The Third Victim Part 74

The rest of the mail appeared to be junk. He threw it on the corner of Rainie's desk. She could deal with it later.

Since he seemed to have a moment to himself, he pulled out his cell phone and called home. His wife was in a state. The puppy was having trouble attending to his business this morning. She wanted to take him to the vet.

"For G.o.d's sake, feed him some bran cereal and be done with it."

She cheered up at that idea. Then, of course, she insisted on putting the puppy on the phone.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Abe said.

The puppy barked enthusiastically.

"You got no bladder control," Abe told him.

More vigorous barking.

"You're peeing all over my rugs."

Very cheerful barking.

"Yeah. Fine. I love you too. Now gimme back my wife."

His wife came back on. Heaven help him, he was blus.h.i.+ng.

"How's it coming?" she asked.

"It's coming."

"Going to be home soon?" He knew she tried her best, but she sounded wistful.

His voice softened. He said, "I love you, honey. And I miss you too."

Sanders hung up the phone. He was sorry Dave Duncan had slipped through their fingers last night, but now that they knew who they were looking for, it was only a matter of time. The guy was on the run, after all. Probably panicked and scared and thinking he had no place left to hide.

d.a.m.n right. Sanders had personally issued the statewide APB late last night. If Duncan was in the area, some local eager beaver would get him in his sights.

Sanders got to work on his report. He didn't look up again until noon.

Then he was startled by the time and the fact that Rainie still hadn't shown.

Something niggled at him. Something he didn't like.

Abe Sanders tried her house. Then he tried the radio in her patrol car. And then he started to panic, because he didn't get answers anywhere.

For all intents and purposes, Officer Lorraine Conner had disappeared from the face of the earth. And even if Abe didn't care for Rainie's

methods, he knew that just wasn't like her.Sat.u.r.day, May 19, 12:16 p.m.

Becky sat on her skinny bed, surrounded by stuffed animals and holding Big Bear against her tummy. Her parents were talking unhappily in the family room. They were trying to keep their voices down, the way they did when they were mad at each other but didn't want anyone to know.

Becky thought that her mommy had been crying. And her daddy was in one of his Very Bad Moods. He'd boarded up the hall closet when Becky got up this morning. He'd told her that little girls were supposed to sleep in beds, so by G.o.d she had better get used to hers.

Becky didn't think her mommy agreed with that. Becky didn't care. She had a closet in this room too. She'd picked the hall closet only because it was closer to where her daddy slept. And as much as Becky liked Big Bear, she didn't know if he'd be any good in a fight. He was only made out of stuffing, after all, with a b.u.t.ton for a nose. Her mommy and daddy were arguing about Danny.

"He needs help, Shep! Serious help that he's not going to get from a youth detention facility."

"I know that! But we have to be patient, Sandy. You heard what the lawyer said. If Danny talks to the wrong person, it could wind up in court. Then what kind of help would he get? We have to wait until the forensic exams are done. We'll know more then."

"In six months to a year? For G.o.d's sake, he's already under suicide watch' "They're taking good care of him."

"There's no one for him to talk to. You had to hear him this morning.

He was begging to die. G.o.ddammit, this is our son!"

Becky slid off her bed with Big Bear. Careful not to make any noise, she crept closer to the family room and pressed herself against the hallway wall.

There is nothing more we can do," her daddy was saying roughly.

"We gotta just .. . trust him to get through this."

"No."

"Sandy ' "There is another option."

"Like h.e.l.l there is!"

"He did it, Shep! Oh for G.o.d's sake, don't cover your ears like a child. This is Danny, and he called me at six in the morning to tell me that he'd pulled the trigger and he can't get it out of his head.

He's only thirteen years old. I don't know how it all came to this. I wish I did. But somehow .. . He went in that school, Shep. And he did what he did, and now it's tearing him up inside. And we can sit here in denial or we can climb into the trenches with him. I think ... I think that's all we have left."

"Trenches? There are no trenches. There is prison. And he goes in alone and he dies there alone. Christ, haven't you been following the other cases? There aren't any second chances for ma.s.s murderers. Not even for a thirteen-year-old. Danny goes away for more multiple life sentences than years he's got left to live. End of story."

"Avery Johnson said that if Danny was willing to plead guilty, the county would probably be willing to work out a deal. It would spare everyone the anguish of trial."

"My son is not a murderer."

"Yes, he is."

"I'm warning you, Sandy."

"Danny shot two little girls! Danny killed Sally Walker and Alice Bensen. Those parents have to walk by empty bedrooms for the rest of their lives. Because of our son. What about that, Shep? What about that?"

"G.o.dd.a.m.n you, Sandy' Shep's voice broke off savagely. Becky peeked

into the room and saw that her daddy's face was swollen and uglyred.

He had his hand drawn back, like he was going to hit something. Except it was her mommy who stood in front of him. She had her chin up and was staring at him like Danny did when he was daring someone to do something bad.

Becky was frightened. She wanted to yell stop, but just like in the school, she was too scared to make words come out of her mouth. She didn't recognize these people, with their flushed faces and mean hands.

She wished they would go away so her real parents could come home. She missed when they all used to eat dinner together, even Danny, who would sneak his peas onto her plate.

"If you beat your wife, will that make you feel better, Shep?" Sandy said quietly.

"Or maybe, right at this moment, are you getting some idea of where we went wrong?"