Lauren nodded.
Ann Marie let go of the woman’s hand and got out her cell phoneand began to tap on it with her finger.
What’s she doing now? Riley wondered.
Then Ann Marie said, “I took this picture at the crime scene thismorning. Did your daughter have a mole on her right cheek. One like this?”
Ann Marie showed her the picture on her cell phone. Lauren’s eyeswidened and she grew a little paler. Then she let out a long, strange sigh ofsurprise that somehow sounded both anguished and relieved.
She looked straight into Ann Marie’s eyes.
“It’s her,” she whispered. “It’s really her.”
Ann Marie nodded and said, “We were afraid so. I’m sorry.”
To Riley’s surprise, the woman didn’t burst into tears. Instead,she looked at the sheriff, then at Riley, and then at Ann Marie again. Shespoke in a voice that hinted of deep anger.
“You’ve got to find whoever did this to her.”
Ann Marie nodded. “That’s what my partner and I are here to do.We’d really appreciate your help.”
“Of course,” Lauren said.
Riley felt a tingle of unexpected optimism. Lauren was suddenlymuch more lucid than she had been.
Maybe it won’t last, Riley thought.
Maybe the truth hasn’t fully sunk in yet.
But in the meantime, maybe Lauren could answer some of theirquestions.
Riley said, “Could you tell us about the last time you saw yourdaughter?”
Lauren nodded.
“It was about eight thirty in the evening on Halloween night. She’djust put on her skeleton costume and she came into the living room—righthere—to show it off to her father and me. We were all quite amused by it. Shesaid she was going to leave for the party right then.”
“The party?” Riley asked.
“Over at Patsy Haley’s house, in her family’s rec room,” Laurensaid. “Patsy was a friend of Allison’s, and we’ve known her family for years.They had a Halloween party every year, and Allison always had fun there. Bradyand I were sure everything would be fine.”
“How did she get to the party?” Riley asked.
“She walked,” Lauren said. “The house is just a few blocks away,and our streets are normally so safe.”
Lauren stared into space for a moment, then repeated, “We weresure everything would be fine.”
The woman fell silent, but Riley knew better than to coax herwith questions.
She’ll talk on her own.
Sure enough, Lauren soon continued, “Then at about nine thirty, Patsycalled our house. She asked to talk to Allison. She wanted to know why she wasn’tat the party yet. She laughed and said, ‘I called to tell her to get her buttover here.’ I told Patsy … Allison wasn’t here and …”
Lauren’s voice faded, then she said, “That was when Brady and Istarted to worry.”
Her face darkened as she glared at Sheriff Wightman.
She said, “That was when I called you, Emory. I told youthat Brady and I didn’t know where Allison was, even though she was supposed tobe at a party, and I asked you to try to find her.”
Lauren’s lips twisted angrily.
She said to Wightman with a slight growl, “You told me not toworry. You said it was Halloween and Allison could be lots of places. Teenagerswere having parties all over Winneway, you said. Allison might be at any one ofthem, you said.”
The sheriff looked stricken now.
“Lauren …” he said.
The woman continued, “I told you something was wrong. I told youit just wasn’t like Allison to go someplace without telling anybody. And thatwas when you got testy. ‘It’s Halloween night,’ you said. ‘Do you want me tosend out some kind of a search party? All of my people are busy dealing withkids playing pranks.’”
Lauren looked away from the sheriff and added, “You promisedeverything would be all right. It was only after she was gone all night thatyou started looking for her. And by then it was too late.”
A grim silence followed. Riley felt sorry for the sheriff. It wasobvious from what Lauren was saying that he hadn’t done anything wrong. Infact, Riley knew that most sheriffs wouldn’t have bothered even starting tosearch the next day. Days might have passed before they started to take thesituation seriously.
Finally Lauren let out a choking sound and started to cry.
“She’s gone,” she gasped. “She’s really gone.”
Ann Marie handed Lauren a handkerchief. Then she took Lauren’shand again and patted it gently.
Riley knew the interview was over. But it hadn’t turned into thecatastrophe that she’d expected. Even though the information Lauren had giventhem must have long ago been told to the police, it did confirm a startingpoint for Riley’s investigation.
Riley rose from her chair and said, “Ms. Hillis, thank you foryour time and help. We’ll do everything we can to find whoever did thisterrible thing to your daughter.”
Lauren nodded, sobbing.
Her brother said, “I’ll see the three of you out.”
Senator Danson escorted Riley, Ann Marie, and Sheriff Wightman tothe front door. Riley saw that his expression was stern as he stepped out ontothe porch with them.
Danson spoke to Riley and her partner.
“How soon do you expect to catch this killer?” he asked.
Riley was startled by the question. It didn’t sound like aquestion at all. He sounded as if he expected them to precisely schedule themurderer’s apprehension and arrest.
“I don’t know,” Riley said. “But we will find him.”
Danson crossed his arms, looking anything but satisfied, but hesaid nothing more.
As she and her two colleagues stepped down off the porch, Rileylooked around at the neighborhood. It was getting dark now, and lawn lightswere starting to come on to illuminate the houses. She could see the brightorange of a Halloween decoration in front of a house on the other side of thestreet.
Halloween was nearly here. Was this killer going to strike againsoon? If he did, would it be here, in this same upscale community?
She asked Sheriff Wightman, “I assume you canvassed theneighborhood after you found out that Allison was missing.”
Wightman nodded and said, “Like you wouldn’t believe. Weinterviewed at least half of Aurora Groves. Nobody had any idea what hadhappened to her.”
Riley stood thinking for a moment. She felt sure that Wightmanand his team had done a thorough job.
Then Riley said, “I’d like you show me the way Allison would havewalked to
