with the girls through the years--teachers, coaches, art instructors, neighbors, friends, clients, other parents. She was desperate to say, Yes, he’s been hanging around, stalking Cee Cee. Make him tell you where she is.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know him, and I don’t recall ever seeing him.” She passed the photos to Annabelle. “But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have taken her. Isn’t her phone evidence enough?”
“He claims he found it in an alley.”
“I know him.” Annabelle looked up from the photo. “I’ve seen this man.”
“Are you sure?” Lily shuddered to think her daughter had been in contact with a man who looked as if he had only a passing acquaintance with soap and water, and probably lived under a bridge.
“I’m positive. He was on the beach this summer when you brought us over here, Mom. You remember that picnic on the fourth of July?”
“Yes, I do.” There had been the threat of thunderstorms all day. She’d wanted to cancel, but Annabelle and Cee Cee insisted the rain would hold off for the fireworks display.
“This man was combing the beach. Cee Cee thought it was odd he didn’t move on. He just kept standing near our beach towels, picking up seashells from the same spot.”
“Why didn’t I see him?” Lily was horrified to think how an ordinary outing could expose innocent children to all sorts of predators.
“You’d gone to the hotdog stand. When you came back, you said the line was a mile long.” Annabelle scrolled through her cell phone. “Look. He stayed so long I took a picture of him. That’s when he left.”
With the whitecaps and the sun behind him, he didn’t appear as unkempt as he did in the police photographs, but it was definitely the same man. And he was staring directly toward the camera in a way that made Lily shiver.
“You never mentioned this.”
“Mom! What was I supposed to say? Some dork was staring at us because we had on bikinis?” Annabelle was close to tears.
“It’s okay.” Lily reached for her hand and held on. Considering the photographic evidence, she wanted to hold her daughter’s hand and not let go for the rest of the teenage years, if not beyond.
“You did good, Annabelle.” The detective slid the photos back into the file. “This could be just the break we need in this case.”
The man appeared to be a vagrant, but there was nothing particularly menacing about him, even in Annabelle’s photo on the beach. Underneath that mild, downtrodden façade was he a monster? Exactly what did evil look like?
Lily got up to stand close to her daughter’s chair, as if she could shield her from everyday monsters that passed themselves off as ordinary people.
”Detective, you’ll make him tell you where Cee Cee is, won’t you? We’ve got to find her.”
“I wish it was that simple, Mrs. Perkins. He’s admitted nothing except being in possession of a phone he claims he found. Maybe she lost it. Maybe she was over here meeting a boyfriend, and they got in a fight and things went downhill from there.”
“That’s not true!” Annabelle trembled with righteous indignation.
“Detective, I don’t think you believe that any more than we do,” Lily added.
“What I’m getting at is that we’re a long way from being certain we have the right person.”
“What about Glenda Jane Bates and Graden Young? Did you find out anything more about them?”
“I can’t discuss details of those interviews with you at this time, but I can assure you, we’re doing everything in our power to find all the missing girls, including checking leads. My men are in this guy’s neighborhood now, talking to the neighbors. The local news channels are running pictures of these girls every hour, pleading for information.”
Lily pressed a hand against her temple where the persistent ache had settled again. “I know you’re doing all you can, Detective, and I’m grateful. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”
“It’s tough to lose somebody you love. Especially around the holidays.” He came from behind his desk and escorted her to the door. “Try not to worry, Mrs. Perkins. I’ll let you know if I have any other news.”
How could a mother not worry? Still, life never asked your permission to move forward, never inquired whether you were strong enough to withstand the storms it had planned for the day.
After a brief consult with her daughter, she dropped Annabelle off at the greenhouses then went to the mansion to continue renovations. That’s all she knew to do, move forward, one step at