The Price of Candy by Rod Hoisington Page A

Sandy didn’t want all this out there. “He routinely
sexually abused some girls who were confined there?”
    “Did he sexually abuse you?”
    “What does that have to do with
anything?”
    “It goes to motive. Did he?
    “He never touched me.” That was misleading.
He hadn’t touched her, but it was sexual abuse the moment he
unzipped and told her to get on her knees.
    “How about Abigail?”
    “You’ll have to ask her.”
    “No, I don’t have to ask her!” He raised his
voice, “I’m asking you. What do you know and what does she
say?”
    “She told me she was abused. I’d be surprised
if she wasn’t.”
    "So she might have been telling the truth.
Banks might have been threatening her."
    “How would he even know her location after
all these years?" She thought a minute about what she had just
said. Then leaned forward. "Unless...she contacted him first to get
his name thrown into her phony being-threatened story. Did you find
any emails to or from Banks on her computer? Oh, that’s right, you
never checked her computer. I forgot who I was dealing with.” She
knew she had him on the defensive, but she'd better not press it.
"I do know Abby thought she was shooting the Toby guy. I heard her
yell his name before she shot him."
    He closed the file and set it aside. “Abigail
Olin doesn’t know who she shot. No one other than you has mentioned
a man named Toby. She doesn’t know any Toby and didn’t know for
sure who was out there in the dark. But when the man started up her
back porch, she shot him. All the facts seem to support her prowler
story. We’re charging her with manslaughter and releasing her on
her own recognizance this morning. If her story checks out, we’ll
drop all charges against her.”
    “Have you tested her for drugs?” She was half
joking.
    “Will you mind your own business? Miss Reid,
we’re reviewing possible charges against you. I’d love to prove you
somehow butted in and caused this entire dangerous situation to
occur.”
    “You’re saying somehow I was the cause of a
prowler shooting which you say was accidental? Make up your mind.
Was it accidental or did I cause it? I’m telling you Abby knows the
Toby guy she shot. So don’t just drop charges because she claims
he’s a prowler. Geez, at least investigate whether or not she knows
him.”
    He stood to signal the conversation was
over.
    She continued, “They’re into something
together. I don’t know why she wanted him dead. I believe she asked
him to come over and use the back door so she could shoot him. She
yelled his name as she fired. The daughter has seen him. He might
even be Abby’s boyfriend. Can you shoot a boyfriend in this state
and get away with it?”
    “You no doubt could, you’re the trickiest gal
in town. Don’t worry. We’ll check it all out.”
    “Well, check it out before you let her loose.
Hey, let’s ask the daughter. I’m supposed to pick her up this
morning. She stayed overnight with her friend, Izzy.” Sandy took a
small notebook from her handbag and punched in the number. Someone
called Jamie to the phone. “Jamie, you all right?”
    “I’m okay. Where’s Mom. Can I go home
now?
    “Toby, the man your mother shot, died. She
says he was a prowler. She’ll be in jail for a few more hours.”
    “Mom killed him? Awesome. Isn’t that
serious?”
    “It depends on why she did it. I’ll explain
later. Got a question for you. Was Toby your mother’s
boyfriend?”
    “I don’t know. They went out once. He was at
the house several times.”
    “They went out together? Say that again,
Jamie, louder.” She held her phone out so Moran could hear.
“Thanks, Jamie. I’m coming over now to pick you up.”
    “You can’t. Izzy’s mother says I can’t go
with you. It might be dangerous, or something. She said too much is
going on. She won’t let anyone but my mother pick me up.”
    “Very smart of her, Jamie. I’ll come over
there now and talk with her.”
    She clicked off,