by Dan Dillard
*****
Dana parked her little hybrid next to the large police cruiser. She got out just in time to see the sheriff knock on the door. Jeannie peeked out before she opened the door to let the man in. In the process she saw Dana and waved her up as well.
Jeannie’s demeanor was calm, but it was obvious she had been crying again. Dana put a hand on her shoulder and they walked to the kitchen where the three of them sat around the same small table. An empty high chair sat in the corner.
“Coffee?” Jeannie said.
“Yes please,” Dana and Sheriff Wilton replied.
“Jeannie, I wanted to check on you and tell you that we’re doing everything we can to find your daughter,” he began, “but I don’t have any news.”
She smiled at him and continued to pour coffee in two mugs and place them on the table. She poured a third for herself. “Frank will find her,” she said after a sip.
“Is he around?” said the sheriff.
“He’s looking for Lily,” she answered.
“He’s still looking for her? Has he been home?” Dana interrupted.
The sheriff glared at Dana and held his hand up. Dana nodded and shut her mouth.
“No. I haven’t seen him since that morning.”
“Since the morning she went missing?” asked the sheriff.
“Yes,” Jeannie said.
“He hasn’t been home yet? Has he called?”
“No. He won’t call until he finds her,” she said. Jeannie’s eyes glazed over as if she was seeing into another dimension. A smile spread across her lips, but her eyes stayed wherever they were. Dana sipped her coffee and felt uneasy.
“Do you know where he went to look for her?” he asked.
Jeannie snapped out of her trance and looked at him. Any expression that might have been there melted. “I suspect he went to the freezer. That’s where I put her,” she said.
Warmth, or something like embarrassment came over Dana and she set her coffee mug down, suddenly afraid of it. Her flesh crawled.
“You put who in the freezer?” she said.
“Lily,” Jeannie replied without blinking. “I had to. To pay for the others. It was God’s wish.”
“Others?” Dana said.
“The babies. Oh, and that boy from last fall,” she said, nodding.
“Rodney?” Dana asked.
“Rodney, yes. He saw me with the first baby—what I’d done with it. So I took him to the freezer.”
“Is Lily in the freezer now?” the sheriff asked.
“No. She’s already gone.”
“Where has she gone?” he said.
“Anson’s. That’s where they all end up. Meat is meat, you are what you eat!” she said.
Her words had a sing-song quality, punctuated by an odd giggle. Dana went pale and the sheriff wasn’t far behind her in putting the pieces together. Fortunately or unfortunately, police just didn’t get much practice at that type of investigation.
“Jeannie, I’m going to ask you to come with me so we can take a look at that freezer. Is it out in the garage?”
“Yes. I expect Frank can show it to you. He’s probably still out there,” she said as calm as if she were talking about the weather.
Dana and the sheriff eyed each other again. This time the look was more I saw that coming than shock. Sheriff Wilton stood slowly and took Jeannie by the arm. She didn’t resist. He pulled his handcuffs and clasped her wrists behind her back. A tear fell from her eye but her blank smile stayed in place.
“I thought I couldn’t have babies,” she said, “so I took one. But it wasn’t mine. Guilt made me kill it. But then I took another one.”
“Shh,” the sheriff said, “We’ll talk at my office. First, I need you to show me where Frank is and show me that freezer.”
He led Jeannie out of her home and to the cruiser where he placed her in the backseat and locked the door. Once she was secured in the car, the sheriff walked to the garage and lifted the door by the handle as there was no powered opener. Inside he found Frank’s car and some yard tools. Dana followed. In the back was a deep freezer with bloody handprints on it. They both knew what was inside. The sheriff shook his head.
