Cast into Doubt

THIRTY-THREE

Alex Ortega looked down at the awkward-looking teenager who had answered the door. ‘Molly?’ he asked. ‘Yes,’ said Molly frowning.

‘Is your mother at home?’

‘Yes. She’s at home,’ said Molly.

‘Can you get her for me?’

Molly nodded and disappeared. A minute later she was back. ‘She’ll be here in a minute.’

‘Molly, you might want to go out to the squad car out there. There’s somebody in that car who wants to see you.’

‘Who?’ asked Molly suspiciously.

‘Your dad. He’s kind of banged up, but he came along for the ride.’

‘Really?’ Molly took off down the walk through the gardens of the bewitching front lawn. When she was almost to the car, she stopped, and looked back suspiciously at the detective.

The rear window of the car rolled down, and Rob looked out. ‘Molly,’ he called out anxiously.

‘Dad!’ Molly rushed over to the car, just as Lianna arrived at the front door. She saw her daughter leaning into a strange car.

‘Hey,’ she demanded. ‘What the hell . . . Molly!’

Molly straightened up and waved at her mother. ‘It’s Dad,’ she said.

Rob gazed at her, unsmiling, out the car window, and lifted a hand in greeting.

‘What’s my ex doing here?’ Lianna asked nervously.

‘May I come in?’ asked Detective Ortega. ‘I have a few questions I’d like to ask you.’

Lianna frowned, but stepped out of the way. Detective Ortega came inside, and waited for her. Lianna led the way down the hall to the sunroom. She flopped into a wicker chair and pointed to another one. ‘What’s this all about?’ she asked.

Detective Ortega took a moment to absorb the sight of her. She was curvaceous and lissome at the same time. Her face had a symmetrical perfection that was rare to see, although she seemed unconscious of her beauty, and did almost nothing to enhance it. Her clothes were faded, and she had no visible make-up, although one didn’t ordinarily see such a flawless complexion, even with make-up.

‘Mrs Janssen,’ he said. ‘Are you acquainted with a man named Norman Cook?’

Lianna blanched. ‘Why are you asking me about Norman Cook?’

‘Mrs Janssen?’ said Ortega politely but firmly.

Lianna sighed. ‘Yes. I mean, I was, years ago. I knew him. A lifetime ago.’

‘When’s the last time you saw him?’

‘Not for years,’ she said. ‘What is going on?’

‘Do you know where he is?’

Lianna glowered. ‘Why?’

‘Just answer the question,’ said Ortega.

‘He’s in prison,’ Lianna said. ‘Serving a life sentence. Why are you asking me about Norman?’

‘Have you heard from him lately?’

‘No,’ said Lianna. ‘Why would I?’

Detective Ortega stared at her. ‘What was your relationship with Norman Cook?’

Lianna sighed. ‘All right, look. I was involved with him. It was a lifetime ago. He was a guy with a wild streak, and I was young and very naive, when we met. I did whatever he told me to do. I shouldn’t have, but I did. It was a terrible mistake to ever get mixed up with him in the first place. I’m not the same person now. I have moved on.’

‘Are you aware of the fact that he escaped from a prison work detail a few weeks ago and stole a car?’

‘Norman escaped?’ she cried.

‘Yes.’

Lianna shuddered.

‘You seem uncomfortable with that idea.’

‘I am uncomfortable,’ she said. ‘I don’t want Norman Cook to be trying to find me. Or anyone else.’

‘Do you think it’s likely that he would try to find you?’

‘I don’t know. It’s possible. I stopped answering his letters years ago.’

‘Mrs Janssen, we have reason to believe that Norman Cook did just that. He came here looking for you a few weeks ago.’

‘Came here?’ Lianna yelped. ‘No.’

‘Apparently, he went first to the home of your ex-husband in Manayunk. Then he was directed here, to your present address.’

‘Directed by whom?’ Lianna asked suspiciously.

‘By Chloe Kendricks,’ he said.

Lianna’s eyes widened. ‘Oh my God. Wait a minute. She talked to Norman? Oh my God. Was he the one who told her? Of course, he did. Jesus . . .’

‘Excuse me?’ said Detective Ortega.

Lianna sighed. She got up and walked over to the door of the sunroom and glanced into the house. Then she closed the sunroom door firmly. ‘Look, I was just a teenager myself when I got involved with Norman Cook. OK? I was young and I got pregnant. Before long I found out that he was still married to somebody else. But, by then, I was afraid of him. He was a very violent man. He killed two men. Two perfectly innocent men who just happened to be in his path. That’s what he was like. I mean, I was relieved when he went to jail. He begged me to wait for him. Of course I said I would but . . . well, I didn’t mean it, as you can imagine. I got away as soon as I could.’

‘What happened to your child?’

‘You met her,’ said Lianna flatly. ‘At the door.’

‘The young girl with the glasses?’

Lianna exhaled a noisy sigh. ‘Yes. My daughter, Molly. But she doesn’t know about the terrible things her father did, and I don’t want her to know.’

‘Did you see Mr Cook when he came looking for you?’

‘No,’ said Lianna. ‘God, no. I had no idea he had escaped from prison, let alone was in the area. And, of course, Chloe did not see fit to tell me.’

‘So, you’re telling me that you did not see Norman Cook, or speak to him.’

‘No. Why are you asking me this? What difference does it make if I saw Norman Cook or not?’

‘Mr Cook was shot to death. His body was found floating in the Schuylkill.’

‘WHAT?’ Lianna jumped to her feet. She put a protective hand over her belly as if to hide her pregnancy from view.

If her surprise was not genuine, Alex thought, she ought to be in movies.

‘Do you know anything about his death?’

‘Do I . . .’ Lianna was gasping for breath, shaking her head. ‘No. No, I don’t know anything. I never even . . . Who shot him?’

‘Well,’ said Detective Ortega. ‘I was wondering if you did.’

All the color drained from Lianna’s face, and her eyes became unfocused. Then, her irises rolled back and her knees gave way. Ortega jumped to his feet and reached out to try to catch her but he was too late. Lianna fell, with a thud, to the floor.