screaming at Ashlynn. That’s why I got the hell out of there. I called her later and she said nothing happened, but then I found out that Ashlynn was dead. I mean, who else could have done it, right?’
‘You
called
Olivia? When?’
‘It was an hour or so after I got home. I couldn’t sleep. I was watching TV in the living room, but I kept thinking about Ashlynn. So I called Livvy to make sure everything was okay.’
‘Did you tell the police?’
Tanya’s eyes fluttered, as if she’d made a mistake. ‘I – I don’t think I did.’
‘It’s okay. Tell me about the call.’
‘I called Livvy’s cell. She answered right away.’
‘Did she say where she was?’
‘She said she was home. I asked if Ashlynn was okay, and she said yeah, she was fine. She told me she sobered up and dropped the gun and left Ashlynn there.’
That was exactly what Olivia had told him, too. An hour after the crime, and four days after the crime, she was telling the same story. That was a good thing.
‘How did Olivia sound?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know, she was pretty down. Like she’d been crying.’
‘Just to be clear, Olivia specifically told you that Ashlynn was fine.’
‘Yeah, that’s what she said.’
‘What else did you two talk about?’
‘I said, should we call somebody? You know, Ashlynn was stranded, shouldn’t we do something about it. I was pretty upset.’
‘Okay.’
‘Olivia said no. I figured she wanted to teach Ashlynn a lesson.’
‘Then what?’
‘That was it. I hung up. I went to bed, but I woke up around five o’clock, and I kept thinking about Ashlynn out there by herself. I felt really guilty that we didn’t help her. She didn’t deserve that. So I woke up my dad and told him the whole story, and he called the police.’
Chris was nervous about his next question; he didn’t want to inflame the girl’s suspicions. ‘Did you think about going back there yourself? I mean, after you hung up with Olivia. Did you think about driving back there and helping Ashlynn?’
‘Yeah, sure,’ Tanya admitted.
He watched her face. ‘But you didn’t?’
‘No. I should have, but I didn’t want to be out there by myself.’
If she was lying, she was good at it. She met his eyes dead on, as if she were daring him not to believe her.
‘I really appreciate your help, Tanya,’ he told her. ‘Do you want me to drive you back to school?’
Tanya shook her head. ‘I want to see my dad.’
‘Does he have an office downtown?’
She nodded.
‘I’ll drive you down there.’ Chris pushed himself off the wet step, and as he headed down the sidewalk toward his car, Tanya caught up with him. She stopped him with a hand on his arm.
‘Mr. Hawk? I didn’t tell anyone about this, and I don’t know if you want to hear it or not.’
‘What is it?’
‘Well, there was something else going on between Ashlynn and Olivia.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I don’t know exactly what it was,’ Tanya said, shaking her head. ‘Olivia keeps a lot of stuff to herself, you know? I’d get upset with her sometimes, because she was keeping secrets from me. But this thing with Ashlynn, it wasn’t just about Mondamin. I could tell. It was something personal.’
9
The squat building that housed Rollie Swenson’s office was located behind a parking lot on a side street between downtown Barron and the Spirit River, with a view across the water toward the city park. It was built of tan stucco, dirty and cracked, and the sign on the outside window said simply: ‘Law Office.’
When Chris arrived with Tanya, Rollie hugged his daughter ferociously, then read her the riot act for leaving school without calling him. Maxine Valma had obviously filled him in about the fight. As he listened to the parental lecture, Chris remembered what it was like to have a child in his life every day, balancing love and discipline, security and independence. He missed it.
Seeing Rollie Swenson was like seeing an
‘You
called
Olivia? When?’
‘It was an hour or so after I got home. I couldn’t sleep. I was watching TV in the living room, but I kept thinking about Ashlynn. So I called Livvy to make sure everything was okay.’
‘Did you tell the police?’
Tanya’s eyes fluttered, as if she’d made a mistake. ‘I – I don’t think I did.’
‘It’s okay. Tell me about the call.’
‘I called Livvy’s cell. She answered right away.’
‘Did she say where she was?’
‘She said she was home. I asked if Ashlynn was okay, and she said yeah, she was fine. She told me she sobered up and dropped the gun and left Ashlynn there.’
That was exactly what Olivia had told him, too. An hour after the crime, and four days after the crime, she was telling the same story. That was a good thing.
‘How did Olivia sound?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know, she was pretty down. Like she’d been crying.’
‘Just to be clear, Olivia specifically told you that Ashlynn was fine.’
‘Yeah, that’s what she said.’
‘What else did you two talk about?’
‘I said, should we call somebody? You know, Ashlynn was stranded, shouldn’t we do something about it. I was pretty upset.’
‘Okay.’
‘Olivia said no. I figured she wanted to teach Ashlynn a lesson.’
‘Then what?’
‘That was it. I hung up. I went to bed, but I woke up around five o’clock, and I kept thinking about Ashlynn out there by herself. I felt really guilty that we didn’t help her. She didn’t deserve that. So I woke up my dad and told him the whole story, and he called the police.’
Chris was nervous about his next question; he didn’t want to inflame the girl’s suspicions. ‘Did you think about going back there yourself? I mean, after you hung up with Olivia. Did you think about driving back there and helping Ashlynn?’
‘Yeah, sure,’ Tanya admitted.
He watched her face. ‘But you didn’t?’
‘No. I should have, but I didn’t want to be out there by myself.’
If she was lying, she was good at it. She met his eyes dead on, as if she were daring him not to believe her.
‘I really appreciate your help, Tanya,’ he told her. ‘Do you want me to drive you back to school?’
Tanya shook her head. ‘I want to see my dad.’
‘Does he have an office downtown?’
She nodded.
‘I’ll drive you down there.’ Chris pushed himself off the wet step, and as he headed down the sidewalk toward his car, Tanya caught up with him. She stopped him with a hand on his arm.
‘Mr. Hawk? I didn’t tell anyone about this, and I don’t know if you want to hear it or not.’
‘What is it?’
‘Well, there was something else going on between Ashlynn and Olivia.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I don’t know exactly what it was,’ Tanya said, shaking her head. ‘Olivia keeps a lot of stuff to herself, you know? I’d get upset with her sometimes, because she was keeping secrets from me. But this thing with Ashlynn, it wasn’t just about Mondamin. I could tell. It was something personal.’
9
The squat building that housed Rollie Swenson’s office was located behind a parking lot on a side street between downtown Barron and the Spirit River, with a view across the water toward the city park. It was built of tan stucco, dirty and cracked, and the sign on the outside window said simply: ‘Law Office.’
When Chris arrived with Tanya, Rollie hugged his daughter ferociously, then read her the riot act for leaving school without calling him. Maxine Valma had obviously filled him in about the fight. As he listened to the parental lecture, Chris remembered what it was like to have a child in his life every day, balancing love and discipline, security and independence. He missed it.
Seeing Rollie Swenson was like seeing an
Similar Books
