The Runaway Train
Page 13
Mathew lowered his voice, even though the two were far from earshot. "Any news about Monroe foster service?"
"Not much." Kathryn sighed. "The FBI took over the investigation. Donnie Cutler is still in federal custody, and they claim Monroe has a long association with Rainer's operation. The truth is, it could take years to sort it all out. Who knows how many children were involved."
Mathew looked back across the yard at the girl on the swing. “At least something good came out of it all.”
Kathryn followed his gaze. "She looks so happy."
"Go on." Mathew's thoughtful expression split into a broad, friendly smile. "I know you want to talk to her. I'll be inside fixing up some supper."
The hot summer sun reflected in Kathryn’s shaded glasses. She made her way down the hill wearing a black tank top and blue jeans, her shield clipped to the belt. If Mouse noticed her approach, she didn’t give any indication. Her legs stretched in the air as she flew backward on the swing.
“Still going by Mouse?” Kathryn offered a broad smile. Her voice was soft, friendly.
Mouse turned to face the detective, long strands of hair blowing across her face. “It’s better than Jennie. That one doesn’t feel right. Like it doesn’t fit.”
“I think it’s a very pretty name.”
“That makes one of us.”
The girl wore a purple T-shirt and denim shorts that looked brand new. Kathryn noticed her face had more sun on it than before, and was more rounded. “This place is a lot different from the city,” she said. “There’s so much sky out here.”
“Andrew wouldn’t like it.”
Kathryn’s smile vanished. The poor kid’s brother was facing some very serious charges for the murder of Tracie Cutler. She knew the defense would try for the insanity plea, citing psychological stress from years of abuse in foster care. Still, everyone in Mouse’s life had been ripped away. She only hoped Mathew would give her something she’d never felt before; a true sense of home.
“He doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore.” Mouse said, noticing the silence. “I’m fine,” she leaned all the way back to gaze up at the clouds. “Actually, I’m great. But that’s not why you drove all the way out here, is it?”
Kathryn gazed up at the rustling leaves of the elm. She thought about Patricia, who was out of rehab but refused to have any contact with her.
“No.” Kathryn raised her eyebrows. “I actually wanted to ask you something. In person.”
Mouse pushed herself up on the swing, her green eyes falling onto the detective who was now sitting in the grass. “Ask away.”
“Do you know someone named Vanessa Finch?”
“You know Vanessa?” Her face brightened.
Kathryn’s heart leaped. “No, I don’t. I’ve been trying to find her. She’s the one person out of all of this who keeps eluding me.”
“That old lady died. She always wore a tie-dyed shirt, played the guitar?”
“Doesn’t sound like the same person.” Kathryn lowered her head, defeated. “The Vanessa Finch I’m looking for is around your age, and the last time anyone saw her was at a church summer camp.”
Laughter tumbled out of the young girl. “Me and Andrew were trying to be careful. We used different names, you know? I told people my name was Vanessa at a summer camp. They had free food, and we even got to spend the night in a cabin. Plus, I met a cute boy there.”
Kathryn stood and brushed off the back of her pants. “You mean Ethan Winfield?”
“Yes! That’s right. You know him?” She stopped pumping her legs and the swing began to slow.
“Ethan moved down to Billings. He always wondered what happened to you.” Kathryn shook her head in wonderment. “I’ve never stopped looking for you.”
Mouse’s feet stomped in the grass, bringing the swing to a stop. “I’d love to see him again. Oh! I have a great idea. I can write him a letter! Do you have his address?”
Kathryn’s smile returned. She moved close to the girl and squeezed her in a tight embrace. “You have no idea how happy I am right now.”
“You were really trying to find me all this time?” Her muffled voice said.
"Ever since I heard the name," she whispered. "But I can stop searching now."
Thanks For Reading!
I really hope you enjoyed my little tale. Don’t forget to leave a review, even if it’s just a couple of lines. Reviews are vitally important for indie authors. They give us the opportunity to spread the word about our stories!
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M.W. Griffith
Also by M.W Griffith:
The Cold, Bending Light
(Sample)
There's nothing worse than not knowing...
On a hot summer evening, a young woman’s body is discovered in a small Tennessee town. When another girl vanishes on her way home from work, Special Agent Selena Marrenger takes on the case. All signs point to a terrifying serial killer with a unique modus operandi: a chemical used in state executions that isn’t found in Tennessee.
