Spooky Business (The Spectral Files #3) - S.E. Harmon Page 0,35
were just trying to help your friend. I understand where you were coming from.”
“You don’t understand a damn thing.” She let out a long sigh. “Delilah was a very dear friend, but we lost touch after she married Kane. I feel bad about that, but life just… got busy. We had jobs and families and responsibilities. It was hard to keep in touch as much as we should’ve, and Kane certainly didn’t help matters.”
“What do you mean?”
“He wanted to control her, and he took great pleasure in isolating her from her friends. At first, I kept trying to connect with her, but I grew tired of his games. He would interrupt our conversations and hang up on me and rip up any letters I sent. Eventually, I guess I just… moved on.” She sent me a guilty look. “I feel bad about that. I always missed her, though.”
“Were you surprised when she called, asking for your help?”
“God, yes. I never thought she’d leave that man, but I was all for it.”
“Was it your idea to do it quietly?”
“Yes. I knew he was dangerous, though not as dangerous as he turned out to be, mind you. I just thought he was aggressive and possessive and pushy, and I knew he wouldn’t take her leaving him well.” She capped the mason jar and put it in a crate with the rest. “I started sending her invoices, like a supplier. And when she paid, I would tuck away the money.”
“And you gave her that money when she arrived?”
“Of course.” She frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?”
It was my job to suspect everyone. She certainly wouldn’t be the first to help herself to someone else’s money. After all, who would Delilah tell?
“Where is Delilah now?” I asked. “I need to speak with her to verify your account of events.”
“I don’t know.”
I sighed inwardly. If we were going to go back to the beginning every five minutes, I needed to grab some Gatorade and a power bar. “Valerie.”
“I’m telling you the truth this time,” she said defensively. “The plan went off without a hitch, and she stayed here for six months. We had such a good time. It was like when we were in college all over again.”
“Then why did she leave?”
“Kane showed up one day looking for her. She had just enough time to hide in the closet under some clothes.” She looked nervous just remembering that day. “He was his usual aggressive self, posturing and shouting. He insisted upon searching my house, even knocked me out of the way when I tried to block the door.”
“Did he find her?”
“No. And even though he smacked me around a little, I didn’t tell him a damned thing.”
She sounded proud of herself, but I felt sick to my stomach. I’d been on the receiving end of that menacing presence at the prison. The thought of him towering over someone her size and then actually hitting her was unthinkable.
“I saw him in the area a week later, driving by in his pickup. Delilah thought it was too risky to stay. She said he would be watching, and we’d slip up eventually. Then he’d kill us both. I told her we’d figure something out.”
“So what did she do?”
“One morning when I woke up, she was gone,” Valerie said tearfully. “She knew I would’ve fought tooth and nail to keep her here, so she took off while I was sleeping.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling a little inadequate to comfort her.
Luckily, she pulled herself together after a few moments, dabbing at her eyes. “So that’s Delilah’s story. I thought for sure she’d come back when Kane got put away, but she never did. Frankly, if you want to do her a favor, you’ll let her stay lost. At least until that husband of hers is dead.” She squinted up at me. “He’s not dead yet, is he?”
“No, not quite.”
“Hmph. That’s too bad.”
Yeah, a lot of people seemed to feel the same way. I was tempted to put a sign up with an arrow that read: The line starts here for spitting on Thomas Kane’s dead body.
I cleared my throat. “Delilah isn’t the only reason I’m here. I’d like to talk to you about your son, Joseph.”
“Oh, my Joey.” She dabbed at her eyes again. “You’re just determined to make me cry today, Detective.”
“I am sorry for bringing up painful memories, but I need to ask a few questions.”
“I don’t suppose it would do me any good to refuse.”