Page 89 of Little Girl Vanished
“There was an obvious break-in. His car’s gone.”
“Exactly. They’ll think he took off. If those girls’ parents push it, they’ll be looking for him, but not as a victim. They won’t pay any attention to anything here.”
Knowing Chief Larson, he was probably right.
We stood in silence for several long seconds before he said, “We’re spinning our wheels. Let’s go.”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling defeated.
We headed back through the front door and got in my car. I insisted on driving this time. Malcolm didn’t protest.
He sat in the passenger seat, his feet hitting the pile on the floorboard.
My heart leapt into my throat. I didn’t want him to see the photo. I wasn’t ready to share the message with anyone yet.
To my relief, he ignored it and buckled his seat belt.
He also didn’t protest when I didn’t drive toward the tavern, instead taking a diversion to downtown.
“The Petermans’ house,” I said as we turned the corner onto their street. The house was lit up inside, even at this late hour, but there weren’t any police cars parked out front. I parked across the street, one house down from the Petermans’.
“Which one is the girl’s window?” Malcolm asked, pointing to the second story porch.
“The two on the left.” The only ones not lit up. “Vanessa found the window wide open this morning and I found the imprint of a ladder in the dirt down below.”
“You think whoever took her carried her down the ladder?”
“Yeah, but I suspect he either drugged her or she went willingly. Otherwise, it would have been precarious for them to descend the ladder.”
“You think she might have gone willingly?” he asked.
“If she trusted Eddie, maybe,” I said. “Her father is awful to her, and according to Casey, Eddie’s kind to her. She needed an escape and maybe he provided it.”
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Let’s say Eddie decided to save her and came for her last night. Where is she now?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I saw an older Jeep Cherokee outside the school this afternoon, so I know he was at work.”
He was quiet for a moment. “What if she was at Eddie’s house when whoever took him showed up?”
“If she was there, why didn’t we see any evidence of it? One coffee cup. One plate and set of silverware in the sink.”
“All the more proof that he didn’t take her.”
I was starting to agree with him.
I rubbed my temple, trying to ease the pain. “Maybe you’re right and Eddie didn’t take her. Maybe someone is trying to pin this on him.”
“Who? The girl’s friend?”
I considered it a moment. “No, not Casey, but I’m not entirely sure TJ Peterman is clear on all of this. He insists his daughter ran away and refuses to let the police make it public. I think you’re right and there’s a chance the LaRues told the Petermans about Eddie, especially knowing that Ava is missing. Maybe TJ saw this as an opportunity to throw any possible trail off him and pin it on Eddie? If Eddie’s missing, that turns out to be pretty convenient.”
“You saw that back door. TJ Peterman is a fucking asshole, but he’s not an idiot. Besides, do you really think he could kill his daughter?”
I turned to look him in the eyes. “Do you have any reason to believe he wouldn’t?”
Pain flashed on his face. Something I said hit close to home, but then his face hardened. “No. Peterman is capable of being a monster.”
“Yeah,” I said, barely above a whisper. Then I decided to lay it all out. I didn’t believe Malcolm was responsible for her disappearance, although maybe that was wishful thinking. I couldn’t really tell what was instinct or what I wanted to believe anymore. This case was personal, and any detective with experience knew you didn’t work personal cases for a reason. But I couldn’t just leave it. Someone had to try to save Ava.