Stolen Daughters by Carolyn Arnold (top novels TXT) 📗

“Did Ashley sometimes sleep in the house that was set on fire?” Trent slipped in, beating Amanda to the question.

Crystal looked at him. “I don’t know if she slept there. She sometimes escaped there for short pockets of time and got back before they noticed her missing. I don’t know how she got out of where they were holding her, and don’t ask me where it was. I went to the house on Bill Drive with her once or twice and hung out.”

“But you were just reunited a couple of weeks ago?” Amanda asked. It was starting to sound as if they’d spent more time together than that.

“Uh-huh, but we chatted more than the one time.” Crystal sniffled.

“And how did you arrange to meet up?”

Crystal looked at Amanda as if she were being interrogated. “When we bumped into each other, I gave Ash my address. She’d pop by here. Then we’d do whatever…”

Amanda nodded. “How much do you know about the place on Bill Drive, Crystal?”

“Please stop calling me Crystal. That life was so long ago.” Her voice went shrill, and she returned to picking at the hem of her pajama top.

“Okay… Cindy.”

A few seconds ticked off.

“She just said she had some friends who squatted there. She talked of running away with them.” Crystal licked her lips. “But she was so afraid her pimp would catch up with her.”

Amanda wanted more specifics about their reunion. “What was the name of the vintage clothing store where you ran into Ashley?”

“Second Treasures.”

Amanda was familiar with the store. It was in Dumfries. “That must have been emotional.”

“There were lots of tears.” As if on cue, more fell. “She felt so trapped, ya know? She wanted out but couldn’t see a way. When we were at the store, there was this guy standing in the corner watching us, mainly Ash. He came over and broke us up and grabbed her arm. I’ve never seen such fear in a person’s eyes in my life. She was terrified, but she pressed on this smile, ya know, for me, to make it look like everything was okay, but I knew it wasn’t.”

Maybe they’d concluded too soon that the sex ring wasn’t behind Ashley Lynch’s murder—but where was the motive? And how did Fox and the two recent victims fit in? Either way, there was a question Amanda needed to ask. “Can you remember what the man from Second Treasures looked like?”

“He had the face of the devil. The whites of his eyes were black.”

“You’re sure?” Amanda asked.

“I’ll never forget his face. He was a monster, and he stank of cigarettes and had deep pockmarks in his neck.”

“What about age, hair color, build?”

“I dunno… Average and blond.”

Not the person described by eyewitnesses and not the mystery man in their photos. “I can understand why you were outside the house where you and Ashley spent some time, but what brought you to watch the scene unfold down the street where that woman was murdered?”

“As I said, curiosity.” Crystal’s voice trembled.

Amanda nodded. She’d been curious if Crystal would say something different when asked again. “And to the fire that happened on Clear Mountain Circle?”

“Curiosity.”

“Again. Okay. How did you even know about it?”

Crystal glanced at Simon, then said, “We have a police radio scanner.”

Those things should be banned. Amanda rested her gaze on Crystal’s face again. So young to have been through so much. Her mind turned back to Ashley, and she asked Crystal, “Did you give Ashley your dragonfly pin?”

“How do you know about… You found that?” Her voice was small, more like a child’s than ever. “Was it on her?”

“It was,” Amanda confirmed gently.

“Can I get it back?”

“Maybe after the investigation is over.”

“Please. I know it’s worth a lot. I told her to pawn it or something, run far away.”

She didn’t want to lay any guilt or blame on Crystal, but she had other questions that needed answers. “Why didn’t you do that a long time ago, and why not go home?”

“I thought of it, but that’s when I met Simon and—” she touched his arm “—he made me feel safe and loved, more than my parents ever did.”

“You’ve been together a long time?” Trent asked.

“For almost three years.”

So he was the reason she didn’t go home. “Your parents love you. They want you to go home. And, Simon, you should have encouraged her to.”

“That was no home!” Crystal yelled. “My parents didn’t even raise me—or know me. They had hired help for that. Mom and Dad loved their business far more than me.”

There was still obvious hatred and hurt charged around the subject. Amanda raised her hand as a truce—for now. “Why didn’t you and Ashley go to the police about her situation? She was able to sneak away for ‘pockets at a time,’ as you said.”

“Ash was convinced they’d kill us both. And now—” Crystal sniffled and pinched the tip of her nose. “They killed her.” She sobbed, and Simon hugged her tighter.

“If you thought that, why not come forward?” Amanda asked.

“You’re kidding, right?” Crystal’s brows knotted. “I was terrified for my life, for Simon’s. I’m also terrified that you’re going to rip us apart.”

Amanda looked at Simon, and he stiffened.

“No!” Crystal cried out.

“She’s sixteen years old, Simon.” Amanda attempted to appeal to his maturity. “You are how old?”

“Twenty-four.”

“You knew that she was, and still is, a minor,” Amanda concluded.

He looked at Crystal and took her hand. He kissed the back of it.

“Time to go.” Amanda gestured for Simon to get to his feet and cuffed him. “You’re under arrest for kidnapping and multiple counts of statutory rape.”

“No!” Crystal shouted again.

Amanda proceeded to read off his Miranda rights as Crystal went berserk, screaming and wailing.

The night had certainly taken a different turn than Amanda had planned, but that was life. Always tossing curveballs when you least expected.

Forty-Five

Amanda pried her eyes open, and the clock on her nightstand told her it was just a few minutes after eight.