Back to Blue

by Dillon Watson

  “I think you should stay at my place tonight,” Renny said as she turned into the station parking lot. “Look at all these cop cars. Shouldn’t they be out turning over bushes?”

  “I hope they’re not here for me.” She swallowed hard as a knot threatened to settle in her throat. “They can’t expect me to talk to all of them.”

  “No fucking way that’s happening.” Renny exhaled. “We’re probably overreacting. They’re probably here for a briefing about the remains.” She slowed and pulled into a spot at the back of the lot. “Coincidence.”

  “That’s as bad. What’ll they say after they see me coming in, talking to Vince? They promised they wouldn’t give out my name. No way they can keep it quiet with this many law enforcement officials around.”

  “Where’s your phone?” Renny held out her hand. “I’m calling him. He’s coming out here to us or we’re taking this meeting off-site.” She searched until she found the last incoming call, then hit Reply. “No, this is Renny. What’s going on? We’re not coming in there with a packed house. You promised her anonymity…We can do that.” She ended the call and handed Summer the phone. “The feds are here. They called the briefing without consulting the locals or the state. We need to go around back. Someone will let us in.”

  Juan met them at the door, sorrow etched on his face. “Thanks for coming.” He led them to a small office outside of the holding cells.

  Summer considered it lucky they were empty, though they still made her nervous. Reminding herself they weren’t for her didn’t help. “Where’s Dani?” she asked, her gaze fixed on the ragged stuffed animal sitting on the conference table.

  “She decided keeping an eye on the briefing was more important,” Juan said and gestured for them to sit. “Making sure we don’t get any unexpected visitors while you’re here.” He closed the door before joining them at the table. “As you can see she loved this monkey very much.”

  “Yeah.” Summer traced the bald spots with her eyes. Her bedmate of choice had been a unicorn her dad won at a carnival. Taking a deep breath, she took it into her hands and—

  she was sitting on the floor inside the funny-smelling room, hoping he wouldn’t come today, hoping something bad would happen to him while he was gone. When she’d heard him drive away hours ago in that truck that made a lot of noise, she’d tried to open the door but it was locked. Always locked. The windows were nailed shut and had black stuff on them so she couldn’t see how to get away even if the door wasn’t locked.

  She heard the truck long before she heard his footsteps coming down the hallway. She shrank into a corner when she heard the lock turn, then held her breath when the door squeaked open. She wanted to look away, cover her eyes when the man walked in, but she couldn’t. He was smiling. She hated that smile more than she hated the mad look. The smile meant he was going to hurt her again. Her heart hammered in her chest as she looked around, but like always there was no place to go. No place to hide from him and his long arms that grabbed her and shook her every time.

  “How’s my little sweetheart today?” He dangled a candy bar. “Got you a chocolate bar. Like the one you stole from that store you like to walk by on your way home from school. Guess what? They got your picture in the window.” He chuckled. “Got one of me, too. ’Course I don’t look like that anymore.” He rubbed his smooth chin. “Those cops think they’re so damn smart. I’m smarter. Come over here and get this, little girlie.”

  She shook her head. “I’m…I’m not hungry.” She cringed and held up her hands to shield her face when he started toward her. “Please. Please don’t hurt me,” she begged.

  “Where’s the gratitude? You little bitches are all the same. Look at me,” he demanded. “You’ll look at me if you know what’s good for you.”

  She dropped her hands and was blinking away tears when she noticed the open door. He never left the door open. Never. She wet her dry lips. This was her chance. She couldn’t blow it. “Maybe I am hungry a little bit.” She stood, held out her hand and didn’t flinch when he stroked her arm and called her his best girl. “Thank you very much.” She took the candy bar and slowly unwrapped it while she tried to plan. She had to make sure he didn’t notice the door. Taking a big bite, she made noises like she was enjoying it. When he smiled and sat on the bed, she raced for the door, pulled it shut, heard the lock click into place. Let him see what it was like. But she hadn’t gone more than five steps before she heard his footsteps behind her. A sob lodged in her throat. She increased her pace. The key! She forgot about the other key. The one on the chain around his neck.

