Chapter 36
Sheriff Kelsey Pitts steps loudly, each step making creaking noises in the old wood floor. He’s quickly sworn in and when he sits, the bench groans.
“Sheriff Pitts, how long have you served as sheriff of Silver Pines?” Mr. Wayne smooths the front of his coat.
“Going—” He backs up from the mic. “Sorry, going on eight years.”
“Did you respond to a report involving Amelia Davis, Darcie Reynolds and Andrew Reynolds on October twenty-one?
“We did.”
“And what prompted your response?”
“We received two separate calls that two twelve year old girls and a three year old boy were missing. Witnesses indicated that they’d last been seen in the abandoned cabin at the Bitterroot trailhead.”
“There were witnesses?”
“Apparently there’d been a social gathering there earlier.”
More like an ambush. I fold my arms across my stomach while Andrew bounces on Dad’s knee.
The prosector glances at his notes, then asks, “How long until you were able to locate them?”
“We worked in conjunction with the park rangers—One of the fathers, Marcum Reynolds is Chief Ranger.” He clears his throat. “They actually were the ones who tracked them down. They’d gotten a text from the girls and…there was a flare two days after their disappearance.”
Grover sits straighter in his chair, his head turns slightly toward me, but his eyes stay on the sheriff. I chew on my thumbnail. He didn’t know we did that.
“Please tell us where the children were located.”
“They were found in a cave at the top of Trapper’s Peak.”
“What was the condition of the children?”
He leans in, eyes flicking to Amelia and her grandmother. “They looked rough, except for the little boy. Amelia had a fractured leg, was dehydrated, and appeared distraught. Darcie appeared to have been attacked by a wild animal. Her face was covered in scratches, and her hair…was disheveled. The girls were clearly exhausted.”
“The children were alone?”
“Uh, no sir. The children were in the company of the defendant. The cave was his residence, and it was clear he had held them against their will. We immediately placed him under arrest and charged him with kidnapping, child abuse, false imprisonment, and delaying emergency medical care.”
The second lawyer from the prosecuting side slides a note to his partner and they whisper back and forth.
The judge clears her throat. “Counselor?”
“Yes. Sorry Judge.” He moves toward the sheriff. “Prior to the disappearance of the children, had your office received complaints involving the defendant?”
“Yes. Quite a few.”
Grover’s lawyer stands. “Objection.”
“Sustained.”
“Let me rephrase. Had there been any previous concerns about someone presumed to be living in the Bitterroot Forest.”
“Yes.”
“Can you be more specific?”
“Over the years, residents described encounters with what they called the Shadow Man.”
“Were the reports consistent?”
“Yes. Extremely consistent. Almost word for word. People described a man fitting the defendant’s description that would appear unexpectedly, frightening the children.”
“Objection!”
“Over-ruled.”
I scoot to the edge of my seat. "Over-ruled? It’s not even true!" I hiss.
Mom pats my leg and eases me back. “Just wait. Things can change quickly.”
“And who did investigators determine those reports referred to?” The attorney grins and folds his arms.
“William Daniels.”
“Thank you, Sheriff.” He nods to the judge, and sits back down.
Grover’s lawyer is all friendly. “Good afternoon Sheriff. Thank you for your service.”
He nods, smiling. “My pleasure, ma’am.”
“You said there’d been reports identifying the defendant as someone who frightens children.”
“Yes ma’am.”
She smiles. “Did the citizens who filed the complaints offer any proof? A photo? Something left behind by the defendant? A child’s testimony? Anything like that?”
He shifts in his seat. “No. Nothing like that. Just a description of the incident.”
“I see. And you said that those descriptions were surprisingly similar?”
“Yes. That’s why we determined so quickly that it was Mr. Daniels.”
“Mr. Pitts, how many witness statements have you taken over your career as a policeman?”
He chuckles, leaning back. “Oh, I’d say hundreds. I’ve been in law enforcements over twenty-two years.”
“Impressive.” She smiles again, and he smiles back. “Is there usually just one witness that you speak to for each case?”
