The Secret Friend

42

Darby left the conference room and from her office retrieved the computer-printed photograph of Malcolm Fletcher, the one from the FBI website.

'Have you seen or met this man, Miss Sanders?'

'Is this the man who killed Jenny? Are you telling me you found him?'

'No, we haven't. Have you seen or met this man?'

'No.'

'Did Jenny ever tell you about meeting or seeing such a man?'

'If she did, I don't remember. Did you find her body?'

'We found this photograph in connection with another case,' Darby said. 'I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you.'

'I don't understand. The man I spoke to specifically told me you had information on what happened to Jenny. He said you would tell me the truth.'

'I am telling you the truth.'

'It sounds to me like you got nothing. Why did he tell me to come all the way down here for this?'

'Miss Sanders, what you've told me is extremely helpful. I'm sure a detective will want to stop by and speak to you about your daughter. Will you be home later today?'

'What else do I have to do? You think I'm going dancing?' Tina Sanders reached for her walker. Darby stood to help but the woman waved her off. 'I can do it myself, thank you.'

'Has anyone else besides yourself touched this piece of paper?'

'No.'

'Before you go, I was wondering if I could take your fingerprints.'

'For what reason?'

'I need a comparison set of prints,' Darby said. 'I want to see if anyone else has touched this picture.'

Darby's cell phone rang. It was Tim Bryson. She told him where she was and what had happened. Bryson asked her to keep the woman there.

'Detective Bryson is on his way up,' Darby said. 'He'd like to speak to you for a moment.'

'If you find the man who killed Jenny, I want to talk to him. I want this man to know I forgive him.'

'You forgive him,' Darby repeated.

'You can wipe that look off your face. I'm not some crazy old bat.'

'Miss Sanders, I don't -'

'I don't expect you to understand, but I'm going to tell you anyway.' Tina Sanders gripped her walker. 'After Jenny died, I decided to go back to my Catholic faith. I go to St Stephen's almost every day. Father Donnelly said I had to let go of the hate, and the only way to do that was to forgive this man. That way I can keep Jenny alive, keep her close to me and remember the good parts. That's what I'm left with now, the good parts.' Tina Sanders eased back into a chair. 'It took a long time to get to this place, a lot of crying and anger, but once I decided to forgive this man – I mean truly forgive him – the good Lord Jesus took away the pain. Now every day I'm surrounded by Jenny's love. When I die, Jenny and I will be reunited in heaven.'

Darby wondered what the woman had managed to discover on the other side of her grief to inspire that type of faith.