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around ten."
Perfect Knowledge - 133
They got everything together, cleaned up the place,
and left for the office. Chase was certain they were on
the right track. Now all they had to do was prove it. And
find the killer.
***
Janet Brown was definitely the woman Evan had
seen in his vision. He had read in an article that she was
in her early forties, but looking at her now, he wouldn't
have believed it. Grief had added at least ten years to her
looks, deeply creasing the lines around her blue eyes and
downturned mouth, giving her skin an almost
translucent quality.
She sat at the edge of her seat on the couch, back
perfectly straight, hands in her lap, regarding them with
slight bemusement.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hansen, I must admit I was very
confused by your call this morning," she said. "What is
it again that you want?"
"As I mentioned on the phone, I'm a private
detective. This is my partner, Evan Pierce. I know how
difficult this must be for you, but we need to ask you a
few questions about your son."
She frowned, unhappy. "Why? Why are you so
interested in my baby's death after all this time?" Her
eyes strayed to one side of the modest living room, and
Evan followed her gaze.
There was a small table standing under the window.
That in itself wasn't unusual. But on top of the table
there was a sort of flowery centerpiece, with a large
photo of Charlie on either side. Next to the pictures there
were two long, thin, white candles, both of them lit. It
was a shrine of sorts, but for some reason Evan shivered.
Perfect Knowledge - 134
He knew that different people grieved in different
ways, but that tableau seemed a little too macabre for his
taste. This woman wasn't trying to move on with her
life, she was clinging to the past and the memory of her
son. That couldn't be healthy.
"I was a cop around the time your son was killed,"
Chase said. "I was going through an old case of mine
that was never solved, when I stumbled upon some
evidence that might link the case we're working on with
your son's death."
"Link how?"
"There's a chance the person who murdered Charles
killed someone else that night," Evan said. "A woman
called Susan Welling. Have you ever heard that name?"
She shook her head. "I don't think so. Perhaps if you
had a photo?"
Chase removed a photo of Susan from the inside
pocket of his jacket. Janet Brown regarded the picture
carefully before handing it back.
"I'm sorry, gentlemen, I've never seen her before. She
was murdered, too?"
"Yes," Chase confirmed.
"She might've been one of Charlie's friends, I
suppose, but she looks much older. He tended to hang
out with people his age. Before George threw him out, I
mean." She looked miserable. "He lived on the streets
for six months, with nothing but the clothes on his back.
Maybe she was homeless as well? Or they met during
that time?"
"She wasn't homeless, but yes, it's possible they met
somewhere," Evan said. "Do you know what Charlie
might've been doing in Confluence Park that night?"
Her lips twisted bleakly. "No. He& he'd come to see
us that night. He swore he was off the drugs, that he was
clean. But he didn't have a job, or a home, and he was
Perfect Knowledge - 135
hungry. He looked so thin, so pale& " Her eyes filled
with tears. "I begged my ex-husband to reconsider, but
he wouldn't hear of it. And when I tried to give Charlie
some money& He just threw Charlie out again. I
should've been stronger, done something& Charlie was
my baby boy. But I was too afraid of what George might
do."
"He hit you?" Chase asked, sharply.
"Not anymore," she said, some spark back in her
eyes. "I left the son of a bitch. He can rot in hell for all I
care. We're both at fault for what happened to Charlie,"
she whispered brokenly. "I was too scared to help him,
and George was too much of an unfeeling bastard to
love his own flesh and blood." She swallowed thickly.
"Can you find out who murdered my child? Can you
give me that much? I don't think I deserve it, but I need
it just the same."
Chase took one of her hands between his own. "I
can't make any promises, but I will do my damnedest to
find whoever's responsible for his death."
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