If Lena had packed for her normal weekly trip to her father’s house, why hadn’t she brought her elephant?
Kelly’s eyes went cold, and Bree knew in her bones that Kelly had shot James. Why was Lena’s elephant here on her bed, when she had supposedly been at her father’s place for her normal visit? Why would Kelly lie about when she’d last seen James and when she’d fought with him? Innocent people rarely lied about critical information. James had been at Kelly’s house just before he’d been murdered.
Do you know who lies in a murder investigation? Killers.
But who killed James and why wasn’t the most important question at that moment.
Bree narrowed her eyes at Kelly. “Where is Lena?”
“I don’t know.” Kelly’s gaze sharpened. “You’re supposed to find her.”
“You lied about when you last saw James. He was here last night just before midnight. Where is Lena, Kelly?” Bree took a step forward.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kelly inched backward.
“Don’t you?” Bree pushed.
“No.” Kelly stood and brushed past her, leaving the bedroom. “Why would you think James was here last night?”
Bree followed her into the hallway. “Your neighbor saw him,” Bree lied. Saw was an overstatement, but whatever. “He heard you fighting.”
Kelly turned, a gun in her hand. “Don’t move.”
Fuck.
No wonder they hadn’t found the gun. It had been on Kelly’s person the whole time.
Bree’s hand inched toward her own weapon. “What are you doing, Kelly? Drop the gun. You can’t get away.”
Kelly’s eyes darted to the back door. Romano and Marty were still on the patio. Was Kelly going to try to run? Without her daughter? Unless she knew where Lena was . . .
“Where is Lena?” Bree asked.
“I don’t know!” Kelly shouted. “You were supposed to find her, but the whole police department is so fucking stupid, they can’t find one five-year-old.”
“What happened, Kelly? Why did you kill him?”
“I didn’t say I did.” Kelly put her back to the wall.
Bree gave her a Look. “Give it up, Kelly. I know.”
“I didn’t mean to do it.” Kelly’s eyes narrowed with hate. “But I don’t feel bad. He wanted to take Lena away from me. He said if I wanted a divorce, he’d go for full custody. Said he wasn’t paying child support. No fucking way. He’d take Lena and the money I get from the state. If I fought him for the money, he’d kill me.”
“Why not call the police?”
“And what would you do?” Kelly snarled. “Have me file a restraining order? That’s worth nothing. He would still kill me.” She snorted. “I did the only thing I could to protect myself and my daughter. I killed him first.”
“Did Lena see you shoot James?” Bree shifted sideways, trying to turn her body so Kelly wouldn’t see her draw her gun.
Kelly looked horrified. “Of course not! I’m not a monster. James brought Lena back so he could go buy drugs. Lena was already asleep. I put her to bed, then I followed him.”
“You left her alone?” Bree asked.
Kelly sniffed indignantly. “She was sleeping, and I didn’t have a choice. James would have killed me, but I had no proof and no other way to protect myself.”
“Where did you get the gun?” Bree asked.
“I’ve had it for years, for protection. This is the first time I’ve needed it.” Kelly shook the pistol in her hand. “Put your hands up!”
Bree assumed the classic surrender pose. “Did Lena know about James’s threats?”
Kelly exhaled. “Lena doesn’t know what’s going on.”
“But she does.” Marty stood at the end of the hall. They hadn’t heard him come inside. “Just because she don’t talk don’t mean she don’t understand.”
Bree knew that children comprehended much more than adults realized. Maybe Lena had seen her mother argue with her father. They’d yelled loudly enough to be heard through the walls of the rowhome. Maybe she’d heard the threats they’d uttered—maybe she’d been scared and she’d run away.
Bree empathized all too well. “Where is Lena?”
“I don’t know!” Kelly spit. “When I got back, she was gone.”
Nausea rolled through Bree’s stomach. “You didn’t call the police when you first noticed Lena was gone.”
“And tell them she ran off while I was shooting her father?” Kelly barked out a grating, incredulous laugh.
“You shot James.” Marty’s voice went flat.
“He said he was gonna kill me!” Kelly shouted. “I looked all over for her. I don’t know where she went.” Her mood abruptly shifted from wild anger to despair. “Do you know how hard it is to raise an autistic child?” Kelly waved the gun at the child’s room. “She don’t talk, but she can scream until your eardrums bleed.” Kelly put her other hand to her temple, as if she could hear the screams in her head.
“Put down the gun, Kelly,” Bree said in a firm voice.
“Fuck you.” Kelly sneered.
“Are you going to kill me? What about my partner and Marty?” Bree asked. “You can’t get away. Everyone knows what you did.”
“Where is your partner?” Kelly looked around frantically.
“She’s right here.” Romano said from the doorway. She held her own service weapon, and it was pointed at Kelly. “Put the gun down, Kelly.”
Instead, Kelly spun, whipping the gun around toward Romano.
Bree lunged forward and knocked her arm upward. The gun went off. The bullet struck the ceiling. Bits of plaster rained down. And then Bree had Kelly’s arms behind her back. She snapped on the cuffs. “Kelly Tyson, you are under arrest for the murder of James Tyson.”
Once Kelly was restrained, Bree turned to Romano. “We need a K-9 team over here. If Lena ran away last night, the dog should be able to track her.”
More units arrived. Bree secured Kelly in the back of a patrol car. The K-9 arrived within twenty minutes. The dog led them across the tiny square of cement behind the Tyson’s rowhome, to the gate that led into Mrs. Lawrence’s patio space. A board under Mrs. Lawrence’s back steps was broken.
The K-9 approached the steps and began to bark. Bree moved ahead, putting aside her fear of the big dog to crouch next to the steps. She shone her flashlight into the darkness. A wide-eyed little girl crouched, shivering in the shadows. Bree recognized the trauma in Lena’s eyes. The little girl had seen her parents fight, possibly overheard their shouted threats. Her response had been to run and hide.
Bree knew all this because she’d lived it.
Some children were afraid of the dark, while others sought it out, hoping it could protect them.
Thankfully, Lena had had the sense to put on boots and a coat. Bree’s vision dimmed. She was transported back more than twenty years. She saw darkness, felt the shaking bodies of her siblings as they huddled together under the porch. The cold penetrated their thin pajamas. A gunshot went off. Bree flinched.
“Taggert?” Romano’s concerned voice broke the flashback.
Bree shook it off. “I’m OK.”
Romano gave her a disbelieving stare. “Whatever.”