Baby Doll(56)

Abby exhaled. “Thank God.”

Eve frowned over Lily’s lack of emotion.

“Tommy… Sheriff, what’s going on? You wouldn’t be here at this hour if Rick Hanson had simply confessed,” Eve said.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this. You can’t begin to imagine how sorry. But Lily wasn’t Hanson’s only victim.” He paused and then began again. “Lily, I’m afraid there are more.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE


LILY


How many?” Lily asked.

Agent Stevens cleared her throat. The woman’s eye makeup was smudged, her hair disheveled. In the early-morning hours, Lily was glad to see this woman wasn’t nearly as composed as she initially appeared, that this job still wormed its way in. Agent Stevens anxiously twirled the pen in her hand, stopping every few seconds to tap her notebook. “He said there are two more girls. Recent victims.”

Lily slowly stood up.

“I’ll go get dressed.”

Abby blocked Lily’s path, confusion clouding her face.

“Wait, why? What are you doing?”

“He wants to see me, Abby. This is how he’s going to make that happen.”

“No, that’s not true. You can’t see him. They can’t expect you to do that.”

Lily zeroed in on Sheriff Rogers. “I’m right, aren’t I? That’s why you’re here. That’s what he wants.”

“I’m afraid so. It’s completely against procedure. Beyond against it. We told him that he could talk to you on the phone, but he refused. He said that he had to speak with you in person. He said he’d never tell us where the girls are without a meeting.”

Lily had been na?ve to think Rick wouldn’t have something else planned.

“It’s wrong for us to come here, but there are girls out there whose lives may be in jeopardy,” Agent Stevens said.

“Give me five minutes.”

Lily moved toward the stairs, but Abby blocked her path. “Fuck him, Lily. Fuck him and his mind games,” Abby said.

“I have to go.”

“Maybe he’s lying. Maybe there aren’t other girls.”

“He’s not lying, Abby. Not about this.”

“You’ve done enough. He’s put you through enough.”

“They’re teenage girls. Like we were. Young girls with families who love them. With fathers who might still be alive, and sisters and brothers who are waiting for them, and boyfriends… Do you really want me to ignore all of that? To let them die because I’m too afraid?”

Lily’s entire body trembled but she wasn’t backing down. She had to do this. Abby reached for Lily again, refusing to let her go without a fight.

“He’s done enough, Lil. He’s done enough.”

“I know. And one day, it’ll be over, but not tonight. I have to do this, Abs. You know I do.”

Lily slipped out of Abby’s grasp and headed upstairs, hoping her sister wouldn’t follow. She slipped on the baggiest sweatshirt she could find and an old pair of jeans. She grabbed her father’s worn Phillies baseball cap from the dresser and stared at herself in the mirror. She was as manly and unfeminine as you could get. He would hate it.

Time seemed to speed up. One minute, Lily was staring at herself in the mirror. The next, she was at the jailhouse in a small, windowless room, waiting for Rick to arrive. Her hands shook uncontrollably, and she fought to still them. Normal jail visitations were in a room with the inmates separated by glass. Rick had demanded a face-to-face meeting. So they used one of the interrogation rooms. But Lily wasn’t alone. There were three deputies stationed behind her. Agent Stevens had briefed Lily. She would be escorting Rick in. If at any time Lily felt unsafe or wanted to call the meeting off, she just had to tap her hand and they’d end the meeting immediately.

Lily knew that Abby was watching behind the two-way mirror with Sheriff Rogers and several other FBI agents, and she hoped that knowledge would give her strength. The metal door opened and Rick entered, shackles around his wrists, ankles, and waist. He had been beaten, his face mangled, a mixture of yellow and blue bruises. Lily took a great deal of satisfaction in knowing Rick wasn’t invincible. He bruised and bled like everyone else.

He gave her hair and wardrobe a dismissive once-over. Yes! Lily thought, sitting up straighter. I’m not yours anymore. But she didn’t speak. She was going to let him call the shots. It would be better if he thought he was in control.

The guards shoved him into a chair and he rearranged himself, taking his time, studying her. He finally shook his head, like a disapproving parent. “I hate to say it, but you look like hell.” His voice was low and cordial, as if he were chatting with a long-lost friend.

She gestured to his bruises and the orange jumpsuit and forced a smile. “I could say the same thing about you.”

He tried to set his hands on the table but his shackles made it impossible. Then he grinned. Lily knew what that curl of his lips meant. If they’d been alone, had he not been shackled, with armed guards inches from him, he would have smacked her in the face. He would have hit her again and again until she’d bled, until she’d begged for forgiveness. But here, he could only smile.

“Touché, Baby Doll.”