Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Linda Winston showed them into a living room, and they all took a seat. When they both declined the beverage she offered, she laced her hands in her lap. “Can you tell me what this is about?”
“I know you wanted to meet with me eight years ago,” Josie said, and Linda turned her attention to her. “I wasn’t ready then, and I’m sorry I denied your requests.” She glanced at Zach, and he gave her a small nod.
“I understand why you did,” Linda said quietly.
Josie stared down at her hands for a moment. My God, she’s brave. How she was doing this was beyond Zach. So lionhearted, his Josie. “Earlier when Zach…Detective Copeland talked to you, you said you’d heard about the so-called copycat who was mimicking your brother’s crime.”
Sadness passed over Linda’s expression. “Yes. I’ve been following the story. It’s…awful.”
“Yes,” Josie agreed. She cleared her throat. “In the course of the investigation, some questions have come up, and I’ve been trying to recall specific things about your brother in order to help catch the copycat.”
Linda frowned. “What sorts of things?”
Zach had told Josie not to indicate there was any question about Marshall Landish’s involvement in the original crime. There was no evidence to that yet, only questions, and it would be cruel to give this woman false hope on that front. Josie cleared her throat. “Nothing specific at this point. The truth is, I don’t know what memories might help.”
“So you’ve been going over that…time.”
“Yes.”
“That must be difficult.”
“I was hoping… Well, I was hoping you might be willing to talk to me about Marshall in sort of…general terms. I know that might be difficult for you too.”
Linda stared at Josie for a moment before sitting back in her chair. “No, actually, I don’t mind talking about Marshall. I’m glad someone wants to hear about him. I don’t believe he did it. I never have.” She looked up at Josie, their gazes holding for a few moments, these two women who came from such opposite sides of the case against the man they were discussing. Yet it was clear to Zach that Landish’s sister was a decent person. She wasn’t necessarily correct about her brother’s innocence, but she obviously believed what she said. And she understood the predicament Josie was in enough to offer sympathy.
“I know,” Josie said softly. “Will you tell me why?”
“It simply wasn’t in him to carry out the crime committed against you. Marshall was…awkward, shy. He even came across as simple sometimes, because of his stutter. But he wasn’t. He was intelligent. But mostly, he was empathetic. I knew him better than anyone because I practically raised him. He brought home every stray he came across when he was a little boy. He couldn’t even kill a spider. He’d scoop it up with a cup and put it outside. He was a gentle boy and a gentle man.”
“His stutter…did it ever come and go? When he got overwrought or angry, did it disappear?”
Linda shook her head. “Honestly, I can’t recall Marshall getting angry, but…no. If he became frustrated or anxious, his stutter actually got worse, not better. But it was always present. He was self-conscious of it. He tried different techniques to lessen it, but nothing ever worked. Marshall was very aware of his stutter, Ms. Stratton. He’d have never thought you wouldn’t notice it or that he could hide his identity if he uttered one sentence. The man who abducted you kept that mask on for a different reason.”
Josie blinked, swallowed. “When I was with Marshall, he said some things that gave me the impression that he’d gone hungry.” She was obviously changing the subject. What Linda had just said rattled her.
Linda looked down, her shoulders sagging slightly. “Our parents struggled. Occasionally the cupboards were bare.” Clearly she didn’t want to confirm the things Josie was saying, but she was being truthful anyway.
“What do you mean by struggled?” Josie asked, her expression guarded, as though she thought Linda would shut down her question.
But Linda didn’t pause, didn’t look at Josie as though her inquiry was too personal. She’d been waiting a long time to talk about her brother—to mount a small defense of him, however unofficial. “Our father had PTSD. He would go through bouts of depression. It was hard on my brother. He was sensitive, and my father’s drawing away hurt him. Anyway, there were lots of times my dad was out of work. Our mother tried her best to make ends meet, but times were often tight.”
They were both quiet for a moment. Zach wondered whether Linda knew her brother as well as she thought she did. A person couldn’t always know the things inside another, the things other people hide, the parts they play. The information about a depressed, unstable father set off warning bells. Had Landish repressed his rage at his father—his own violent tendencies—all his life until it finally erupted in a sadistic crime?