Page 96 of We Are All Guilty Here

She turned her attention back to Carol, asking, “Does Paisley have a favorite teacher?”

“She loves Ms. Heller, her chemistry teacher. And Dr. Clifton has always been so nice.”

“Dr. Clifton is the principal.” Jude tried to tread carefully. “Did Paisley ever get in trouble at school?”

“Oh no, nothing like that. There were just some eighth-grade girls who were being mean to her last year. Dr. Clifton shut that down. She was real nice about it.” Again, Carol looked to Nate. “Elijah says Dr. Clifton’s a harsh woman on account of she could never have children, but she took care of Paisley, and that has to mean something.”

There was a lot to unpack in that last sentence, but Jude made herself focus on the only part that mattered. “Were the girls teasing Paisley about something in particular?”

“Well, it’s what you’d guess. Paisley matured before they did.” This time, she didn’t look at Nate. She sheepishly tilted her chin down toward her chest as if only she and Jude knew that young girls developed breasts. “They were jealous is all, but then summer came and they all moved up to the ninth grade and everybody caught up with everybody else, so it wasn’t a problem anymore.”

“Did the girls spread rumors about Paisley?”

“Yes, that was the hard part. They said that she was being promiscuous.” Carol turned her body toward Nate, speaking to him directly. “Paisley never did anything like that, Father. You can ask Dr. Carl. Elijah had him check after the rumors started because you never know, but Dr. Carl says she’s still intact.”

Nate’s mouth opened again, but not to speak. He actually looked concerned.

“Carol.” Jude wondered if she had discounted Elijah’s involvement too quickly. Her gut hadn’t been able to get a read on him, but an idiot could see there was something profoundly wrong about his relationship to his daughter. “Is Paisley allowed to have boyfriends?”

“Oh, goodness no, she’s too young for that. Elijah doesn’t even like her wearing make-up.”

Jude took the opening. “I spoke to Elijah a little while ago. He seemed concerned about how Paisley has been dressing lately.”

Carol’s fingers started worrying the beads again. “It’s more like he’s sad. He wants her to stay a daddy’s girl.”

“Were you bothered by the way Paisley dressed?”

“Yes,” she said, but her head was shaking in disagreement. “She wants to look like her friends. Girls that age, it’s better for them if they blend in. Boys don’t like it when you stand out for the wrong reasons.”

Jude watched as Carol’s eyes flitted down to the beads. She asked, “Mrs. Walker, is there someone that Paisley talks to? Confides in?”

“She always knows that Father Nate is here for her.” Carol’ssmile was weak as she glanced at the priest. “She had a friend at school, Lily, but her family moved away over the summer. Her father got a job at the auto plant up in North Carolina. I gave that other policeman, Officer Temple, her mama’s number and all.”

“Thank you. It’s good that you’re doing everything you can to help.” Jude figured now was the time to get to the point. “I’m probably going to duplicate some questions you’ve already been asked, but tell me about yesterday morning. Did Elijah leave for work before Paisley went to school?”

“Yes, she—” Carol glanced at Nate yet again. “She always left after he did.”

Jude had always waited for Gerald and Myrna to leave before her, too. “Was that because she didn’t want him to see what she was wearing?”

Carol gave Nate another glance before she nodded. “It’s just easier sometimes.”

“To ask for forgiveness rather than permission?”

Carol looked down at the rosary again. There was a weariness about her that had nothing to do with Paisley’s disappearance. Jude wondered how much time in her day was spent walking on eggshells just to keep the peace. She also wondered if Carol was her best use of time. Elijah was the one who swung from one emotion to the other. If Jude could push him a little harder, he might end up cracking.

Emmy chose this moment to walk in with the tea. Jude noticed something stiff about the way she moved when she placed three mugs on the coffee table. She’d clearly been listening to the interview from the kitchen. She’d clearly found Jude’s technique wanting. Emmy made a point of looking at Jude. Then she looked at the photos on the wall.

Jude followed her gaze. The photographs showed the same family members as the ones in the kitchen. Grandparents and cousins, sisters and brothers. Picnics and Girl Scout retreats and family vacations. The photo Emmy had directed her to was in the top right corner. Larger and glossier, the kind that had been professionally printed. Reggie was dressed in a blue tux. He was sitting on a black leather couch with a protective arm aroundthe girl in his lap, holding her close to his chest so that her head rested on his shoulder.

Emmy had called out a similar photo in the kitchen, but without her reading glasses, Jude had mistaken the girl for Paisley, and assumed her white dress was for Communion. Her distance vision had always been sharp. Sitting eight feet away in the chair, she could clearly see the long train belonged to a wedding dress and that the young girl in Reggie McAllister’s lap was not his niece.

Jude caught Emmy’s eye, gave her a nod to acknowledge her earlier mistake.

She told Carol, “I see you’ve got a close-knit family.”

Carol turned to look at the photos. She pointed out the different people. “That’s my grandparents. That’s Elijah’s mama, his two older sisters, and his uncle Jeremy and his family. His daddy died when he was a baby. This is my brother, Reggie. He lives over on the bay in Alabama.”

“I can see the family resemblance.” Jude stood up, pretending she needed a closer look, though the image blurred without her reading glasses. “Who’s that with him?”

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