Carl’s jaw went hard as stone. “We want her back,” he said, enunciating every word.
“I sympathize with your grief, sir,” Talia said. “I need to understand your hostility.”
Carl straightened abruptly. “Our daughter was taken from us, forced to do God knows what, then murdered, and you have the nerve to criticize me?”
“I’m not criticizing you,” Talia said.
“The hell you’re not.” Carl lurched to his feet, pointing a trembling finger at Susannah. “My daughter had a future, but your father took that from her. She meets you and now she’s dead. You want gratitude for a goddamn burial plot? You can go to hell.”
Susannah sat, stunned. “What did my father have to do with your daughter?”
Carl’s fists were on his hips and his face was florid. “Don’t pretend you don’t know. Don’t pretend you cared about her. I’ve had enough from Vartanians to last me the rest of my goddamn life.” He slammed the front door so hard the whole place shook.
Susannah stared after him, unable to think of a thing to say.
Mrs. Linton remained, whether by choice or simply because she was trembling too hard to move Susannah was unsure.
“Mrs. Linton,” Talia said smoothly. “What connects your daughter to Judge Vartanian? I checked her file. There were no arrests, no appearances in court.”
“She was a minor,” Mrs. Linton murmured. “Her record was sealed.”
“What was the offense?” Talia asked.
Mrs. Linton’s eyes flashed. “Soliciting. She didn’t do it. She was an honor student. She tutored kids after school. Her teachers said she’d earn scholarships. But her life was ruined because she was arrested and we couldn’t afford to keep her out of jail.”
Talia frowned. “Soliciting. You mean prostitution?”
“Yes,” Mrs. Linton said bitterly. “That’s exactly what I mean. She served six months in a juvenile facility. We couldn’t afford any less.”
A chill ran down Susannah’s spine. “You couldn’t afford less? Less what?”
“Less time,” Mrs. Linton spat. “Your father sentenced her to two years. She was only sixteen. Your father wanted money to keep her out of jail. We mortgaged our house, but he said it wasn’t enough. He said she’d still serve a whole year.”
Susannah looked at Talia, stricken. She’d known it was true, known it was happening, but she’d been too young to act. Now she was seeing the effects of her father’s handiwork. No, I’ve been seeing the effects for the last six years. Every time I close my eyes and see Darcy, dead in a pool of her own blood.
Talia patted her hand, turning all her attention to Marcy’s mother. “Mrs. Linton, this is important. You said she’d been sentenced to two years, but you paid the judge enough to get it down to a year. But Marcy served six months. What happened?”
Mrs. Linton was studying Susannah uncertainly. “Someone in the juvenile system helped her. She got a new trial, a different judge. He let her go, time served.”
“Who was the judge, Mrs. Linton?” Susannah asked, already knowing the answer.
“Judge Borenson. He’s retired now.”
Talia blew out a breath. “When did the new trial happen, ma’am?”
“Almost thirteen years ago.”
It was like a kick in the ribs. “Not a coincidence,” Susannah whispered.
“I agree,” Talia said quietly. “Mrs. Linton, who helped your daughter get a new trial?”
“A lawyer from Legal Aid.” She looked from Talia to Susannah. “A different one than Marcy had the first time. His name was Alderman.”
Susannah closed her eyes. “He represented Gary Fulmore.”
“He died soon after he got Marcy out,” Mrs. Linton said. “He had a car accident.”
“Mrs. Linton,” Talia said, “were any others involved in your daughter’s release?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’ll have to ask my husband. He’s gone for a walk. It’s what he does when he gets angry about Marcy. I’ll ask him when he comes back.”
“Thank you,” Talia said. “Here’s my card. Please call me if you remember anything, no matter how small it seems. We’ll see ourselves out.”
Susannah followed Talia, turning when Mrs. Linton said her name. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Thank you,” Mrs. Linton said hoarsely. “For burying my daughter in a nice place.”
Susannah’s throat closed. “You’re welcome. I’ll make sure she’s moved to a nice place here. Pick the spot and let me know.”
Susannah waited for Talia to start the engine, conscious of Mrs. Linton watching them from the window. “Go back to Main Street,” she said. “But head away from town.”
“Where are we going?” Talia asked.
“To my parents’ house. Hurry, before I lose my nerve.”
Charlotte, North Carolina, Monday, February 5, 12:05 p.m.
Still reeling from the discovery of an Atlanta cop observing Genie Cassidy’s abduction, Harry called the one person he trusted to guide him through what could be a sticky situation. “Steven, it’s Harry.”
“Hey. I was just getting ready to call you.”
Harry’s heart sank. “You found Dr. Cassidy in Lake Gordon?”
“Only his car. Now we’re searching the shoreline. Harry, what’s wrong?”
“God, Steven. I’ve fallen into a mess.” He told his old boss about the Crown Vic.
“Holy hell, Harry. Are you sure?”
“That the car is registered to Houston, yes. Who’s behind the wheel I can’t say.”
“Have you called APD?”
“Not yet. I was wondering where to start. I could call the administrative office and get Paul Houston’s boss, but his boss might ask him directly. If Houston is dirty, I don’t want to risk tipping him off. I could call Atlanta’s Internal Affairs, but… hell, Steven.”
Steven was quiet a moment. “Do you trust this Papadopoulos?”
“Yeah. I think so. More than IA, anyway.”
“Then call him. Tell him what you found. Let him field the flak.”
“Seems cowardly.”
“Well, door number two is IA.”
“I’ll call Papadopoulos.”
“I thought so. Call me if you need anything more.”
Springdale, Monday, February 5, 12:25 p.m.
Talia waited until they were on the main road. “Why are we going to your parents’ house, Susannah?”
“My father kept records. Borenson came to our house often. They scratched each other’s backs.”
“But in Marcy’s case, Borenson reversed your father’s initial ruling.”
“Right after Borenson presided over Gary Fulmore’s trial, which we know was dirty. My father wouldn’t have been happy about being overruled.”
“Do you remember an argument between them?”
“No. But when Alicia Tremaine turned up dead in that ditch, my mother somehow knew Simon was involved. She went to Frank Loomis and begged him to ‘fix it.’ So he framed Gary Fulmore, a drifter who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and too high to know what was happening. Alderman was Fulmore’s defense attorney. The only evidence Loomis had was Alicia’s ring in Fulmore’s pocket and a little blood on his clothes. There were huge holes in the case. Judge Borenson should have seen. He should have seen.”
“A jury convicted Fulmore, Susannah. Borenson may not have been involved.”
“We both know a jury convicts based on the evidence they’re allowed to hear. Who knows if Borenson allowed Alderman to present a proper case?”
“And a few months later, Alderman stands before Borenson again and gets Marcy Linton released.”
“I wonder if Alderman knew Fulmore’s case was tainted and somehow threatened Borenson.” Susannah pulled her laptop from her brief- case. “I wonder how many cases Alderman won between Marcy Linton and the day he died.” Talia drove as she searched. “Looks like Alderman defended five people between Marcy Linton’s second trial and his death. He drew Borenson two of those five times and won both cases. He lost the other three.”