  Her chest felt tight as she rounded a corner. There. The front door. She fumbled with the knob. It was locked. No key. There wasn’t a key. She pulled on the knob, sobbing. Pain exploded in the back of her head, then darkness…

  “Summer. Summer, come back.”

  The rough jostle of her shoulder jerked her back. Blinking her eyes, she became aware of the throbbing in her head. “Hurts,” she said in a little girl voice, then grabbed her head and squeezed. “Hurts.”

  “She needs drugs,” Renny told Juan. “This gift of hers isn’t free. At the very least it comes with a bad headache. A Coke, no, ginger ale would go good with that.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  “Wait,” Summer called out before Juan left the room, then wished she hadn’t when her headache got a headache. She breathed slowly in and out until it was a dull roar. “Pen and paper. He’s changed his looks. And he’s been back to the store near where he snatched her. Bought her a Hershey’s chocolate bar. Not nuts. It’s her favorite. Oh, yeah. He drives a truck that backfires a lot. Now you can get the drugs.” She closed her eyes and laid her head on the table. “Are you going to say ‘I told you so’?”

  Renny rubbed her back. “That would be no. You gotta do what you gotta do. I might wish it otherwise, but then you wouldn’t be you.”

  “She might be dead,” she said quietly. “Probably is. She tried to escape and he…he caught her, Renny.” She blew out a sharp breath as tears pooled in her eyes. “What if what I have to give isn’t good enough? What if he’s already killed her?”

  “You can’t take that on, Summer. You’ve given the cops more than they’ve ever had. Because of you they know about this guy, about what he’s been doing. It’s only a matter of time before they find him and shut him down.”

  “But that won’t help Georgia.” She wiped at her cheeks, searched for her center. She couldn’t afford to lose focus. She may have been too late for Georgia, but maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t be too late for the next girl.

  Juan entered the room with Vince right behind him. “Ginger ale and what passes around here for aspirin.”

  “Pad and pencil,” Vince said, placing the items in front of Summer. “The briefing’s over, so I’d say in a few minutes we can get you out free and clear. I can’t say enough how thankful I and the department are that you’re willing to work with us after the rocky start. I’ve seen for myself how much this takes out of you.”

  “I wish it was more. Wish I could do more.”

  “You’ve done more than your share,” Vince said. “Don’t ever doubt it. Now it’s up to us to do our part.”

  That helped. Summer exhaled, picked up the pencil and drew a monster. His face structure was the same. The absence of a beard and mustache added to the removal of gray in his hair made a big difference in his appearance. Summer wasn’t sure she would have recognized him if he passed her on the sidewalk. And he was counting on that anonymity to slip by, to keep doing what he did. He was in for a big surprise.

  When she thought she was done, she looked it over and made a few tweaks.

  “That’s the same guy?” Juan asked.

  “Master of disguise,” Renny said. “Maybe that’s why he’s never been caught.”

  “Why are you frowning, Summer?” Vince asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “He looks familiar.” She chewed on her lip while studying the sketch. There w
as something about this guy, the eyes. She shook her head. “I can’t…I can’t figure out where I know him from. He just…”

  “I’ll make a copy, get it out.” Vince picked up the pad. “I need you to think deep. Try to tie his image with something. Might help you to remember where you saw him.” He strode off, looking like a man on a mission.

  Juan pulled out a chair. “Do you know if you’ve seen him in the last few years?”

  “Has to be. I’m fairly sure I didn’t know him in New York. Doesn’t help much, does it?”

  He patted her hand. “Actually that’s good. Tells us he’s probably very familiar with this area. That his hideaway is somewhere around here. As soon as Vince gets back with the sketch you should be good to go. We’ve taken up enough of your time.” He pulled a card out of his shirt pocket. “Give us a call if you think of anything, no matter how small it might seem.”

