Stella took a long drink, sighing her approval. “I’ll start with Jed Franklin, because I’m sure he’s the one you’re most interested in. He seemed eager to sing. We got a full confession, written and signed.”
Mattie released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.
“It was like he told Sophie. Candace reminded him of his sister, so he used a burlap bag from the feed store to put over her head to capture her. He’d been watching her for a while and knew she went up the hill to meet others after school. He worked the early shift and got off work by then, so he’d go up there to stalk her. He took a chance, but when he spotted her alone with no one else up there waiting, he grabbed her. Didn’t know she was allergic. She died within minutes. He said that when he realized what was happening, there was nothing he could do. Sobbed his little ole heart out.” Stella’s disgust was evident as she took another sip of her beer.
Sadness over the girl’s death overrode Mattie’s other emotions. “What a waste.”
“I’ll say. He confessed to Sophie’s abduction too. Said he never would have hurt her. I pointed out that he already did. Said he wanted to take care of her, and he was afraid he would accidentally kill her too when she got sick. He says he planned to bring her back to her house and let her go, although as you know, she says he told her he planned to take her away, so I hesitate to believe him.” Stella shook her head. “He saw how much she resembled his sister when she came to the store to buy chicks.”
Mattie realized she was sitting all hunched up. She forced herself to straighten and tried to relax. “How did his sister die anyway?”
“Car accident with him driving. Got hit by a drunk driver, if what he says is true. She was in the passenger seat, and he didn’t make her wear her seat belt. He was sixteen and she was twelve. He’d picked her up from her friend’s house at his mother’s request. Parents blamed him for her death. It’s been eating at him all this time.”
“Geez.”
“Yeah. Sad deal, but it doesn’t give him a license to abduct and kill other people.”
No, it doesn’t, Mattie thought.
But she couldn’t help but relate to the fact that Franklin’s motive and goal were similar to one she had for herself—to regain a semblance of family.
“Do you have him on suicide watch at the jail?”
“Yep.” Stella leaned her head on the sofa’s cushion at her back. “He’ll be assigned a public defender, and I hope he goes ahead and pleads guilty. Get him into the system and maybe get him some help.”
Mattie drew a breath and released it slowly. Getting him the help he needed through the system would be unlikely.
“Burt Banks showed up at home this morning. When I talked to him, I leaned on him as hard as I thought I could, but didn’t get any confession about him mistreating Candace. Although I respect your opinion, Mattie, I think your instinct on that one might be off.”
She shrugged. “You could be right about that.”
“Anyway, in light of the fact that we have no suspicion or accusation from Juanita Banks or the neighbor, we have to let it go. He seems to be grieving his daughter’s loss like any normal dysfunctional parent.” Stella tossed her a sarcastic grin before sobering.
Mattie caught her drift. “Agreed.”
“Merton Heath and company stopped by to check in with us on their way out of town. Heath told me he’ll never come anywhere near Timber Creek again when he goes on vacation.” Stella snickered as she enjoyed a moment of cop humor. “Hey, if you want to avoid being rounded up as a suspect, you’d better keep your nose clean. A criminal record can be a bitch.”
Mattie nodded, wanting to share Stella’s laughter, but she felt too tightly wound up inside to let go.
Stella took another pull on her beer. “And of course, Wolford’s still facing drug charges, but he had nothing to do with Candace and Sophie.”
“I guess Brooks Waverly doesn’t either.”
“Yeah. I found out it took him an extra hour to arrive to the store on that errand. Probably hanging out with some kid here in town. He’s playing games with his parents, but that’s their problem, not ours. Or I should say, not ours yet.” Stella shot a knowing glance at her.
“When we arrested Wolford, I hoped we could get Banks to testify against him on the gaming charges,” Mattie said.
“Oh, I think we still can. Juanita might help us with that.”
“And what’s the status on Gus Tilley?”
“Social Services got him hooked back into his support system. They got him medicine from the pharmacy in Hightower for this month, and he should start receiving it through the mail again next month. They’ll follow up and make sure everything is working the way it should.” Stella paused. “I need to finish talking to you about him.”
“Brody already did. I agree that I should stay more objective in the future.”
“That’s good, but there’s more I need to say. I received crisis intervention training when I was working in Byers County. It teaches law enforcement officers how to identify people with mental illness as well as ways to handle crisis situations that involve them. That’s why I knew what to look for. I’ve asked Sheriff McCoy to set up a training session for us. It’s more important than ever these days.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Stella gave her a sharp look. “Which brings me to you. Are you still working with your therapist?”
Mattie nodded.
“Do Brody and Sheriff McCoy know about it?”
“Just you.”
Stella watched Robo chew his rawhide for a moment. “You have the right to take care of yourself privately, as long as it doesn’t affect your behavior on the job. I told you I’m concerned about your anger, but I’ve got to say, you handled yourself like a professional during this case. With a little bit of coaching.”
Mattie held Stella’s gaze. “I intend to do what I can to get well. I’m focused on following my therapist’s recommendations and taking care of Robo. I can work through this.”
Stella reached out and squeezed Mattie’s hand before withdrawing hers and looking away. “I believe you can too. Just remember you’re not alone.” She finished the last of her beer. “By the way, Robo was pretty spectacular in that scent lineup.”
Robo pricked his ears at Stella but didn’t stop chewing. His teeth scraped against the hard edge of the pressed rawhide.
Mattie smiled at him and leaned back into the sofa cushions. She finally felt herself unwind while she watched him. “He was, wasn’t he? He’s a pretty spectacular dog.”
“That he is.”
A knock came at the door, and Mattie and Stella looked at each other. “You expecting someone?” Stella asked.
Mattie shook her head, rose from the couch, and headed for the door; Robo left his rawhide and went with her. She flipped on the porch light and looked through the peephole. Cole was standing there holding a cardboard box.
She turned to Stella in surprise. “It’s Cole.”
Stella jumped off the sofa, carrying her empty bottle to the kitchen as she hopped on one foot and then the other, tugging on her shoes. “I’ll be on my way,” she was saying.
Mattie opened the door. “Cole, this is a surprise. I didn’t know you knew where I live.”
“It’s not hard to find out these things in Timber Creek.” He raised the box slightly. “Mrs. Gibbs sent you a care package.”
Mattie held the door wide while pushing Robo out of the way. “Robo, get back. He’s happy to see you,” she said to Cole. “Come in. I don’t mean to make you stand out there in the cold.”