Page 21 of Little Stolen Memories

“It’s true I was irritated when I left the police department. I drove to Cora’s parents’ house, and we talked. Since then, I’ve had time to view everything from a different perspective. I know how invested the two of you were in this case and how hard it must have been when you weren’t able to solve it. Bottom line, I’m not opposed to working together with you on it.”

Harvey clapped his hands together, beaming with happiness as he said, “I’m glad to hear it. When you stopped by today and said you were taking Cora’s case, I didn’t think the day could get any better. But then Whitlock popped in and let me know he’d reopened the case as well. With the two of you on it, I can’t sit around doing nothing. I want to be part of it.”

“I appreciate your enthusiasm,” I said. “I’m just wondering if you’ve spoken to Mom about it.”

“I … ehh, I have not. Leave it to me. I’m sure once I explain my feelings to Darlene, she’ll understand.”

Whitlock looked over at me, and it appeared he was thinking what I was thinking. While I’d always admired Harvey’s positive outlook on life, speaking to my mother was not going to be as easy as he hoped.

“You need to tell her as soon as you can,” I said. “By tomorrow morning, I’d say.”

Harvey nodded, saying, “I agree, I agree.”

“If we work together on this case, what does that look like to you both?” I asked. “What do you have in mind?”

Whitlock shot me a wink and said, “We’re here to ask what you have in mind. Don’t want to step on any toes, or fingers, or feelings, if you know what I mean.”

I leaned back, thinking about the best way to move forward without getting in each other’s way. “I’m the most comfortable when I work on my own.”

“We’re well aware,” Whitlock said. “And we respect your methods, of course.”

“What matters most is communicating with each other. The last several cases I’ve investigated have been alongside the police department, so I say we keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’ll share what we discover with you, and you do the same.”

“Works for me,” Whitlock said.

“Me too,” Harvey said. “What’s your plan for tomorrow?”

“I’d like to interview a couple of the men who were related to the case back then. And I see no reason for us to speak to the same people unless we believe one of them is a viable suspect.”

“Divide and conquer,” Whitlock said. “I like it. We’ll cover more ground that way. Who are the lucky fellows?”

“The first is Danny Donovan. Since the murder weapon was found close to the property line of the cabin he was renting, I’d like to question him. I want to see if his story is the same or if it has changed over time.”

“And the second fellow?” Whitlock asked.

“Xander Thornton.”

Harvey rubbed a hand along his jaw, thinking. “Xander Thornton. So familiar. Why does his name ring a bell?”

Whitlock snapped his fingers and said, “I remember! He’s the tree kid.”

“The tree kid?” Harvey asked.

“Yeah,” Whitlock said. “Remember the high school kid who was tied to the tree at the park? Had a note wrapped around his neck, something about him being a stalker, if I remember right.”

Harvey’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yeah. I remember now. He refused to give the police any names. We couldn’t understand it. Why are you interested in him, Georgiana?”

“I had an enlightening conversation with Cora this evening,” I said. “She made a confession, something she’s been keeping to herself for a long time.”

Harvey learned forward and said, “Go on.”

“Aidan and Jackson used to bully Xander at school. They are the ones who got Xander drunk and tied him to the tree.”

“No, way,” Harvey said, slapping his thigh. “Why are we just hearing of this now? Why would she keep such an important detail to herself?”

“Cora was at the park the night it happened. So were Brynn and Aubree. They may not have taken part, but they didn’t stop Aidan and Jackson from doing what they did either.”

“It never made any sense to us. Why tie him to the tree in the first place?”

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