Read Online Health, Wealth, and Murder by Traci Tyne Hilton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Traci Tyne Hilton
Ads: Link
Jane sat on her desk chair in the corner of her bedroom with her feet against the wall. “Can you meet me somewhere?”
Francine cleared her throat. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“You have Christiana paying me good money for my services, but I can’t help you from where I’m at. If you can’t meet, are you somewhere that you can answer questions for me now?” Jane had prepared a litany of questions for Francine on her bus ride home from school. On the phone she wouldn’t be able to read body language, but it was better than nothing.
“I’m alone.”
“Can you talk freely at this phone number?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” Jane pushed off from the wall and rolled to her desk. “I have some very basic questions to start with. Who lives at the house with Christiana?”
“Theo and Nick.” Francine paused. “Her sons.”
“Which one has the freckles?” Jane typed her notes out this time so she’d actually be able to read them when she was done.
“Theo.”
“How old are the boys, and are they Josiah’s stepsons?”
Francine paused. “How did you know?”
“Call it a hunch. How old are they, and what happened to their sister?”
“Theo is almost nine teen and Nick is twenty.” Francine paused. When she spoke again, her voice broke. “Haven disappeared four years ago. She would be sixteen.”
Jane stopped typing. “That’s awful.” Francine’s words hit her like ice water. Four years ago Haven could have only been about twelve. “Did they, I mean, do they have any idea…?” She stopped. The poor child.
“It wasn’t like that.” Francine cleared her throat, making an effort to sound matter of fact. “One day we were in Toledo at an event; all three kids were in the crowd, with task force members taking care of them. The next morning Haven didn’t come down to breakfast, and no one mentioned her again.”
Jane closed her eyes. “You don’t think Josiah did something?” She could barely get the words out. It was the very last thing she had been expecting from this phone call.
“He did something, I’m sure. But I don’t know what. Once Nick asked about his sister while I was in the room. They took Nick to a different room to speak about it. When they came back, he seemed perfectly cool with whatever he had heard.”
“But didn’t you call the police?”
“What could I do? Her parents weren’t concerned in the least.” Francine sounded angry.
“When a child goes missing, someone should tell somebody. When exactly did you last see Haven?”
“I saw Haven Malachi last on December 15, 2010. She was twelve years old. We were in Toledo, Ohio.”
“I want you to know that I will be telling the police this.” Jane stared at her list of questions, all of them so inadequate for what she had just learned. Toledo. Someone had written angrily about Toledo in their journal. Maybe that was the day that Nick had learned something about his sister.
“I told them yesterday.” She sighed deeply. “I had to go in for an interview. But you can too. Someone should look for that child.”
“Francine…I’m a bit speechless. I wasn’t expecting that, and I hate to even ask the rest of my questions, but I need to.”
“I can give you ten minutes.”
“Do Theo and Nick ever see their dad?” Jane ran her eye over her questions, culling the ones that weren’t immediately necessary.
“Yes, usually for the whole summer.”
“And what is his name?” Jane swallowed hard. She needed to move past the missing-kid thing, at least for the rest of the conversation.
“Dave Rizzo. He lives in Pasadena.”
“Thank you. Now…I think I’d better ask about the other nine members of the task force. Names and ages will do.”
Francine listed off the nine names, all people in their early twenties, and local. Jane knew two of them from high school.
“And why will the cops think you are the number-one suspect?”
Francine took a deep breath. “Because Josiah said if
Francine cleared her throat. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“You have Christiana paying me good money for my services, but I can’t help you from where I’m at. If you can’t meet, are you somewhere that you can answer questions for me now?” Jane had prepared a litany of questions for Francine on her bus ride home from school. On the phone she wouldn’t be able to read body language, but it was better than nothing.
“I’m alone.”
“Can you talk freely at this phone number?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” Jane pushed off from the wall and rolled to her desk. “I have some very basic questions to start with. Who lives at the house with Christiana?”
“Theo and Nick.” Francine paused. “Her sons.”
“Which one has the freckles?” Jane typed her notes out this time so she’d actually be able to read them when she was done.
“Theo.”
“How old are the boys, and are they Josiah’s stepsons?”
Francine paused. “How did you know?”
“Call it a hunch. How old are they, and what happened to their sister?”
“Theo is almost nine teen and Nick is twenty.” Francine paused. When she spoke again, her voice broke. “Haven disappeared four years ago. She would be sixteen.”
Jane stopped typing. “That’s awful.” Francine’s words hit her like ice water. Four years ago Haven could have only been about twelve. “Did they, I mean, do they have any idea…?” She stopped. The poor child.
“It wasn’t like that.” Francine cleared her throat, making an effort to sound matter of fact. “One day we were in Toledo at an event; all three kids were in the crowd, with task force members taking care of them. The next morning Haven didn’t come down to breakfast, and no one mentioned her again.”
Jane closed her eyes. “You don’t think Josiah did something?” She could barely get the words out. It was the very last thing she had been expecting from this phone call.
“He did something, I’m sure. But I don’t know what. Once Nick asked about his sister while I was in the room. They took Nick to a different room to speak about it. When they came back, he seemed perfectly cool with whatever he had heard.”
“But didn’t you call the police?”
“What could I do? Her parents weren’t concerned in the least.” Francine sounded angry.
“When a child goes missing, someone should tell somebody. When exactly did you last see Haven?”
“I saw Haven Malachi last on December 15, 2010. She was twelve years old. We were in Toledo, Ohio.”
“I want you to know that I will be telling the police this.” Jane stared at her list of questions, all of them so inadequate for what she had just learned. Toledo. Someone had written angrily about Toledo in their journal. Maybe that was the day that Nick had learned something about his sister.
“I told them yesterday.” She sighed deeply. “I had to go in for an interview. But you can too. Someone should look for that child.”
“Francine…I’m a bit speechless. I wasn’t expecting that, and I hate to even ask the rest of my questions, but I need to.”
“I can give you ten minutes.”
“Do Theo and Nick ever see their dad?” Jane ran her eye over her questions, culling the ones that weren’t immediately necessary.
“Yes, usually for the whole summer.”
“And what is his name?” Jane swallowed hard. She needed to move past the missing-kid thing, at least for the rest of the conversation.
“Dave Rizzo. He lives in Pasadena.”
“Thank you. Now…I think I’d better ask about the other nine members of the task force. Names and ages will do.”
Francine listed off the nine names, all people in their early twenties, and local. Jane knew two of them from high school.
“And why will the cops think you are the number-one suspect?”
Francine took a deep breath. “Because Josiah said if
Similar Books
