The Runaway Train

by M. W. Griffith

  Kathryn peered at the adjacent window before knocking again. "You couldn't move to North Carolina. It wasn't your fault, right? I don't know how anyone could expect someone to just uproot their life and plant it someplace else."

  "Apparently, it's not that hard to imagine."

  “Ah." Kathryn nodded. "I see what you mean. You miss him, don't you? Your dad? Why don't you drop in on your way to D.C.?"

  Selena raised her eyebrows in surprise. "And say what? I know we haven't spoken to each other in ten years, but please let me back into your life?"

  "Why not?"

  "There's more to the story than that," Selena said sharply. "Something happened in Greybrook that put a wedge between us."

  A shuffling sound from behind the door made them both stare at it in anticipation. It was followed by heavy footsteps trailing in the opposite direction. Without hesitation, Selena headed towards the back of the house. As she turned the corner, she saw weathered patio furniture with chipped paint and loose threads. Sitting at the table was a young boy with blond hair sipping a glass of lemonade and kicking his feet.

  Slowly, cautiously, she held out her hand and made her way towards the table. "Ethan?"

  The boy looked up suddenly, noticing her for the first time, and drew in a quick breath.

  "No, no, it's okay.” She glanced at the back door. "I'm not going to hurt you."

  Chapter Nine

  When he stood, the motion was so abrupt that her heart skipped a beat. It felt as though a cold wind would sweep the moment across the patio and into the cool October sky, it was so fragile.

  "It's okay," Selena said, taking a step forward. "I'm here to help."

  The boy stepped back. "I don't need any help."

  She let a small smile sneak past the worry. "Your mom sure does miss you."

  The boy watched her as if she had materialized out of thin air and planned to eat him alive. "No, she doesn't."

  Those frightful blue eyes were unwavering, but Selena managed to hold them. "Don't say that. She's been worried sick about you. Why don't you just come over here with me and I'll take you to her."

  Ethan shook his head, staring at the detective with disbelief. "Stay away from me," he muttered.

  Selena, who had tightened her jaw, blinked a couple of times as though her internal computer were rebooting. "Okay," she said. "I won't take you to her, but you still have to come with me, Ethan." Her whole demeanor had changed. The tone now had a bit of an edge to it.

  His words were still processing in the back of her mind when the door burst open and a tall man with thinning hair snatched Ethan into his arms. "You get the hell away from him!"

  Selena snapped her weapon from its holster. "There's only one good way out of this, Robert. Put the kid down."

  "No!" His voice boomed in the small space between them. "You can't take him, you can't!"

  "I'm trying to play nice here," Selena said, lowering her weapon slightly. "Do us all a favor, will ya? Just let him go. Nothing bad has to happen here."

  The man's muscular frame bent forward as he set Ethan down, but his hands kept a firm grip on the boy's shoulders. "Don't take my son," he said. "You don't understand what that woman is capable of. You don't know how dangerous she is."

  "Your son?" Selena raised her eyebrows. "Look, why don't we just go down to the station and figure all of this out, okay? Can you please step away from him?"

  "We had an affair," he continued without missing a beat. "Stan thinks that this beautiful boy belongs to him, but he doesn't. Get a DNA test, if you'd like."

  Selena shook her head. "Save it for Maury," she said.

  "Shut up!" Robert knelt on the ground and wrapped his arms around Ethan's wiry frame. "I would have fought, you know, for custody, before I knew what she was into. What her and Stan were doing. When I found out..." He began to tremble with sobs. "...I had to get him away from there."

  In the shadows, Kathryn crept along the opposite side of the house with her weapon drawn.

  "What were they into, Robert?" Selena breathed in through her nose and out her mouth. "Tell me what you’re talking about."

  The minister's eyes began to mist. "You don't get it, do you? You guys really don't know anything?"

  "It depends, Robert. Why don't you tell me and I'll let you know."

  When he spoke again, the words shot bolts of lightning down her spine. He looked up at her as though all the hope in the world had already faded. "There are other children."

  Chapter Ten

  Selena drove with her window down, the air blowing back her dark hair. The wind felt icy on her face, much colder than it was when they left the pastor's house only moments ago. She didn't want to roll it up and Kathryn didn't ask. It wasn't that she was too warm. Temperature had nothing to do with it. The simple fact was that she wanted to remain alert, focused.

  Already, the sun was making its way down over the distant hills. The golden light had shifted, throwing long shadows in the neighborhood yards. Streetlights blinked to life, and she trailed along underneath them while going over Robert's last words before the uniforms had showed up. They took the pastor and Ethan away, although Selena gave them stern orders that the child was to be held at the station to be picked up by his mother.

  On the corner, a lonely bus stop caught her eye. Unlike at the station, this one was covered. It had been painted haphazardly in a green tint that was bold underneath the streetlight. The weather had frayed some of the paint from the edges, and several posters and advertisements were taped to the side.

  "The bus from Harris Station runs all the way out here?" Her voice was slow, thoughtful.

