Page 178 of Girl Between
DA: You’ve been through a lot. Give it time. You have that now.
Elizabeth: Thank you.
DA: Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Barton. Now go get some rest. Your mother is waiting for you right outside.
Elizabeth: My mother? Why would you think I ever want to see her again? Wait … You don’t know?
DA: Know what?
Elizabeth: My mother is the reason I was abducted.
Dana watched the recording end,the haunting whisper of Elizabeth’s voice still echoing in her mind. It was like listening to the voice of a ghost and Dana couldn’t help wondering if she might’ve been better off as one. Her mind flashed back to Monroe’s hospital of horrors. When she closed her eyes she could easily conjure it. The women strapped to gurneys, and another sequestered away from the others. Pale and thin, with stringy black hair. Elizabeth Barton—the lone Harvest Girl.
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The following isfrom a recorded interview with the District Attorney and Miriam Barton:
DA:Please state your name for the record.
Miriam: Miriam Barton.
DA: Can you explain the allegations against you?
Miriam: You have to understand … No one was supposed to get hurt.
DA: I’m going to need you to walk me through it. Start at the beginning.
Miriam: I was just trying to get what I deserved.
DA: What do you mean by that?
Miriam: I was filing for divorce when I found out that my husband slipped a clause into our prenup that would leave me penniless. So, I made a plan to ensure I wouldn’t be left without means.
DA: You used your daughter and her friends to collect ransom money?
Miriam: You make it sound worse than it was. Their families had plenty of money. They wouldn’t miss it. Besides, he assured me the drugs he used were safe and they wouldn’t remember a thing.
DA: You’re referring to Levi Monroe?
Miriam: Yes.
DA: How did you meet him?
Miriam: Online.
DA: You mean on the dark web?
Miriam: Well kidnappers don’t go advertising on billboards, now do they?
DA: So you hired Monroe to kidnap the girls to collect ransom money. How much?
Miriam: Ten million.
DA: What happened to the money?
Miriam: There was no money. Cara’s father was dragging his feet, refused to pay.
DA: Then what happened?
