The Last of the Moon Girls(108)
There was no way to know if her husband had ever acted on his fixation with Heather, but it was hard to look at the chain of events and not conclude that it had played a role in the behaviors that ultimately led to her oldest daughter’s death. And poor Darcy had been collateral damage.
As for Fred Gilman, he’d soon have a new demon to wrestle—himself. He’d spent the last eight years accusing Althea Moon of murder. Now he could live with the knowledge that to some extent at least, he’d been culpable in the deaths of his daughters. But then he’d probably known that all along. And maybe that was the most fitting punishment of all. Guilt was a cruel and relentless jailer.
FORTY-THREE
The sound of the mudroom door jolted Lizzy from her musings. She met Andrew’s eyes as he reappeared. “Is she gone?”
“Yeah. And Evvie and Rhanna are on their way to the market. You okay?”
“It’s just so much to wrap my head around. I’m still digesting.”
“I should have asked you before I volunteered to help Helen. I’m sorry I didn’t.”
“No. I’m glad you did. I saw the look on her face yesterday at the market. She was truly terrified of him. I can’t blame her for staying quiet. I would have done the same thing if I had a little girl to protect.”
“So should we give Roger a call? I can put my phone on speaker.”
“The sooner, the better. You know this town. Word’s going to get out, and it’ll be better for Helen if she goes to the police before they come to her.”
“I agree.” Andrew pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, hit the call button, and set the phone down on the table between them. It rang three times before Roger picked up.
“Hey, it’s Andrew. Have you got a minute? I need to run something by you.”
“I do, but first, how’s Lizzy? I just got off the phone with Michael Hammond. He told me about last night. Jesus.”
“She’s here with me. She’s pretty banged up, but she’s got plenty of nurses. I think we might need another favor, though. A big one this time.”
“Okay. Let me have it.”
“Let’s say, hypothetically, that I have someone who can tell the police exactly what happened to the Gilman girls, but that someone is afraid of going to jail for not coming forward sooner. If she was afraid for her life, or the life of someone close to her—a child, for instance—is there a chance the police would cut her some slack?”
“I’m assuming we’re talking about Helen Hanley?”
Andrew caught Lizzy’s eye, brows raised. Lizzy nodded, giving him the go-ahead.
“She spilled everything, Roger. About Hollis, Dennis, even the old man. They were all there, all part of it. She’s going to the police either way, but I was hoping there might be a way to help her, maybe someone you could talk to. She didn’t come forward because Dennis was threatening her. She has a little girl, Roger.”
There was a long pause. Lizzy held her breath, waiting.
“I need to hear her story,” Roger said finally. “If I’m satisfied, I’ll ask my brother to arrange a meeting with someone in the DA’s office. She could be looking at accessory after the fact. She didn’t just protect her husband. She protected his brother and her father-in-law, and there’s no privilege for in-laws. But if she really was afraid for her life, or her daughter’s, there might be a deal to be had. Give me a couple hours to make some calls and take some temperatures. I’ll call you back when I know something. We can set a time to talk if we need to. Until then, she shouldn’t talk to anyone.”
“It sounds like there’s at least a chance,” Lizzy said when Andrew ended the call. “I’m glad. Even if she did have a legal obligation to come forward, the police can’t blame her for protecting her child. And she’s doing the right thing now.”
“I think they’ll see her as credible. All you have to do is look at her to know she was scared silly. I had to help her get Kayla in the car seat. Her hands were shaking so bad she couldn’t do the straps. I told her I’d call her tonight after I hear back from Roger.”
“Speaking of phones, I guess I’ll need a new cell phone.”
Andrew eyed her sternly. “No driving for you yet. I’ll take you in a day or two. Right now you need to rest.”
“I am a little worn-out,” she admitted, sensing a potentially awkward shift in topic. “Maybe I’ll try to nap while the house is quiet.”
“Can I get you anything? Jell-O? Soup?”
Lizzy flashed back to something Evvie had asked once. Did she have someone to fix her soup? She’d said no at the time, but she did have someone now—if she wanted him. And she did want him. More than she had allowed herself to admit. But letting him stay and play nurse was a bad idea. For starters, she’d be sending mixed signals, not to mention the very real possibility that she would drop her guard again. She’d hurt him once. She wasn’t doing it again.
“Thanks, but I’m good.” She managed a smile, wincing as the butterfly closure over her top lip pulled. “You need to get back to Boston. You have a business to run, clients to keep happy.”
Andrew glanced away briefly, clearing his throat. “I’ll stay, Lizzy. All you have to do is ask.”