Follow Me Home (Detectives Kane and Alton)

Meddling cops. She strolled down the main street in an effort to cool her anger. The sheriff was obviously arrowing in on victims and not concentrating on catching the monsters. She hated crowds, hated men, but had to act “normal” to rid the world of pedophiles. She strolled past the Community Hall and forced her lips to smile at the old women selling their wares on the white-linen-covered stalls, then wove her way through the hordes of kids trailing balloons. Kids she liked just fine, but men she could not trust.

With the Black Rock Falls County Sheriff’s Department crawling all over the mountains, the next monster would have to wait. She needed to take her time with him, and would have to distract the sheriff away from the area. Killing a monster took time. As they liked to play games with the little girls they violated, she would return the favor. The previous day in a chat room with him, he told her he wanted to play a special game with her and she willingly agreed. She smiled into the sunshine. I guess a dying man deserves a final wish.

Sipping her takeout coffee, she stared at the young girls moving through the crowds enjoying the festival, oblivious to the threat close by. Little did they know, like an eagle spotting a rabbit, a destroyer of innocence could swoop down and steal them away in seconds.

Predators believed they were invincible, untraceable, and safe, but she would find them and she would kill them.

She would kill them all.

18

Jenna’s cellphone chimed. She stared at the unidentified caller ID and leaned back in her office chair. “Sheriff Alton.”

“This is Doctor Allan. You’ll be pleased to know Zoe is well enough to speak to you this afternoon. Zoe’s parents are more than happy for you to speak to their daughter but I must insist you keep the question time to a limit. You should be aware shock can creep up on a person.”

She sighed with relief. “Thank you. I can assure y

ou, I will be most careful. I am coming alone.”

“I’ll let them know.”

“How long before I can talk to Jane?”

“It is early days, Sheriff. Her parents have just arrived. I’ll be in touch when she is available.”

“Sure, thank you. I’m on my way now.” After disconnecting, she called Kane and relayed the news. “Did you get anything out of Pattie McCarthy?”

“Not much. She can’t identify the men who took her.”

“Okay, I have to go, we’ll talk later. Have a chat with the Booval brothers again and find out if their sister is willing to speak to us.”

“I was heading that way. Good luck with the interview.”

Jenna smiled. “Thanks.”

Twenty minutes later, she parked her car in the police and emergency services parking lot at the hospital and made her way inside. She rode the elevator up to the restricted ward. The hospital smell brought back a wave of bad memories from her near-death experience the previous winter and she fought the need to turn around and leave. I have to stop acting like an idiot and help the kids.

She found Zoe scrubbed clean and with her hair tied in a ponytail, sitting up in bed looking quite bewildered as her siblings dashed around the room playing with latex glove balloons. A woman stood when she entered, and as she approached, Jenna could see she had been crying. “Mrs. Channing? I’m Sheriff Alton. I’ve come to have a few words with Zoe if that’s okay?”

“Yes, yes of course. I can’t thank you enough for bringing Zoe home to us.” Mrs. Channing waved hopelessly at the other children. “My husband went to buy coffee. He’ll be back soon and will take the children outside.”

“Mom.” Zoe’s small hands gripped the sheets. “I want to speak to Sheriff Alton alone.”

“I really should be here.” Mrs. Channing patted Zoe’s arm. “You need your mother’s support.”

“I don’t want to speak to you about what happened and I don’t want Dad listening either.” Zoe’s eyes filled with tears. “Please, Mom. I need to do this on my own.”

Jenna smiled at the anxious woman. “I’ll be five minutes or so. I won’t upset her, it’s just routine questions.”

“Okay, I’ll be right outside the door.” Mrs. Channing ushered the noisy kids into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

“I need to know something.” Zoe’s frightened gaze raked her face. “When you catch the men, my dad said I would have to be brave and tell the judge everything that happened. I’m not sure I can do that in front of everyone.” A tear welled up in her eye and ran down one cheek.

Jenna pulled up a chair and sat down. “No, you won’t be in front of everyone if it gets to court.” She took a deep breath. “It will be what we call a closed court, and if you need to testify, it will be just you in a room on your own with a camera. No one outside the court will even see your face or hear your name.” She sighed. “Didn’t your dad tell you we close the court to protect you?”

“He did say something but I don’t want to talk to him right now. Why are you here?”

Jenna took out a notepad and her cellphone from her purse then turned on the voice recorder. “You mentioned the men on the weekends. During the week, did you sleep in the cellar or with Amos?”