The Cinderella Murder

63

Keith Ratner could not believe the words that were coming out of Nicole’s mouth.

First Nicole claimed to have had a secret relationship with Martin, and now she was saying he abused a little girl?

“Nicole, these are crazy accusations. No wonder Martin was so worried about you being a part of this show.”

“I saw him with my own eyes, Keith. And you would not believe he was a good man if you heard the threats he made against me. Some part of you must see the truth. Look at his lifestyle. All that money he raises isn’t going to good works. It’s lining his pockets. And think about those families he chooses to help-always with young girls, always with vulnerable parents. I didn’t see the pattern either until that night. But I couldn’t prove anything. Who knows how many other victims he’s had? You can help. You’re in his inner circle.”

Keith covered his face with his hands. This was absolutely insane. “I haven’t seen you in twenty years, Nicole. Why should I believe you?”

“Ask yourself: How did Martin feel about your doing this show? Did he want you talking about AG?”

“Yes, in fact. I didn’t even want to do it. Martin’s the one who pushed me to accept.” But as Keith finished the sentence, he felt a tug of doubt. He recalled the moment he first mentioned Under Suspicion to Martin. Keith had wanted no part of the show. He hated the idea of having his name dragged through the mud again. Martin had been the one to steer him here. Martin had wanted to know what Nicole was up to. His exact words had been, You let me worry about my own enemies.

But child abuse? Was it possible that Keith had devoted his entire adult life to a church led by a man who would do something so heinous? It was unimaginable.

He cleared his throat, as if it could somehow clear his thoughts. “What do you people want from me?”

A cameraman in a baseball hat lunged forward, a badge in his hand. When were the surprises going to stop?

“Mr. Ratner, my name is Detective Sean Reilly with the Los Angeles Police Department. Let me be straight with you. I’ve got Ms. Melling’s twenty-year-old recollection of an unconfirmed observation. I don’t have the name of whatever child she saw with your reverend. It’s not even close to the evidence we’d need for a prosecution. But I think you’ll agree that a person of good conscience can’t ignore this. You asked what we want from you? Under California law, police can monitor a telephone conversation with the consent of one party.”

“You’re asking me to turn on Martin.”

“You’re not turning on anyone. Just tell him two things.” Reilly ticked off his points on his thumb and index finger. “The police asked you about this man Steve Roman. And they raised the possibility of child abuse in the church. If he’s innocent, we’ll find that out. But if he’s not?”

Keith thought of all the hours he had spent at Martin’s side, delivering food to needy families. Without the church, Keith would still have been the shallow, insecure kid he used to be. Then he pictured all the young girls he’d seen in the families Martin helped. He hadn’t seen Nicole for twenty years, but she was right about the type of family Martin preferred. And he couldn’t imagine Nicole lying about something so awful.

“Okay, let’s do it.” He said a silent prayer that this was all a misunderstanding.

While Detective Reilly prepared Keith for his phone call to Martin Collins, Laurie walked Nicole to the driveway, giving her a brief hug before turning her over to the care of her husband, Gavin. Two weeks ago, when Laurie first met the couple in their gourmet kitchen, Nicole had seemed distant and cold, still trying to cover secrets that were two decades old. Now Nicole couldn’t stop sobbing, and Laurie wondered whether the woman would ever regain control over her emotions.

But Laurie forced herself to focus on the hard facts. Even twenty years ago, Nicole had been mature enough to begin a relationship with Martin, an adult man. She had ignored Susan’s warnings about Martin and his so-called church. Even after she caught Martin inflicting perhaps the worst harm imaginable, she had buckled under his threats, running away and leaving the child behind.

Laurie could empathize with Nicole, but she couldn’t sympathize.