done with me, I heard him going into Dotty’s room.” Her voice warbled. “She was seven. The tiniest little thing you ever saw. Scared of the dark and dogs and everything else in the world.”
Silence stretched between them, the reality needling Jaxon. “What happened that night?”
“I grabbed the baseball bat, ran in there and hit the bastard with it. Knocked him upside the head till he got off Dotty.”
Pain wrenched Avery’s face, making Jaxon want to hold her again. But they had to finish this interview.
“Next day the old man sent me away. But I was scared for Dotty and told the social worker what happened.”
Avery gasped softly “You told on him?”
Lois nodded, her eyes grave with dark memories. “Heard they took Dotty to another house. I thought they might lock the old man up, but they didn’t.” She tapped her badge. “That’s when I decided to become a cop. Try to clean garbage off the streets.”
“Do you know what happened to Dotty?” Jaxon asked.
Lois propped her head on one hand for a moment, then gave a clipped nod. “Used my connections here at the department about a year ago and found out that she died in an alley. Pimp beat her to death.”
Avery gasped. “That’s horrible.”
“What’s bad is that I tried to help Dotty by telling, and it didn’t do a damn bit of good. Two months after I was taken away, I heard they were putting kids back with the Mulligans.”
“Who was the social worker?” Jaxon asked.
“Some lady named Erma Brant.”
“She never should have placed other kids there,” Avery whispered.
Jaxon nodded agreement as he studied Lois. She’d been abused by the old man, caught him abusing another younger girl, then been removed from the home. She must have been furious when she learned more children were being put in that situation.
Had she been angry enough to sneak back to the Mulligans’ and kill Wade, then escape without anyone knowing she was there?
Chapter Eleven
Jaxon studied Lois. She was tough, strong, had been a fighter. And she was smart.
Smart enough to have planned revenge on Mulligan?
“Lois, where were you the night Mulligan was murdered?”
Lois’s sharp gaze flew to Jaxon, her jaw twitching. “Damn. You think I killed the old man?”
Jaxon shrugged. “If Hank didn’t, it stands to reason that one of the other kids who’d been abused by him did.”
Lois ran a finger along the rim of her cup. “I suppose I can see why you’d think that.” She scribbled down a number and a name. “The night he died, I was at a group home. The house parent’s name was Henrietta.”
“Does she still live there?” Jaxon asked.
“Yeah, I had to see a juvy there about a month ago. Place hasn’t changed a bit. Old and run-down, but Henrietta was decent. If it wasn’t for her, I might have wound up on the streets.”
Avery shifted in her chair. “Can you think of anyone else who would have wanted Wade dead? Another kid who was placed there?”
“Hell, probably all of them.”
True, Jaxon thought. “Anyone specific?”
The cop finished her coffee and crumpled the cup in her hands. “There was one other boy and his sister who lived with the Mulligans before me. I heard Mulligan used to beat the boy, and later, that his sister got pregnant.”
Suspicions mounted in Jaxon’s mind. “What happened?”
“Mulligan forced the girl to get an abortion. I think she wound up having a breakdown or something.”
“Did Erma Brant place them there, as well?”
Lois nodded. “If you ask me, that woman should have had to serve time herself.”
* * *
T HIRTY MINUTES LATER , Avery and Jaxon located BJ Wilson at a rehab facility on the east side of town. The way the rustic building was set back on farmland and surrounded by trees made it look like a wilderness retreat.
A barn looked as if it held horses, and another area appeared to be used for farming. Part of the therapy for the residents?
From Jaxon’s phone call, he’d learned BJ was
Silence stretched between them, the reality needling Jaxon. “What happened that night?”
“I grabbed the baseball bat, ran in there and hit the bastard with it. Knocked him upside the head till he got off Dotty.”
Pain wrenched Avery’s face, making Jaxon want to hold her again. But they had to finish this interview.
“Next day the old man sent me away. But I was scared for Dotty and told the social worker what happened.”
Avery gasped softly “You told on him?”
Lois nodded, her eyes grave with dark memories. “Heard they took Dotty to another house. I thought they might lock the old man up, but they didn’t.” She tapped her badge. “That’s when I decided to become a cop. Try to clean garbage off the streets.”
“Do you know what happened to Dotty?” Jaxon asked.
Lois propped her head on one hand for a moment, then gave a clipped nod. “Used my connections here at the department about a year ago and found out that she died in an alley. Pimp beat her to death.”
Avery gasped. “That’s horrible.”
“What’s bad is that I tried to help Dotty by telling, and it didn’t do a damn bit of good. Two months after I was taken away, I heard they were putting kids back with the Mulligans.”
“Who was the social worker?” Jaxon asked.
“Some lady named Erma Brant.”
“She never should have placed other kids there,” Avery whispered.
Jaxon nodded agreement as he studied Lois. She’d been abused by the old man, caught him abusing another younger girl, then been removed from the home. She must have been furious when she learned more children were being put in that situation.
Had she been angry enough to sneak back to the Mulligans’ and kill Wade, then escape without anyone knowing she was there?
Chapter Eleven
Jaxon studied Lois. She was tough, strong, had been a fighter. And she was smart.
Smart enough to have planned revenge on Mulligan?
“Lois, where were you the night Mulligan was murdered?”
Lois’s sharp gaze flew to Jaxon, her jaw twitching. “Damn. You think I killed the old man?”
Jaxon shrugged. “If Hank didn’t, it stands to reason that one of the other kids who’d been abused by him did.”
Lois ran a finger along the rim of her cup. “I suppose I can see why you’d think that.” She scribbled down a number and a name. “The night he died, I was at a group home. The house parent’s name was Henrietta.”
“Does she still live there?” Jaxon asked.
“Yeah, I had to see a juvy there about a month ago. Place hasn’t changed a bit. Old and run-down, but Henrietta was decent. If it wasn’t for her, I might have wound up on the streets.”
Avery shifted in her chair. “Can you think of anyone else who would have wanted Wade dead? Another kid who was placed there?”
“Hell, probably all of them.”
True, Jaxon thought. “Anyone specific?”
The cop finished her coffee and crumpled the cup in her hands. “There was one other boy and his sister who lived with the Mulligans before me. I heard Mulligan used to beat the boy, and later, that his sister got pregnant.”
Suspicions mounted in Jaxon’s mind. “What happened?”
“Mulligan forced the girl to get an abortion. I think she wound up having a breakdown or something.”
“Did Erma Brant place them there, as well?”
Lois nodded. “If you ask me, that woman should have had to serve time herself.”
* * *
T HIRTY MINUTES LATER , Avery and Jaxon located BJ Wilson at a rehab facility on the east side of town. The way the rustic building was set back on farmland and surrounded by trees made it look like a wilderness retreat.
A barn looked as if it held horses, and another area appeared to be used for farming. Part of the therapy for the residents?
From Jaxon’s phone call, he’d learned BJ was
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