Death's Daughter Read Free Page A

was certain. She just wasn’t sure they would still be alive.
    “Thank you for coming. Coming so quickly, I mean. You’ve been here all along, haven’t you?” Mr. Richards stumbled over his words as she extracted her hand from his grip.
    A step back gave her some room to breathe and she shoved her hands into her pockets to keep from fidgeting. “Yes, I came as soon as they called me. If you don’t mind, I have some questions for you.”
    The look on his face grew guarded when confronted by her all-business tone. She felt like a bitch, but she couldn’t get too close to this. Maintaining her distance kept her from missing clues, missing opportunities that could cost someone their life.
    As always, Jeremiah recorded every word so she didn’t bother with her notebook. She asked the same questions that she had of all the other parents. Questions she knew the answers to, but had to ask anyway. “Have you noticed anyone unusual lately? A car you’ve seen repeatedly? Someone calling the house you don’t know? Anything like that?” She studied both of them, watching for any twitch that might give them away. That might indicate they weren’t being truthful. “Any little thing could be important. Even something you didn’t think anything of at the time but now seems odd.”
    As she expected, both parents shook their heads. They always did.
    “Is there anyone angry with either of you? Who might have taken your daughter to hurt you?”
    Mr. Richards shook his head again, but his wife looked up, fury replacing the tears in her eyes. “Are you suggesting this is somehow our fault? That we’re to blame for Cassie’s disappearance?” Despite the anger radiating from her, her voice cracked when she said the girl’s name.
    Jeremiah stepped up beside Juliana, ready to protect her, even if it was only from venomous words. She placed a hand on his arm to let him know she could handle it. “I’m not suggesting anything, Mrs. Richards.” She kept her voice level, calm. “I am merely trying to get all the information possible so I can find the person responsible for this.”
    The woman stood and wrung her hands together. Juliana resisted the urge to take another step back. She distrusted people in general and it was difficult to allow them within touching distance. Especially when they were angry with her.
    “You mean so you can find my Cassie, Walker Norris.” The mother’s eyes bored into Juliana’s looking for something, making her wish she’d kept her sunglasses on. She hated talking to the families. Give her a rabid troll any day of the week over a grieving parent. So much easier to deal with.
    “I’ll do my best to find your daughter, Mrs. Richards.” She meant the words, but didn’t have much faith in her ability to deliver. Not the way the woman meant anyway.
    “Cassie.”
    “I’m sorry?”
    “Her name is Cassie. Say it.”
    Juliana clenched her teeth and worked the muscle in her jaw.
    “Say it,” the woman yelled and the buzz of activity around them fell silent as people stopped to listen.
    “Marsha,” her husband said, pulling on her arm. “Leave her alone. She’s only doing her job.”
    Her eyes never strayed from Juliana. “That’s exactly the problem. Everyone here is just doing their job. My daughter is not a job. She’s a little girl who is somewhere alone, frightened and crying for me and I can’t get to her.” She broke on the last part and took a deep breath before continuing. “Now, Walker Norris, I want to hear you say my daughter’s name.”
    Juliana slid her sunglasses back on, not caring if it gave the woman a victory or not. “I will do my very best to bring Cassie back to you, Mrs. Richards. To both of you. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She walked away without waiting for a response.
    “You okay?” Jeremiah asked when they got to the fence. He kept his voice low so they wouldn’t be overheard.
    She hooked the fingers of one hand into it and kept her face turned away.