by Rita Herron
Ellie shot the woman a venomous look. Did she have no compassion for the family inside that house? “As I’ve said before, I cannot divulge details of an ongoing investigation. I will issue a statement when I have more to share.”
“But don’t you think people in this area need to be warned that a predator is stalking their children?”
Yes, she did.
Had Bryce told Angelica about Derrick’s theory? If he had, she was going to have the bastard’s head on a platter. “When and if that is determined, I will address the public,” she said, keeping an even keel to her voice. “Now get out of my way so I can talk to Penny’s family.” And undo the damage you’ve done.
Angelica spun toward Derrick. “Special Agent Fox, is it true your sister disappeared in the same manner as Penny Matthews? That you believe the cases are connected?”
Derrick pushed the camera away from his face with a steely look. “No comment. Now, let us do our jobs.”
Ellie and Derrick rushed to the front door, and Susan let them in, slamming it behind them.
She looked haggard, pale-faced with swollen eyes, and she was still wearing her pajama pants and a stained t-shirt, as if she hadn’t had the energy to get dressed all day. Stan was pacing behind her, a desperate recklessness in his agitated movements. “Was that Penny you found today?”
41.
Ellie gritted her teeth. “No, we’re still looking for Penny, and have reason to think she’s alive. I found a child’s footprints in a cave.”
The couple clutched each other and visibly sagged in relief.
“Then where is she?” Susan asked, her voice hoarse.
“The search teams are working around the clock and are focusing on the area where I found the footprints.”
“But you found another little girl’s body?” Stan’s eyes looked glassy with fear.
Ellie knew this was hard for Derrick, but she couldn’t lie to the couple. “Yes, but the child has been deceased for some time, so it may not be related to Penny’s disappearance.”
Susan made a strangled sound.
“But it could be,” Stan barked.
“Mr. Matthews,” Derrick cut in. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
Ellie felt the pain and worry emanating from Derrick. “Please, let’s sit down.” She guided the couple to the family room and waited until they situated themselves on the sofa. Then she removed the evidence bag with the wooden doll from her pocket. “Does this little doll look familiar?”
Susan immediately shook her head. “No, that’s not Penny’s. Why?”
“I found it on the trail.” Along with another one in a small grave. But she refrained from mentioning that.
Derrick cleared his throat. “It would be helpful if you could give us something with Penny’s DNA on it so we can compare it to what we find on the doll. A toothbrush or comb would do.”
“Of course.” Susan ran into the bathroom, returning a moment later with a pink hairbrush and child’s toothbrush. Derrick bagged the items and promised to return them once they were finished.
“I have an idea,” Ellie said. One to satisfy the nosy reporter and make her work for them for once. “That is, if you’re willing to do it.”
Susan clutched Ellie’s arm. “What? Tell us. We’ll do anything to get Penny back.”
“I want you to go on TV and make a personal plea for Penny,” Ellie said.
Susan and Stan exchanged looks, then they both spoke at once, agreeing immediately.
“Good. I’ll go talk to Ms. Gomez.”
Derrick cornered her by the door before she went outside. “Do you think this is a good idea? What if Angelica tells them a serial killer has their daughter?”
“Let me handle her,” Ellie said. “At least this way we control the media, and we might get a helpful tip.”
Derrick didn’t look convinced. “Sometimes public pleas draw out false confessions from attention seekers. And we’re bound to waste time chasing false leads.”
“At this point we need all the help we can get,” Ellie said. “The clock is ticking, Derrick. We don’t want Penny to end up like that little girl in the grave.”
Ellie regretted the words the minute they slipped out of her mouth. Derrick’s tormented look said it all.
But the best way to find this predator was to tackle the situation head on, and that meant using every resource available to them.
Angelica Gomez was one. She would report the story anyway, and Ellie preferred to guide the dialogue in the direction she wanted. She stepped outside and motioned Angelica to the porch while Derrick made a phone call.
“I’m going to shoot you straight, Angelica,” she said in a no-nonsense tone. “We are not going to mention the word serial predator or killer. We want to find Penny alive, and we don’t want to glorify this kidnapper by making him famous. We don’t even want him to know that we suspect he may have done this before. Do you understand me?”
“You promise me an exclusive?”
“You have my word.” Ellie gestured toward the cameraman. “He’d better keep this under wraps as well. The two of you don’t want to be responsible for getting a little girl killed, do you?”
Angelica’s eyes blazed. “Of course not.” She gestured toward her partner. “And don’t worry about him. He’ll do whatever I say.”
Ellie hoped so. She had enough loose tongues to worry about with Bryce Waters.
“I’ve set up a tip line for anyone calling with information,” Derrick announced. “When the segment ends, be sure to flash the number on the screen.”
Angelia agreed, then entered the house and offered the couple a sympathetic smile. “I’m so sorry to hear about your daughter,” she said. “Hopefully seeing how much you love her will bring some helpful information.”
They set the couple up in the living room, and the cameraman adjusted the lighting while Angelica suggested the couple showcase a photograph of Penny. Susan clutched Penny’s teddy bear in her arms as they began. With his big button eyes and worn ears, the soft yellow furry bear looked well-loved.
