“You’re working that ‘Tides That Bind’ case, right?”
“Yeah, me and Babineau.”
“You just found the third girl, a hooker like the others?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
“And if this bastard follows pattern, he’s got his new vic tucked away already.”
“Probably.” She waited patiently to find out where he was going with it.
“I think I know who he grabbed.” His eyes met hers with the torments of hell in them. “I think he has my daughter.”
Eight
T HIS IS KELLY . She just turned seventeen.”
Cee Cee took the school photo and studied the face of a young girl with shining auburn hair and dimples. “Pretty.”
“Our oldest. Got her daddy’s pride and her mama’s stubbornness. Always knew exactly what she wanted, and wouldn’t let anything get in her way. She wanted to be a professional dancer. I wanted to get lessons for her when she was a kid, but then the other two came along and there wasn’t a lot of extra cash for things like that. When kids got a dream, they don’t want to hear about things like braces and a new transmission or their mama getting laid off at work. She had the talent and the drive, and it was just killing her, doing nothing with it. But there was nothing I could do to help make those dreams happen, you know?”
Cee Cee made a sympathetic noise, and tamped down her impatience.
“Some girl at school told her about a club where she could dance at night and make enough to pay for lessons during the day. A
club
.” He snorted. “You know what kind a place we’re talking here. My little girl, just sixteen then, telling me she was dropping out of school to work in a titty bar.”
“I imagine you handled it with sensitivity.”
He flinched at her mild sarcasm. “I handled it the way you would have. I locked her in her room and took away all her privileges. But she found a way to slip out, and she was gone. I’ve never been so damned mad in my life.” His rock-hard jaw trembled. “Two months, we heard nothing from her. Then a call to ask for money. I wouldn’t give her any. I was sure she’d come back. Sure of it.”
“But she didn’t.”
“No. Her friend was just a hook to pull her in. There was never enough cash left over to take those classes in classical dance. And pretty soon it took more than dancing to make ends—” He broke off, his eyes dark with pain and fury.
“Why do you think something’s happened to her?”
“About six months ago, her younger sister turned thirteen. Kelly called, wanted to come home and see her, but only if we’d promise not to try and make her stay. She stopped by, looking almost like my little girl, and for a little while it was like we were a family again.”
“But she wouldn’t stay.”
He shook his head. “She gave me her word that she wasn’t doing drugs, that she was being careful, and that no one was hurting her or forcing her to do anything. We came to an agreement—her mama’s idea— that she’d come home every Sunday, have dinner with us, wear her old clothes, sleep in her bed. I’d slip her what cash I could and we’d try to talk, so if she was in any trouble, she wouldn’t be afraid to call us.
“She was tired, Ceece. So tired and unhappy the last few times she came home. And scared. She wouldn’tsay of what. She started talking about getting her GED. I was sure,
sure
, she was gonna ask if she could move back in.”
“And then?”
“She missed this last Sunday. No call. Nothing. I didn’t think much of it until the third body surfaced, then I went nuts looking for her. She was working in the same damned club the Cole girl was, and she hadn’t been at work. No one had seen her.
“That monster’s got my baby, Cee Cee. I just know it.” His head dropped into his hands.
“Stan, what do you want me to do?”
After a minute, he straightened. He looked terrible. “I told my wife she’d taken a trip up north for a few weeks. I didn’t want her to worry; it would kill her and
“Yeah, me and Babineau.”
“You just found the third girl, a hooker like the others?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
“And if this bastard follows pattern, he’s got his new vic tucked away already.”
“Probably.” She waited patiently to find out where he was going with it.
“I think I know who he grabbed.” His eyes met hers with the torments of hell in them. “I think he has my daughter.”
Eight
T HIS IS KELLY . She just turned seventeen.”
Cee Cee took the school photo and studied the face of a young girl with shining auburn hair and dimples. “Pretty.”
“Our oldest. Got her daddy’s pride and her mama’s stubbornness. Always knew exactly what she wanted, and wouldn’t let anything get in her way. She wanted to be a professional dancer. I wanted to get lessons for her when she was a kid, but then the other two came along and there wasn’t a lot of extra cash for things like that. When kids got a dream, they don’t want to hear about things like braces and a new transmission or their mama getting laid off at work. She had the talent and the drive, and it was just killing her, doing nothing with it. But there was nothing I could do to help make those dreams happen, you know?”
Cee Cee made a sympathetic noise, and tamped down her impatience.
“Some girl at school told her about a club where she could dance at night and make enough to pay for lessons during the day. A
club
.” He snorted. “You know what kind a place we’re talking here. My little girl, just sixteen then, telling me she was dropping out of school to work in a titty bar.”
“I imagine you handled it with sensitivity.”
He flinched at her mild sarcasm. “I handled it the way you would have. I locked her in her room and took away all her privileges. But she found a way to slip out, and she was gone. I’ve never been so damned mad in my life.” His rock-hard jaw trembled. “Two months, we heard nothing from her. Then a call to ask for money. I wouldn’t give her any. I was sure she’d come back. Sure of it.”
“But she didn’t.”
“No. Her friend was just a hook to pull her in. There was never enough cash left over to take those classes in classical dance. And pretty soon it took more than dancing to make ends—” He broke off, his eyes dark with pain and fury.
“Why do you think something’s happened to her?”
“About six months ago, her younger sister turned thirteen. Kelly called, wanted to come home and see her, but only if we’d promise not to try and make her stay. She stopped by, looking almost like my little girl, and for a little while it was like we were a family again.”
“But she wouldn’t stay.”
He shook his head. “She gave me her word that she wasn’t doing drugs, that she was being careful, and that no one was hurting her or forcing her to do anything. We came to an agreement—her mama’s idea— that she’d come home every Sunday, have dinner with us, wear her old clothes, sleep in her bed. I’d slip her what cash I could and we’d try to talk, so if she was in any trouble, she wouldn’t be afraid to call us.
“She was tired, Ceece. So tired and unhappy the last few times she came home. And scared. She wouldn’tsay of what. She started talking about getting her GED. I was sure,
sure
, she was gonna ask if she could move back in.”
“And then?”
“She missed this last Sunday. No call. Nothing. I didn’t think much of it until the third body surfaced, then I went nuts looking for her. She was working in the same damned club the Cole girl was, and she hadn’t been at work. No one had seen her.
“That monster’s got my baby, Cee Cee. I just know it.” His head dropped into his hands.
“Stan, what do you want me to do?”
After a minute, he straightened. He looked terrible. “I told my wife she’d taken a trip up north for a few weeks. I didn’t want her to worry; it would kill her and
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