  "Of course," Kathryn said while folding her arms tightly about her. "That place has a pretty good reach." Without mentioning the cold, she flipped on the heat. It poured out from the dash and she held her hands over it as though the vents were a fireplace. "Listen, if you could drop me off at my house, that would be great. I'll take care of all the paperwork. You got enough to worry about with moving this weekend. It was really cool of you to take on this last assignment, by the way." She paused. "I'm going to miss having you hang around all my cases.”

  "Yeah," Selena said absentmindedly. She steered along a curb before merging onto a road that would take them back into town.

  "It's really weird, what that pastor was going on about. He was probably just bullshitting. Just like that wild goose chase, getting us to track down some girl named Vanessa. Perps always say the most far out things, anything that would give us pause before arresting them. Friggin' low lifes, am I right?"

  "Yeah," Selena said.

  Kathryn released a long sigh. "You aren't dropping me off at my place, are you?"

  "Nope."

  Chapter Eleven

  Selena parked the cruiser in the gravel driveway. There were no lights in the windows of the Winfield's trailer. With Kathryn at her side, they crept up the walkway and noticed that this time there weren't any pink flamingos perched in the yard. Selena rapped on the door, but she knew that nobody would answer.

  "Guess they ain't home," Kathryn grimaced.

  Selena pulled open the screen door. She turned the knob to the front door and pushed it inward. It swung open with a gentle creak, revealing darkness in the space beyond.

  "What the hell are you doing?" Kathryn put her hands on her hips. "You can't just stroll into someone's residence, girl. The captain will have your ass."

  "It's not my fault," Selena grinned slyly. "I opened the screen and knocked, and the door just opened right up."

  She stepped through the threshold. The darkness was immediate, enormous. There weren't any sounds that she could detect. After a moment, she reached into her coat pocket and flicked on a penlight. The narrow beam sliced into the black and revealed empty walls and barren floors.

  "Oh hell no," Kathryn said from behind. Her own flashlight blinked to life, and its radiance glided across the blank walls slowly. "Whatever happened here, looks like we missed it."

  Aft
er checking the rest of the trailer's rooms, the two detectives made their way out the back door. A sprawl of trees opened up a path in the woods ahead, and when Selena shined her light at the ground she noticed thick tire marks in the mud.

  "Good thing we've been getting so much rain lately," she said, aiming the penlight along the path.

  Kathryn took a step towards the tracks and immediately her shoe sank into the mud. “Ugh.” She scowled. "Yeah, this is going to be real fun."

  Chapter Twelve

  A slight incline along the path slowed their pace. The ground ahead was uneven, dappled with shadows and holes. Kathryn stumbled more than once, and would have fallen face first into the mud if Selena hadn't caught her by the arm.

  Before long, a yellow light blinked at them from between the trees. They stopped behind a massive trunk, peering at the grassy area around a cabin.

  "Turn your light off," Selena said, stuffing the penlight back into her pocket.

  The cabin was much smaller than the trailer. Its log siding and metal roof were splashed with the yellow light of two kerosene lanterns hanging from the porch. There were a couple windows on either side, both with the shades drawn, but there was silhouetted movement behind them.

  A large U-haul truck was parked in the drive.

  Selena felt a chill prickling up the back of her neck. With careful awareness, she started to make her way around the tree and into the bubble of light from the lanterns.

  The front door banged open. Immediately, Selena ducked back into the darkness behind the tree.

  "This is taking longer than I expected," Stan's gruff voice announced. He lit a cigarette and took a long, deep drag.

  "None of this was expected," a female replied. Selena recognized Sandra's voice instantly. "We're still making good time, though. Once we get em' cleaned up and shuffled into the truck, I think we can make it to the storehouse before the auction."

  "If we don't, we’ll look like fools," Stan said.

  Sandra sighed. "The other option is we could just kill em'. Be done with it. We can always start again someplace else."

  Selena peered around the tree.

  "Are you kidding me? Is that supposed to be a joke? The damn police could be on their way up here right now. If we run and get caught, we’d get pinned for kidnapping, but it’s better than murder." He paused while blowing out a stream of smoke. "Nah, we need to just calm down. Moving them is the best option. It ain't going to be as easy as drugging a few of them and taking em' to the buyers from that damn bus station, either.”

  “Speaking of our buyers, you were an idiot for mentioning that Finch girl to the cops.” She gave him a pointed look. “That was dangerous.”

  “I just wanted to get those two detectives to sniff around someplace else. I ain't going to jail for nobody, especially when we're so close to getting paid.”

  There was a shudder in Sandra's voice when she spoke again. "You think Ethan will be alright?"

  "What do we care? Let Robert have him if he wants the boy so bad. That was your mistake, not mine. You're lucky we're getting outta here before the little shit talks."

  "He wouldn't do that," Sandra snapped. "I know him, and he wouldn't say a word. He cares too much about me."

  "I should've put a bullet in that preacher when I first found out about Ethan. I should've known there would be trouble."

  “No matter whose fault it is, I’m still Ethan’s mother.”

  Stan stomped out the cigarette on the wood steps. "You're getting sloppy," he said in a low voice. "Let's finish up with these brats, and get the hell out of here."

  Crouched behind the tree, Selena watched the two disappear into the cabin. "Trafficking," she whispered to her partner. “They were using the buses. Still think that runaway train stuff is an urban myth?"

