At his words, her gut clenched so tight, she was left gasping. "When you put it that way…" God, what a betrayal. Still she had to get the word out, "Pete."
"Exactly."
CHAPTER 24
They made it faster than they had expected, with Chad stretching the speed limit to get there quickly. But for Meg, sitting in the passenger seat with knuckles gripped white, it wasn't fast enough.
According to Daniel, the vehicle had been parked, not run, off the road. It didn't appear to be damaged in any way. Apparently, the owner of the truck stop cafe knew of a couple of Pete's spots and had driven around to check. He'd been trying to prove that Pete hadn't done anything wrong.
The same owner had also said he'd never seen a kid in Pete's care.
Then Janelle hadn't been with Pete all that long and, according to Meg, he'd never been alone with her. And he'd never taken her on a trip out of town. And if he had her now, she could have been unconscious and hidden where no one could have seen her.
Not that he was going to mention any of those suggestions.
Meg sat motionless beside him. Too quiet. He knew what thoughts were running through her head. He couldn't imagine the feelings but he'd been with victim's families enough to know this would be one of the most horrible scenarios he could imagine.
He wanted to say something comforting but couldn't think of anything to say.
So, he said nothing.
His phone rang again. He had it in his holder on the dash. He pushed the talk button. "Hello."
"Chad, Daniel again." Daniel took a deep breath. "We're not sure from when, but there is a child's sweater in the back of the truck."
Meg gasped; she stared at Chad, her eyes huge.
"What color?"
"It's a deep purple with a turquoise trim on the sleeves."
Meg nodded, her eyes closed. "That's Janelle's."
Chad hated this. But he needed to ask. "Meg, she was at the cabin on the weekend. Did you drive up in Pete's truck?"
"Yes."
"Did Janelle have that sweater with her at that time?"
Her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, I'm not sure."
"We need you to be sure." he cast another glance in her direction. "Think. She must have had some kind of warm clothing with her?"
"Sure. We all did. The mornings are brutal and there is no central heat in his place. It's on his To Do list."
"And was that sweater one of those items she'd have taken?"
Meg sat back and took a deep breath. "Give me a moment. I'll go through it in my mind."
Chad said, "Daniel. I'll call you back. "
"Good enough."
The phone clicked off. The silence was long and thick as Chad waited for Meg to go through the events in her mind.
"I can't place it that weekend." she whispered. "I can't focus. I'm so scared."
"I know you are, honey. Stay focused. Did she have that sweater on this morning?"
She turned to look at him. "I don't know. She was at the sleepover."
"Then call the mother and ask." He waited patiently as Meg dialed her niece's friend's house and asked.
"Right. I know Linette loved the color of that sweater. Purple is always a hit, isn't it? Thanks, I'll pass this on to the police."
She hung up the phone. "According to Deirdre, Janelle had the sweater in her backpack. She wasn't wearing it this morning but it was in her bag when she walked out the door." She leaned back and closed her eyes. "And therefore—"
"If it had been left in the truck from last weekend at the cabin, she couldn't have had it with her this morning." He added, his voice grim, "Now we have something concrete to go by. And Pete has just moved up the suspect list."
***
Meg never said another word as they raced toward Pete's truck. Her mind was flitting from shock to shock and she couldn't bring the churning washing machine of emotions back under control. She could barely breathe. But passing out in Chad's truck was not an option.
She sensed his glances coming her way and she knew he was worried. But if Janelle was hurt, or worse, dead, there was nothing he could do about it for her or to her. And Meg was likely to get up and run – a long, long ways away.
She didn't dare think about Janelle being hurt. She'd been picked up at 2:30. Pete had had her for over four hours.
Her mind refused to think about all the things a man could do to a child in that time period. She had to try and stay focused.
She had to be strong for Janelle's sake.
That little girl needed her. Now more than ever.
They turned one last corner, barely noticing the GPS on Chad's truck flashing the final destination. There were dozens of vehicles pulled up behind Pete's and, sure enough, it was his truck. She'd have recognized it anywhere.
"Are you going to be okay?" Chad said as he pulled up behind the cop car on the shoulder and turned off the engine.
"Find her. Kill him. Then, I'll be okay," she snarled and bolted from the truck.
"Hey, wait up." With Chad racing behind, Meg dashed toward the truck and the group of men standing there.
Her arm was snagged. Chad snapped, "Meg, easy."
She froze in place and realized she'd almost blundered ahead and compromised the scene. That scared her more than anything. She had to be smart. As smart as, even smarter, than Pete.
Chad gripped her shoulder. And whispered, "If you are not in control, you will have to leave. This isn't me saying this, it's the men here handling the case who will order you to be taken back to the station."
She took a deep breath, froze all her emotions like she'd learned to do a long time ago and nodded. "Got it." She walked forward carefully, aware they'd attracted the group's attention. "And thanks."
She should have brought gloves. As if reading her mind, Chad handed her a pair from a box sitting on the ground. Blue gloves. She smiled at the color. She'd used similar ones on her last job. Just the reminder of her own professional history helped steady her. She could do this. She could do this.
"Anything useful inside?" she asked casually.
