Page 40 of Little Girls Sleeping

“Mrs. Stanley?” said Katie. “I’m Detective Scott and this is Deputy McGaven. We spoke on the phone.”

“Of course, please come in.” The woman opened the door wider, allowing them to enter.

Once inside, Katie immediately noted the Chinese theme to the decor, with Asian rugs, several Buddha statues, and a myriad of collectibles signifying good luck in traditional Eastern beliefs. There were also framed family photographs scattered around, and some holiday snaps. Katie noted that there were no children in any of the pictures.

“Please sit down, Detective,” Mrs. Stanley invited.

Katie wanted to make the conversation as casual as possible, but for a moment, all three of them sat uncomfortably. She realized she had little experience in interviewing witnesses in an investigation. Most interviews she had done on patrol were immediately after a crime occurred. She began the process by forcing a smile. “Thank you for seeing us at such short notice, but time isn’t a luxury we have on this case. I know it has been four years, but I wanted to ask you a few things about that day.”

“Of course, though I don’t know what I can do to help that I haven’t already told the other detective,” Mrs. Stanley said.

“Well,” Katie began, “I wanted to clarify a few things that were in the original missing-persons case. To begin with, did you see Chelsea the day she disappeared?”

Mrs. Stanley seemed slightly agitated and stood up, picking up one of her knickknacks distractedly. “Chelsea was always going to friends’ houses and I would often see her walking down the street.”

“Which way would she go?” Katie asked.

“Most days she would head out to the main street,” Mrs. Stanley replied.

“Not toward Highland Center Park?” Katie pushed.

“No, I don’t think so. Not that I remember.”

“How well do you know the Comptons?”

“Oh, Beth and… Chuck.” Mrs Stanley’s eyes lit up. “Fairly well. They’ve been our neighbors for more than eight years. Such nice people. Sad that they divorced after… well, you know.”

“Did you ever know them to have problems before Chelsea went missing, anything you might think we should know about?”

“Oh no, nothing. They were a wonderful family.”

Katie leaned back in more of a relaxed manner; she sensed some deception but wanted to continue in a friendly way. She looked to her right and saw that McGaven was watching Mrs. Stanley closely—her movements, hesitations, and body language when she spoke.

“Did you ever notice anyone in the neighborhood you’d never seen before, perhaps someone watching Chelsea or other children?”

“What do you mean, like a pedophile?”

“It’s possible. There are a couple of registered sex offenders in this area.”

“Oh my,” Mrs. Stanley said with some alarm; obviously the thought had never occurred to her. “No, I’ve never noticed anyone like that.”

Katie watched her mannerisms and hand movements when she talked. Certain words—“pedophile”, “divorced”, and “Chuck”—made her gestures increase in intensity.

“Was there anyone working for the Comptons, or any of your other neighbors, around that time—service workers, gardeners, contractors?”

“No… Oh, wait, the Crandalls on the other side of the Comptons had some new kitchen cabinets installed.”

“When?”

“A couple of weeks before Chelsea went missing.”

“Are you sure it was before she disappeared?”

“Yes. When something of that magnitude happens to one of your neighbors, you don’t forget anything that happened around that time.”

“What type of workers? Local? From one of the superstores or an online company?”

“Oh, from town. The Darren boys, Malcolm and Frederick. They do large remodels as well as small projects. They took over their dad’s business after he died. It seems everyone has used them at one time or another.”