Page 43 of Only Girl Alive

“Hannah and several of the wives are ill with the flu or some other nasty virus. It will be impossible for you to interview them today and I can have the doctor speak to Judge Remki if needed.”

“That may be necessary,” Eve told him. “I doubt the judge will be happy with the interference we’ve run into since arriving.”

“I’ll look forward to speaking with him,” Aaron said with his earlier tiredness gone and his arrogance fully restored.

The line went dead and Eve wanted to scream.

Clyde glanced out the window before speaking. “We need to keep interviewing neighbors in the surrounding area, beginning with the homes closest to the Tanners.”

“I agree.” Collin said. They were all frustrated but still had a job to do. “No time like the present.”

They split into two groups. Clyde and Eve took the SUV with Bina, Collin, and Ray taking the van. No one answered at the first home when Eve knocked. This was another tactic used to impede investigations. They got lucky at the next compound where two women were returning from the grocery store. Six women were interviewed. One was pregnant and ready to give birth and one brought a newborn infant into the SUV with her. They learned nothing new. They’d asked the exact same questions as they had of the Wilsons.

Eve was beyond frustrated by the time she called the judge’s office after their last interview. She desperately needed his help to get the murderer caught and put away. She spoke to the same clerk. He went straight to the point.

“I’m incredibly sorry to tell you this but the judge is having his appendix out in emergency surgery. I was unable to speak with him before he was admitted.”

Eve’s eyes flashed to her team who had gathered in her hotel room. They knew how much this hurt their investigation. Going to an outside judge was impossible. Remki was in charge of oversight and there was no one else with his authority. They needed Judge Remki’s bite to back them up.

“If you speak to the judge, please relay my hope that he makes a quick recovery,” Eve said; she wasn’t without sympathy for his circumstances, even though her gut twisted with the news.

“I will be sure he’s aware of your entire situation as soon as I’m able to.”

“We’re screwed,” said Ray after the call ended and ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair.

She gave them a small pep talk. “We’re going to get good food and not the junk we had for lunch and review everything we have. Put your thinking caps on and be ready to throw out the craziest ideas you can think of. This wall will come down, one brick at a time.”

Eve put this team together for a reason. They were the best at their jobs and they would solve this case with or without the judge. Interviewing everyone was where it started. They would circle back to anyone they missed but they would continue until they had something solid.

They decided to go out of town to eat. The God squad turned around when they crossed the county line. They found a small diner with a decent menu and homemade pie to die for.

They felt slightly better after taking a break and for a short time spoke about life in general. Collin kept them laughing with his kids’ antics.

“Ella is just like her mother and I have no idea what to do with her attitude.”

“Tell her you’ll sell her to the fundamentalists,” Ray told him in a quiet voice in case someone around them was listening.

“Bad joke,” scolded Bina, after taking another spoonful of the apple pie à la mode she’d ordered.

“It was, and I don’t give a shit,” Ray replied. “I’m tired and unhappy. I’ll do better tomorrow.”

“Order more pie,” said Collin.

Ray lifted his hand to the waitress and did exactly that.

Clyde said little but he did surprisingly order apple pie without the ice cream. Eve knew his only concern at this point was Hannah. It was hers too and she couldn’t allow this to continue. The church did not want them speaking to the child most likely to have answers. In her opinion, this placed Hannah in danger. Eve couldn’t help wondering if Hannah had somehow survived the attack by more than simply not being home, and knew who killed her family.

Getting to Hannah could mean life or death for the ten-year-old.

Twenty-Two

At the hotel, Eve shut the SUV’s door on Clyde’s glare after she had taken the driver’s seat. He was not happy she was going to see Hannah alone. Eve pulled rank, which upset him even more.

“Explain what I’m doing and tell the team not to worry. I’ll text as soon as I’m at the house.”

She drove straight to the Wall residence. It was now dark outside and a slight breeze made the few tree branches sway as her headlights passed the polygamist houses. The moon wasn’t visible yet. There were no street lamps and the only lights came from upper windows. She planned to demand that she lay eyes on Hannah. That was it. A block from the hotel, she picked up a tail. It wasn’t the normal God squad truck but her gut said the car belonged to the church. Eve ignored it completely, sick of their intimidation tactics.

She parked in front of the Walls’ home outside the courtyard and sent Clyde the promised text. The vehicle behind her drove past, turned around, and parked a block away facing her with the high beams on. She ignored it and entered the unlocked gate. The house appeared deserted and Eve used her phone’s flashlight to see the ground after the wall blocked the bright headlamps from the SUV outside the courtyard.

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