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"Janet, I know you're in there," I said, louder this time. "It's Agent Eva Rae Thomas and Matt Miller from Cocoa Beach Police. We need to talk to you. Please."
The door creaked open, and Janet peered out, her face twisted in anger. "I told you to go away!" she spat, her eyes flashing in the dim light.
I could see that she was agitated and frightened. Her hair was unkempt, and she had huge dark circles under her eyes. She was wearing a dirty old hoodie that was two sizes too big for her, and her hands were shaking.
"Janet, we just want to ask you a few questions," I said, trying to keep my voice calm and steady.
"I don't know anything! I swear!" Janet shrieked, her voice rising in hysteria. "Leave me alone!"
"Janet, please, we're not here to hurt you. We just want to help you," I said, taking a step closer to her.
"Go away! I don't want to talk to anybody," Janet yelled from inside the camper.
I could hear the fear and anxiety in her voice, and it worried me. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. I exchanged a nervous look with Matt and then spoke again.
“We just have….”
Janet suddenly slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
"Janet, I know you were at the hospital tonight. I saw you on the cameras,” I yelled. "You went there to use the bathroom, didn't you? You go there from time to time to get washed up and use the restroom. You go when it’s quiet there, and no one will notice. It's okay; there's nothing wrong with that. I just… well, I think you saw someone there tonight—someone who scared you because you’ve seen the person before. When they brought the body here and placed it in unit 203, am I right?"
There was no response from inside the minivan, but I could hear the sound of footsteps shuffling around. Then, the door creaked open slowly, revealing Janet's disheveled appearance.
I smiled, relieved. "Janet, I need your help. Who was it you saw today? The one that scared you so much you had to run out of the hospital? Can you describe this person to me?"
Janet stared at me, her eyes growing wide and crazy. Then she lifted her hand and started hitting herself. "Stupid, stupid…."
"No, no, no," I said and grabbed her wrists to stop her. "Please, Janet. This is very important."
Janet looked at me with a wild-eyed expression. "I… I don't know. I don't remember," she stammered, her voice trembling with fear.
I could see the terror in her eyes, and my heart went out to her. I knew she was scared, but I also knew that she had valuable information that could help solve this case.
"Janet, I need you to focus. You saw something today, didn't you? Something that scared you. Please try to remember. It's important," I urged her gently.
Janet closed her eyes, and I could see her struggling to recall what had happened. After a few moments, she opened her eyes, and her face contorted with fear once again.
"It's that damn song again,” she said, tilting her head. "It won't leave my head."
And then she started humming. I let go of her wrists, disappointed. I had really thought I had a lead this time, but Janet wasn't a reliable witness. There was nothing more I could do.
"Let's go home," Matt said and put a hand on my shoulder. "It's getting late."
Chapter58
As we entered the house, I dropped my purse on the floor, went upstairs, and slumped down on the bed. The day had been so exhausting and stressful that I couldn't wait to just crawl under the covers and sleep. I got ready for bed, then heard Matt's footsteps approaching, and soon, he appeared in front of me, a mischievous look in his eyes.
"Hey, babe," he said, leaning down and planting a soft kiss on my lips. He crawled into bed with me, naked.
I smiled weakly and leaned into his embrace. His scent was comforting, but I was too tired to reciprocate his affection.
Matt sensed my lack of enthusiasm and pulled away. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern etched on his face.
"I don't know," I sighed, "I'm just so tired and depressed. I can't deal with anything right now."
Matt nodded understandingly and kissed me again. "I get it, babe. You don't have to explain. Just rest, and I'll take care of you."
He started massaging my shoulders, working out the knots that had accumulated throughout the day while I pondered about the case and tried to lift the guilt I was feeling for having failed to protect John Baker. I couldn't stop thinking about what this meant. He wasn't our suspect, after all? Or had someone killed him because he killed Rachel? Seeing how scared Janet was, I was so sure she had seen the killer there at the hospital. But it was hard to get anything out of her, anything useful, that was.