The couple painted the picture of a loving couple terrified for their daughter, exactly the image Ellie wanted them to portray as they begged the kidnapper to return their daughter.
“This is Toby, Penny’s bear,” Susan said. “My little girl is afraid of the dark and can’t sleep without him.”
“She’s so tiny and sweet and all we have,” Stan said. “Look at her innocent face.” Stan’s voice broke. “We’ll do anything to bring her home.”
“Last week she donated her piggy bank money to the nature center to save a turtle who’d been injured.” Susan gulped back tears. “She likes to make artwork out of nature items. And she wants to be an artist when she grows up.” Her voice broke. “Last week she painted a picture of the sunshine. I… just want her to see it again…”
“Please don’t hurt her,” Stan pleaded. “Please.”
Ellie’s heart wrenched as Stan and Susan broke down and cried, cradling each other.
The reporter once again recited the number for the tip line, then the interview came to an end. Now, they had to wait.
Ellie walked Angelica and the cameraman to the door.
“People around here need to be alerted if some maniac is hunting their children,” Angelica said in a low whisper. “Twenty-four hours, Detective Reeves, then I will run with the serial killer angle, with or without your approval.”
42.
Somewhere on the AT
He lined the little dolls up in a row, naming them after each of the girls he had taken.
But the first one was special. He traced his finger over the smooth wood, the little round head, the tiny little legs and arms, and smiled. She had been so pretty.
All he’d wanted to do was play with her.
He’d watched her for days. Seen her singing ‘Skip to My Lou’ as she did cartwheels in the yard. Watched her and her daddy toss sticks into the creek and dig for worms. Watched her mother dote o
n her, giving her candy and taking her to the park, and baking cookies in the kitchen that smelled like heaven.
Watched her play with dolls. She’d combed their hair and dressed them in fancy clothes and had tea parties where she set out real cookies and pretend tea.
He’d wanted to be part of a family, too. Had wanted a little sister to play with. So, he’d started making the dolls. He’d known if she saw them, she would follow him.
Then one day she’d wandered away from her parents, just like he’d hoped. He’d snuck up and shown her the dolls he’d made and lured her to his secret hiding place. But once she was inside, he’d heard her parents coming and he’d run.
Couldn’t get caught or they’d be mad, just like the fosters were when he pulled the other girls’ hair or threw toads on them to hear them scream.
Laughter caught in his throat. He liked to hear them scream and watch their little faces turn horrid-looking with fear. Then they weren’t so perfect and pretty anymore.
The mommies and daddies who’d come looking for children to take home hadn’t wanted him. Said he was too big. Too old. Too awkward. Too withdrawn. Too weird. One of his eyes twitched. He walked with a limp.
But everyone loved the pretty little girls. The mommies said they were angels. Like sweet little dolls.
They took them home and gave them pretty, fancy rooms and warm beds and toys. While he stayed at the orphanage, slept on a ratty cot and played with sticks and wore hand-me-down rags that the rich kids tossed out.
He crawled back into his dark place and stared at the little girl. It had been a while since he’d taken one. Over a year.
But she’d just been there playing all alone. Hunting treasures. Her parents were both sleeping like lazy pigs while she wandered along the creek bank and ventured onto the ridge.
She’d slipped and almost fallen over. But he’d saved her.
Then the little witch had bit him.
He rubbed at his forearm where it still stung. She would be sorry for that. She had to be punished.
43.
Crooked Creek
It was near 9 p.m., and Derrick wanted a drink bad.
Those bones had gotten to him. And that tiny little grave… God help them.
Children were not supposed to end up dead.
The realization that he might have found Kim today made it hard to breathe. He envisioned his mother’s face. Having to tell her about the bones they’d uncovered in a plain dirt grave. How this would have torn his father apart.
His phone dinged with his mother’s ringtone. Inhaling a deep breath, he answered. “Hello, Mom.”
“I saw the news, Derrick.” Her voice quivered with emotions. “Was Kim in that grave?”
He squeezed his eyes closed at the pain in her words. He knew she’d try to be brave. But they’d both been dreading this forever. “I don’t know yet, Mom, and won’t until the autopsy is complete. I’m sending Kim’s medical and dental records to the ME’s office.”
Ellie’s soft sigh reeked of sympathy, but he couldn’t look at her. He’d rather have talked in private, but the Jeep wasn’t roomy enough for that.
“You won’t lie to me, son,” his mother said. “Neither of us want this, but we will deal with it. At this point, I just want to find her and bring her home.”
Grief, guilt and anguish flooded Derrick’s throat, and it took him a minute to gather himself enough to answer. “I promise I’ll let you know as soon as I do.” He paused, haunted by the memory of the way she’d collapsed when she’d learned Kim had been abducted. “Is there anyone there with you?”
“Lou Ann, from next door,” she said softly. “She insisted on staying tonight.”
“Good. I don’t want you to be alone.”
“You’re such a good son, Derrick.” Her voice cracked again. “Just be careful. I can’t lose another child.”
