“Oh yeah, sure, depending on the rain. A buddy of mine lost his dog that way last year. One of those little ones that looks like a fox.”
Still another detail confirmed. So far, Riley’s story has checked out, though I still have no proof her assailant was Ruck.
I’ve cut things a little close this morning, but I arrive at the inn just in time for the call with Halligan. I dash up to the room to pee and drop off my trench coat, and as I’m about to hurry back downstairs, my phone rings. I answer right away, thinking it might be Chip, but to my shock, it’s Morgan Kroll.
“I hope I’m not interrupting you,” she says.
“Not at all. Is something up?”
“I just had my follow-up appointment with the state police today.”
“How did it go?” Surely she’s told Halligan I went around him.
“Well enough. I’d found the notes I made after Riley left the English department that day, and I went over them with the detective—and he seemed to accept that my hands were tied about taking any action ... There’s one thing I wanted to mention, though. The detective, Harrington, or—”
“Halligan,” I say and then hold my breath.
“Right. He asked that I keep everything to myself, and I made a split-second decision not to admit the two of us had talked. He seemed so by the book that I was afraid he might be seriously miffed. I wanted to give you a heads-up.”
She obviously has more heart than I gave her credit for.
“Thank you so much for that, Morgan.”
“And now, I guess, we just try to move on from here. Are you headed home soon?”
“Yeah, in a couple of days.”
“Well, best of luck.”
“Same to you.”
I’m running slightly behind now, and by the time I locate the meeting room, Logan already has his phone on the polished wooden table, and Halligan’s voice is droning through the speaker.
“Hold on a sec, will you?” Logan interrupts. “Here she is.”
I quickly apologize and take a seat catty-corner from my ex.
“We were just getting started,” he explains. “Detective Halligan was saying that he’s spoken to two people who’ve helped corroborate Riley’s story. One is the woman from the Carter English department who she mentioned to us.”
Logan’s phrased his comment to indicate that Halligan doesn’t seem to know I beat him to the punch. I’m tempted to confess, and yet if I do, my transgression will not only cast me in a negative light but Morgan, too, since she kept quiet about it. So, I just listen.
“The first person I spoke to actually was Riley’s gynecologist,” Halligan says. “She said that Riley became a patient about a year and a half ago and revealed that she’d been raped and wanted to make sure it hadn’t affected her ability to conceive or carry a child once she married.”
I wince at this revelation. Riley’s concern was probably heightened because of her engagement, but she may have been tormented about the issue for years.
“But of greater significance,” he adds, “was the interview with Morgan Kroll. She confirmed that Riley reported the rape to her the next morning, along with details about how she escaped. And she showed her the bruising on her neck.”
“This is very helpful, Brian,” I say after giving his words a moment to sit in the air. “And though I admit I had some reservations yesterday, I accept that Riley was attacked exactly as she said she was. But how can we be sure the man who did it was really Ruck? It was dark, she was terrified ...”
“Right,” Logan interjects, “What’s to say she wasn’t influenced by the photos she later saw of him.”
“Well, her description of him that morning couldn’t have been closer,” Halligan says.
“Whatdescription?” I blurt out.
“Morgan Kroll showed us the notes she’d made after Riley left her—she’d jotted things down in case she ended up speaking to the police herself. Riley told her the assailant was late thirties or early forties,tall, heavyset, clean-shaven, and with very short brown hair. And she made a point of mentioning that his eyes were set weirdly far apart.”
Eyes set weirdly far apart.I can see those loathsome weasel eyes even now, not only looking out from Ruck’s mug shot but also staring at me from across the courtroom. I’d never thought to ask Morgan if Riley had described her attacker that morning, only if she’d been sure it was him once she saw his photo.
