by D. K. Hood
“Thank God. Now we can stop her before she kills again. Good work.” Jenna smiled at him. “Write it up and give the paperwork to Rowley to take over to the courthouse. I’ll call the DA to move things along faster then I’ll track down her current location.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Feeling jubilant, he strode out the door and headed for his cubicle.
The paperwork did not take long and he handed the document to Rowley and sent him on his way. After spending the next hour making calls and updating his case files, he glanced up as Maggie, obviously distressed, left the front desk and bolted into Jenna’s office. What has happened now?
Jenna came out and waved him into her office. He picked up his notepad and walked into the room, closing the door behind him. Jenna was on the phone to the media, giving details of a missing child for an Amber Alert. He had only caught the end of the conversation and waited expectantly for her to explain. After replacing the receiver, she dropped her head in her hands and stared at him with an expression of remorse but said nothing.
He frowned at her silence. “Who went missing?”
“A thirteen-year-old girl, Sandra Doig. I have notified the National Crime Information Center to enter her on the Missing Persons File and put out a BOLO. All local counties will be on the lookout for her and will issue an Amber Alert. I also made a call to the FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team, so help is on its way.” She gave a tired sigh. “I’ve just finished speaking to the media. They will release her details immediately, so let’s hope we find her quickly. She told her parents she was having a sleepover with her friend yesterday but didn’t show for school this morning.” Jenna pushed her fingers through her thick black hair. “Her mom wouldn’t have known only she went by the school to give her some lunch money. The friend said she didn’t go home with her.”
This town is becoming crime central. Kane pushed to his feet. “Did she call her other friends?”
“Yeah, Maggie asked all the right questions when Mrs. Doig called. The girl’s mother said it is usual for Sandra to sleep over with Peta Braun, they are BFFs and Mrs. Braun makes sure they don’t stay up all night.” Jenna chewed on her bottom lip. “The principal asked the kids over the intercom and a couple of them saw her heading away from the school toward the back road to Stanton Forest after school yesterday.”
The memory of the murders they had investigated earlier in the year ran through his mind. “That’s not good. I hope we don’t have another killer stalking the forest.”
“I’m more worried about the current very active pedophile ring.”
“Yes, and the local pedophile who has been working in town during the festival.” Kane swallowed the bile rushing up the back of his throat. “Ask Maggie to arrange for a member of the family to bring something Sandra has worn. It’s going to be difficult searching the forest and Duke can track by smell.”
“Yeah, her husband is on the way with a pair of her socks. I already thought of Duke.” Jenna’s eyes narrowed. “We need to move on this now. I am assuming this is another kidnapping by the same men. Now that Zoe is unavailable, they would need another girl. I’ll call Rowley and tell him to get back here ASAP.” She pursed her lips. “Stu Macgregor is the only known predator in town we are aware of at the moment—find him.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He rubbed his chin. “I’ll call the town council and see if he is working in the area.”
“Okay. Did you locate Lizzy Harper?”
He could almost see Jenna’s mind turning over; she had so many things to consider and was prioritizing at an amazing speed. “Yeah, she and her mother are cleaning a house on Clifton Drive. She should be there until five.”
“Good, and she has no idea she is on our radar. Once we receive the arrest warrant, I will send someone to pick her up, but right now Sandra Doig is our first priority. I want to be speaking to Macgregor in five minutes.” Jenna waved him away and reached for her phone.
With Deputies Wolfe and Webber at Craig’s Rock with the Helena forensics team, the office was shorthanded. Kane returned to his desk and immediately called the local council, and after the operator passed him from one department to the other, he managed to establish that the magician was working on the street across from the park not far from the sheriff’s office. Kane leaned back in his chair, recalling his earlier conversation with the man. He pushed to his feet just as Rowley came through the front door carrying a folder and went into Jenna’s office.
He followed him inside then waited for Jenna to stop speaking to Rowley. When she turned her gaze on him, he cleared his throat. “Stu Macgregor is working across from the park. That seems to be his spot during a festival. I spoke to him there last week.”
“Okay, we’ll speak with him first.” She turned to Rowley. “While I’m out, put Bradford on the desk to help Maggie with incoming calls from the public about the missing girl and make sure she keeps me up to date with any developments. You speak to Mr. Doig; he is bringing in something of Sandra’s we can use for scent.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rowley marched out of the room.
The call panel on her desk lit up and she flicked an apprehensive glance at him. “This might be information on the missing girl. Go and speak to Macgregor. It will be quicker to walk.”
“Sure.” He held up one hand. “I’ll need the girl’s details.”
“I’ve already sent all the information to your phone.” She lifted her chin and her eyes bore into him. “I’ll pick you up at the park when I’m finished here and we’ll go door to door, starting from where Sandra was last seen. I’ll get Wolfe and Webber back here and they can bring in Lizzy Harper.”
“Okay.” Kane headed for the door.
