“Yes.”
His mind shuffled through the articles. “I was harsh on Eva in the latest piece and a decade ago.”
Kristen nodded. “I remember the old articles.”
“It has to be Eva. She has to be doing this.”
Kristen stared at him. “She’s punishing us for our sins.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong. I was doing my job. I didn’t sin!”
Kristen was silent for a moment. “She thinks you did.”
The lights went out.
Chapter 20
Tuesday, April 11, 3:15 P.M.
After Garrison left Eva at Angie’s house, he drove directly to Micah Cross’s estate. A housekeeper greeted him and escorted him back into the main room where he and Cross had met before. Garrison moved toward the hearth, a Price yearbook tucked under his arm. A fire crackled inside.
“Detective,” Micah said from the doorway. “Another visit?”
Garrison turned. “Mr. Cross. Thank you for seeing me.”
Cross’s demeanor was cool, reserved to the point of withdrawn. “What can I do to help you? ”
Garrison smiled. “I had a few more questions about your brother.”
The welcoming hint in Micah’s eyes faded. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
“Your brother was a pretty big deal in college.”
“He was. Played football. Did well academically.”
“I understand he dated a girl named Kristen Hall.”
“Maybe. He dated a lot of women. Girls like a good-looking guy.”
“Kristen would have been special. I understand they went out for several months.”
Micah pulled an imaginary thread from his pant leg. “If you say so.”
“So you don’t remember her?”
“The name escapes me. But if you have a picture, maybe I’d recognize her.”
Garrison opened the yearbook. “As a matter of fact, I brought the yearbook from your brother’s senior year.”
“Very efficient of you.”
Garrison opened the page to the picture featuring the Rising Stars. “Any of these girls look familiar?”
“I know Eva Rayburn. Hard to forget her.” He seemed to study the other photos. “I know the faces. And I recognize Sara. Which one is Kristen?”
“The redhead.”
“If you say so. Where is this leading? It’s starting to sound like I need an attorney.”
Garrison wanted this interview to remain light and easy so Micah didn’t marshal attorneys to shut down the questions. But keeping it light wasn’t as easy as usual. A very primal part of him wanted to tell Micah to stay the hell away from Eva, who didn’t need reminders of the man that had raped her. “I’m just gathering background information, Mr. Cross. Nothing to be concerned about.”
“I don’t understand. My brother died over a decade ago. The case was solved. Closed.”
Garrison smiled. “You’ve read about the murders in the paper?”
“Those women that were stabbed? Sure. Poor Sara.
I still can’t believe she’s dead. But what does that killing and the other one have to do with me or Josiah?”
“Two of the women were in this picture. Lisa Black and Sara Miller.”
“You asked me about Kristen Hall. Is she dead?”
“She’s not answering her cell.” Garrison shifted tactics. “You went to see Eva. Why?”
“To let her know there were no hard feelings.”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “Look, I want to put the past behind us. After Josiah died my father was never the same. But I got on with my life. I wanted her to know that.”
Garrison often learned more about people from the words left unspoken. “Your brother’s death must have been doubly hard seeing as you’d already lost your mother. Car accident, wasn’t it?”
“Of course, it was hard.” Micah tensed as if struggling with anger.
“Was your father upset about your mom’s passing?”
“Of course. They were husband and wife.”
“According to many, he had many girlfriends not long after her death.”
“They didn’t have the best marriage. And Dad deserved a life.”
“Tell me about the car accident. ”
“It was out west in Colorado. She’d gone out there with friends. A spa getaway weekend from what Dad told me. The car she and her friends were driving skidded off the road and into an embankment. Mom was killed instantly.”
“That would have been twenty years ago.”
“Nineteen years in May.”
“Her death must have been so hard on you and Josiah.”
“We managed to put our lives back together. Dad called us the Three Musketeers. But when Josiah died, Dad just couldn’t rebound. He became obsessed with Josiah and honoring his memory.”
“I saw the Cross house at Price. And your brother’s portrait.”
“Did you also see the Cross wing on the library? Or the additions to the football field made in my brother’s honor? ”
Was that jealousy woven around the words? “Missed that. Have you been back to Price lately?”
“No. I’m not so fond of the place.” Micah slid his hand into his pocket. “I don’t see what all this has to do with these murdered women.”
“Just trying to piece it all together. Do you have a picture of your mother?”
“No. Dad burned them all.”
“He burned them?”
“Yes.”
“Says a lot about their marriage, don’t you think?”
“They never shared the details of their marriage with me.”
Garrison sensed Micah was holding back. But what? “Until this case is closed, would
you do me a favor?”
“If I can.”
“Stay away from Eva Rayburn. ”
Micah cocked an eyebrow. “You sound overly protective of her, Detective.”
“Good.”
Donovan lost track of time in the dark. He didn’t know if it were day or night and he didn’t care. The woman had grown silent. He’d called out to her but she no longer answered him even with her pitiful moans. He feared she’d died.
“Kristen.” Donovan wanted her awake, wanted to know that he wasn’t in this damn basement alone. He didn’t want to die alone.
His bindings had rubbed his wrists raw and now each time he moved his skin burned and bled. So he’d learned to be still. However, hardest to ignore was the thirst. It had started off as annoying but with each passing minute it grew stronger until now that was all he could think about.
Water. Drinking something.
The lights came on and he found himself again wincing at the intense glare. He braced but didn’t raise his head to see the woman on the other side of the room. Looking at her churned his gut.
A door opened and he cracked his lids so that he could finally see who did this to him. For several tense seconds, his vision blurred and he couldn’t make out who stood in the doorway. Then slowly his pupils constricted.
A slim man stood before him and immediately it pissed off Donovan. Hell, he could have taken the guy in a fistfight. To know such a weakling had taken him ramped up his anger and bitterness. Gotten the best of by a troll.
His bearded captor wore dark baggy jeans, a black hooded jacket, gloves, sunglasses and what looked like a gray wig. The lunacy of this whole situation triggered a second of hysteria. How could he have landed in such a bad dream?
Donovan moistened his dry lips. He could get anyone to talk and he knew if he could get this son of a bitch to talk he’d find away to get his ass out of here.
A smile would be forced but Donovan figured if he could just sound casual and relaxed that would be enough. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“I’m the one who has been sent to see that you atone for your sins.”
The figure turned from him and moved toward Kristen. He pulled out a knife. The sharp blade caught a glint of the light as their jailer raised the knife over his head and plunged it into Kristen’s body.