Before She Was Found(31)

“Can you please tell me what’s going on?” I ask once the door closes behind Lorena and the girls, taking most of the air with them. The room suddenly feels claustrophobic, stifling.

“Please sit,” Officer Grady says and we do. “A witness saw a car near the train yard this morning matching the description of the one Max and his friends were in. A sheriff’s deputy saw the car out on the highway and pulled them over. Clint here got smart-mouthed and the deputy ended up bringing the three of them into the station.”

Max speaks for the first time. “Mom, what’s going on? What happened at the depot?” He glances over at Violet, who is watching, taking everything in. “Why is Violet dressed like that?”

“No one told him?” I ask in surprise.

“No,” Officer Grady says. “We’re investigating a crime. We wanted to find out if they knew anything first.”

“Someone attacked Violet and Cora Landry at the train yard last night,” I tell him and his face first registers shock and then anger.

“Who?” he asks, looking over to Violet, who is looking anxiously around the room.

“A witness says it could be you and your friends,” says Officer Grady.

Max opens his mouth to say something but I jump in first. “Don’t say a word,” I order. To Officer Grady I say, “Listen, I said no one was going to question my son and I mean it.”

Officer Grady holds up his hand to silence me. “Violet’s friend is in pretty bad shape. Someone hit her so hard that he fractured her skull.”

“Eff that,” Clint says, standing and squeezing behind my chair toward the door. “You can’t pin that on me. I’m out of here.”

Officer Grady continues as if Clint hasn’t spoken. “He knocked the teeth out of her head. We got a guy back at the train yard looking for them.” Clint freezes in the doorway and the scowl slips from his face and Max looks like he’s going to throw up.

Though Officer Grady speaks in a low, measured voice, a red, angry flush has creeped up his neck. “Cora’s at the hospital in surgery right now with a plastic surgeon who is trying to put her face back together again, so if you can tell me where you were between midnight and 1:00 a.m., I can cross you off my list and focus on finding the person who did this.”

A look passes between Max and Clint. Oh, my God, I think, they can’t prove where they were last night. There’s no one who can vouch for their whereabouts.

“You’ve got nothing?” Officer Grady’s voice rises.

“Mom.” Max looks at me for help.

“Just tell him where you were,” I urge. “Just tell him the truth. This is important.”

“We were just driving around,” Clint says, all of his earlier bluster gone.

“Near the train yard?”

“No,” says Clint.

“Yes,” Max says at the same time.

“Which is it?” Officer Grady demands, staring at Max. “Yes, you were at the train yard where a twelve-year-old girl was attacked. Or no, you weren’t.”

“He’s trying to tell you.” I raise my voice. “Give him a chance.”

“Stop it.” Violet buries her face in her hands. “Please stop it. It wasn’t them.”

I reach across the table and tenderly pull her fingers from her face. “What did you say?”

“It wasn’t them. They didn’t do it,” she whispers.

Officer Grady takes a step toward us and this time I hold up my hand to stop him.

“Violet, do you know who hurt Cora?” I ask, still holding her hands in mine. She nods, hot tears plopping onto my knuckles. “Who? Who was it?”

She doesn’t speak. The only sound in the room is her faint crying. Even Clint looks uncomfortable.

“Please, Violet,” I say, dipping my head so I can see her face. She can’t bring herself to look at me. “Honey, this is important. If you can help Cora, you need to.” I lift her chin and wipe her tears away with my fingers. “Violet, it’s okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“I told you—it was Joseph Wither,” she whispers.

“Honey, you know that he isn’t real, right?” I ask. I’m thinking that it might be some pervert pretending to be him or maybe Violet is just confused.

Clint laughs and I shoot him a look that silences him.

“Why do you think it’s Joseph Wither?” Officer Grady keeps his gaze on Violet. “Could it have been someone who said he was Joseph Wither, Violet?” he asks.

Violet shakes her head. “No, it was him. He came, just like he said he would.”

Officer Grady scratches at his neck.

“What?” I ask. “You talked to him? Who is he?” I look to Max, who shrugs his shoulders.

Again Clint laughs and this time Max says, “Shut up, Clint.”

Violet gnaws at her thumbnail. “He is, too, real,” she says. “Cora showed me messages from him.”

“Violet,” Officer Grady says but she refuses to look his way. “Violet, this is important,” he says firmly. “Look at me.” Violet looks at him with something I’ve seen more and more in my daughter lately: defiance. “Someone might have told you he was Joseph Wither, but he wasn’t.” Violet’s eyes fill with tears and she swipes them away angrily. “Now, did you see someone attack Cora? Can you tell me what he looks like?”