  It was Carla who brought a copy of the sketch. She had a cool nod for Summer, then a warm smile for Renny. “You have a ride? I’m off the clock till tomorrow. We could catch a drink.”

  “I have my car,” Renny replied, her voice as cool as Carla’s nod. “And I don’t think Summer’s up for a drink. I imagine you realize it’s been a tough evening for her.”

  Carla frowned. “I was thinking you and me. Of course, Summer’s welcome to tag along if she chooses.”

  “Earth to Carla,” Juan said, clearly amused. “Buy a clue.”

  “What?” Carla’s gaze sharpened as she looked from Renny to Summer. She shrugged. “Some other time.”

  “Obtuse,” Renny said as they walked to her car. “Can you believe her? Some other time? What was that supposed to mean? She’s lucky I was more concerned about getting you out of there than slapping her down. Stupid bitch.”

  “You know what she meant. When you’re not saddled with me,” Summer said, more amused than angry at Carla’s dismissal of their relationship. “Does that mean you’re going to be dumping me soon?”

  Renny grabbed her hand and linked their fingers. “Not until you’ve made good on your promises. I think it was dinner, diamonds and something more than a mine? Until then I stick.”

  Summer’s smile echoed the warmth she felt inside. “Looks like dinner in Atlanta. I’ve already taken you to the best restaurant Seneca has to offer.”

  “I was thinking Paris. Dinner, the Eiffel Tower, hot sex in the Red Light District.” She wriggled her eyebrows. “Best of all, guaranteed not to run into a certain someone. That’s not to say I find throwing up in the street unattractive.”

  “Ha.” Summer tried to look indignant. “An abbera—” She came to a standstill as realization dawned. “Shit! Oh my God. Oh my God.”

  “What? What’s wrong?” Renny demanded. “Not another vision thing.”

  “How could I not see it? How could I be so blind?” She beat against her head. “It was right there.”

  “Right where?” Renny gave Summer a little shake. “What’s going on?”

  “Rich’s father. He’s the one.”

  “What? Summer, are you sure?”

  “He looks more like he did then. The first vision. The time he found Rich and his mom in the closet.” She closed her eyes for a second. Just one second to steady herself. “His eyes aren’t red, they’re golden. This is going to kill Rich. He just can’t catch a break.”

  “He’s alive,” Renny said, stroking Summer’s back. “Sounds like a break to me. Let’s get this over with.”

  They hurried around to the front of the building, arriving as Vince and Juan were leaving.

  Vince’s eyes narrowed as his gaze focused on Summer’s face. “You remembered something.”

  “I don’t know the last name. First name is Stan. He went to prison for killing his wife about twenty years ago. Rich Slator is his son. I mentioned him before, but he’s not in this. He’s just another victim of his father.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Vince said, running a hand over his hair. “I remember that. Stan Ralston. My rookie year. Got called to the house and saw what he did to her. Son of a bitch managed to escape while being escorted to court for sentencing down in Tifton. Never did find him. And we looked plenty. Damn.” He took what looked to be a steadying breath. “Looks like we owe you again.”

  “Stopping him is payment enough.”

  “Count on it.” He walked away barking orders into his two-way radio.

  “Anytime you need, anything. Call me,” Juan said before rushing after Vince.

  “I don’t think he’ll be so lucky this time,” Summer said, watching them enter the building. “He’s not expecting them. Doesn’t expect them to make the connection.”

  “They didn’t make the connection, you did. Remember that. We should go before the rest of them come back.”

  “Yeah, I guess Vince will be the one leading the briefing this time.” That made her feel better. Maybe apprehending Stan would bring closure to Vince and to Rich. For herself she wasn’t sure if Stan’s capture would help balance the scales for being unable to save Georgia. That death was going to weigh on her mind a long time.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Summer awoke, sweaty, her throat dry as the desert and her heart pounding. Taking care not to wake Renny, she got out of bed. She’d thought knowing the identity of the abductor was going to drive the nightmares away. She’d been wrong. Very wrong.

