“My friend at DCFS told me she’s a Chrysalis Center success story. They pulled her out of a bad situation. She ended up getting a degree in social work.”
“Good for her.”
“Actually, I think she was quoted in that article about Chrysalis in the Trib a week or so ago,” Seley said. “Talking about girls aging out of the system.”
It broke Nikki’s heart to see kids fall through the cracks. The social services system left a lot to be desired, but at least kids trapped in it got fed and had a roof over their heads. The second they aged out of the system, however, there was no safety net. They were thrown into the world like baitfish in a shark tank. They had no place to stay, no money, no means to support themselves.
Most homeless shelters wouldn’t take them, reserving their spots for women with small children. A lot of them ended up on the street. Most of them were barely educated because of the chaotic nature of their lives and the lack of adult support. The lack of education made job opportunities scarce. And most businesses wouldn’t hire a homeless person anyway. Employers wanted stable individuals with real addresses, but it was impossible to get a real address without real money, and difficult to get money without a job.
Caught in a downward spiral, these kids were easy prey for drug dealers and pimps. Angie Jeager was lucky to have caught the attention of someone from the Chrysalis Center. Good on her for making the most of her chance.
“This is it, on the right,” Seley said, and repeated the address.
The house was a cute little English-cottage-style, like something found in the enchanted forest of a fairy tale. A fall wreath hung on the arched front door. Amber lights glowed in the multipaned windows.
“She’s married now,” Seley said. “Her last name is Burke. First name, Evangeline.”
Nikki rang the doorbell and they waited in the rain. They had not called ahead. She preferred seeing a person’s honest reaction to a cop showing up on their doorstep.
A tentative voice came from behind the door. “Who is it?”
“Minneapolis Police Department,” Nikki said.
She pulled her ID out of her coat pocket and held it up so it could be seen through the peephole. A second later, locks were being undone.
The woman who opened the door was Nikki’s age, pretty in a girl-next-door kind of way, with light brown hair and big blue eyes.
“Did Kate send you?” she asked.
“Kate?”
“Kate Quinn. From Chrysalis.”
“No,” Nikki said. “You’re Evangeline Burke?”
“Evi. Evi Burke. Yes,” she said, clearly confused.
“I’m Detective Liska; this is Detective Seley. We have some questions for you.”
“This isn’t about the note?”
“May we come in?” Nikki asked, ignoring her question. “It’s a little wet out here.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. Of course,” Burke stammered. “I’m so sorry. Making you stand in the rain . . .”
She stepped back into the house and allowed them to come in, but Nikki could feel her resistance. Not many people were happy to see them. Even the perfectly innocent wanted them to go away as soon as possible, as if their presence might attract some dark force into their homes.
Nikki pulled her hood down, ruffled a hand through her hair, and unzipped her jacket, giving the impression she was ready to settle in for a while.
At a glance, she could see that Evi Burke’s home had a cheery feel, with a palette of soft yellow, blue, and white. It had undergone a remodeling at some point, the walls having been opened up so that the spaces flowed one into another. From the entry she could see the living room, a section of the dining room, and the staircase that led up to the second-floor bedrooms.
“What a lovely home,” Seley said, smiling, setting a friendly tone.
Evi Burke wasn’t buying it. She didn’t smile back. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and crossed her arms in front of her defensively. “Thank you. I’m confused. If you’re not here about the note, I don’t understand what you’re doing here.”
“I know Kate,” Nikki said to further confuse the woman. “I haven’t seen her in a while. How is she?”
“She’s fine.”
“She’s a great advocate for victims.”
“Yes, she is,” Burke said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, impatient.
“Why would she be sending detectives to your house?” Nikki asked.
“I work for the Chrysalis Center. We have a client about to testify against some potentially dangerous people.”
“You said something about a note?” Seley asked.
“Someone sent me a note that was vaguely threatening. My husband is a firefighter. He’s not always here at night. Kate said she would ask for extra patrols in the neighborhood. I just assumed you had something to do with that.”
Kate would have gone straight to Kovac with that request, Nikki thought, knowing he could pull some strings and knowing he was incapable of saying no to her. He’d been half in love with Kate forever, though he would never admit it.