Page 134 of Tear Me Apart

“Her stepdad. He married Liesel’s mother in 1990. Here’s the thing. The judge noted there were extenuating circumstances, which is why the charge was manslaughter, and she was sent to a hospital instead of jail. The case was never adjudicated. She was sixteen at the time.”

“What extenuating circumstances?”

“In November of 1993, while an inpatient at University Hospital, three months after she was admitted, Liesel Thompson suffered a miscarriage. She was five months pregnant. The baby was Bennett Thompson’s.”

“Her stepdad got her pregnant, so she killed him?” Woody asks.

“Yes, he got her pregnant. But that’s not why she killed him. She had a little sister.”

Parks is seeing the whole picture now. “He was abusing the sister, too?”

Starr nods. “It doesn’t say that explicitly in the records, but it’s a safe bet.”

“I take it Lauren Ryder Wright’s real name is Liesel Thompson?” Woody says.

“Yep. It was legally changed back in 1994, here in Colorado. Juliet was only six when they moved. Ryder is the mom’s maiden name, she dropped Thompson, too. Once Liesel—Lauren—got out of the hospital, the mom sold everything and moved them west. They all got a fresh start. Lauren went to a pricey boarding school for her senior year, Juliet was enrolled in the local elementary school, and everyone proceeded on with their lives as if nothing happened.”

“Is Juliet Ryder aware of all of this?” Parks asks.

Woody shakes his head. “I’ve never heard a whisper of this, not even during her background check. She hasn’t ever spoken of it to me. Juvenile records of a family member wouldn’t necessarily be opened, and the name change...well, we’ll have to take a look at our files, see if there’s anything in her jacket that talks about this. But as far as I know, there isn’t anything.” He rubs his chin. “God. Poor Juliet. Poor Lauren.”

“Juliet was very young, and we have no idea the extent of the abuse. But if her sister tried to kill her today, could be Lauren wants the past to stay hidden. Honestly, without reopening the Vivian Armstrong case, no one would ever have looked into this. As far as we know, the two women don’t intersect at all, outside of their months together in the hospital.”

“They intersect again between 1995 and 2000,” Parks says grimly. “We need to find out how.”

“Let’s step back for a moment,” Starr says. “This woman killed her stepfather. She’s allegedly tried to kill her sister. We think she killed Vivian Armstrong. Do you think...”

“She killed Gorman, too?” Parks says, nodding. “Possibly.”

“That makes four victims. Her ex-husband is dead, too, and so is the doctor she claims to have worked with. What the hell are we dealing with here?”

“A psychopathic killer, who nearly got away with it,” Starr says.

“Starr, let’s not jump to conclusions.”

“Yeah, Parks, tell that to Juliet,” Woody replies, looking out the chopper window.

79

VAIL HEALTH HOSPITAL

Zack is allowed in to see Juliet after they administer the expensive antidote to the poison. Buried under tubing and ventilators, she is practically unrecognizable. The doctor, a young ER resident, stands at the foot of the bed, inputting his notes into the computer. He glances up when Zack enters the room.

“Will she live?” he asks the doctor.

“Are you the bastard who broke her ribs?”

“I am.”

“Then yes, she will, and it’s because of you. She would have died on the mountain before the ambulance arrived without your quick work. You have medical training?”

“Long time ago. Army.”

“Gotcha.” The doctor holds out a hand. “Flynn. Nice job. Don’t know if she’s going to be too happy when she wakes up. Broken ribs are a bitch, especially cracked off the sternum. You saved her life, though from what I’m hearing, she may not thank you for that. EMTs said she was a suicide. It’s an awful way to go if you’re trying to off yourself, I’ll give you that.”

“She didn’t do this to herself. Someone fed her the antifreeze.”

“You’re sure?”