Dot flicked back a few pages in her notebook.“Lara says the moment the boys were taken, she ran to tell you, but you wouldn’t believe her.”
“The children had been pretending to be pirates all morning.I thought it was part of their games.”
“Does Lara normally lie about things?”
Myra ran her hands down her top, flattening out any wrinkles.“She is a wonderful storyteller.”
Dot smiled.“Does she lie?”
Myra pressed her lips together and Dot tried another tack.“How long have you known Kurt Webb?”
“A few weeks.”It took a split second for Myra to realise what she’d done.Her mouth dropped open and her skin paled.
Caught you.Satisfaction filled Dot.“Tell me about your relationship.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“It is my business when he kidnaps two boys, and it appears you helped him.That makes you an accessory, Miss Simpson, which, if convicted, would see you going to gaol for ten years.”
Myra hesitated for a moment before she whispered, “He has a right to see his son.”
Her voice carried very little conviction.Interesting.“What did he tell you?”
Myra stared at the table, running her fingers along a scratch in the vinyl.“Gretchen took Jordan away years ago and he only just tracked them down.”Her gaze was fixed on the table.
The woman would never win an Oscar.“What did he threaten you with?”
Her fearful gaze darted to Dot’s face.“What?”
“You don’t strike me as the type of person who would put her students in danger, and you don’t appear to be a woman in love.Am I wrong?”
Myra shook her head and picked at her cuticles.
“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”
“You said I’m going to gaol.”She glanced up, her eyes full of tears.
“We may be able to avoid it, but I need you to be honest with me.”Dot layered sympathy into her tone, though right now she just wanted answers, so she could get home.There was so much paperwork she still had to do.
Myra stared at Dot for a long moment.“What do you need to know?”
“How did you meet Kurt?”
“It was at the brewery a few weeks ago.He tried to chat me up.”
“Did it work?”
She shook her head.“There was something kind of intense about him.It creeped me out.”
“What did he do then?”
“He said he knew… something about me, and if I didn’t do as he asked, he’d make sure everyone knew.”
Dot filed that away to ask about later.“What did he ask you to do?”
“Initially, he wanted to know about Lara Stokes, what she said in class, if she talked about her family.It didn’t seem like a big deal.”
“How often did you have to report to him?”
