Chapter 47
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When Prudence Conner called Gary Fredo in late August he wondered, was this about Abby. Prudence had been taking care of Abby ever since Abby's mother Carmen had been arrested in July. There was talk that Prudence was now trying to officially adopt Abby. Abby had always denied that she had ever been molested, which by itself wasn't unusual, rape in general was an under-reported crime, yet Carmen had confessed to molesting both Abby and Angel, and there was the possibility that Angel might have molested Abby. Now, Prudence wanted to speak with Gary and sheriff Duncan.
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Prudence: Thank you for coming.
Gary: My pleasure. What can you tell us?
Prudence: Yesterday Abby told me something, she said that she was molested.
Duncan; By who?
Prudence: Her sister Angel, a few days before Angel was killed.
Duncan: Does Abby know who killed Angel?
Prudence: She says she doesn't, and I believe her. But she did say that, after it happenned, Angel seemed genuinly sorry for what she had done. Angel said she didn't deserve to live, that she belonged in Hell. She told Abby about this support group that Michael Morgan runs, helping people resist their pedophilic tendancies. It didn't work for Angel, but she hoped it would help Abby. Angel made Abby promise not to end up like her.
Gary: Do you believe that Angel might have taken her own life?
Prudence: I don't believe she was a sociopath. In my work as a social worker I sometimes mediate between sex-offenders and their victims. It can help the victims find closure. I know that some child-molestors are so overwhelmed with guilt that they take their own lives. Especially women, female child-molestors are believed to be rare, but I think they might just be under-studied. I think that they are much less likely to be able to deal with this guilt than male child-molestors.
Duncan: I think you might be right. So the only question is who carved that pentagram into her chest.
Prudence: Abby said something else about that night. She said that Angel wanted to slit her own throat, but that she stole her hunting knife.
Duncan: Who stole Angel's hunting knife?
Prudence: Angel didn't say. But she did say she found the knife in her bedroom, and would take it back.
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At this point Gary remembered the recording that Samantha Larabee had given to him. It was at the party, Angel got into an argument with Jimmy Tinker. Angel accused him and Mary Elizabeth of trying to control her. They were both lecturing her about the dangers of ciggarettes, and Mary Elizabeth lecturing about vegetarianism. Angel even accused Jimmy of stealing her hunting knife, which he denied and claimed that Mary Elizabeth had stolen it. Mary Eizabeth was a vegetarian, not very experienced with a hunting knife. And doctor Hayward said that the killer likely had little experience with a knife. It seemed that Mary Elizabeth had, at one point, the very weapon used to murder Angel.
