Call Of The Witch Read Online Free PDF Page A

escort Mrs. Brewbaker upstairs to Kelly’s room? Go
through Kelly’s belongings and look for letters, notes, a diary,
anything unusual she might have documented. Also, check her
laundry. Clean and dirty. Have Mrs. Brewbaker verify anything that
might seem strange or unfamiliar.”
    “ Got it.”
    “ Oh, and Carlos.” I waved
him over and met him half-way. Leaning in to him and whispering, I
said, “Pay particular attention to any soiled underwear. Look for
traces of blood.”
    He nodded. “Right.”
    As they headed up the stairs, I turned to
Lionel. “We need to know what your daughter was wearing this
morning. Can you tell us?”
    “ She was still in pajamas
when I left.”
    “ What color?”
    “ White with little sea
creatures on them.”
    “ Sea
creatures?”
    “ Starfish, whales,
dolphins and such.”
    “ I see. Now, if she left
the house on her own, have you any idea where she might have
gone?”
    “ She wouldn’t have left
the house on her own.”
    “ But if she
did?”
    “ She didn’t.”
    “ You don’t think she would
have gone to a friend’s house.”
    “ I told you. She has no
friends.”
    “ Does she know the
neighborhood well?”
    “ How do you
mean?”
    “ I mean if she left the
house for any reason, does she know her way around enough not to
get lost?”
    “ Detective, you’re wasting
time with these questions.”
    “ Humor me,
please.”
    “ Yes. She knows her way
around the neighborhood. She has a great sense of direction.
Phenomenal even. I could drop her in the middle of the Amazon and
she’d find her way home before dinner.”
    “ Ok, fine.” I took a deep
breath and let it out slowly, knowing he wouldn’t want to hear my
next question. “Mr. Brewbaker, do you by any chance have Kelly’s
fingerprints on record?”
    “ Fingerprints?”
    “ Yes. A fingerprint
card.”
    “ Good God no. Why would I
need that?”
    I think he knew why. “Just in case.”
    “ In case of
what?”
    “ It’s standard procedure,
sir.”
    “ Then no, Detective. I’m
sorry. I don’t. I mean honestly, I would never have imagined my
daughter might someday be kidnapped.”
    “ No parent ever does,
sir.”
    “ Fingerprints,” he said,
shaking his head. “Who’d have thought of fingerprinting a goddamn
child?”
    “ That’s all right. Don’t
worry about it. We can lift them from something in her
room.”
    I followed Lionel Brewbaker to the couch, and
when he sat down, I sat down next to him. “I know this is extremely
difficult, but I have only a few more questions. I have to ask
this, sir. Can you think of anyone who might have done this? Do you
have any enemies at all?”
    He had planted his elbows on his knees and
buried his face in his hands. He was not outwardly crying, but
subtle groans bled through his hands. Without looking up, he said,
“No, Detective. I have no enemies, and certainly Kelly has no
enemies either.”
    “ Of course not. Tell me
about your visit today at your lawyer’s. Was that about the
divorce?”
    He shook his head lightly. “No. My visit
today was with a corporate lawyer.” He raised his head and we made
eye contact. “I’m in talks with my business partner, Bill Massy Jr.
He’s offered to buy me out. I agreed.”
    “ You’re selling your
interest in Brewbaker and Massy Department Stores?”
    “ That’s right.”
    “ May I ask
why?”
    “ It’s
complicated.”
    “ Has it got anything to do
with the divorce?”
    “ I don’t see how that’s
any of your business.”
    “ It is if it lends to a
motive for kidnapping.”
    “ You think Massy kidnapped
my daughter?”
    “ I’m not saying that. I’m
simply saying that where large amounts of money are concerned, we
have to look at all possibilities. How much is the buyout worth to
you?”
    “ We’re still negotiating
that.”
    “ Tony!” Carlos came back
downstairs with Amanda Brewbaker in close tow. He held up a pillow
case wrung tight mid-way and tied in a knot. “We didn’t find
anything