Silence: The Faces of Evil Christmas Prequel Read Free Page B

“Anything at all you might forget to mention now could come back to haunt you later.”
    “I said I don’t know anything else. Why won’t you leave me alone?” Potter crossed her arms over her chest. “I just want to be left alone.”
    Jess gave her a second to calm down. “That’s a real shame.” She sighed. “What my colleagues may have failed to tell you is if we knew where the women were or where Aniston might have held them for a time, there’d probably be a lot of evidence that directly connects him to all four. With that much evidence we wouldn’t need a witness at all. There wouldn’t be any reason to even mention your name since his attorney would be begging the prosecutor for a deal to avoid the death penalty.”
    This wasn’t exactly something the Bureau could offer. In fact, Jess was making it up as she went along. But the scenario she suggested was a logical one. With enough evidence, witnesses weren’t needed. They were considered unreliable more often than not. She’d certainly heard enough attorneys say as much.
    Interest stirred in the other woman’s eyes. “You’re saying if I could help you find some more evidence—not saying I could, mind you—I could wash my hands of this whole mess?”
    Jess smiled. “That’s exactly what I’m saying, Ms. Potter. You help me find the place where Melvin took those girls after he snatched them and I’ll make sure you don’t have to show your face in the courtroom when he goes on trial.”
    With the right evidence there was a chance a trial wouldn’t even be necessary. And if Potter turned out to be Aniston’s accomplice, she wouldn’t be showing her face at his trial.
    She would have her own.

 
    3
    Christmas Eve
    Publix, Hoover, Alabama, 6:45 p.m.
    No hot fudge pies.
    Jess scowled as she circled the festive holiday stands in the bakery section of the store for the third time.
    Dozens of pies. Chocolate—not the same as hot fudge at all—apple, pecan, pecan, pecan, key-lime, peach, pumpkin.
    “Shoot.” Plain old chocolate would just have to do.
    Jess added a chocolate pie to the basket hanging on her elbow then went in search of the wine aisle.
    “Merry Christmas, shoppers,” echoed from the store’s intercom system.
    Knowing what the coming announcement would likely be, she picked up her pace, zigzagging faster through the crowd that seemed to multiply the closer she got to the wine and beer aisle.
    “Just a friendly reminder,” the disembodied voice went on, “that Publix will be closing in fifteen minutes so our employees may spend the holiday with their families. Please proceed to the checkout counters with your final purchases. Thank you for shopping at Publix.”
    Jess cut around and between other customers as she scanned the wine labels. Something light and crisp would go well with the chocolate pie. She grabbed a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and headed for the checkout counters.
    Every register had a line of customers waiting. Jess groaned. She was never getting out of here . The express lines were the longest but, like her, the customers queued there had the fewest items. She made her way through the cluster and got in the shortest of the three lines. Should move reasonably quickly, she hoped.
    Her cell chimed that tinkling melody. Probably Lil checking up on her again. Jess fished for her phone deep in her purse. One of these days she had to organize this hobo style handbag or get something larger. Everyday she seemed to carry more of her life around with her. Possibly, she admitted, because she was never home.
    She flipped open the phone and greeted her sister. “I’m at the register now, Lil.”
    The woman in front of Jess glanced back at her. She smiled and shrugged. So she’d lied. Just because there were... eight, nine... ten people ahead of her didn’t change the fact that she was at the register prepared for checkout. The nosy woman turned her attention forward once more.
    Merry Christmas to you, too, Jess