As Selena inches closer to the unnerving truth, she starts to believe that something much larger - and sinister - is at play. Probing local law enforcement for answers unearths a well hidden secret woven into the fabric of truth, justice, and madness…
In this fast paced novel where nothing is quite what it seems, M.W. Griffith leads readers on a dangerous, twisting quest to bring justice to families whose lives have been changed forever by tragedy.
Julia Fowler and Dylan Farrow sat on a grassy outcropping overlooking the carnival lights below. The two teenagers had just finished taking a dip in the creek behind her house. They snuck a six pack of beer from the refrigerator in his dad’s garage earlier; a locally brewed pale ale that was stronger than what they were used to, but they planned on celebrating before school started back.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, the lights sparkling in her eyes.
“I’ll say,” he breathed, sliding a hand along her lightly browned skin.
Julia pulled her chocolate brown hair back into a loose ponytail. She wore the green two piece bathing suit especially for him. “Not what I meant, but okay.”
Lightning lanced across the sky, followed by a deep concussion of thunder.
“Shit,” she said, leaning into his gentle nibbles along her neck. “Maybe we should head back.”
“Are you kidding me? That storm’s at least five miles away. We can hang out here for a little bit longer.” He moved his hand to her thigh. “You’re so hot.”
Julia let him kiss her ear, down to her bare shoulders, savoring each movement. All the while, her eyes remained locked on the lights from the summer carnival below. It was a tradition in Cedar Brook that had spanned almost fifty years. She remembered riding the ferris wheel when she was little, and the sinking feeling in her gut when it rose to the highest point and the entire town sprawled out before her.
Dylan abruptly rose. “Sorry.” He laughed, covering the erection in his swim trunks with both hands. “I really gotta piss. Been holding it and I didn’t want to ruin the mood.”
Julia rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said before putting earbuds in and switching on her iPod. “Make it quick, Romeo. That storm is moving in pretty fast.”
Dylan Farrow stepped into the surrounding woods and glanced over his shoulder at his girlfriend. She arched her back, both eyes closed, and lit only by the town beneath the outcropping. He could imagine that she was a dream, and that any moment he would wake up to the boring life he’d had before she came along. There was a gentleness to her, a classic sort of beauty he didn’t find in other girls.
Finally, he turned around and moved an appropriate distance away. There was a large tree with a hole in the trunk, split open by lightning long ago. He stepped forward and placed a hand on it’s ancient bark. Sometimes, he wondered what sort of things trees have seen in their lifetime. The comings and goings of nature, and people like himself sneaking off into the woods to get it on.
When he was finished, he made his way back. The wind had picked up, brushing coldly over his bare skin. More lightning bloomed above the little town.
Julia wasn’t there.
“Jules? Hey, Jules where’d you go?”
He stepped closer to where they had been sitting only moments before. The half empty six pack was sill where he remembered next to her open purse. The headphones and iPod lay in the grass a short distance away. He looked east and then west, peering in the near dark with squinted eyes. Finally, he stepped towards the outcropping and looked down.
The lights from the carnival rides were turning off one after the other.
“Jules?” Where was she?
Instinctively, he pulled his phone out and dialed her number. Julia’s phone lit up and buzzed inside her purse. He hit the end button and then dialed 911.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“My girlfriend’s gone,” the words shot out of his mouth.
“Your girlfriend left you?” The operator sounded like she had heard the same thing a million times that day.
“No, I mean she was here one minute and the next she’s just gone.”
“Did you and your girlfriend have an argument?”
“No!” He ran a hand over his shaved head. “Even if we did, she wouldn’t just up and leave without her cellphone or her purse. That’s not like her.”
“I can send a patrol car. What’s your location?”
“122 Hillcrest. It’s her parents house.”
“Are her parents home now?”
“No.”
“Okay, I’m sending an officer out there. Are you inside the house?”
“No. We cooled off in the creek around back. There’s a clearing in the woods on the other side.”
“Stay where you are, okay? An officer will be there shortly.”
“Thanks.” He stuffed the phone into his pocket just as the first cold drops of rain began to fall. It would be completely dark soon. When he turned to face the woods, Dylan couldn’t help but to wonder what the trees saw.
Read the rest of M.W. Griffith’s newest mystery,
The Cold, Bending Light
Now available on Kindle and in paperback!
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About the Author
Michael Griffith was born in Carthage, Tennessee, and now lives in Murfreesboro TN after marrying his best friend. He is the author of several bestselling mysteries, including The Truth About Alex and Monsoon Morning. He is currently studying history at Middle Tennessee State University. Always a storyteller at heart, Michael enjoys nothing more than sharing his tales with the world.
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