He used to cut me breaks , but not no more.”
Mickey inhaled a puff of smoke. He blew it out his nose and then put the cigarette out on the desk. “You holding up okay?”
“ Just bored. Ain’t much to do in here.” He blew out smoke toward the desk. “So what’chyu wanna know?”
“The sheriff told me you were in your trailer the night Janessa and her family were killed.”
“ Yeah, so? Just ’cause I’m on the registry, every little bitch that gets killed gots to be by me?”
Mickey grinned rather than indicating his disgust. “We’re just covering our bases, is all. Sheriff Clay said you live less than a mile from the Hennleys’ home.”
“ Yeah, so?”
“ So did you know them at all?”
“Nah, man, they was respectable folk. What the fuck would they talk to me for?”
“ So you never met any of them?”
“ I ain’t saying that.”
“ Who did you meet?”
He looked away and didn’t say anything.
“It was Janessa, wasn’t it?”
“Look man, I just seen her walkin’ to school sometimes is all, and I’d say somethin’ and she’d stop and chat and that was it, man. Ain’t nothin’ else to it.”
“Did she ever come inside your trailer?”
“Nah, man.”
“Did you ever have sex with her?”
“Nah, man, nah. I ’m workin’ really hard, man. I ain’t like that no more.”
Mickey watched him in silence. As Casper smoked, the gray fog drifted between them. “Do you know of anyone else that could have done this? Anyone interested in Janessa?”
He shook his head.
Mickey, picking up the cigarette butt and, holding it in his palm, waited a beat. “What was your parole violation, Casper?”
“ Child porn, man. They found it on my cell phone. They said if I admitted to the violation, they won’t file new charges and just give me ninety days. Judge hit me with four years.”
He slid the package of cigarettes to him. Casper looked to the door to make sure no one was watching through the viewing window. He tucked the cigarettes into his shirt pocket.
“If you think of anything else , I’ll be back with another package of cigarettes. Or whatever else you need.”
“Cool, man. Thanks.”
Mickey rose and pounded on the door. The guard came in to help Casper up and out. Suzan waited until Casper was walking down the hall back to his cell before entering.
“You get anything?”
“Not really.”
She sighed. “Well what next?”
“We need to go to the scene.”
She sat down across from him and put her feet up on the desk. “Why?”
He threw the cigarette butt into a trash bin by the door. “I think the knife might still be there.”
15
Fairbanks F orest flourished right behind the Hennleys’ home. In fact, it was the only home within a twenty-minute drive. When they arrived, Suzan pulled the Tahoe off to the side of the road. They stepped out and found a trail leading up a small hill. As they walked down the opposite side, Mickey felt like he had been dropped off in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. He couldn’t hear any cars. If not for the occasional plane humming overhead, he wouldn’t have thought he was near civilization at all.
L ayers of shoeprints marked the trail. “Why would so many people be up here?” Mickey asked.
“There’s some hot springs nearby. They call ’em the hot pots. It’s like a natural hot tub. Kids are always t here smoking pot. Ben would always complain about ’em, and we were up here all the time.”
As they hiked into a thicket of trees, Mickey ducked to avoid the branches that blocked the path. Sharp edges scraped his exposed skin; his shirt snagged on one and tore.
The walk was slow , and Suzan, noticing his escalating exhaustion, said, “If you need to rest, just let me know.”
“I’m okay.”
His legs burned as they climbed another hill, his gaze on the surrounding bushes. Whoever killed the Hennleys could have escaped that way. It was certainly the most secluded path. Mickey
Mickey inhaled a puff of smoke. He blew it out his nose and then put the cigarette out on the desk. “You holding up okay?”
“ Just bored. Ain’t much to do in here.” He blew out smoke toward the desk. “So what’chyu wanna know?”
“The sheriff told me you were in your trailer the night Janessa and her family were killed.”
“ Yeah, so? Just ’cause I’m on the registry, every little bitch that gets killed gots to be by me?”
Mickey grinned rather than indicating his disgust. “We’re just covering our bases, is all. Sheriff Clay said you live less than a mile from the Hennleys’ home.”
“ Yeah, so?”
“ So did you know them at all?”
“Nah, man, they was respectable folk. What the fuck would they talk to me for?”
“ So you never met any of them?”
“ I ain’t saying that.”
“ Who did you meet?”
He looked away and didn’t say anything.
“It was Janessa, wasn’t it?”
“Look man, I just seen her walkin’ to school sometimes is all, and I’d say somethin’ and she’d stop and chat and that was it, man. Ain’t nothin’ else to it.”
“Did she ever come inside your trailer?”
“Nah, man.”
“Did you ever have sex with her?”
“Nah, man, nah. I ’m workin’ really hard, man. I ain’t like that no more.”
Mickey watched him in silence. As Casper smoked, the gray fog drifted between them. “Do you know of anyone else that could have done this? Anyone interested in Janessa?”
He shook his head.
Mickey, picking up the cigarette butt and, holding it in his palm, waited a beat. “What was your parole violation, Casper?”
“ Child porn, man. They found it on my cell phone. They said if I admitted to the violation, they won’t file new charges and just give me ninety days. Judge hit me with four years.”
He slid the package of cigarettes to him. Casper looked to the door to make sure no one was watching through the viewing window. He tucked the cigarettes into his shirt pocket.
“If you think of anything else , I’ll be back with another package of cigarettes. Or whatever else you need.”
“Cool, man. Thanks.”
Mickey rose and pounded on the door. The guard came in to help Casper up and out. Suzan waited until Casper was walking down the hall back to his cell before entering.
“You get anything?”
“Not really.”
She sighed. “Well what next?”
“We need to go to the scene.”
She sat down across from him and put her feet up on the desk. “Why?”
He threw the cigarette butt into a trash bin by the door. “I think the knife might still be there.”
15
Fairbanks F orest flourished right behind the Hennleys’ home. In fact, it was the only home within a twenty-minute drive. When they arrived, Suzan pulled the Tahoe off to the side of the road. They stepped out and found a trail leading up a small hill. As they walked down the opposite side, Mickey felt like he had been dropped off in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. He couldn’t hear any cars. If not for the occasional plane humming overhead, he wouldn’t have thought he was near civilization at all.
L ayers of shoeprints marked the trail. “Why would so many people be up here?” Mickey asked.
“There’s some hot springs nearby. They call ’em the hot pots. It’s like a natural hot tub. Kids are always t here smoking pot. Ben would always complain about ’em, and we were up here all the time.”
As they hiked into a thicket of trees, Mickey ducked to avoid the branches that blocked the path. Sharp edges scraped his exposed skin; his shirt snagged on one and tore.
The walk was slow , and Suzan, noticing his escalating exhaustion, said, “If you need to rest, just let me know.”
“I’m okay.”
His legs burned as they climbed another hill, his gaze on the surrounding bushes. Whoever killed the Hennleys could have escaped that way. It was certainly the most secluded path. Mickey
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