The first man motioned to the sweater displayed on a rock. "That."
Chad spoke from behind. "What happened?"
"The suspect has been hunting in those woods for a lot of years. Apparently, he has favorite spots. We're assuming he has the little girl with him. To that end, we have two dog teams coming in."
"Dogs are good." Chad said, "I presume his cabin has been thoroughly checked."
"Yes, it has."
That voice sounded familiar. She turned to face it. Mack.
She nodded. "Good. And search parties?" She opened the truck door, stood up on the running board and peered inside.
"We know what we're doing. Too bad you're forced back here. It's not exactly your favorite place."
She froze. Then, very slowly, she turned to look back at the man who'd terrified her so long ago. Her voice biting, she said, "No, it's not. But it is yours, I believe."
His face turned a ruddy red. A second man at his side tugged Mack back out of the way.
"Easy tiger," murmured Chad, but he'd stationed himself beside her, protectively.
The second man spoke up, "Hey Chad."
"Daniel."
Meg assessed the man who'd called Chad on the phone about the sweater. She gave him a five second assessment and realized he was a different type of fish than Mack.
His gaze was steady and clear, with intelligence gleaming through its depths.
"Is it hers?"
Meg nodded. "Yes, it is."
"You didn't even examine it, so how could you know?" he asked gently.
"I sewed the turquoise trim on it," she said quietly, staring directly at Daniel. She needed someone beside Chad on her team. She had no idea how far Mack's influence had spread.
As proof went, it was hard to beat. Daniel studied her, his eyes narrowed, his gaze intent. Then he nodded and Meg knew she'd passed some kind of test.
She turned
back to peruse the inside of Pete's truck. It looked the same as last time, except there was a take-out bag from the cafe. She handed them off to Chad. "Did anyone see Janelle in the truck when he bought this?"
"I'll ask." Chad took the bag from her. "The techs will be here in a few minutes."
She nodded. "I know, but we have no time to waste. I just can't see him forcing Janelle out in the woods here."
The men were silent, no one wanting to voice the other options. She sighed. "Most likely he has convinced her there was another cabin through here or she was either unconscious or..." She set her lips together, refusing to say the last option.
"Do we know what's on the other side of these trees?" Chad asked.
"The lake...duh."
It was Mack again.
As Meg was about to blister him, she caught sight of Chad's face. Right. Let him deal with the asshole. She turned and ignored the harsh words. Daniel's voice rose in the melee, but she was more concerned about the small notebook on the footwall of the passenger side. Leaning forward, she plucked it up and pulled it back. It was Janelle's. She used it to keep track of her homework, a necessary step for the less than stellar student. She made it to the last page and read Janelle's note. Leaving early. Yay! Pete is picking me up. Boo. We're meeting Meg. Yay! We're going to the cabin again. Boo! I get to miss school. Double yay!
Silently, she handed held the book out to Chad, so thankful she'd ended up coming. Janelle was here somewhere. "That answers that question."
He took it from her, read it, then read it aloud for the others to hear. "So we know he picked her up from school and brought her out here. From the sweater, we know she got into his truck. The question is where has he taken her and why?"
"There are lots of places on the lake." This came from a man in the back. "Too many options."
Meg spoke to him, "Do you know other places on the lake where Pete might be hanging out? Maybe other cabins owned by relatives? Or friends?"
"Pete's a bit of a loner, but he often goes fishing with some of the locals. Their cabins aren't too far from here."
"Is there a path through here at all?" Chad asked, "Any reason for him to have parked here?"
"Pete likes to hunt wild mushrooms. He's got spots all over the place," said a voice from the back of the group.
Chad looked at Meg for confirmation. She felt like an idiot, but she shook her head. She hadn't known. She also didn't think he'd ever eaten any he'd picked.
"Does anyone know if it's mushroom season?" she asked. "And if so, what kind of mushrooms?"
There was a scramble as men pulled out phones and moved slightly away to be able to hear.
Daniel walked closer. "We've already followed this direction to the lake and we didn't see or hear anything."
Meg stared at the woods in front. "How far is it to the lake?"
"A few hundred yards, maybe a bit more."
She nodded. "How about a fishing dock."
"There is one there. It looks like there used to be a cabin a long time ago, with the dock still there. But it's rickety."
"Pete has a boat up at his cabin."
Daniel shook his head. "There was no boat when we were there." He turned and talked to someone beside him. "Bill is going to take another run up to the cabin and double check."
"Not alone," Chad said. "If he's gone there from here, he's looking for privacy. Doesn't want anyone to know that he's there or that he has a passenger." Chad studied the trees. "The truck is pulled far enough off the road."
"And that's about the only reason to do it this way." Daniel studied the truck. "So no one would know."
Meg did another quick search inside the truck and came up empty. "I can't see anything else there."
"Good. The techs had just arrived. They'll do a once over then tow it back to town."
She nodded and jumped down. Walking around the front of the truck, she studied the trees and the ground, searching for the pathway. Dogs should have been out here already, and she knew that if they didn't live in the vicinity, it could take precious time.
