“They deserved to die, and no one was going to stop them from continuing to hurt other women. Or in your case, women and children.”
“Exactly,” he agreed. “Where were you the other night? Who was the woman who provided your alibi?”
She lifted her chin. “Josefa Diaz. I helped her escape from a human trafficking ring. They were holding her in a hotel in San Francisco. I freed her and kept her safe here while I had her documents forged and set up a life for her in Chile. She needed money in the bank and people I trust on the other end to help her get started in a good job there. When I had everything ready, I waited until I needed her and then I called on her. She did exactly as I asked her in return.”
It was brilliant. She had a woman indebted to her who would be richly rewarded for helping her. The woman would never have to testify, never have to lift a finger to do anything other than sit in a restaurant or movie theater, someplace public where cameras could pick up Scarlet. She would go back to her country with money and someone on the other end to help her with a new life. By that time, she’d learned to trust Scarlet’s word. The plan was beyond brilliant. Clearly, she’d used the same type of alibi every time she’d killed successfully.
“What happened the other night that you needed to use Josefa? It was the teenager, wasn’t it? The girl in the library.”
She nodded. “Her name is Joan. Her mother, Brenda, really loves money and the lifestyle it gives her. She was married to a wealthy man at one point, but in her divorce, because she cheated multiple times, she lost everything but child support for her two children. That support is not enough to keep her in the lifestyle Brenda wants or thinks she needs.”
Absinthe sighed. He’d met more than a few greedy women who would do just about anything for money.
“Giles McCarthy is a very well-known philanthropist in the area. Very generous.”
“Yes.” Absinthe nodded. “He died in an accident at his home. A gas leak, I believe.” He watched her the entire time. “It’s still being investigated, but from everything I’ve read, it looks as if it really was an accident.”
“McCarthy paid Brenda ten thousand a month to make Joan available to him when Brenda took Luke out of town. She would get bonuses the more cooperative Joan was. Brenda wasn’t the only woman he made arrangements with. He was a straight-up pedophile and he managed to get the cooperation of a few of the greedier women in town willing to sell their daughters to him.”
“You have proof of this?”
She gave him a look that should have withered him on the spot. “I do my homework. Of course I have proof. I went to Joan’s house and was there when she was supposed to meet him. First, I went to his home, to ensure everything was in place for his little accident. It would be easy enough to undo it all. I checked his computer. Thousands of pictures of pornography, all young girls. Lots of Joan and other girls in our area. I wiped the ones of Joan. He had thousands of dollars in cash in his safe. I removed most of it but left enough so that no one would notice missing cash. He had videos of the girls and him. I took the ones of Joan.”
“They can get those off the hard drive.”
“I’m not an amateur. I went back to Joan’s house and typed a note from her saying she was sick and had to get help, that she’d meet him in a couple of days. I left it on the bed for him to see. He was so angry. He jacked off, leaving her a ‘present’ and a note saying she’d better be there or he’d inform her mother she wasn’t cooperative and he wasn’t paying that month. He left and went back home.”
“Pleasant fellow.”
“Right? I just sat in the car Josefa had gotten for me, just down from his estate, waited for the house to go up and then checked to make certain he didn’t make it out. He lived in the hills, so it was easy enough to get closer to home. I drove the car to a ravine, pushed it over and made my way home.” She shrugged.
Absinthe slid the pad of his thumb over her inner wrist and the pulse beating there. Every word she’d said was the truth. She’d killed a pedophile. Managed to bankroll a human trafficking victim and recouped cash. Saved a young teen. Had an airtight alibi. She’d been smart enough to make McCarthy’s death look like an accident.
“Moya literaturnaya ledi, I didn’t think it was possible to admire you any more than I already did. Holy mother but you get the job done.”