There were nine of them in a twobedroom apartment. Both the parents
drank themselves into early graves. Rebecca is self-educated, and
about three years ago, she moved to St. Louis and severed ties with
her relatives. She met a businessman and she's planning to marry him
in the fall. She goes to church every Sunday and works in the
library.
' 'If she's in love, she's probably trying to protect him. She's got
to know this gang could use him to get to her, ' Cooper said. 'What
about Grace and Jessica? What do you know about them? ' 'I don't know
anything about Grace yet, other than the fact that she came here from
England and that she wants to buy aranch. I wired some contacts in
London, but I haven't heard back from them yet.'
'And Jessica? ' Cooper asked.
'Her mother died about two years ago. Her father deserted the family
when she was a little girl. Jessica came to Rockford Falls from
Chicago to help with the delivery of her aunt's baby. The aunt was her
mother's sister, and she was the only family she had left.'
'You're talking as though she's dead. Is she? ' Cooper asked.
'Yes, ' Daniel answered. 'She died a couple of hours after childbirth
from hemorrhage. She and her husband had been married for over fifteen
years when she finally got pregnant. Her husband didn't want the baby,
though. After his wife died, he didn't stay around long enough to name
the baby. He left town the very next day and hasn't been heard of
since.'
'What happened to the baby? ' Cooper asked.
'Jessica happened, ' Daniel answered. 'She's very young, but she's
doing a hell of a job raising the boy on her own.'
'That's a hard burden for a single woman to take on, ^ Cooper said.
'She's up to the task, ' Cole said. 'Jessica's strong.'
'Sounds like she is, ' Cooper agreed. 'Her baby would be a good reason
for her to keep silent if she were your witness. She'd probably go to
great lengths to protect him.'
'Grace probably had someone she was trying to protect too, ' Cole
said.
'She does, ' Daniel replied. 'Her parents.'
'Where did you get all this information? ' 'Tilly MacGuire, ' Daniel
