Instead, the box contained porn magazines and a cell phone.
Mattie sat back on her heels, taking it in before replacing the lid and setting the box aside. The other boxes from the shelf held no surprises—she simply found the games and puzzles that the labels declared. A thorough search of the books and other items on the shelf revealed nothing else unusual.
Stella reentered the room, pulling on a pair of gloves she’d taken out of her jacket pocket. “A neighbor came over to sit with Juanita. The sheriff made coffee, and he has Banks in the kitchen drinking it. Brody arrived with the warrant.”
These succinct statements summed up the situation outside Candace’s bedroom. To sum up the situation inside, Mattie opened the lid on the Candyland box, and Stella nodded as she took in the contents. Then Mattie went to the dresser, opened the drawer, and removed the peekaboo underwear.
When she held it up, Stella’s eyes widened. “Good Lord,” the detective muttered. “Candace seems a little young for stuff like that, but maybe not these days. I could be showing my age.”
“Surprised me too.” Mattie led her to the bulletin board, and this time she shared her thoughts. “These boys are in high school, much older than Candace.”
“We need their names.”
Mattie pointed to each one, stating the boy’s name in turn.
“You already know them?”
“Remember, I run the drug intervention program at the high school. I know a lot of the kids there.”
“Are these kids considered high risk for drugs?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Part of the jock crowd. All athletes.”
“Fits the profile of someone with muscle carrying her uphill,” Stella said.
“I suppose so.”
“We’ll need to interview them.” Stella continued to examine the photos, pursing her lips, a sign that told Mattie she was deep in thought.
Mattie decided to give her something else to think about. “The family dynamic is off.”
Stella nodded, saying, “Yeah,” as she looked away from the photos and met Mattie’s gaze.
“I suspect the father of molesting Candace.”
Stella squinted. “What makes you say that?”
Mattie waved a hand around the room. “This evidence. Girls who’ve been molested often grow into promiscuous teens.”
“We don’t know if she’s promiscuous yet.”
“That’s what it looks like.”
“You might be overly sensitized to this subject,” Stella said.
“Maybe that’s not a bad thing.”
Stella studied Mattie’s face, and Mattie wondered what the detective was reading there. She arranged her features into a neutral mask.
“I’ll take your suspicion into consideration,” Stella said after a long moment. “I’ve already talked to Juanita. She’s pissed at him for being drunk and for not being home with the kids. He works at the mine in Rigby and stops at a bar in Hightower on his way home. He’s been drinking away a lot of his paycheck, and she’s sick of raising the kids by herself and doing all the work to keep up the house. She didn’t say one thing about suspecting him of abusing her children.”
“She might be in denial. Or afraid to report.”
Stella shrugged. “Could be. I’ll think about it. For now, let’s bag these things as evidence. I’ll go through that cell phone back at the station. Juanita confirmed that Candace does carry a backpack. Have you found it yet?”
“No, but the only area I’ve searched thoroughly is the closet. Robo cleared the entire room for narcotics, but we still need to go through the rest of this stuff piece by piece to see what else we’ve got.”
“Okay, let’s get started.”
The backpack didn’t turn up during the rest of their search. Leaving the room with Robo at her side, Mattie followed Stella into the living room, where Juanita sat with the neighbor, a Hispanic woman with a round face and kind eyes. A few strands of silver highlighted her black hair at her temples, and Mattie guessed her to be around Juanita’s age, early forties. Stella introduced her as Rosie Gonzales, and the lady acknowledged the introduction with a shy nod.
“We’re finished in Candace’s room for tonight, Juanita,” Stella said, “but I’m going to tape it off and not let you in there to clean until I’ve had a chance to look at it again during daylight.”
Juanita nodded slowly, as if she was barely able to move. Rosie reached toward her, and the two of them clasped hands. One tear trickled down Rosie’s cheek, making a fluid track on her smooth skin. Mattie made a mental note to add this woman to their list of people to interview, thinking she would be a valuable source for providing insight into the family dynamics.
“We’re going into the kitchen now to talk with the sheriff,” Stella said. “Is there anything I can get for you?”
“No. Just tell me when I can see my baby.” Juanita’s breath caught.
“I’ll see where we’re at and then check back with you. It’ll take a while, but we won’t forget you.”
Giving Mattie a glance, Stella walked through the living room and went into the kitchen. Mattie and Robo followed.
McCoy sat at the Formica-topped table with Burt, half-filled teal coffee mugs sitting in front of them. Burt had lost his belligerence, and without it, he appeared shrunken and bleary eyed. When Sheriff McCoy looked up at Stella, he gave her a nod, and a signal seemed to pass between them. Stella took a seat at the table.
Mattie didn’t know if she should stay or go. She decided one of her colleagues would direct her to leave if they wanted to reassign her current duty, and since neither of them did, she stayed in the background, leaning against the kitchen wall. With a hand gesture, she directed Robo to sit beside her and he did, his pink tongue showing as he opened his mouth in a gentle pant. He shifted his gaze back and forth, keeping an eye on Burt while watching Mattie for a signal.
“Mr. Banks, we’ve finished searching Candace’s room for tonight,” Stella said. “I think you’ll want to know that no drugs were found.”
“I didn’t think there would be any.” Burt gave Stella a hard look.
“I’m glad that we can confirm that. You might already be familiar with the contents of Candace’s room. Would you say so?”
He rolled his eyes. “God, no. The room’s a pigsty. Juanita makes her keep the door shut. But I know my daughter, and she wouldn’t be involved with drugs.”
Stella nodded. “Do you venture in there to visit with her about her day and such?”
“Haven’t been in that room for a long time.”
Mattie didn’t believe him.
“Tell me about Candace,” Stella said.
Banks stretched his legs out under the table and eased back in his chair, putting one hand up to his chin. His lips turned downward and his eyes reddened. “She’s a good girl. Helps her mother. Loves her dad.”
“She helps around the house?” Stella asked.
“Watches her brothers, helps Juanita with the cooking.”
“I know you work in Rigby, Mr. Banks. When do you get time to spend with your family?”
“Mostly time off between shifts.”
“Do you drive back to Timber Creek every night?”
“I stay at the boarding house part of the time during the week. Come home when I have days off.”
Shifts at the mine were long, often lasting up to ten days, and commuters came home during extended time off, which could be for four days or even more. Several old-fashioned boarding houses had sprung up in Rigby to accommodate the crew.