sounded above, then the door creaked open. A sliver of light wormed its way through the opening, then his heavy breathing punctuated the silence. She thought she heard a dog barking again. But it sounded far away, outside somewhere.
She craned her neck to see her abductor’s face, but then the door slammed shut and blackness engulfed him.
His sinister chanting filled the shadows, the wood steps squeaking as he descended.
In spite of her training, fear seized her.
You’re a survivor, she told herself. Look for your opening and attack.
Sucking in a breath, she steeled herself to take whatever he dished out. She’d grown up tough. She’d play along with him if necessary, get him to talk, get inside his head.
And when she got her chance, she’d claw his damn eyes out.
But instead of coming to her, footsteps echoed in the opposite direction. He kept more cages in there. More screaming women––his next victims.
“Wednesday’s child is full of woe…” he chanted.
A shrill shriek made chills rip through Shondra, as the woman cried and pleaded, “Please don’t do this, please let me go.”
A sob welled in Shondra’s throat.
The chain around her neck rattled as she yanked at the metal bars of the cage. As a police officer, she’d vowed to protect others.
But helpless frustration seized her. She couldn’t save this woman now. She couldn’t even save herself.
Thirty-Nine
Crooked Creek
Ellie retrieved Carrie Winters’ address from the file before striding back to the conference room. She tensed at the sight of the TV airing a late breaking news story. Derrick and her captain were watching it with solemn faces, and her stomach pitched as she realized it was the reason the sheriff had left so abruptly.
“This is Angelica Gomez coming to you live outside the Bluff County courthouse, where this morning former Sheriff Randall Reeves and his wife met with the DA in hopes of settling the court case that has rocked the good citizens of Bluff County.”
In horror, Ellie watched as the protestors chanted and waved signs condemning her father. The mayor, Bryce’s father, who’d been friends with her own dad for years, stood to the side at a distance. Several women from the Garden Club, who’d hosted charity events with her mother for a decade, held signs slandering her family.
“As you can see, the county is vocal over their desire to see that Sheriff Reeves is punished for allegedly withholding information regarding the search for the serial killer who killed a dozen small children over the span of twenty-five years.”
In the footage the doors to the courthouse suddenly opened, Ellie’s father and mother emerging, both looking haggard, flanked by two deputies. Angelica and her cameraman hurried toward them, more shouts and ugly comments erupting from the crowd.
“Sheriff Reeves, Mrs. Reeves,” Angelica said. “Would you like to make a statement to the public?”
Vera clung to Ellie’s father, and he tenderly patted her hand, then stared into the camera. Ellie had never seen him look so tormented. And her mother… She looked weak-eyed, disoriented.
Randall cleared his throat. “I want everyone in the county to know that I deeply regret the fact that so many children’s lives were lost. My wife and I would do anything to bring back those little girls. While we did not know the whereabouts of Hiram, the man who took those innocent children, as sheriff I was working behind the scenes to investigate each murder.” He paused, his voice hoarse. “I’m truly sorry for the families who suffered.”
More noises and angry comments filled the air, and Angelica pushed the microphone closer to Ellie’s father. “Sheriff Reeves, we understand a deal is in the works regarding the charges you face. Can you elaborate on that?”
Her father’s lawyer laid a hand on his arm, before he addressed the reporter. “We are working swiftly and with respect toward all parties to see that justice is served. Please bear in mind that our country is founded on the principle of innocent until proven guilty.”
A litany of shouts filled the air and the crowd’s attitude morphed into mob-like rage as two men pushed through the crowd and came at Randall.
“Killer!”
“You murdered our little girls!”
“Your daughter is no better!”
One man lunged toward her father, while the other attacked her mother. Vera screamed and her father threw his arm in front of her to protect her, as deputies rushed to contain the crowd and usher her parents into their vehicle.
As three men stormed her parents’ car, rocking it back and forth in an attempt to block them from leaving, Ellie