“I have two sisters. How do you think I learned anything? They wrote everything in these little books and hid them in their room. I went to school later than they did and I’d pop the lock and read. I learned a lot. I was smart; I didn’t let them know I was reading their diaries until years later. I held those tidbits over their heads whenever I needed extra cash or a ride somewhere,” Jake responded with a satisfied grin. He leaned back and stretched his arms over his head, his fingers locked. “Yes, I had a good thing going.”
“You sneaky little devil.” Barbara took the book and opened it.
Barbara began to read aloud.
“I met him for the first time when Calvin took Sara, Darla, and me to the movie. He was so nice. He bought each of us popcorn and candy. I sat between him and Calvin’s friend, James. He asked if he could hold my hand. Then halfway through the movie, he put his arm around me. My heart was beating so fast. Darla leaned over and looked at us. She started to say something, but Calvin made her sit back. At the end of the movie, he kissed my cheek and asked if I would like to come to the movies again with him, alone. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I said, YES!”
“Whew, she had it bad.” Jake frowned. “Did she write his name? We know it wasn’t Calvin or James.”
Barbara grinned. “Wait, she goes on to write his name in hearts and flowers, all down the rest of the page. So, do you want to know who he is?”
“Come on, girl, stop stalling!” Robert tried to grab the book from her hand, but she leaned back, away from the two men.
“Okay, it is David. She has no last name, just David in hearts. The jerk is ten years older than she is.” Her voice was hard with anger.
“Barbara,” Robert admonished, “take it easy. Read the next entries. We will be here all day at this rate, and we have to be at work in an hour.”
When each had a cup of coffee, Barbara began to read where she left off, but Jake interrupted her. “Wait, just skip a few pages, let’s see how many times they meet.” Both Jake and Robert leaned over Barbara’s shoulder as she turned the pages. Lorene sat in a chair, listening.
“There!” Robert pointed to a page.
Barbara read on.
“Angie and I told our moms that we were sleeping at each other’s house. We met in our tent that Dad had put up to dry out. At nine, we went down the alley, and they picked us up and took us to a party. David told me I looked 18 years old. Angie had to put on my make-up because we didn’t have a mirror in the tent and we couldn’t use the lanterns. David danced with me and then took me to a bedroom, and we smoked pot. It was so good. I felt fantastic. He kissed me and felt my breasts.
I didn’t want him to stop kissing me. He tried to take off my panties, but I wouldn’t let him. He got a little mad at me but said he understood because I was just a little girl. I kind of got mad, but he said it was all right he would find an older girl who would let him kiss her down there. I told him if that was all he wanted, it was okay. He smiled and kissed me really hard. He gave me a drink. It was sweet and tasted like licorice medicine. He said it would make me feel better and relax me. I was too relaxed. I couldn’t move. I lay on the bed.”
“Do I have to keep reading this? It is like kiddy porn, and I want to be sick.” Barbara pushed the book away.
Robert squeezed her shoulder. “No, you don’t have to continue.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
She covered his hand on her shoulder. “It just makes me sick, but I’ll be all right.”
“Honey, this isn’t going to be easy. I don’t know that you should read this or even be involved.” He put his arms around her and held her against his body. He kissed her temple, her earlobe, and her neck. “If we keep this up, I might not get to work on time.”
She turned her head and lifted her palms to caress his jawline.
Lorene coughed to interrupt the foreplay, and said she and Jake needed to be leaving. Robert and Barbara thanked them for coming and said their goodbyes.
Robert put the book and the diary in his safe. He returned to the front room to take Barbara to work. As they left, he locked both locks on his front door and pushed the lock button on the screen door. He was going to make it as hard for anyone to break in as he could.
His mind was whirling with thoughts. What was he going to do with all that evidence? He didn’t trust the state’s lawyers. Usually, they were young bucks and had just passed the bar. Any of the more experienced lawyers who might handle the case could be compromised. The evidence might disappear, as the family had. He wished there was some way to make an actual photo—his brain kicked into gear. He could do that. He could put a calendar next to the pages so that he would have a reference and take pictures of the pages with his camera. He would take them to the—No, he couldn’t take them to the crime lab; he would have to find someone who would make the prints and negatives with him watching. He would find someone.
“Barbara, do you happen to know anyone who develops negatives?”
“You mean someone who has a private darkroom?” She smiled as she looked at him. “Got something kinky in mind?”
Robert stepped on the brake pedal a little too hard, throwing Barbara forward against the dash. Her quick reflexes kept her from being hurt.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to stop so fast.”
“That’s okay.” She sat back on the seat and pressed her hand against her heart that was beating fast and furious; more from the thought that had crossed her mind from his question, than from his quick stop.
“No, I didn’t mean that. I want to take pictures of the cash book and the diary and get them developed. I don’t know who to trust.”
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
“Then I will develop them for you.” Her smile was confident.
“You have a darkroom?” He frowned; he had peeked into her two bedrooms as he’d passed them in the hall. They were just regular bedrooms.
“It’s at my parent’s house. I have it set up in their basement. I noticed you have a good camera. I think taking pictures of the cash book and the diary is a good idea. I am glad that this is a way I can help. When do you want to do this?”
He pulled into a parking space at the station before he answered. “Tonight?”
At work, Robert wished the day was over. He felt a constant buzz in his blood. They were close to making an arrest. If Kelly had named others in that book, he would have them all on charges that their expensive lawyers couldn’t get them out of. His phone rang.
“Collins here.”
“I heard you bought some furniture today,” the deep voice intoned.
“Who is this?” Robert sat up straight in his chair. He wished he had a device to record this conversation.
“That’s not important. You and your friends were in your house for a long time with that furniture. What were you doing? Did you find something?” The voice became rough and insistent.
“We bought a desk for a young girl and a dresser for extra storage. What is that to you? Are you calling everyone who was at the sale to see why they bought things?”
“No, why would three cops be interested in an estate sale and just two pieces of furniture that were in the bedrooms of the parents and the oldest girl?”
Robert frowned. “How did you know what rooms they were in?”
“It is my business to know.”
“How do you know where they are? Have you been in my house? Are you the one who ransacked it the first time?”
“I know everything, and I’d be very careful if I were you; things have a way of disappearing. You already lost one partner and your family. I would hate for you to have a reputation that it is unhealthy to be your partner. Families are lost all the time.”