When he turned to face her she looked up into his eyes. “Because she deserves the truth, Eric. Her kids deserve it.” And what else do I have to live for?
He looked away. “But what if the truth is really that she did it? That no one else killed her?”
“You really think she could have? Really, Eric?”
He sighed heavily and looked at the ground between his feet. “No. No, I don’t really think she could have.”
“Then she didn’t.”
He looked over at her, the corner of his mouth twitching. “And I’m certainly not about to argue with you.”
She put her hands on her hips and rolled her neck before stepping back into the alley. “Then come on.”
“Where are we going?”
She smiled. “We’re going to go see exactly what it is Yvonne knows. And we’re not taking no for an answer.”
He hesitated. “Karl will be out looking for us by now.”
“Yeah, well, he can join the club.”
They walked a bit, until Casey realized Eric was laughing. She stopped. “What?”
“It’s just…you were like Spock. Doing the Vulcan stun thing to Karl.”
“Oh. Well. Live long, and all that.”
“Yeah.”
They kept walking.
Yvonne’s house was dark, except for the outside light by the door, which she must’ve turned on after they left the first time. Her husband’s truck was still absent.
“What about the dogs?” Eric said.
“I guess we’ll have to hope she doesn’t let them eat us.” She slipped beside the house, where she’d be hidden when Yvonne opened the door. Eric looked at her to get the go ahead, then rang the bell.
Yvonne didn’t answer, and the dogs were silent.
Eric rang the bell again, and knocked on the door. After a few minutes of this, the inside door jerked open.
“Eric? What do you want? You’re going to wake the kids, and then what are we going to do?”
Casey stepped out, swung open the screen door, and braced the inside door with her foot.
“Yes,” Casey said. “May we come in?”
Without waiting for an answer, she pushed past Yvonne into the house, and found herself pinned to the counter by the two large Doberman Pinschers, snarling and emitting low growls. Casey froze, her hands out in front of her.
“Yvonne, don’t!”
Casey looked up from the dogs to see Eric wrestling a cell phone out of Yvonne’s hand. He wrenched it away, ended the call she’d begun, and shoved it into his pocket.
Yvonne backed away from him, flattening against the wall. “They said if I saw you again I should call them.”
“So they know I was here before?”
“Jimmy came home for something to eat. I told him.”
Eric glanced at Casey, who was trying to access her ability to fight two large dogs. Fighting off people was one thing. Dogs were a different story altogether. She glanced at the counter beside her. The only things within reach were the soap dispenser, a dishrag, and a plastic napkin holder. Nothing too promising as a weapon.
“Yvonne,” Eric said. “Can you call off the dogs?”
Yvonne hugged her stomach, staring at Casey. Casey had no doubt her swollen lip and bloody shirt did not paint a pretty picture.
“She killed someone,” Yvonne said. “She’s dangerous.”
“She’s not dangerous,” Eric said. “Not to you.”
Yvonne shook her head, her mouth open.
“I won’t hurt you, Yvonne,” Casey said. “The only reason I…those men attacked me. I had to defend myself.”
Yvonne closed her mouth, but her lips continued working against her teeth.
“Yvonne,” Eric said. “Please. We just want to talk. Come on. You know me.”
Yvonne took a few more heavy breaths before holding out her hand. “Only if I can have my phone back.”
Eric placed his hand over his pocket. “You won’t call them?”
Yvonne lifted her hand higher. “I’ll listen to what you have to say.”
Eric looked at Casey and she nodded shortly. If Yvonne made the call, Casey would just have to fight her way through the dogs. Maybe she’d squirt them in the face with the anti-bacterial hand cleaner.
Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone. He hesitated briefly before placing it in Yvonne’s open palm. She wrapped her fingers around it and pulled it against her stomach. “Roxie. Jabba. Down.”
The dogs dropped to their haunches, and their growling turned into happy panting, their tongues lolling from their mouths.
“Bed,” Yvonne said.
The dogs trotted to the next room, where Casey could see two large doggie pillows lying side by side. The dogs curled up on the cushions, but their eyes remained on Casey. She shivered, returning her attention to Yvonne.
“Yvonne,” Eric said. “We know about the boy.”
Her face went blank for only a moment before her eyes widened, filling with tears. “The boy…”
“Come on.” Eric led her gently to a chair.
They were in the kitchen, and the closest place was at the table. Yvonne dropped her phone in front of her before laying her face in her hands.
Eric sat next to her. “Yvonne, what happened? What has Karl done?”
She rolled her head back and forth in her hands before jerking it up, her face inches from Eric’s. Her eyes were red, and tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “I can’t tell. I can’t tell you.”
“But Yvonne—”
“I can’t!” She pushed herself away from the table, sending her chair crashing backward. Her face twisted and she grabbed the chair, lifting it off the floor.
Casey stepped forward and wrapped her hand around one of the rungs. “Don’t, Yvonne. Please.” Casey kept a hold on it, making eye contact, watching as Yvonne’s grip slackened, and then relaxed completely.
Yvonne let go of the chair and spun away, leaning against the wall.
“Yvonne,” Eric said.
Casey shook her head, and he quieted.
Yvonne’s shoulders began to shudder, and soon she was gasping for air, her body heaving. Her hand trailed down the wall as her knees buckled, and Eric jumped from his seat, grabbing her around the waist as she slipped to the floor. He went down, too, and ended up holding her on his lap, rocking her as he would a child. “Shh, Yvonne. It’s okay. It’s okay.”
Tucking her face into his neck, her sobs gradually diminished, until she was taking deep breaths and wiping her face on his shirt.
“Tell us,” Eric said gently. “Please.”
Yvonne gave one last snort, then climbed to her feet, stumbling into the other room. Casey poised for flight. Eric held out his hand. The sound of Yvonne blowing her nose came from the back hallway, and they heard water running. Yvonne returned to the kitchen, her face blotchy, water spots dotting her shirt.
“I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “Except keep my mouth shut. He told me…he told me if I didn’t, I would be arrested. Arrested. Me!” She shook her head with apparent disbelief. “Even with Jimmy being a cop, I could be… Anyway, I couldn’t say anything. It was in the contract.”
“Why didn’t the parents file a lawsuit?” Eric asked.