The sun hit him full in the eyes as he stepped out onto the street. He reached for the sunglasses in his top pocket and moved through the milling crowds enjoying the festival. The schools had closed for one day the previous week but the number of kids underfoot staggered him. He dodged a group from the local kindergarten class waving sticky fingers and smiling at him with toffee-apple-stained teeth. This week many entertainers, buskers, clowns, and magicians had set up in the parking lots in front of the local stores. He picked out Stu Macgregor surrounded by kids and he pushed down his anger. Would he go to work as usual if he had a kidnapped kid at home in his cellar? Could he be procuring kids for other pedophiles? Probably.
Predators, like psychopaths, had the ability to appear normal and most times wore the façade of a person of trust and likeability. Although he had found psychopaths to be extremely clever without feelings toward their victims, most pedophiles truly believed they loved the children they molested. They acted on their sexual perversion. The problem he had as a profiler was the two types of personality often crossed. He could be dealing with a pedophile with psychopathic personality who craved sex with children but had no conscience when it came to hurting or killing them.
He moved to the front of the mass of people watching Stu Macgregor run through his performance. The man noticed him at once and Kane noticed his hands shake a little during his final trick. When the magician announced he would be taking a short break, the crowed moaned as one then started to wander away. Kane walked up to him and stood, hands on hips. “Do you drive over from Blackwater each day or do you have a place here in town?”
“I leased a house. It’s a run-down place outside of town on the way to the falls.” Macgregor busied himself with his props, not meeting Kane’s eyes. “Why?”
Kane watched his body language with interest. He is worried. “I thought Stanton Road was upmarket.”
“Not Stanton Road, way past there up the highway near the Triple Z bar. It’s an old bunkhouse on Weller’s Road.”
Kane leaned closer. “Did you take a little girl up there last night?”
“No.” Macgregor still refused to look at him. “I don’t know nothing about a little girl going missing.”
“I didn’t say she went missing, did I?” Kane glared at him. “Pack up your things. W
e’re going to take a ride to the sheriff’s office. You can wait in a cell while we search your place.”
“You don’t have a warrant to search my place.”
Kane moved so close he could smell the man’s sweat. “You’re on parole, I don’t need one and I have enough to detain you on suspicion of kidnapping.”
He pulled out his phone and relayed the information to Jenna. “Give me your keys. You are a registered sex offender and a girl is missing.” He gave him a little push toward the sheriff’s department. “Start walking unless you want me to cuff you in front of all the kids.”
52
For once, she was in a good mood. She had the day free to enjoy the Fall Festival. After wandering through town avoiding the milling people, she spotted Stu Macgregor, but right this minute he was the least of her problems. He had never touched her or any of the girls and was a broken man after his time in prison. The court case had taken up all his cash and his family wanted nothing to do with him. The deputies had him on their radar. Not that she had left him out of her diary. She had recorded every detail she could remember in that time, along with details of her recent murders, because as sure as hell, Sheriff Alton would not allow her to walk free for much longer.
Over lunch in Aunt Betty’s she savored the memory of watching Chris’s life slip away. With glee, she allowed each detail to percolate through her mind. Killing him had been satisfying and she had enjoyed the heat of his blood gushing over her. The smell of death intrigued her with its many facets and she almost wished she had the time to roll in it like some barbaric heathen. She let out a contented sigh. Yes, her plans to kill monsters were going along just fine.
She glanced up at the TV, and the noisy crowd enjoying their meals seemed to vanish from view. Her chair clattered to the floor and she dashed from her table to the counter to catch the breaking news on TV. She gaped at the image on the screen of the young girl she had seen outside the cabin yesterday. When she read the “Missing girl” banner splashed across the screen, anger curled in her belly, making her hands shake. Her heart raced and she could not drag her eyes away from the TV, then Susie Hartwig’s voice brought her back to reality.
“Dear Lord, won’t you look at that poor child.” Susie frowned up at the TV. “I sure hope she hasn’t fallen into one of the swimming holes and drowned.”
There are worse things that can happen to a girl in Black Rock Falls. She gathered herself and glanced at Susie. “I hope not. Can you turn up the volume so we can hear what happened?”
“Sure thing.” Susie moved behind the counter.
The stern face of the news anchor filled the screen. “Thirteen-year-old Sandra Doig was last seen leaving Black Rock Falls Middle School by the back gate on her bicycle yesterday. If anyone has seen Sandra, please call the number on your screen.”
Holy shit, what happened to her? Chris was dead and could not hurt her. The forest was deserted and the road empty when she left. Sandra should have made it safely to the highway. In fact, she had not given her a thought since leaving Stanton Forest. The memory of seeing Bobby-Joe driving past flashed into her mind and she wanted to scream in anguish. Oh shit, Bobby-Joe has taken her to his cabin.
A trickle of sweat ran annoyingly between her shoulder blades but she could not move her attention from the TV. Her gaze slid to Susie, who looked at her with a puzzled expression. She tried to relax and think. Her plans for Bobby-Joe had been complex, but with the sheriff’s department climbing all over the mountain not far from his secluded cabin, she had little chance of torturing him to death, and nothing else would do. He would pay for what he had done.
She allowed her clenched jaw to relax, forced her face into a composed expression, and met Susie’s gaze. “I wonder if the sheriff will ask for volunteers to join the search.”
