Part 12 (1/2)
No one had seen anything.
”So much for canva.s.sing the neighbors,” Ben said darkly. His shoulders were stiff with tension and his jaw looked hard.
”It happened really fast, Ben. The neighbors were inside or out in their backyards.”
”Yeah, I know.”
”It was worth a try.”
He nodded wearily.
”We need to talk to the children,” she said. ”The kids who were playing with Molly that day. I know that's the last thing you want to do, but we have to, Ben.”
He clenched his jaw, but nodded. ”There were only three of them besides Molly. They were all close to Molly's age and all of them went to the same grammar school. As far as I know, none of them have moved from the area.”
”You know where they live?”
”They were all from this neighborhood or close by. I talked to them a number of times after Molly was taken. I kept hoping the kids would think of something that might help us find her, but they were all so little. I'm not sure how much they'll remember this many years later.”
”I remember a lot of things from my childhood. Maybe one of them will, too.”
”It's worth a try.”
They climbed back into his car, drove to the first child's house a few blocks away and parked at the curb. This time of day even the kids in summer school would probably be at home or playing somewhere nearby.
Mrs. Sidwell, the mother of one of the girls in the yard that day, was sympathetic and polite. She warned Ben not to press Emily too hard.
”I don't know how much she remembers, you know? I think mostly she remembers all the excitement afterward with the police and all. And how sad everyone was.”
Ben promised he would be careful.
Though the girl was now six years older, Autumn recognized her as one of the children in her dream. Dark-haired and dark-eyed with a dimple in her cheek. Unfortunately, Emily didn't remember anything more than she had told the police at the time of the abduction.
”I'm sorry, Mr. McKenzie,” she said. ”I was awful little then. I wish I'd been paying more attention.”
”We all wish that, Emmie.”
The other little girl, Megan Turner, began to cry when Ben asked if she remembered Molly.
”I remember her,” the twelve-year-old said, wiping away the wetness on her cheeks. ”We were best friends. I never forgot her and I never will.”
Ben swallowed hard. ”I'll never forget her either,” he said softly. ”She's right here in my heart.” He placed a fist over his heart and Autumn's throat closed up.
Megan put her arms around Ben's neck and gave him a hug and Ben hugged her back so sweetly Autumn had to look away.
Megan moved out of his embrace. She was tall for her age, her light brown hair cut shoulder-length and curled under. ”Why are you asking me about Molly after all this time?”
When Ben seemed to grope for words, Autumn answered for him. ”We're just trying to tie up some loose ends. We thought you might be able to help in some way.”
”I wish I could. But all I remember about that day was a white car going around the corner at the end of the block with Molly inside, then everyone shouting and going crazy.”
According to the newspapers, the car was pretty much all that the children had seen. Their descriptions of the man who had taken Molly had been so varied as to render them totally useless.
And Gerald Meeks had been driving a white Toyota at the time he was arrested.
There had been plenty of evidence against him in the other murder cases and there was, of course, his confession to those crimes. Though there was no blood evidence in the car and no DNA except his own, the white car seen during the abduction was one more reason to believe Meeks had murdered little Molly.
They returned to the front of Megan's house, Ben looking so exhausted and grim Autumn suggested they speak to the last child, Robbie Hines, another day.
”We're here,” Ben said darkly. ”Let's get it done.”
When they pulled up in front of Robbie's house, the garage door was open and an old car-nineteen-fifty-something-sat on blocks with the hood open. A redhaired youth leaned into the engine, a grease rag stuffed into the back pocket of a pair of baggy jeans.
He turned at their approach and Autumn saw an older version of the boy who had been in her dream.
”Mr. McKenzie...” Robbie said. ”It's nice to see you.”
”Hi, Robbie.”
Robbie looked a little older than the girls...maybe thirteen now, with short-cropped red hair combed up on the sides and a face full of freckles.
”h.e.l.lo, Robbie.” She gave him a smile. ”My name is Autumn Sommers. I'm a friend of Ben's. We were hoping you might answer a couple of questions about Molly.”
”That was a long time ago,” Robbie said, obviously not interested in stirring up the past anymore than Ben was.
”We just want to know if there's anything about that day you might have remembered later, in the years since it happened.”
Robbie looked uneasy. ”They caught the guy, right? The guy's in prison?”
”He's in prison,” Ben said. ”We're just trying to tie up a few loose ends.”
”He coming up for parole or something?”
Ben flicked Autumn a glance. ”Meeks never confessed to killing her, Robbie. We just want to see if we might have missed something...anything at all.”
Robbie jerked the rag from his pocket and wiped his greasy hands. ”You know, there is something...I mean, I didn't know anything about cars when I was seven, but now...well, cla.s.sic cars are a hobby of mine and my dad's.”
”Go on,” Ben urged.
”The car I saw that day...back then I didn't know what it was, but now I know it was a Chevy Super Sport. A Chevelle, the one with the big 396 engine. I've seen a dozen of them at car shows over the years. It wasn't fixed up or anything so it just looked like a plain old white car to me back then.”
Autumn looked up at Ben. Inside her chest, her pulse was beating faster. Meeks had been driving a Toyota.
”I didn't think it mattered or I would have said something to the cops when I first figured it out. But Molly was...you know...dead. And the guy who killed her was in jail.”
”I'm just glad you noticed it,” Ben said. ”I want you to tell me everything you can about that car.”