Profile of Evil (12 page)

"Keep in mind, many teens and preteens spend hours online chatting with friends. These friendships can easily turn into what they think are ‘relationships.’ The girls get caught up in the predator's web when they start believing their online buddy is their boyfriend."

"I'm willing to bet Amanda and Sophie had never had a boyfriend before."

"Exactly," Carly agreed. "That's what our predator is looking for. The loneliness makes the girls easier to seduce, and to believe his lies."

"Sick bastard. I'd like to rip his head off," Brody angrily remarked, his clenched fists in his pockets.

"I think a lengthy prison sentence will make him suffer more. Jailed sexual predators of young girls are not popular with the other prisoners."

Deputy Gail Sawyer entered the conference room with a message for Brody. "Sir, your press conference is scheduled for eleven. That gives you sixty minutes to prepare."

"Thanks, Deputy," Brody said, turning to Carly.

"Have I told you that press conferences are not on the list of my favorite tasks?"

"I wouldn't miss it," said Carly.

Deputy Sawyer interrupted, "Oh, you're going to want to miss this one. You've got some guests waiting for you in the lobby."

<><><>

Chapter Five

Carly entered the lobby and decided that her second day in Shawnee County was going to be a good one. Standing in the middle of the lobby was her brother, Blake. In a baby carrier strapped to his broad chest was her cooing, four-month-old niece, Mylee. Blake Stone was six feet five inches tall and two hundred and thirty pounds of hard muscle, which made the baby girl look even tinier than she was.

Next to him, his wife, Jennifer, held the small hand of her five-year-old son, Shawn, who wore a green hoodie, jeans and a multicolored backpack.

He shyly pressed closer to his mother until Carly bent down and opened her arms to him. In an instant, Shawn flew across the room, into her arms, and said, "Good to see you, Aunt Carly."

Picking Shawn up and planting a big kiss on his cheek, Carly headed for her brother and sister-in-law and said, "This is the best surprise ever."

Blake said, "This is Shawn's spring break, and we wanted to spend some time with you before you got buried in your case. Is there a good place to have lunch around here?"

"Yes. Let's go to Mollie's Cafe. It's a short walk from here," she responded as Shawn wiggled free to stand on his own. "But before we go, there is one thing I have to do."

"What's that?" asked Jennifer.

"I have to hold my favorite niece."

Grinning, Blake said, "She's your only niece." With Jennifer's help, he pulled Mylee out of the carrier and handed her to his sister. Cooing and waving her arms, the baby smiled up at Carly.

Carly held her close, inhaling her sweet baby scent and kissing the top of her head. "Hi, Mylee. Do you remember your Aunt Carly?" In response, the baby squealed and grabbed at Carly's earring.

"That means she remembers you," said Shawn in a matter-of-fact tone.

At the restaurant, Mollie found the group a round table near the front window. Shawn insisted on sitting on the left side of Carly and Blake placed Mylee in a high chair on her right. Mollie then gave each adult a menu, and took their drink orders. A short time later, a young, pretty girl returned with their drinks.

"Hi, my name is Hailey, and I'll be your server today."

Carly looked at the young girl curiously. Hailey looked to be around fourteen years old, with rich, glowing auburn hair with a rebellious lock of purple near her face. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, and a perpetual smile revealed a line of silver braces. Carly asked, "Your last name wouldn't be Adams, would it?”

Hailey giggled and answered, "Yes. Mollie is my mom. Who else would make her only daughter work at her cafe during spring break?"

"Hi, Hailey, I'm Carly Stone. Glad to meet you."

"Hi. Your black hair rocks. It's so long and shiny. I wanted to do my hair the exact same color, but my mom wouldn't let me."

"Thanks, Hailey." Carly said. "I don't blame your mom, though. Your hair is a beautiful color. Maybe I should get a purple streak like yours," Carly teased.

Hailey's smile widened in approval. "That would look great. I'll be back after you've had some time to look at your menus."

As Blake and Jennifer studied their menus, Carly glanced at the little boy sitting next to her. In January, when Carly met Shawn for the first time, he was one of the skinniest little kids she'd ever seen. He'd just emerged from a living nightmare when both his abusive parents died. After searching for him everywhere in a blizzard, Blake found him hiding in his friend's attic. The little boy was the Stone family's Christmas miracle and soon became a permanent member of the family.

Shawn had gained weight and filled out, looking the picture of health with rosy cheeks, a sprinkling of freckles across his nose, and the sweetest smile she'd ever seen.

She rubbed the top of his head. "You look like you've grown since last I saw you, Shawn."

"Yes, Aunt Carly. I've grown one inch. Dad measures me once a month and marks it on the wall next to the fridge."

The baby squealed and pounded her tiny hands on the tray of the high chair. Pulling off his backpack, Shawn set it on the table and unzipped it. He pulled out a small book called Pat the Bunny and a pink rattle and handed them to Carly. "Would you please give these to Mylee? I think she is getting bored."

Grinning, Carly handed the items to Mylee who wrapped her chubby fingers around them and giggled. She turned to Shawn. "It looks like you have the four-one-one on your baby sister."

"That's for sure," said Jennifer with a smile. "Shawn has nominated himself Mylee's interpreter until she can talk for herself. It's uncanny sometimes how he knows exactly what she's trying to communicate."

"He also knows her 'reading' habits," Blake added. "The other day at the library, he had twice the number of books he normally checks out. Turns out half were for Mylee."

"She likes Dr. Seuss, too. Her favorite book is Go Car Go. Mom or Dad reads a book to us every night before bed. Someday I will read out loud, too," exclaimed Shawn.

