The Silent Witness: An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller by Arnold Carolyn

Author:Arnold, Carolyn
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781800190214
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2021-09-23T16:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Two

Amanda thanked Lucky and Zoe and praised their courage, and when she left the room, Zoe had begun to eat her snack. Colleen was standing in the hallway, waiting. Trent approached then, looking like he was just getting in from court. He was wearing a light jacket and had a bag strapped over his shoulder. “Come with me,” Amanda said to the two of them and proceeded to lead the way to her cubicle. “The man from last night didn’t shoot the Parkers, but he was there.”

Trent set his bag down on his desk and joined the women in Amanda’s area. “There was more than one person?”

“Yep. Two men.”

“So she did see,” Colleen whispered.

Amanda nodded. “The drawing she had for me was quite macabre. It was her father dead in a pool of blood.”

“Poor thing,” Trent empathized, showing his first real crack in his armor for the girl. Amanda had never really considered him as the father type. Then again, you didn’t have to be a father to have empathy for a child who had witnessed something horrific.

“You can say that many times over. But as we spoke”—Amanda looked at the doctor—“actually, as I spoke with her stuffed dog, I learned quite a bit.”

“Transference,” Colleen said. “It’s sometimes easier to project experiences to a third party. It’s a defense mechanism, the mind’s way of protecting itself.”

“Well, to get more out of her in the future, you might try talking to the dog. Sir Lucky is its formal name. Maybe you can let her know that I told you about him.”

Colleen’s brow tightened. “I wouldn’t put it that way because Zoe could feel betrayed and stop talking to you too.”

Amanda hadn’t thought of that. “Good point, but I’m sure you can figure out how to handle it. I just wanted you in the loop.”

“I appreciate that.” Colleen smiled pleasantly. “Is there anything else I should know?”

“Something both of you should know. She heard the shooter ask Brett for his pictures.”

Trent met her gaze. “Huh. We thought the shooter might have been after a picture. Did he say anything more specific? What he might have been looking for a photo of?”

Amanda shook her head, but Trent’s questions got her thinking. “Sir Luck— Zoe said that the man just asked for the pictures. Brett refused, and that apparently only made the man angrier and louder and— Well, we know the rest.”

“Brett Parker knew what the man wanted,” Trent concluded.

“I think he did.”

“And they probably got what they were after in the end,” Trent said. “No negative rolls or backup drives in the home.”

“Wow. It sounds like you guys have some work ahead of you,” Colleen said and jacked a thumb over a shoulder. “And so do I.”

“Just take it easy on her this afternoon,” Amanda blurted out, and added, “Please.”

“Always, Detective.” Colleen dipped her head and left.

Amanda turned back to Trent.

“Two perps,” he said incredulously.

“Yeah. The guy from last night probably searched the house while the other one went straight to the Parkers’ bedroom.

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