Page 77 of Pretty Broken Dolls

“Not this one. She has an eighth-degree black belt and has been known to get into fights when she worked at the prison.”

“Dr. Dean said that someone with martial arts skills could hit or kick hard enough to damage or stop the heart,” she said.

“That is true. Still want to talk to her?”

Katie thought about it. “When did her husband pass away?”

“Six years ago. He was a bail bondsman.”

“Interesting couple.”

Katie drove past the “Welcome to Raven Woods” sign.

“She’s out of my league as an interviewee,” said Katie. “She probably wouldn’t like me to be in charge and would take direction a little bit easier from you.”

“How about we just wait and see after we meet her?”

Katie turned down Fox Hunt Road again, noticing that the road was mostly deserted and how dark it felt, as trees blocked much of the daylight. It was quiet. She found it difficult to believe that no one had heard or seen anything unusual, according to the reports.

“Deal,” she said.

The overcast day made it even drearier than the previous visit. Katie immediately recalled their brush with gas suffocation and it made her arms prickle.

Could it have been Mrs. Caldwell who tampered with the gas?

Pulling up to the house next door to the boarded-up home of Jeanine Trenton, Katie parked. Neither of them spoke for almost two minutes.

“You ready?” McGaven said.

“Let’s see what Mrs. Caldwell has to say.”

Katie got out followed by McGaven and they studied the brown house, which had heavy white shutters and darkened windows and looked well taken care of and tidy. Katie wondered if they were specialized windows to maintain more privacy. There wasn’t much landscaping, but some bushes across the front. No pots of flowers. No fruit trees. No ground cover. No doormat. Just minimal and natural.

Katie walked up to the porch and glanced up, seeing a video camera lens. She wondered if Mrs. Caldwell was watching them at that moment, so she shifted her jacket to show her badge and gun.

McGaven waited next to his partner.

Katie knocked three times then stepped back. She noticed that there was a pair of yellow gardening shoes sitting next to the stairs. They had a significant amount of mud and brush from the outdoors.

A static radio sounded, coming from a small speaker. Then a woman’s voice said, “State your business.”

“Pine Valley Sheriff’s Department. We want to speak with you for a moment.”

“About what?” The voice was curt and made the cheap speaker crackle.

“Mrs. Caldwell?” said Katie.

There was a pause.

“Mrs. Caldwell?” she said again.

“Yes.”

“Can you come out here to speak with us?”

“I can’t see your badges. State your names.”

Katie sighed and kept her patience in check. “I’m Detective Katie Scott and this is my partner, Deputy Sean McGaven.”