After Anna(83)

‘What do you expect to find?’

‘Pornography? Pictures of young girls? Emails?’

‘Don’t, don’t, don’t.’

‘What if he goes online and meets young girls?’

‘If he does that, he’ll have deleted the history.’

‘You believe her then.’

‘I hate to say this, but I do.’

‘I do too,’ Maggie heard herself say, burying her face in her free hand. Agonized, she couldn’t speak for a minute. She didn’t know if Noah had committed a crime or not. She wondered if she needed a lawyer. She wondered if she should call the police. She would handle this the best way for Anna. That was her job as Anna’s mother, especially because she had let her down before.

‘You still there? I should come over.’

‘No, really.’ Maggie’s mind reeled. ‘How can I stay married to him?’

‘Honey, you’re going to have to take it a step at a time. If he wants to stay married to you, he’s going to have to do what you say.’

‘Right.’ Maggie told herself to take control of the situation. She couldn’t let it victimize her. Anna was the victim, after all.

‘You can do it.’

‘Can you believe he would do this? To Anna? To me? To this family? He’s destroying everything, everything.’

‘He’ll figure it out, with professional help.’

Maggie sighed. ‘I feel so tired.’

‘Go to bed. Call me if you need anything.’

‘I will. Thanks for everything. Love you, Kath.’

‘Love you too, honey. We’ll get through this. Sleep tight.’

‘You, too.’ Maggie pressed End, sat up, and glanced back at the house. The light was still off in Anna’s bedroom. Caleb’s light was off as well, so the second floor of the house was dark, the roof a shadowy outline against a dark sky. Clouds covered the moon, and there wasn’t a star in sight. Ambient light from the neighboring houses made a hazy glow in the air, and Maggie could hear televisions playing in other people’s family rooms.

She wondered how many of those families had such horror under their own roofs. She read about them in the newspaper and online. She never thought she would be one. In truth, she used to judge some of those mothers. How could you not know your teenage son stockpiled guns? How could you not know your daughter was pregnant? How could you not know? Only the terrible mothers didn’t know what was happening in their own homes.

Then Maggie realized that she had already been adjudicated a terrible mother.

Unfit, was what the court had said. And here she was now, unfit all over again, seventeen years later, unfit, unfit, unfit.

She looked up at the black sky without knowing why. An appeal to God? For guidance? For help? A silent prayer? For forgiveness? But all she saw was darkness. She rose on shaky knees and walked toward the house.

Because she was a mother, and she had a job to do.





Chapter Fifty-seven


Noah, After

TRIAL, DAY 2

Noah straightened in his seat as the Commonwealth’s next witness was sworn in, Detective Andrew Hickok. Thomas nicknamed him Detective Peacock, and it was clear why. His dark suit was well-tailored, and his dotted tie shone like real silk. He had dark hair layered in an expensive cut around a square-jawed face with brown eyes, a straight nose, and a salt-and-pepper mustache that was carefully trimmed. Overall, Detective Andrew Hickok had the demeanor of a complete law-enforcement professional, at home on the witness stand.

Linda smiled at the detective, her regard plain. ‘Please state your name for the record, sir.’

‘Detective Andrew J. Hickok.’

‘Detective Hickok, would you briefly tell the jury your credentials?’

‘Yes. I started as a patrolman with the Philadelphia Police Department, then joined the Homicide Unit of the Philadelphia Police Department. I moved to Montgomery County and joined the Detective Bureau as a detective.’

‘And how long have you been with the Montgomery County Detective Bureau?’

‘Sixteen years.’

‘How many homicide investigations have you participated in?’

‘Over a hundred.’

‘And did you have anything to do with the investigation of Anna Desroches’s murder?’

‘Yes. I was lead investigator.’

‘Did you go to the crime scene on the night of the murder?’

‘Yes, after I had obtained the warrants I thought I would need.’

‘And what was taking place at the crime scene?’

‘Patrol officers were establishing a perimeter, and Dr Kapoor and her team were with the body on the porch. She told me her initial finding on cause and manner. Criminalists from the Forensic Services Unit were taking photographs and collecting evidence from the scene, including the cars, house, driveway, and porch. In addition, a patrol officer had confiscated the defendant’s cell phone and gave it to me.’

‘Detective Hickok, did the cell phone provide any evidence related to this investigation?’

‘Yes, after I obtained the proper warrant.’

‘What was that evidence?’

‘We found a text that the defendant had sent to the victim earlier that night.’