“Ha!” The more witnesses you have the more solid the case. You know that Ms. Smith.” He shakes his head.
“Right. Because every witness says essentially the exact same thing, sometimes word for word, because every person sees the exact same thing, they report it exactly the same way.”
“Well…” He squirms, twisting at the waist like he can’t get comfortable.
“Mr. Pitts? Is that what you’re saying?”
He frowns at her. “You know I’m not.”
“Thank you.” She glances up at the judge. “I’m finished with this witness.”
I lean over to Mom. “I like her.”
Sheriff Pitts stalks back to his seat, head down and shoulder tight. He blows out a huff as he sits across the aisle from us, stretching out his legs and folding his arms across his bulging stomach.
“He’s mad,” I whisper to no one in particular.
“Counselor, please call your next witness.”
The prosecutor calls the paramedic who treated Grover inside the cave after the dart hit him in the shoulder.
“Mr. Bearden, you were on the scene when the rangers raided the cave?”
“That’s right.”
“And you treated the defendant for a wound he received after being shot with a tranquilizer dart?”
“Also correct.”
“Did you have a chance to notice the condition of the children?”
“Yes. They all appeared to be relieved. They were quite emotional to see their fathers.”
“And did you notice any injuries or trauma to the three captives?”
“Yes, I did a quick assessment of Amelia’s leg and found that she had had an extensive infection in a wound as well as a probable fracture. I gave first aid and stabilized the leg for travel.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes. The others were treated inside the helicopter.”
“Thank you.”
I rub my hands together. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Smith does with this witness.
Good afternoon Mr. Bearden.”
He smiles. “Hello.”
“You said that upon examination of Amelia’s leg, you found that she had had an extensive infection. Did you misspeak?”
“Not at all. That was intentional. There were definite signs that there had been a severe infection, but by the time I examined the wound, much of the infection had dissipated. That doesn’t happen without treatment.”
The State Attorney shakes his head and whispers something to the lawyer beside him.
If I was younger, I’d start bouncing in my seat like Andrew does because I am pumped. Grover’s lawyer might remind me of Miss Christy, but she’s no preschool teacher.
“Can you speculate on the treatment Amelia—”
“Objection! You honor! She even used the word speculate—come on!”
“Rephrase counselor.”
“What evidence did you see that Amelia had received treatment for the infection?”
“There was residue of plant matter inside the wound as well as pus stains on the material used to wrap the wound, however the wound itself was healthy.”
She takes a step back, quickly writing a note to herself. “One more thing, Mr. Bearden. Did you happen to witness any interaction between the defendant and any other person inside the cave?”
The prosecutor lifts his head like what he just heard might be really important.
“Yes. Actually two interactions that I remember.”
“Go on.”
“The first was young Andrew.”
Andrew holds his hands up; Dad covers his mouth.
He continues. “The boy jumped from his father’s arms and threw himself on top of the defendant, worried that he was hurt. It was the cutest thing because the kid held his face and told him everything was gonna be okay because his daddy was there to help them.”
People in the gallery react with “Aww.” And loud whispering. The judge swipes her hand through the air, erasing the noise.
“So you’d say at least Andrew was unafraid of the defendant?”
“Not only unafraid, he was crazy about the guy.”
“Objection. Speculation.”
The ranger glances at the judge. “Sorry. The little boy told the defendant that he loved him. Is that any better?”
“And what was the other interaction you witnessed?”
“There was a brief exchange between the defendant and Amelia’s father, Dr. Davis.”
“Objection!” The prosector jumps to his feet. “What is the relevance here?”
Ms. Smith presses her palms together. “May we approach the bench, your honor?”
I scoot toward my dad. “I remember that now. That’s when Grover asked about—” Dad nods toward the front as the lawyers move back to their places.
“Please continue Ms. Smith.”
“Are you able to recount the conversation?”
Of course. It was short. Mr. Daniels called Dr. Davis, Richard, and said, ‘Where is she?’ And Dr. Davis replied, “Like you don’t know.”
“So it appeared that the two men knew one another?”
“Absolutely. No doubt.”