sylvia—who rose from her desk and followed, all the while calling out to Finley.
Johnson’s office door was closed, but Finley didn’t stop there either. She opened the door and walked in.
The scene she walked in on was not one she’d expected. She instantly turned her back to give Johnson and his friend a chance to uncouple.