“I guess but they do have the rangers.” Susie shrugged and pulled a pencil from behind one ear. “Table three is ready to order. Gotta go.” She hurried away.
Acting as nonchalant as possible, she returned to her table, picked up her chair, and sat down. She had to take down Bobby-Joe today and he would be her final act of revenge.
After draining the coffee cup, she dropped some bills on the table and headed for the door. She had a call to make.
By the time she slid behind the wheel of her car, sirens wailed in the distance as the sheriff department’s vehicles headed toward Stanton Forest. The idea of manipulating Deputy Kane amused her. She started her car and headed for her apartment to change into hiking gear. This time, she would need the knife, her pistol, and a stun gun. The image of Bobby-Joe flashed into her mind. He was cruel and calculating but after all, he was only a man. She had proved they all had their vulnerabilities, but killing him would be special. The pain he suffered would not atone for what he had done or the lives he had taken.
I’m going to kill you slow, Bobby-Joe.
I’m going to make you scream.
53
Jenna decided to send Bradford and Rowley to search Macgregor’s cabin the moment Kane arrived. “Lights and sirens, and call me the moment you get there. If you don’t find her, get back here double time.”
She glanced up from her desk, glad to see Kane ushering Stu Macgregor toward the cells. “Kane, give Rowley the keys to Macgregor’s house.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Moments later, he returned and informed her about a call he had received about the missing girl. The information put a completely different perspective on the case.
“How good is this lead?”
“The caller gave me details of her bicycle and what she was wearing.” Kane raised one eyebrow. “She said she saw the girl heading down a trail toward the forestry cabin yesterday afternoon. The idea of her going willingly would fit, especially if we are talking about a pedophile ring. You know how predators work—they groom kids and he probably convinced her to meet him at the cabin.”
Dammit! “So, it’s possible Stu Macgregor has her at the cabin in the woods, near where this witness last saw her, and not at his home?”
“It’s possible, and at least we have a place to start searching.” He leaned on her desk. “That’s one hell of a big forest out there and she could be anywhere. Right now, Macgregor is denying he is involved. The informant is all we have to go on for now.”
Torn between checking out the cabin and waiting for her deputies to search Macgregor’s house, she groaned inwardly. If I had Wolfe and Webber here, this would not be an issue. “We’ll wait for Rowley and Bradford to check his house. It is the most logical place. He could have met her in the forest and taken her to his place like the others. If we luck out there, we’ll head out to her last known location. I’ll get onto the media again and organize a search party. As you know, the first forty-eight hours are crucial in missing kids’ cases. I have a pair of Sandra’s socks. Do you think Duke will be able to track her?”
“Yeah.”
Jenna went to her cupboard and pulled out her emergency backpack. “Go and get Duke, lights and sirens, then head out the back road to Stanton Forest. I’ll text you the coordinates. Walters can take over here. I’ll meet you at the road leading to the cabin.”
“Roger that.” Kane strode out the door.
Worry for Sandra cramped her belly as she followed him out of her office. She paused briefly to ask Maggie to call Walters into the office to make the Lizzy Harper arrest as soon as the warrant came through. Her cellphone rang. “Sheriff Alton.”
“We found no trace of the girl. This is a one-bedroom shack, no cellar.” Bradford spoke and she could hear sirens in the background. “We’ll be back at the office in five minutes.”
Annoyed, Jenna sighed. “Okay, thanks.”
She called Kane and gave him the information then walked into her office before striding to the front counter, waiting impatiently for Rowley’s cruiser to arrive. The moment the door opened and Bradford walked in she pounced on the woman. “Where’s Rowley?”
“Right here, ma’am.” Rowley st
rolled through the front door on Bradford’s heels.
“Grab your backpacks and follow me.”
Moments later, she led the way to her SUV with Rowley and Bradford. Once the deputies had climbed aboard, she spun the wheel of her SUV, and sirens and lights blazing headed toward Stanton Forest at speed. “Call Wolfe and tell him I’ll send them the coordinates of the track when we arrive. They can meet us. I want every available person searching for this girl.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rowley made the call. “They are on their way.”
As the perimeter of the forest came into view, she slid the vehicle around a sweeping bend and headed west. The lines of tall pine trees dashed past in streaks of green. The flashes of sunlight and shadows made the road look like a flickering silent movie. She slowed to search the never-ending line of dark brown trunks for the entrance to the access road. The forest with its abundance of wildflowers appeared beautiful set against an azure sky with the mountains as a backdrop, but she was aware of the potential danger lurking within its dark depths.
She missed the dirt road at first. Long grass partially hid it on each side and she reversed to peer down a track disappearing into the dim forest. After pulling the SUV to a halt, she checked the coordinates on her GPS then sent them in a text to Kane and Wolfe. “Make sure you have your receivers turned on and your earbuds in. I want to make sure we are all communicating.” Jenna slipped from the car then heard a siren in the distance coming fast. “That will be Kane. We might as well wait for him to arrive.”
“You might want to drive some ways down this road too, ma’am.” Rowley’s brow crinkled. “The map has a cabin marked about quarter mile down that road, at the end of a trail more than fifty feet into the forest.”
