With what Matthew knew must be an enormous amount of restraint, Detective Bennett replied, “She has a birthmark shaped like a star near her left shoulder.”
He had seen it earlier, in the bedroom, but still he slid the blanket and his shirt off her shoulder and traced a fingertip over the birthmark.
“Did you find her body?” Detective Bennett asked tightly.
“No, we found her alive.”
“Alive?” he echoed.
“She’s alive,” he confirmed.
“But hurt because otherwise she could identify herself,” Bennett astutely observed.
“She’s unconscious, but she woke briefly and told me her name. Before I could confirm who she was, she passed out, so I needed to verify her identity.”
“She’s really alive?” The man sounded both shocked and guarded like he couldn’t yet allow himself to believe the sister he had spent five years preparing to learn was dead, was not.
“Yes, I’m holding her in my arms right now while we wait for the medics. Once I know what hospital they’re taking her to I’ll call and let you know.”
Elijah muttered what sounded like a curse. “We were away for the Fourth of July, I’m a couple of hours away, and my wife, brother, and sister-in-law are maybe a day away.” There was a long pause before he spoke again. “You’ve worked with Ali before, right?”
“Yes, I’ve worked with her a few times.”
“Could you stay with Grace until I get there? I don’t want her to be alone.” The pain and anguish in his voice was evident, and yet he hadn’t asked for specifics about what exactly his sister had suffered.
“I won’t leave her,” Matthew promised. Even if her brother hadn’t asked, he wouldn’t have felt comfortable leaving Grace alone given what she had been through.
Voice finally breaking, Elijah asked, “Can you hold your phone to her ear? I know she’s unconscious, but I need to talk to her. I need her to hear my voice, I need her to know we’re coming.”
“Of course.” Matthew lowered his phone and held it to Grace’s ear. She didn’t respond to her brother’s voice, and he felt a shaft of concern. Just how badly hurt was she? He had to believe that she would be okay. She was strong enough to survive five and a half years with a monster. Surely, that made her strong enough to survive anything.
Before he even realized what he was doing, he pressed his lips to the top of her head and kissed her blonde head. At the touch of his lips, she whimpered quietly and snuggled closer against him.
* * * * *
11:46 A.M.
The alarm had been buzzing for over an hour, yet he had made no move to turn it off.
He was paralyzed.
In shock.
He couldn’t believe this was happening.
Someone was in his house.
Inhis house.
That meant someone had found the girls.
Andthatmeant that someone had taken the girls.
Hisgirls.
They belonged to him, and some random stranger had no right to take them.
He was angry. So angry. But greater than the anger was fear. Who was in his house? Emergency plumbers if there had been a burst pipe perhaps. The fire department maybe. But his house was equipped with a sprinkler system that should put out any fires.