I shared a look with Jack, then asked Casey if Ivy had told anyone else.
“Just me and Father Callahan. Ivy was freaking out. She didn’t know what to do.”
“I bet Father Callahan was freaking out, too,” Jack said.
“Yeah. No doubt,” Casey said. “He’d go to jail for something like that, right?”
I nodded. “Ivy was 17.”
“That’s starting to sound like a motive for murder,” JD muttered.
That hung in the air like smoke.
“You know he does gang outreach, don’t you?” Casey said. “He goes to the county jail, goes to Jamaica Village, tries to help them find God. Kind of ironic, don’t you think?”
I shared another look with JD.
“Maybe he got some gangbangers to take care of his problem,” Jack said.
“Why do you think I’m so freaked out?” Casey said.
“Does Father Callahan know you know?” I asked.
“I don’t know what Ivy told him.”
“Have you told anyone else?”
”No.”
“Say a word to no one until we give you the go-ahead. You got me?”
She nodded. “Trust me. I’m keeping my mouth shut.”
“We’re going to look into this.” I dug into my pocket and handed her a card. “You call me if you think of anything else, or if you start to feel unsafe. We’ll need you to come down to the station at some point and make a full statement. I want to run a few things down first.”
Casey nodded.
“Don’t tell your mom right now. You know how people gossip in this neighborhood. That could put you at risk, and I don’t need angry residents taking justice into their own hands.”
“I told you. I’m not saying anything.”
We escorted her back to the door. Once she was inside, I called Brenda. “I need you to look into something for me.”
“I’m glad you called. I’ve got something for you.”
“I think I know what it is.”
“Okay,” she said in a curious tone. “You go first.”
“No, no. After you,” I insisted as we strolled back to the car.
"Looks like Ivy recently had a failed pregnancy. There is endometrial thickening, trauma, and an elevated hCG. She must have been in the early stages. It's possible Ivy had a miscarriage or an abortion. Is that what you were expecting to hear?”
"We just talked to a witness about that."
"And here I was, thinking I was one step ahead.”
"Keep working hard. Maybe one day you'll surprise me," I teased.
