They both stared down at the drugs and related paraphernalia but said nothing.
As Robie was walking down the street he saw a woman holding an envelope striding along with two police officers in tow.
“You heading to the Dixons’?” he asked as the woman neared.
“Yes. Who are you?”
“Just someone who wants you to make sure they never get foster kids again.”
The woman waved the envelope. “Well, your wish has just been granted.”
She steamed on with the officers right behind.
Robie walked on. Something on his wrist beeped. He looked down at the tracker.
Julie Getty was finally on the move.
And Robie was pretty sure where.
CHAPTER
30
JULIE CLAMBERED UP the vine and slipped inside her bedroom window. She squatted on the floor listening. All she could hear were her own heartbeats. Her legs shaky, she moved down the stairs, holding on to the wall for support. She rounded the bend, closed her eyes, and then opened them.
It was all she could do not to scream.
Robie stared back at her.
“You get around,” he said.
She looked quickly around the room. There was nothing there except furniture.
“Expecting to find something else?” he said, moving toward her.
She backed up a step.
“How did you get here?” she asked.
“Followed you.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Nothing’s impossible really. This is your home, right?”
She said nothing, just stared up at him, more in curiosity than fear.
He looked at a picture on a side table. “Your mom and dad were nice-looking. And there you are right in the center. Happy times, it seems.”
“You don’t know anything,” snapped Julie.
“Correction, I know some things. Like you’re in danger. People are looking for you. People who have a lot of money, muscle, and connections.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because they covered up two murders right here.”
Julie’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”
Robie motioned to the wall next to where she stood. “Fresh paint. But only in that spot. It was put there to cover something up.” He pointed to the floor. “Used to be a square of carpet here. You can see where the wood is lighter. It’s gone. Again, covering something up.”
“How do you know it’s about a murder? It could be anything.”
“No, not anything. You paint walls and remove rugs to take away forensics. Blood, tissue, other bodily fluids. And they missed a spot of blood on the baseboard over there. Did you expect to find their bodies here? There would have been a smell by now, you know. An unmistakable one.”
“You spend a lot of time around dead bodies?” she said warily.
“Ever since I hooked up with you.”
“We’re not hooked up in any way at all.”
“I know about your foster parents, though calling them ‘parents’ stretches all credulity.”
“I don’t like that you’ve been snooping around my life,” she exclaimed.
“The city busted them,” he said. “The other kids there have been taken away by now. I think you had something to do with that.”
Julie’s angry look faded. “They didn’t deserve to be treated like that. No little kid does.”
“Now tell me what happened here.”
“Why?”
“Like I said, I want to help you.”
“Why?”
Robie handed her a tissue from a box on the table and she dried her tears and then blew her nose.
“So what now?” she asked.
“Do you think anyone around here heard the shots?”
“I doubt it. The place next door is empty. So is the duplex across the street. This used to be an okay neighborhood, but then everybody lost their jobs.”
“Including your parents?”