Time Janelle didn't have. Would Pete keep her at the cabin? No one knew about him. But he was always planning ahead, always thinking down the road. She couldn't help but think he'd have a secondary place to take her.
Another cabin? He'd been ecstatic when he got this one. He wasn't flush. He did well doing construction work but it wasn't making him rich and these cabins weren't cheap. So then what? He could build what he wanted. He had the know-how and the strength. But he couldn't be obvious about it.
"Has he done any repairs on cabins around here? Is he known to help his neighbors out at all?" She turned to ask Daniel. "And no, I don't know. The first time I was here with him at his cabin was this last weekend."
Daniel nodded. "He's been known to help others. Several neighbors have commented on that. He helped put a roof on one house and separated a basement into a suite. That type of thing."
"What about building a space in someone's cabin," she asked calmly, thinking of all the empty summer homes. Who'd know?
"And how could he do that? The owners are obviously going to notice." Daniel snorted. "Not to mention having a girl screaming in their basement."
"Unless they don't live there." Chad said quietly. "And Pete might know some of the absentee owners. He might have done some work on their places."
"Pero did and more." Mack stepped forward, his ruddy face working furiously. "He's a caretaker for one of the Williamsons. Jackie Williamson out of Germany. He owns the summer place at the far end. I'd heard a long time ago that Pero had been keeping an eye on it. The owner hasn't been here for years." He added, his eyebrows beetling together. "If not for decades."
Chad looked at him, wanting a definitive answer. "And would that be Pete or Pero?"
Mack's face chilled. "I guess we'll have to see, won't we? I don't know Pete."
***
Meg watched from inside Chad's truck. With Mack on board, the men scattered in organized chaos. The techs were here to deal with the truck as she waited for Chad who was lining up last minute details. She wanted to be first on the scene of the Williamson's cabin but at the same time, she was terrified of what she'd find.
Chad opened the truck door and hopped in. "Sorry for the delay. We have to do this right."
Meg was glad she wasn't in law enforcement. She'd bust down every door in her way if it meant finding Janelle. And to hell with the law.
"Are the other men going to continue to search here?"
"And at Pete's cabin. Don't worry; Daniel is coordinating all the efforts. He's good at it. If she's here, we'll find her."
Meg leaned back against the back of the bench seat, hating the constant tension that lived under her skin. That sense of being coiled so tight, she'd break if she heard the wrong thing. There was fear under that tension, and also a rage like she'd never felt before that was lifting that fear higher and higher to the surface. A rage that would demand answers if someone had hurt Janelle.
She'd been angry before but she'd never felt this emotion before.
That it sat just under her skin was scary because she knew the casing keeping it contained was fragile and so incapable of holding it back if it decided to blow.
And she didn't know what she'd do if it did. She knew now, after feeling that rage, that if she had to, she could kill. That she was no better than any of the other animals Chad had spent his life trying to lock away.
The only difference between her and them was that thin protective shell.
And what would happen if she could no longer control it?
***
Chad cast a concerned look at Meg. She had a look on her face he'd never seen before. But he understood it. He'd seen it before on parents who'd found out about atrocities committed on their children. Under the horror, was a rage so horrific it had to be experienced to be understood. And it had always scared the parents. The emotions were so rare and so shocking when they flushed through the system that few peop
le knew how to handle them. Hence, crimes of passion were committed.
And Meg looked to be dealing with her own right now.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently.
She shook her head. "Not really."
He sighed. He knew exactly what was going on. "You can't do it you know."
She made no attempt to misunderstand. "Yes, I can."
He stayed quiet for a long moment, wondering how to reach her and how to diffuse that rage.
"And what about Janelle? She's lost everyone already. Does she have to lose you too? Just so you get your revenge?"
"It's not about revenge."
Her voice, so cold and clipped, made him wince. "I've seen parents say the same thing over and over again. The problem is that killing Pete won't change anything he's done. It will only make you feel better – for that one moment in time – only for that. Then, there is the rest of your life."
"How could he?" she cried out, her voice breaking. She rounded on him. "She's so little. So fragile. How could anyone want to hurt her? She's done nothing to him."
"It's not about what she's done. It's about this person being ill."
"That's an excuse. We coddle these people and smack their hands, telling them they did a bad thing. These assholes say they are sorry, do a year or two in jail, and then get out on good behavior. Where is the justice in that?"
"For some it's not much. But it's the system we have. It's what we can do. And you know he's not going to get just a year or two. We'll build this case so he's not going to go anywhere for a long time."
She laughed. A broken sound that shattered his heart. God, she'd been through so much already. And the night wasn't over yet.
"You don't know that. Look at how broken our justice system is. Killers walk all the time. Rapists rarely get caught and so many others aren't even given a decent sentence."
"And many killers never see freedom again. Thousands of rapists are taken off the street every day and so many more are paying the price for their actions." He reached over and grabbed her hand. "You have to believe in the good. In the right. You can't focus on all the wrong in the world. We've been hit with the shitty side of life, but it could have been so much worse. Cia paid the ultimate price from that trip so long ago, but we've been paying too, every single day and it's tainted everything in our world. We have to let it go. We have to move on."
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