Carly smiled at Shawn and glanced at Blake. She'd never seen her brother happier and was thrilled for him. The thought occurred to her that maybe she should move closer to them so she could be active in the kids' lives as they grew up.

Hailey returned for their food orders. Blake, Jennifer, and Carly decided on the lunch special of breaded tenderloin sandwiches with tossed salad. Shawn ordered a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich with carrot slices. He announced his little sister would have some baby cereal mixed with formula.

Once Hailey left with their orders, Carly asked, "How is the house hunting going? Last time we talked, you said you were looking for a bigger house."

"We've decided to build on," shared Jennifer, as she picked up the rattle Mylee dropped.

A sparkle was in Blake's eyes when he added, "I've always loved Jennifer's Craftsman style house and it's been in the Brennan family for years ..."

"
Our
house," Jennifer insisted.

"
Our
house," Blake agreed. "We found ourselves comparing every house we saw to it, so we decided to add a family room, bathroom, and another bedroom."

"That sounds great," Carly said. "I love your house, too. And the location is perfect. It's close to the elementary school and your parents’ home. Speaking of your parents, how are Megan and Tim?"

Jennifer gave Mylee a spoonful of cereal and said, "Dad's still doing the sheriff thing. Mom is fixing up rooms for Shawn and Mylee when they visit. They said to tell you hello."

"What about you, Carly," asked Blake. "Are you still dead-set on leaving the Bureau?"

"Yes. I don't miss the bureaucracy, and I like being my own boss. The consultant jobs are coming in on a regular basis, so money's not an issue. I enjoy being able to help the smaller sheriff operations."

"Tim told me that Sheriff Chase really needs your help. Selfishly, I'm glad you took the job so we can see more of you, at least while you're here."

"How long are you staying?" asked Jennifer, as she mixed more cereal with formula in a small bowl for Mylee.

"It could be a month or six months. It depends on how the case progresses. I'm staying in a cottage on the Sheriff's property. I'd love it if you and the kids could spend the weekend sometime while I am here."

Jennifer's eyes danced as she smiled at Blake, then Carly. "That sounds like a fun getaway!"

"What about you, Jennifer? Do you plan to go back to work?" Carly wanted to know.

"Actually, I am working part-time now at home. I'm doing computer work for my cousin, Frankie Hansen's private investigation business. She's gotten a flood of work from several insurance companies and needs the help."

"That is so great you can work at home with the kids," said Carly. "By the way, I have some news."

"Oh, no," said Blake. "Every time you say that, the so-called news concerns Mom and Dad. What now?"

"You're not going to believe this, but Mom and Dad are dating."

"No way!"

"Way. I think they both got lonely over the holidays. They've been dating since January."

A group of reporters and cameramen from the local media outlets talked loudly in the reception area, interrupting their conversation.

"The press conference must be over," Carly surmised. She wondered how Brody fared with their questions, and if he had been able to calm the county residents.

<><><>

Hearing him before seeing him, Alison crouched in the far end of her crate, pulling the quilt around herself to hide her nakedness. He was coming for her, just as Jasmine said he would, and the thought tore at her insides. Panic like she'd never known welled in her throat.

In the next cage, she heard Jasmine crying softly. The man, again wearing the black ski mask, appeared next to Alison's crate, staring at her as he rubbed his obvious erection. She felt impaled by his steady gaze.

Disappearing behind the sheets in the corner of the room, he turned on a bright light that revealed his shadow as he moved the tripod, on which he fastened a camera that he spent a few minutes adjusting to his satisfaction.

Bile rushed to Alison's throat, and she swallowed hard. She may have been a virgin, but she knew what he was going to do to her. Even if Jasmine had not told her the night before, she knew.

Why was he filming her rape? So he could watch it later? Humiliation washed over her in a nauseating wave.

There had to be a way to escape. There had to be a way to end this nightmare, and go home. Her mother must have reported her missing. Where were the police?

The man unlocked the padlock and reached for her. No longer restrained by duct tape, Alison huddled in a corner, kicking and scratching at him, fighting him as he dragged her out of the crate by her ankles.

"You bitch!" He roared as her nails slashed across his jaw. "You'll pay for that."

He slapped Alison across the face so hard she fell back and thought her jaw was broken, the metal braces on her teeth ripping through her lips. Blood gushed down her chin and neck. She hurt so much she could scarcely breathe, but she wouldn't let the pain prevent her from fighting back. Alison lunged at him, sinking her teeth into his leg, and he howled in agony. Clamping down hard, tasting blood and flesh, she refused to let go as he pummeled her with his fists until she loosened her hold. Freeing himself, he kicked her savagely in the side and dragged her behind the sheets. Pulling out handcuffs from his back jeans pocket, he secured her wrists then her ankles to heavy metal eyelets that had been drilled into the floor. Wet blood streamed from her mouth, soaking her hair, choking her when she tried to scream.

He loomed over Alison, tall, dark, and deadly as she struggled against the restraints. Her heart froze as she watched him unzip his pants, and then lowered himself over her. She screamed and kept screaming until darkness filled her eyes and she lost consciousness.

<><><>

By two o'clock, Carly had said her good-byes to her family and was in the passenger seat of Brody's SUV, headed toward Indianapolis to interview the family of the missing girl, Alison Brown.

Brody had taken off his suit jacket and hung it in the back. With the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up and his tie undone, he drove in silence, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

"You're awfully quiet, Sheriff," she remarked. "Are you going to tell me what happened or not?"

Brody glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back on the road. "It went exactly as I expected, reporters firing questions at me, hungry for some shocking, gory detail to boost their ratings. I told them as little as possible and hope that holds them off for a while."

"Were you able to say anything to calm down your residents?"