Chapter 21: Sarcasm and speculation

Joe's head swivelled as he answered their questions. 'We're looking for her. She ran away from home. To begin with Christos demanded that the police find her. Then he did an about-face and said that she had ruined herself by leaving home and he no longer wanted anything to do with her.'

'Christ,' Robert said under his breath.

Elisabeth had moved ahead. 'Is there any evidence of abuse once they were here?'

Ruefully Joe shook his head. 'No.'

To herself she said, 'I wonder if she'd tell us.'

Robert didn't give her the chance to explain, if she had intended to. 'What do you have in mind?'

'She won't talk to us before the trial but she can't avoid it in cross-examination.'

'She'll probably have hysterics.'

Robert was right. Elisabeth stood and took a couple of paces to the wall, turned and leaned against it, her hands between. 'Joe, you've got to find Mary Eleni. We could put her in the box.'

'What for?' he asked. 'How will it help?'