“I need to talk to her, Lewis. That’s what all of this is about. No matter what happens, you’ll let me talk to her, won’t you?”
“I know why you’re doing this, Carrie. My priority is to get the answers you’re looking for.” He took my hand in his.
I offered him a smile and squeezed his hand before pulling away. “Thank you.”
He returned my smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Lakeville was swarming with curiosity seekers. The city’s welcome sign boasted a population of seven hundred people, withdozens of wooden and brick buildings downtown. The grocery store that Annie and Lloyd had robbed sat at the north end of Main Street.
Several deputy sheriffs were trying to create a barricade from the tourists taking pictures of the little grocery store, while the owners were cleaning up the mess that Annie and Lloyd had left in their wake. Both large, plate-glass windows at the front of the building had been shattered, and a nearby fence had been broken, presumably by the getaway car, since the ground around it was torn up with tire tracks.
“They made a mess of things,” Lewis said as we approached the crowd.
“How are we going to speak to the owners or the law enforcement?” I asked him. “It doesn’t look like they’re letting anyone get close.”
“I’ll show them my badge.”
Lewis took charge as he gently nudged people out of our way and stopped by the first deputy he found.
“I’m Detective Lewis Cager from the Saint Paul Police Department.” He showed the deputy his silver badge, and though he was wearing street clothes, the deputy nodded and let us pass.
An older woman was sweeping broken glass as a man nailed boards over the window. Both looked tired and careworn, with deep wrinkles around their eyes. The woman appeared to have been crying, and when she looked up at our arrival, her eyes grew wide.
“You,” she said as she stopped sweeping and pointed at me. “Who are you, and what do you want?”
My mouth parted at her strange and unwelcome greeting.
Lewis glanced at me, curious, and said, “You must look like Annie.”
The woman narrowed her eyes. “You know Annie Barker?”
I shook my head, not able to explain my connection to her. “No,” I said honestly. “I don’t know her.”
“You look just like her—only younger.” The woman put one hand on her hip. “Are you sure you don’t know her?”
“What’s this about?” the man finally asked as he approached. “Are you more curiosity seekers?”
“No.” Lewis showed the couple his badge. “I’m a detective with the Saint Paul Police Department, and we’re here to ask some questions.”
The woman continued to eye me with distrust, but Lewis didn’t let it stop him.
“We’re looking for Annie Barker and want to know what you can tell us about her.”
“I already told the sheriff everything I have to say.” The woman went back to sweeping. “I got a business to run, and I don’t have time for nonsense.”
“What do you want to know?” the man asked, casting a disparaging look at the woman.
“What way did they leave town?” Lewis asked.
The man nodded to the north. “They headed out that way.”
“Toward the Twin Cities?” I asked, though it was obvious.
“As far as I can tell.”
“And were they working alone?” Lewis asked. “Or were there more than two of them?”
“I only saw the two of them. The woman came in first, browsing the shelves. After she had a basket full of food, the man came in with a gun and demanded all the money in our register. After I gave it to them, they ran out of here with the food and the money, but he decided to turn and shoot the windows out for the pure fun of it. Me and the missus had to duck, or we might have been killed. I heard them squeal out of here, and they must have hit the fence because it made a ruckus. As soon as I knew they were in their car, I ran out after them and saw them speeding out of town.”
