A Stranger on the Beach(85)

“Could I come in to ask you a few questions?” Jess said.

“Sorry, it’s not a good time.”

“This won’t take long.”

“I said no. We’re dealing with a tragedy here. My niece is with us. She’s distraught. I have to take care of her. Your questions can wait.”

Lynn pulled the doorknob, but Jess got her body in sideways, preventing her from closing the door.

“Mrs. Lombardo, I’m very sympathetic, but unfortunately it can’t wait. I’m worried about your sister’s safety. And beyond that, we can’t pursue the case against Aidan Callahan without her. I’m sure you don’t want him getting released for lack of evidence. If I could have a few minutes of your time to discuss Mrs. Stark’s whereabouts, it would be a big help.”

“I’m not telling you where she is. Didn’t I say that when you called yesterday? Caroline doesn’t want you to find her. She doesn’t trust you to protect her.”

“There are a lot of things we can do to protect a witness. If I could speak to her on the phone, I could reassure her about her safety.”

“Be my guest. Call her.”

“I have called. I tried many times, left messages, texted her. She won’t answer. I was hoping maybe you could convince her to speak with me.”

“Why would I do that? If Caroline doesn’t want to talk to you, that’s her business. She’s scared. She just lost her husband. Go away and leave her alone. Leave me alone. I don’t want you on my property. Unless you have a warrant, you need to go.”

She moved to close the door again, and this time, Jess let her. But Lynn’s behavior was odd enough to qualify as suspicious. Occasionally—rarely—the victim’s loved ones refused to cooperate in a murder investigation, but that was in a specific kind of case. The kind where the grief-stricken husband initially reports his wife missing, but when the police uncover discrepancies in his account of events, he suddenly stops talking. Maybe even flees the jurisdiction, like O.J. in the white Bronco. This case had nothing in common with that scenario. Caroline Stark was an innocent victim. She’d been stalked by Aidan Callahan, and then he’d been allowed to attack her in the police station. Caroline had a reason to hide. It didn’t make her guilty. It didn’t. Mike Castro was wrong. Jess would keep telling herself that until she had hard evidence to the contrary.

Jess walked down the driveway toward the curb, where she’d parked, then stopped short, instantly on high alert. A shadow had flicked by the car as she came toward it, then disappeared. Somebody was there, on the other side of the car, hunkering down, waiting for her. Joe Lombardo maybe? Jess’s hand flew to the gun at her waist. Adrenaline buzzed in her veins as she maneuvered around the vehicle, ready to defend herself.





52


A girl crouched on the ground near the rear door of Jess’s car.

“Get up,” Jess said, holstering her gun. “I thought you were gonna jump me. I could’ve shot you.”

“I’m sorry. Oh my God. I’m Hannah,” she said, her voice shaky and breathless.

“Jess Messina. I’m working on the murder case. Are you all right? What are you doing down there?”

“I overheard you talking to Aunt Lynn and snuck out. I need to talk to you. My aunt and uncle can’t know I’m here.”

It was full dark outside, but a streetlight at the corner of the driveway illuminated the area surrounding her car. The driveway sloped upward to the house, which sat on a rise. Somebody watching from a window would look down and see Jess standing there, but wouldn’t be able to see Hannah, who was crouching. Hannah needed to stay down.

“Don’t stand up, or they’ll see you,” Jess said to Hannah. “I’m going to open the rear door and lean in like I’m getting something from the backseat. Stay low and scoot past me onto the floor. I’ll drive away, and we’ll find a spot nearby where we can pull over and talk. Okay?”

Hannah nodded. They executed the maneuver smoothly. Jess drove until she spotted an elementary school several blocks away. She pulled into the parking lot. The school was dark, the playground empty of children, swings swaying in the strong breeze. Hannah Stark’s childhood must seem very far away to her at this moment.

“Stay down there, okay, Hannah?” Jess said. “We’re still in your aunt and uncle’s neighborhood. I doubt they’ll come looking for you, but you never know.”

“Okay.”

“Are you afraid of them?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that. Aunt Lynn and Uncle Joe would never hurt me. But I do think they’re lying to me. I think Aunt Lynn knows where my mom is, and she won’t tell me. She won’t tell me anything. I told her I want to talk to you, but she said no. They don’t want me talking to the police.”

“Why would she do that? It’s unusual in a murder investigation. Usually the victim’s family is eager to cooperate.”

“Aunt Lynn is trying to protect me. She and I are really close. Sometimes she’s a little overprotective, but I don’t need that right now. I need answers. My father is dead, and my mother’s nowhere to be found. She may never come back.”

“I’m sure she’s coming back,” Jess said.

Jess hoped she was right. If Caroline didn’t come back to testify, the case would fall apart. But fear was a powerful emotion. After the station house attack, Caroline had reason to doubt that the authorities would protect her.