  Chapter Thirteen

  Beads of sweat dappled Selena's brow. She motioned for Kathryn to move to the other side of the cabin, keeping out of the lantern’s reach, while she moved along the side of the U-haul truck. The air pricking her face smelled like burning wood.

  She crept into the circular space of light and up to the porch. The curtains were drawn together, prohibiting her from seeing what was going on inside. From the darkness on the opposite end, Kathryn emerged with her weapon drawn.

  Selena breathed in the stinging night air and held it. Then she kicked the door, putting her weight into it, and it burst inward with a bang. The inside of the cabin was barren with the exception of a folding table and a few chairs. She slipped along the wall, keeping her weapon steady, when the sound of footsteps thundered from the adjacent room.

  Much faster than she had anticipated, Stan turned the corner and slammed a forearm down onto her hands. The impact sent her gun skittering across the floor. Before she could react, he grabbed the front of her coat and lifted her into the air. His face was so close that she could smell the smoke on his breath.

  "You bitch," he seethed. "Come to tell me another story? You never did finish the other one. How did that little girl die, huh?" He thrust her against the wall, forcing the air from her lungs. "What was she doing under that bench?"

  A single gunshot filled the space around them. A spatter of blood exploded against Selena's face. Stan dropped awkwardly to the floor, his hands losing their grip. She looked up to find Kathryn still pointing the gun at the man who's life's blood was rapidly expanding underneath him.

  "Stan!" Sandra rushed from around the corner. She fell to her knees and placed a trembling hand over her mouth. "Oh my God, Stan! Stan, honey, get up!"

  Kathryn stepped forward, and Selena could see the glint of handcuffs being pulled from her belt. "Sandra Winfield," she announced over the woman's shrieks, "you have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. If you do not have an attorney, one will be appointed to you."

  Selena wiped hot blood from her face with the back of her sleeve before snatching her weapon from the floor. She hoped the expression on her face didn't betray her struggle to maintain an appearance of calm. It was bad enough that her hands were trembling, no doubt from the impact of Stan's muscular forearm, but she had to stay in control.

  After giving her partner a knowing glance, she began to move around the corner and down a short hallway. It was dark, but an orange light shined from underneath a closed door at the end. Her heart was racing and a terrible sinking feeling began to form in her stomach.

  Slowly, she turned the knob.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was a much smaller room than the one she had just left. A fireplace spit and cracked at a handful of logs from the far corner. There was a metal bucket with soapy water inside, and several overturned bags of make-up. Lipstick and eyeliner and blush strewn over the floor gave her the impression that someone was in a rush to apply them.

  She didn't even notice them at first. The only light came from the fireplace, and it threw long shadows over the walls, hiding them. An ashen face peered at her from behind one of the curtains, and another wearing nothing but underwear pressed herself against the wall as though it would absorb her. Two boys crouched in a corner, naked and dripping wet from being scrubbed down. They shivered and watched her with sunken eyes.

  "Jesus," Selena whispered. She holstered her weapon and stretched a hand out to one of the boys. He gasped and retreated deeper into the shadows. "It's okay," she said, tears spilling down her cheeks. "It's over now. You're safe."

  Chapter Fifteen

  It was midday when Selena finally stepped onto the bus at Harris Station. There weren't many people, just an older man with gray hair holding a newspaper close to his face, and a few women poking at their smartphones. For some reason, not knowing any of them brought her comfort. Maybe it was because she’d lived in Montana for so long, and knew so many people. There were just too many memories.

  The sun was bright and welcoming. It poured through the windows and splashed against the seats. She stuffed a single suitcase in the compartment above before sliding into a seat of her
own. Nobody looked up at her.

  The bus jerked and hissed before rumbling forward. She watched the fountain as the bus retreated from the station, and then she leaned back against the rubbery seat and closed her eyes. When her cellphone blared abruptly inside her coat, she snapped to and answered it.

  "Marrenger," she said in a tired tone.

  "It's me again," Kathryn said. The sound of her partner's voice caused a smile to slip across her lips.

  "Hey, I'm actually on the bus heading to Billings. This is really happening."

  "What time does your flight leave?"

  "I've got plenty of time," she said. "I left a little early so that I could see Adrian off with the truck. So, what's going on? Don't tell me you miss me already."

  "Are you kidding? I'll finally get some work done around here. Don't forget that you left me with all that damn paperwork. Now that child services is involved, there's so many forms to fill out it would send most people to the hills screaming."

  There was a long pause before Selena responded. "What's going to happen to Ethan?"

  "Well, I don't think a judge is going to appoint custody to Sandra. Especially since she obviously seems unfit to raise a child. Blood work came back positive for Robert, so he will most likely be taking care of Ethan from now on. It's such a good thing too, I mean, he'll be in much better hands. Did I tell you that Pastor Robert is actually no longer the youth minister?"

  Selena raised her brow. "No. Why is that?"

  "Apparently, Larry Rainer decided to give up the ministry. Robert took his place, and he couldn't be more proud. I'm glad, too. It’ll certainly look good in front of a judge when it comes time to place Ethan."