Derrick forced a calm to his voice although his heart clenched. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
They said goodbye, and he stared out the window at the thickening fog of clouds and precipitation. A dark night made darker.
“If you need some time tonight, leave me with those notes and videos and I’ll look over them,” Ellie said gently.
Derrick shook his head. Now they’d found one body, he was even more determined to uncover the truth.
“No, if we divide up the case files, it’ll go faster.”
“My office then? Or we can grab some food and then go to my house?”
He didn’t feel like eating, but his stomach growled. “Food, yeah. Then your office.” Going to Ellie’s house was too personal.
And he had no business getting personal with her, not when he was so vulnerable right now. Not when he suspected her friend Cord might be involved.
Not when he believed her father had been negligent. Maybe even incompetent.
Or… had Randall cast suspicion on him and his father because he himself was the killer?
You’re grasping.
Still, the moment the idea occurred to him, he couldn’t let it go. Considering that Kim, this predator’s first victim, disappeared on the trail under Randall’s jurisdiction, and now the kidnapper had returned to the area, it was logical to assume he might have lived nearby. He’d started in the area and returned to taunt the police with the fact that he was clever enough to have gotten away all this time.
Who knew the mountains, where to hide, and how to hide evidence, better than Sheriff Reeves? He’d lived in Bluff County when Kim disappeared. He could have traveled up and down the trail using it as his hunting ground and no one would have questioned or suspected him.
His mind circled back to Ranger Cord McClain, another possibility. He’d grown up in the mountains. Like Randall, people trusted him. He was a loner. Could snatch a little girl without anyone even noticing it.
He’d found the first body, too, when dozens of SAR teams had been searching the mountain.
That alone warranted running a background check on the mysterious man.
“Why is your name not in the hat for sheriff?” Derrick asked as they passed sign after sign boasting Bryce Waters for Sheriff.
Ellie pressed her lips into a tight line.
He’d hit a nerve.
“After the police academy, I planned to work with my dad. But my parents thought it was too dangerous for a woman.”
“You seem like you can handle it,” he said.
She cut her eyes toward him. “Thanks. A lot of men in the South still think they’re superior. All the muscle and brawn.” But good detective work took mental toughness and brains as much as all that muscle. And one look around the station house would show you that supposed muscle seemed to have settled around more than one officer’s waistline.
“Maybe your folks just wanted to protect you.”
“So they said.” She lifted her chin. “I can protect myself.”
He didn’t comment. Had a feeling whatever he said would piss her off. Besides, he was still working the theory about her father. Maybe Randall knew Ellie was smart and might see through his incompetence if she took office?
Ellie pulled into the parking lot for a place called Soulfood Barbecue and cut the engine. The rain and sleet had eased for now, but heavy gray clouds hung low in the sky, promising to spill their guts overnight. A giant metal pig stood in front of the restaurant’s long wooden porch and smoke billowed from the twin smokers to the side. The aroma of smoking pork and beef brisket filled the air, and people sat inside devouring their dinner.
As if she was still ticked at their earlier conversation, Ellie opened the car door, got out and slammed it behind her. Following her into the diner, the smoky aroma of the barbecue and earthy smell of collard greens made his stomach growl.
A TV hung above the bar, the news footage of the Matthews couple’s plea playing. Voices grew hushed and curious looks turned their way as they entered.
Ellie murmured a greeting to two older women who were passing out fliers with Penny’s pictu
re on them. Other patrons shifted restlessly, looking frightened as they watched the news. A pencil-thin older lady with a gray bun sat alone at a table, her fingers running over the flier. The other customers seemed to be giving her a wide berth.
“Who’s that?” he murmured to Ellie.
“Eula Ann Frampton,” Ellie said softly. “She claims she talks to the dead. Some folks around here are scared of her. Others come to her wanting her to commune with their lost loved ones.”
His gut tightened. His mother had been so desperate that she’d once visited a medium after Kim disappeared. The woman had been a charlatan, cheating grieving people out of their money.
Still, some people believed.
The two ladies handing out fliers passed Eula’s table, then one of them stopped and glared down at her.
“Do you know where Penny is, Ms. Eula? Is she still alive?”
Pain clouded Ms. Eula’s eyes as she looked up at the women. “I… can’t say.”
“Can’t or won’t?” one of the women hissed, before they both hurried off.
The hair on the back of Derrick’s neck prickled. The town was riddled with panic. Tension was mounting between neighbors as locals began to fear there might be a killer living among them.
How would they react when they realized almost a dozen girls had died at the hands of this monster?
44.
Eula Ann slipped the flier into her crocheted bag, set a five on the table to pay for her tea, and tottered from the diner. Whispers and stares followed her.
Some wanted to believe. Others thought she was crazy. Even those condemned her, as her secrets weren’t hers to keep. As if she was cruel enough to lie about seeing Penny’s spirit pass. As if she was hiding a killer.
That Ellie Reeves girl gave her a sad smile, her eyes full of the horror of what she was just learning. That there were more little bodies out there.
That neither one of them could stop it from happening.