In Her Tracks (Tracy Crosswhite #8)(46)

“What about Thursday?”

“That was Halloween, Evan,” Franklin said.

“I gave out candy to the trick-or-treaters on Halloween.” Tracy recalled Nancy Maxwell saying Evan had given full-size Hershey bars to her kids.

“Do you remember what you did Wednesday afternoon?” Kins asked.

Evan shook his head. “I don’t remember.”

Franklin Sprague shrugged and put a hand on Evan’s shoulder.

Kins showed Evan the picture of Stephanie Cole. “We’re trying to find this young—”

“I haven’t seen her,” Evan said.

“Let them ask you the questions before you answer, Evan,” Franklin said. He gave Tracy and Kins an eye roll.

“She was wearing running clothes,” Kins said. “Did you see her?”

Evan shook his head. “I don’t remember.”

“Look at the picture, Evan,” Franklin said.

Evan looked to his brother, then at the photograph. “I didn’t see her,” he said.

“Do you ever walk in the park, Evan?”

“We all walk in the park,” Franklin said. “That’s what it’s there for.”

Tracy thought he seemed a little too quick to answer. “How about you, Evan? Do you walk in the park?”

“That’s what it’s there for,” Evan said, mimicking his brother.

“Do you remember the last time you walked in the park?” Tracy asked.

Evan shook his head. “No.”

“It wasn’t recently?”

“I don’t . . .” He looked to Franklin.

“He doesn’t remember things real well, Detectives,” Franklin said. “I think I told you that. I usually have to remind him to do things, and I write it down for him.”

“I understand you cut the lawns for the neighbors,” Kins said.

“Every other Thursday,” Evan said.

“Did you cut them last Thursday?”

Evan looked to Franklin. “He wants to know if you cut them a couple of days ago.”

“Uh-huh. I cut them. But not this Thursday. Every other one.”

“I remind him Thursday mornings and we put the days he cuts the yards on the calendar,” Franklin said. “So he doesn’t forget.”

“When you walk in the park, how do you enter the park?”

Again Evan looked to Franklin. “How do you go into the park?” Franklin asked.

“At the entrance,” Evan said, looking at Tracy.

“You ever take a path through the backyard?” Tracy asked.

Evan again looked to Franklin. “There isn’t an entrance,” Franklin said. “And the hillside is pretty steep.”

“You’ve never seen anyone go into the park that way?” Tracy tried again.

“Take the hillside into the ravine?” Franklin said. “No.”

“Can I ask what doctor you took Evan to see?” Tracy asked.

“I don’t remember his name,” Franklin said. “I took him to the emergency room at Northwest Hospital. A doctor looked him over and took some blood. We’re supposed to get word tomorrow whether he needs antibiotics.”

They spoke for a few more minutes. Tracy and Kins thanked the brothers and departed. As they walked down the street to their car, Tracy said, “He doesn’t remember if he walked in the park Wednesday, but he remembers cutting the lawn Thursday and handing out candy.”

Kins looked at her. “Franklin said he reminded him and put it on his calendar so he didn’t forget. It sounds like a set thing. And he was excited about Halloween. Walking doesn’t sound like it’s a set thing.”

“Yeah, but we know he did.”

“Doesn’t mean he remembers. What are you getting at?”

“Seems strange. That’s all. And he’s big, like his brother, big enough to carry a woman’s body up that incline.”

“How would he have known she was in the park?” Kins asked.

“He could have seen her when he went for his walk,” Tracy said. “The timing is right, based on when he crossed the Maxwells’ front yard. He could have seen her go into the park.”

“And what? Walked home and climbed down the hillside to wait for her to get there? He doesn’t exactly seem like the type to attack a young woman.”

“It’s possible.”

“Doesn’t seem likely.”

“Did you smell cigarette smoke when we were talking to them?”

“I’m not sure I did. Why? Did you?” Kins asked.

“I thought I did. You want to drive up to Shoreline and talk to Carrol?” Tracy asked.

“Let’s talk to Bibby since we’re here,” Kins said. “Then we can swing by Cole’s apartment and talk to the roommate.”

“I want to stop at the Northwest Hospital emergency room.”

“You think he’s lying?” Kins said. “Why would he say something if he didn’t go there?”

“Let’s check it off anyway.”

Bibby didn’t recall seeing Evan on Wednesday but did say he saw him walking Tuesday. He also didn’t hear anything coming from the park while he walked Jackpot, or after he got home. He didn’t recall seeing anyone in the backyard, though his house was situated at the street corner, and his backyard wasn’t contiguous with the four houses that shared the large lawn. It had a side fence. Kins asked him what kind of shoes he walked in and the size, telling Bibby they needed to eliminate his shoeprints in the park.