  In the kitchen, she filled a glass with cold water, drank it without pause, then held the cool glass against her heated forehead. She couldn’t say how many times the scene of Georgia’s attempted escape had played through her dreams. Splice in the final closet scene with Rich and you had a recipe for seriously disturbed sleep.

  The click of Chazz’s nails against the tile floor almost made her smile. “Did I wake you?” She gave him a deep body scratch that had his tail going crazy. When he licked her face as if saying thank you, she felt the lingering mist from the nightmare dissipate and her brain click into first gear.

  A glance at the microwave showed it was just after four. She wondered how the search for Stan was going. Having a name to go with the face didn’t make finding him any easier. Not when he’d managed to stay off the radar for so long.

  And how had he managed that? From what she’d read, a lot of girls went missing each year, but surely someone should have noticed the twenty-five with the same attributes—blonde, blue eyes, seven- to eight-years-old. Of course one of them had been from Florida and cooperation between states was more than likely nonexistent, given how little communication there was between the different organizations within the states. He probably knew that. Probably counted on it in picking his victims. Probably smirked about it as he trolled around the southeast for victims, then transported the girls back to Seneca and disposed of them when they outlived their usefulness.

  Summer’s breath caught in her throat and she ran a hand over the tightness in her chest. She couldn’t help thinking that poor Georgia, by trying to escape, had outlived her usefulness. Had unknowingly brought on what the monster saw as the ultimate punishment. She wondered if once Georgia realized what was happening she’d experienced a second of relief that she wouldn’t be violated anymore.

  She was up to twenty times twenty before the tightness eased enough to allow her to take a decent breath, to push thoughts of violation and death to the back of her mind. She’d done her best. Done all she could do. It wasn’t her fault Georgia hadn’t made it outside, giving Summer an opportunity to see the house and surroundings in hopes of being able to place the location. A location where others had been kept, then discarded with, she imagined, little more thought than he gave to his trash.

  What made a person like that? It had to be more than mother issues. Were some people truly born evil? She had a hard time believing that one. If that were true, they’d have some defect in their genes and pass it along to the next generation. She rubbed the goose bumps on her arms.

  “What are you doing awake?” Renny entered the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.


  “Too much on my mind, I guess.”

  “Worrying about whether they caught him, huh?” She laid her head on Summer’s shoulder. “I’m sorry it’s keeping you up.”

  “Me too. I have to be at work in a little over four hours.”

  “Take a day. You deserve it.”

  “I’d worry more with nothing to do. With work I can escape for a few hours at a time. And getting a dig in at Marcia has become something to look forward to.”

  Renny leaned back, gave her the look. “Oh, there’s an important reason to go to work.”

  “I know sarcasm when I hear it.”

  “Good. So tell me what really has you up before the crack of dawn.”

  Summer hesitated, gave a quick grimace. “Nightmares. Kept switching from Georgia to Rich and back again. I’d hoped…” She sighed. “Never mind.”

  “No. I want to hear. Please?”

  “I had this idea it was done. That I’d sleep the sleep of the righteous and wake up without, you know, ‘it.’”

  “And by ‘it’ you mean the psychic stuff?”

  “Yeah.” She looked away from Renny’s probing glance, afraid of what Renny might see. “I couldn’t do it before the accident. When I was younger I might have been able to pick thoughts out of the air, but it was little things. Fun things to blackmail my siblings with. As I got older that ability faded away to almost nothing. I thought I missed it. Wrong, wrong and more wrong. I don’t want this ability to experience other people’s misery. To live through the kind of stuff nightmares are made of. Why me? God, why me?”

  “It’s your heart.” Renny tapped Summer’s chest. “Not saying I know a lot about psychic phenomenon. Let’s face it, nobody does really. Since getting to know you, I have done a little research about how blows to the head can lead to so-called psychic abilities. In some cases it seems more about using the brain to its full potential.”