Page 95 of We Are All Guilty Here

Emmy nodded. “Yep.”

The curt answer was like talking to a mini version of her father. “Hannah and Paul were involved in the shooting.”

Emmy shrugged. “Paul’s the one who drove with a gun to the scene and pointed it at my chest. Hannah’s participation is undetermined. Nobody saw who pulled the trigger.”

Jude felt her eyebrow arch. “He pointed it at you first?”

“Yep.” The curtness was gone. “Hannah yelled to warn me and reached out to stop him.”

“Was she touching the gun when it went off?”

“I was so panicked I couldn’t see anything. My father was murdered right in front of me. I wasn’t memorizing everything so I could give a comprehensive report. I was too busy sobbing like a baby.”

Jude found it interesting that the person who tended to leave the room to avoid showing her feelings was suddenly admitting to a lot of feelings. “I’m sorry you had to—”

“Did you know about me?” Emmy asked. “After you left town, did you know they had me?”

“I did.” Jude chose her words carefully. She couldn’t tell when Emmy was going to strike or retreat into silence, but she knew the answer mattered too much to care about the response. “I was a mess. I was still mourning the loss of my brother. I was struggling with addiction. I didn’t think I had room in my heart for anyone else.”

Emmy busied herself dropping teabags into the cups. Her back was to Jude. She braced her hands on the counter, looked out the window into the backyard. The eerie purple light brought out the leaves on the trees.

Jude took the hint. She left Emmy alone in the kitchen. Shesaw that Cole had finished his search of the bedroom. He was leaning against the wall by the front door. His thumbs were hooked into his duty vest. There was a casual air about him, but she could tell he was paying close attention.

Carol Walker was sitting on the couch beside Father Nate. She held the rosary between her clasped hands while Nate prayed for Paisley’s safe return. Jude waited for theamenbefore she sat down in the chair across from them. She quickly calibrated the best approach to get the information she needed in the least amount of time.

Showing Carol the nudes from Elijah’s phone would probably send the woman into hysterics. Demanding to know the name of his lover would likely make her retreat into shamed silence. It was better to ease her into the conversation rather than wasting time by breaking her down, then putting her back together. Especially with Nate perched like a buzzard in a cassock beside her on the couch.

“Mrs. Walker,” Jude was careful how she addressed the woman, “I’m very sorry to be meeting you under these circumstances. As Sheriff Clifton told you, my name is Jude Archer. I’m working in the capacity of a consultant with the FBI. I know you’ve already been asked a lot of questions, but I’m afraid I have some more for you.”

Carol glanced at Father Nate as if to seek his permission. He gave one of his curt nods. Then he glared at Jude to put her on warning.

The woman told Jude, “Go ahead.”

“Tell me about Paisley. What’s your daughter like?”

Tears streamed from Carol’s eyes. She’d been bombarded with questions about times, locations, minute details that didn’t seem to connect. No one had asked her about her little girl.

She said, “Elijah’s always telling me he’s gonna have to run off the boys with his shotgun one day. Don’t know how I got such a pretty little girl. She’s always been so happy. Even when she was a baby, everybody would say to me, she looks so happy.”

Jude glanced at the framed photos above the couch. Family vacations. Various school pictures showing Paisley over the years. The transition from girl to young woman had been documentedin real time. One year, Paisley was soft and cherubic, the next, her features had sharpened and her smile was not as easy.

Jude said, “Fourteen can be a difficult age for some girls. Lots of changes.”

“Oh, she can be a pill sometimes.” Carol let out a nervous laugh. “But she’s a good girl. She listens to her father and I. She tries to do her best.”

Jude suppressed the inner Myrna that wanted to correct her grammar. “Does she do well in school? Is there a subject she’s particularly interested in?”

“Yes.” Carol started nodding, but again she glanced at Nate for approval. “She loves chemistry. It’s her favorite class.”

Jude watched the woman’s hands fall into her lap. She had stopped worrying the rosary. “Why chemistry? Is that something you’re interested in?”

“I used to love math and science, but now I’m just a mom.” Carol’s tone was dismissive. “Elijah teases her about studying so hard. Boys don’t like smart girls.”

Jude kept her opinions to herself. “Is Paisley involved in sports?”

“Oh, no, Elijah doesn’t want her to bulk up like that.” Carol gave Nate another weak smile. “It’s not feminine, is it?”

Nate’s mouth opened just as the kettle started to whistle in the kitchen. Jude watched his mouth close. She found his obvious discomfort interesting. The Father Nate Jude had known took it as his personal mission to police the young girls of North Falls.

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