Page 86 of Doubts & Fears

“Uh-huh.”

“And your parents died in a car accident?”

She didn’t answer.

“Ms. Taylor?” I asked gently.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Were you with them? In the accident, I mean.” Her answer to this would be telling.

“No, they were out on a date.”

The intonation of her voice rose, and an emphasis at the beginning of each syllable followed. Combined with the slower speech rate, it would have been enough of an indicator of her lie, even if I didn’t know what I knew.

Unfortunately for her, I knew what Pavel Lenkov had told Nik in that initial meeting. Shewaswith her parents that night. “I’m going to remind you once and only once. You agreed to be honest with me. Is this really how you want to start things?”

She went silent, but I could hear her ragged breathing and wondered if I’d lost her. “Ms. Taylor, I’d like an answer.” After several minutes of silence went by, I spoke again. “How about you take some time to think things through, and we can try this again another day?”

“No, please. I…it’s difficult for me…I don’t like talking about it. I was there, but I don’t remember anything.”

“It’s not uncommon for people to forget or block tragic events. What do you remember, if I may ask?”

“I remember the audition and eating dinner with my parents…then they were gone,” she whispered.

I took a deep breath. I needed to dial back a little, so I pivoted. “Did you ever speak to anyone about your feelings surrounding the loss of your parents?”

“No.”

“And Owen, how did he fit into your life?”

“A mentor to my father,” she answered, sounding small. I had to wonder at her statement. I took comfort in the fact she wasn’t insisting he was her biological grandfather.

“Can I ask why he felt the need to change your name?”

“What are you trying to imply?” Her tone turned icy.

“Nothing, just trying to get a clearer picture of how Owen fits into your life.”

“Owen was a wonderful man. He cared for me when he didn’t have to. He watched over me, kept me safe, and taught me how to survive. I don’t like the implication that everyone seems to have.”

“I understand and am not trying to imply anything. I’m trying to understand your relationship, is all.”

Having seen the pictures Nik found in their cabin, it was clear Owen had taken hundreds of photographs of Kinsley during specific ages. The difference between the first photograph and the last was roughly two years. This fit in the strange timeline between her parents’ death and the failed drop-off at New Haven.

Had Owen abused her for that time frame, then tried to get rid of her in a weird, humanitarian way? He’d changed his mind, this much we knew. However, it was odd that there weren’t any additional photographs taken. Her sharp tone shook me from my thoughts.

“Youareimplying something. You’re implying he wasn’t who he said he was.”

Well, this took a turn in a space of five seconds. Now she was defensive. The guys warned me she could be difficult. “Tell me, when did you first meet him?”

“I…I…only met him after my parents died,” she mumbled.

I jotted the information down on my notepad and moved on. “Why don’t we talk about the other answers you put on the form for that question? Let’s see, you mentioned that your old dance partner turned up. That must have been quite a surprise.”

“Very much so. But I don’t want to talk about Pasha either. Please, it hurts too much.”

As she spoke, the emotions rose to the surface and her voice quivered like a leaf blowing in the breeze. I moved on to the next part, jotting down a few more notes.

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