Baby Doll(43)

“Look, Rick Hanson is crazy if he thinks those photos can explain away what we found in that hellhole…” Tommy trailed off, realizing he’d said too much.

Eve knew that she’d been a coward this morning. She had agreed to look after Sky because she didn’t have the guts to listen to Lily’s confession. But Eve realized if she was going to see Lily and Sky through this, if she was going to go up against Hanson, she couldn’t live in ignorance.

“I want to know what happened to my daughter. I need to know.”

Pained, Tommy rubbed his face, his hazel eyes rimmed with red, bags drooping beneath them.

“Eve, that’s not a good idea. There are things in her statement that a mother should never hear. Trust me when I tell you this.”

“Tommy, please…”

“I’d be going against protocol. Again.”

“But for me… for me, you’d break protocol?” It was an awful thing to ask, she knew that, and yet Eve didn’t care.

Tommy sighed, weighing his options, the responsibilities bestowed upon him. He slowly stood and moved over to close the blinds to his office, blocking out any prying eyes. He reached across the desk, and slid a file folder over to Eve.

“This is the FBI’s preliminary report, along with a catalog of the evidence we collected at the scene. I can give you some privacy, if you’d like.”

He went to leave and Eve reached out to stop him. She let her hand linger on his.

“Please. Don’t go.” Tommy didn’t say a word. He moved his hand away and settled back behind his desk. He sat quietly while Eve read the sixty-page report, a detailed account of her child’s sexual and physical abuse at the hands of a man she’d considered a family friend. She stopped several times, wondering if she’d made a mistake, wondering how she’d ever get these images out of her mind. When Eve finally closed the report, she thought she might actually throw up. How could someone do this, not just to her daughter, but to another human being? How could she live in a world where there were people capable of doing this? She looked up at Tommy, tears falling in a steady stream.

“Is he here?” she asked him. Eve couldn’t even say his name.

“He is. Got the shit beat out of him today, so he’s in protective custody.”

“Who beat him up?”

Tommy didn’t answer, which was answer enough. Eve wanted to shake the officers’ hands, thought about offering to make them a home-cooked meal so she could hear every sordid detail of how he’d suffered.

“How bad was it?”

“Not bad enough.”

“Nothing will ever be enough. You know that, right?” Eve asked.

“I know, Evie. Trust me, I know.”

Eve slowly pushed the report back to him and stood up. “Thank you.”

“You need a ride? I can have one of the guys take you.”

The images, the things she’d read were battling for space in her brain, making it difficult to think. She opened her mouth to accept his offer, but instead of words, a sob escaped. Tommy wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into him, weeping again for Lily. She cried for Abby and Dave and her parents, and for all the people Rick Hanson had casually destroyed.

“I’m right here, Evie. I’ve got you. You’ll be okay. I’m right here.”

Always so kind and decent, she thought, and she knew she was messing with Tommy’s life again. He’d made his choice all those years before, and she wasn’t it. And yet Eve had still come here; she’d still wanted to see him. She was like one of those runaway roller coasters they showed on the news. Nails and bolts flying off the framing, hurtling into disaster. She was his disaster but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. The noise and bustle of the police station faded away. She didn’t know how long he held her. She wanted to stay—she would have but her family needed her, and he was not hers. Eve pulled away and grabbed her purse.

“Will you be okay?” Tommy asked.

“I hope so.” Eve’s hand was on the doorknob when he pulled her back into his arms, his heart racing as fast as hers.

“What are we going to do, Evie?” he asked.

Eve stared back at him. “I have no idea.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE


ABBY


Abby was analyzing the situation, trying to decide her plan of attack. She had been parked outside Missy Hanson’s home, watching the reporters who had gathered here, an even larger horde than the one camped outside Mom’s house. It was bad enough that Lily hated her and Wes had ruined everything. But now this…

Abby still couldn’t believe the shit she’d seen on the TV. Allegedly abducted? Allegedly abducted. A different side to this story. Missy is standing by him? What was wrong with this dumb bitch? Anyone who looked at those photos had to see Lily’s terrorized expression, her hopelessness. How could people possibly believe that Lily cared about Rick Hanson? But what if they did? What if Mr. Hanson used this to… No, Abby couldn’t let that happen. That’s why she was here. She had to speak to his wife; she had to make her understand.

His home wasn’t hard to find. Everyone at school knew where the Hansons lived. Located in the richest subdivision, the stately mansion was a gift from Missy Hanson’s parents. Her dowry, he’d joked during their Jane Austen module. Abby jumped out of the car and marched up the steps, making her way through the media gauntlet. She ignored their questions as the press surrounded her like rabid dogs, frenzied at the prospect of a new angle on this sensational story. Abby pounded on the door until Missy appeared, looking flustered.