Page 55 of Only Girl Alive

She gave them a moment to absorb what she’d said.

“I’m going to grab my laptop from my room and I’ll come back here to get started on the warrant,” said Ray.

“I’ll check on Clyde,” she told Collin and Bina after Ray stepped out.

“He didn’t say anything before he left. Walk gently.” This came from Collin.

Clyde didn’t answer her knock so she walked out to the vehicles. He was leaning against the back of the van, staring into the darkness.

She moved shoulder to shoulder with him and did the same.

“I know what the evidence says, but I’m having trouble accepting it,” Clyde said softly.

“I don’t see a way around it being her. There’s a possibility someone smudged the prints on the door. Law enforcement would know it’s hard to get rid of blood evidence completely. The best way to throw us off would be to make sure there was no viable print.”

Clyde was in his own thoughts.

“How could she do it, physically? Elijah was almost the size of a grown man. He struggled. I just don’t see how it’s possible.”

“He was drugged. Hannah was also a very determined child. I received the toxicology report a few minutes before you returned today. It was Benzodiazepine. Elijah didn’t have as much in his system as the others but there was enough. It also makes more sense if you add the strange vibes we’ve had since the beginning. We knew they were covering something. They don’t want the world knowing that they allowed a monster like Bart Tanner to get away with his crimes. Leaving two wives and two children in that home is the biggest reason for the cover-up. The church may not be responsible for Bart Tanner’s crimes but once they became aware, they are just as guilty for everything that came next.” She took a breath and allowed the clear night air to fill her lungs before exhaling. “I don’t think they knew about the attic. When I brought it up with Candace, she mentally lost control. The church knew what he’d done, but they didn’t want the specifics. I’m sure they didn’t even interview the women. They got them out before they could make bigger waves.”

“Every case uncovers more about the sick minds of these people. It never fazes you; you’re never as surprised as the rest of us. You expect this level of evil before we arrive. I think about what your childhood must have been like. I don’t like where those thoughts take me.”

Clyde had never liked Aaron and Eve didn’t blame him. He knew the fundamentalist doctrine concerning the color of his skin. In their eyes, he was as big an abomination as Eve. It never stopped him doing his job but then again, it didn’t stop her either. Now that the evidence sank in, she wasn’t surprised Hannah had murdered her family. The corruption, control, and absolute power in the area were nothing new to her.

“I was a child and they groomed me to be an old man’s bride. I looked forward to marriage because that was my duty to God.” She took a moment. “I was one of the few to get away. Who knows what my life would have been like? I could have easily been Marcella or Tracy. I could have been Hannah.”

He took her hand and turned his body so they were facing each other.

“No. Even without your mother’s help, you would have gotten away. I’ll never doubt that. You have a sense of justice that rivals all of ours.”

She shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll never know for sure. Ray is writing a warrant for the Wall home. We’re hoping to find evidence that Hannah did not act alone. Kathryn Wilson was missing that night. We’ll get a warrant for her home if we need one.”

“Maybe,” said Clyde. “I don’t see it.”

“Neither do I. This will be a media storm and we either prove someone helped or we disprove it. We need the case airtight.”

“I’ll accept that Hannah possibly had help as a theory. Until now, they’ve been in short supply.” The moon cast a glow in his dark eyes. “Your stepbrother didn’t think we would solve this case.”

Clyde was right. They were set up for failure from the beginning. The church held women and dark skin in contempt. That covered four out of five of her team.

“Underestimating us was their biggest mistake. If he would had admitted the truth from the beginning, it would have been better for them. They’ve opened themselves to a media nightmare made larger because they lied. Now we need to prove the lie. That could be difficult.” She took another slow breath. “They tried to kill or seriously injure me to hide the truth.”

“Yeah, they did.” His thumb rubbed over her fingers.

Eve fixed her gaze into the darkness again. “He told me when we were young that I would be one of his wives.”

Clyde’s thumb stopped moving for a moment and then continued its gentle stroke. “I’ve never liked the way he looks at you.”

Eve’s face heated and she was glad he couldn’t see it. “Aaron isn’t a good person and I need to open my eyes to who and what he really is. Monsters are grown out here.”

“After what we’ve discovered in this case, I agree with you.”

“Are you ready to go inside and get this organized? It’s possible the Walls have the evidence tying Hannah to the murders. We need to get this rolling and we can’t do it without you.”

“My room,” he said. “I don’t want to stare at the photos again tonight.”

She understood how he felt.

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