their last names, only their first. A couple months after, I found out I was pregnant with Olivia.”
“I imagine you were shocked,” I said.
“I have a lot of regrets in my life, but Olivia wasn’t one of them.”
“How did your family react to the news?”
“My dad was upset at first, but once he got used to the idea, both of my parents were supportive. I lived with them until I met Terrence. I didn’t think anyone would marry me since I’d had a child under those circumstances, but then Terrence came along. He said he would marry me, but he didn’t want any kids. Of course, I already had Olivia, so he said that was fine, as long as we didn’t have any children together.”
“What about you—did you want more kids?” I said.
“When I was younger, I thought I’d have several kids. But at least I had one.”
“Did Terrence know how you felt?”
“I tried talking to him once. All he said was, ‘we made a deal.’”
A picture was forming in my mind of the type of guy Terrence was—it wasn’t pleasant. I didn’t know how she didn’t see it. But women with Kris’s meek personality rarely did. She talked about him like he was some kind of super-hero who showed up when she needed rescuing.
I asked Kris a few more questions, but learned nothing I didn’t already know. I stood up to leave, promising to get in touch with her if I found out anything new. Outside a black Dodge Ram drove by. It looked just like the one I’d seen in Evanston and then again at my hotel. The next time I saw it, I’d be ready.
CHAPTER 12
“Pssst, over here,” a voice called from the bushes.
I had exited Kris’s home and was on my way to my car when I heard it. I walked “over here” and came face to face with Sylvia and another woman I guessed to be the one staring through the blinds. They were revved up but doe-eyed at the same time. Something pressing was on their minds—I could tell by their rapid breathing. It was fast and intense, like the words they had prepared to say were getting ready to explode all over everything.
“What can I do for you two?” I said.
Sylvia wagged her finger at me. “We know you didn’t go to school with Kris.”
“Yeah, we’ve known Kris since she was this tall,” Mini-Blind Lady gestured with her outstretched, flattened hand.
“What I’m doing here doesn’t concern either of you, and it’s not polite to linger outside Kris’s home.”
They looked at each other, contemplating their next move.
“Are you a cop or something?” Sylvia said. “Because we’ve seen everyone who’s come in and out of this place, but we’ve never seen you before.”
I nodded. I may not have been a cop, but I had no problem putting myself into the “or something” category.
Sylvia elbowed her friend. “See, Mildred, I told you.” She then looked at me. “If you’re looking into what happened to Olivia, you’ll want to hear what we have to say.”
I pointed to my car. “Get in.”
They exchanged looks again.
“Look,” I said, “whatever it is, I’m not going to discuss it here. We can go to the end of the street and talk there. And if you two don’t trust me, fine. But I’m leaving.”
One minute later we were parked in front of a vacant lot on the next street. Sylvia spoke up first. “That evil man killed our Judith.”
“You mean Olivia?”
It seemed entirely possible that at least one of them was battling Alzheimer’s.
Sylvia shook her head.
“I mean Judith Schroeder.”
“The woman the kidnapper ran over in the Maybelle’s Market parking lot?”
Both women nodded in unison.
“Do you know something about the kidnapping?”
Their smiles told me they did, or they thought they did.
“We know who did it,” Sylvia said, eyes glimmering.
“Who?”
“Terrence.”
“Olivia’s stepdad?”
“Oh, we don’t believe Terrence did it himself,” Sylvia said.
“No, no. He wouldn’t do that,” Mildred said. “We think he hired someone.”
“To do what?”
“Get rid of the girl, of course,” Sylvia said.
Things were starting to get interesting.
“Terrence hated Olivia,” Sylvia said.
“How do you know?”
“Well—” Sylvia said, “I was picking some tomatoes in my garden one evening, and I overheard Terrence tell Kris that he’d never agreed to raise Olivia, and if she wouldn’t send the child to live with her parents, he was leaving.”
“What did Kris say?”
“She didn’t say anything,” Sylvia said, “unless it was under her breath.”
Mildred looked at Sylvia. “It’s possible.”
“Entirely,” Sylvia replied. “I hadn’t thought of that. My hearing isn’t what