Page 74 of Trust No One

“About a year.”

“Why did you hire her?”

“I needed help. I had caregivers during the day while I was in school, but nights and weekends were my responsibility. Amy was hired to cover the weekends so I could get a break.”

“How did you meet Amy?”

“First day of senior year. We had the same lunch schedule.”

“Who was watching your mother the day she escaped?”

I opted to stick to the truth until I couldn’t. “It was a Saturday. Amy was on duty that day.”

“Amy Stocker?”

“That’s right.”

“Was Amy normally reliable?”

“I had no issues while she worked in Hale House.”

“Did Amy have any visitors at Hale House?”

“Not that I know of. But I was often gone on the weekends.” Mom had seemed fine when I returned, so I didn’t worry.

“And when Amy wasn’t working at Hale House?”

“She vanished like a cat. I don’t know where she went.”

“How do you think your mother got out?”

“The outside latch on her door was loose. If she rattled the door, she could have loosened it.”

“Where was Amy?”

“She said she’d fallen asleep. Mom had had a bad night.”

“Bad night?”

“She’d wake up at night and wander. That’s why I put the latch on her door.”

A knock on the door, and Detective Hutchinson rose. He opened the door, and a deputy passed him a note.

Hutchinson faced me. “Looks like your family attorney is here.”

Ethan Weller wore a charcoal-colored coat. His gray hair was slicked back, adding a sense of menace to his angled face. “This meeting is over.”

Within a few days, the world moved on, and Mom’s death and Amy were forgotten.

The door to the back office opened. Judson stood in the doorway. The softness I’d seen earlier was gone. “I understand you’re Gabe Durant’s attorney?”

I leveled my shoulders. “That’s correct. I’d like to see my client.”

“He’s in the interview room.”

“Lead the way, Agent Blackwood.”

Judson opened the interview room door. I stepped past him toward Gabe, who sat at a faux-wooden table. He had a cup of coffee in hand and a half-eaten doughnut in front of him.