Frederick is if nothing else,” Riley said.
“Could be somebody saw something. Maybe they saw him coming in with the stolen equipment,” Roman said.
“Maybe, but you’d think they’d have already told the police,” Riley asked.
“Wouldn’t hurt to check. Some people just don’t like talking to police. It’s worth a shot, though,” Roman said.
“Can’t hurt. All we’re doing’s asking questions,” Riley answered. “Wanna come back later after people get home from work?”
“Yeah, I do,” Roman said.
~~~
Later that evening after dinner, Riley and Roman made their way back to the neighborhood Talie and Darcie had lived in with Frederick. They parked their truck in almost the same place they had earlier in the day and walked up to the house right across the street from Frederick’s house.
Roman knocked and they waited.
The door opened and a middle-aged woman opened the door just enough to peek at them through the chain that secured the door. “Yeah?” she asked.
“Hi, we’re in the neighborhood to see if anybody can tell us about the people that live in that house,” Riley said, pointing at Frederick’s house.
The woman’s gaze followed the direction Riley pointed, then looked back to them. “I don’t know nothing about them,” she said and closed the door.
“Okay, then,” Riley said. “Let’s try the next one.”
They worked their way to the end of the street and back up the other side and every response was pretty much the same. About ready to give up, they knocked on the door of a home three doors up the street from the first they’d tried. An elderly man opened the door and stood in the middle of his doorway with his hands on his hips. “What?” he asked, not even trying to hide his irritation.
“Hi, we’re asking everyone in the area if they can give us any information about the people that live in that house?” Riley said, pointing to Frederick’s.
“He’s a dick,” the old man said.
Riley’s eyebrows rose sharply. “The owner of the house?” he asked.
“Nope, her son. She ain’t no prize, neither, but the boy’s a dick. And so are his friends. Got no idea why that girl and her young’un moved in there. Can’t believe she wants to be there, though. She don’t ever smile. Even when she waves at me she don’t smile. She was nice, I could tell. She ain't done what they say she done. And that poor kid, who even knows where the kid is.”
“Oh?” Riley asked.
The old man looked at Riley critically. “Why you want to know anyway?” he asked.
“We’re friends of hers. Just found out what happened, and we’re starting at the beginning, trying to find any information we can to help,” Riley explained.
“What kind of friends?” the man asked.
“She’s my wife,” Roman said.
The old man looked at Roman. “Your wife?” he asked.
“Yes,” Roman said, giving the man a nod.
“Then why the hell was she here with this trash instead of with you?” he asked, getting fired up.
“We were just married this morning,” Roman said. “I been in love with her since I met her, but it took her a while to come around. Soon as I found out what was going on… here I am. I’m not stopping ‘til she’s free.”
“You got the young’un?” the old man asked.
“Yup. Ain’t nobody taking her from me, either,” Roman said.
“Good,” the man said, nodding his head in approval. “’Bout time somebody stepped in. Why was that girl here anyway?”
“Coercion,” Riley said.
The old man looked at Riley suspiciously.
“Frederick said if she left he’d take her daughter. He’s the child’s biological father,” Riley explained.
“Told you he’s a dick,” the old man said.
Riley hid a smirk. “Yes, you did. Can you tell us what you know about him and his friends? Maybe where we can find him?”
“And anything about the man who died and how it happened?” Roman added.
“He ain’t been back but once or twice since they took that girl off to jail. Don’t know nothing about how that man died, but I know it wasn’t the girl. Frederick — that’s the dick — ran from between them houses over there,” he said, pointing to a couple of houses about six lots up the street. “He was moving fast, too. Ran into his house and slammed the door with another man hot on his tail. Man chasing him ran up to the house, yelling and banging on the door. There was shouting and threatening, but still Frederick didn’t open the door. The man runs around to the back of the house and the shouting