37. Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Doug
B eth jumped out of the car before it came to a full stop and ran to Chase. He started squirming as soon as he saw her, so I quickly put him down.
“Mommy Mommy Mommy,” he cried as he ran to her.
Tears of joy filled my eyes.
Beth fell to her knees as Chase crashed into her. She hugged him close as tears streamed down her face.
“Mommy, you’re crushing me.”
She relaxed her grip, and said, “I’m sorry, I’m just so happy to see you.”
“Uncle John and everybody saved me,” he said as he pushed away from her.
“He did,” she said as he asked why she was crying.
“I was scared because I didn’t know where you were.” She brushed his hair off his face then straightened his t-shirt. Her head tilted to one side when she noticed the construction truck. She put her hand on Chase’s chest as fresh tears filled her eyes.
“The crazy lady gave it to me.”
“Chase.” Beth choked on his name as she hugged him again.
“Mommy, who’s Scotty?’
She looked up at me, then at John. I could tell she didn’t have it in her to answer. Before I could say anything, John answered. “Scotty was Mrs. Smith’s little boy. She misses him so much it made her sick.”
Chase looked confused but the police car coming up the long driveway distracted him.
“More police.” He pointed.
“Let’s go wait in Mr. Dean’s car,” John said. He gently led them back the car, motioning for me to follow. He whispered, “Stay with them while I talk to the officer in charge. They’ll need to talk to Chase eventually, but I want to buy Beth a little more time.”
“Of course.” I had no intention of leaving them.
“Beth, Doug and Dean are going to stay with you while I talk to the officers. Have Doug reach out if you need anything.”
Beth nodded and looked at the cabin before saying, “Okay.”
I helped Beth and Chase get in the backseat, then got in with them. John’s voice was soft in my ear, “I’m going to ask them to take Smith out the back, but they’ll still have to drive by. Keep them distracted so they don’t see it.”
I couldn’t answer without Beth hearing, so I tapped my mic twice to let him know I’d heard.
We thought it’d be better for everyone involved if Beth and Chase couldn’t see Smith, and Smith couldn’t see them. There was no telling what kind of a scene any of them might cause, given how high emotions were running.
My attention was split between Chase telling his mom what happened, and John’s conversation with the local LEOs. When the officer questioned the presence of the FBI, John explained, “They're here as a personal favor to us, the missing child is family.”
The officer sounded skeptical, but let it slide. We were all on the same team, and that was all that really mattered.
Ignoring my need to hold them, I watched Beth and Chase. I could wait: they needed their space.
Chase said, “She said I could have ice cream anytime I wanted, but I didn’t like her kind.”
In my ear I heard John say, “They’re pulling around front now.”
“What kind did she have?” Beth asked
I shifted my position to block their view of the passing police car.
“The pink kind.”
Pink kind?
“Do you mean strawberry?”
“It was yucky. She said I like it, but I don’t.”
When Beth started crying again, Chase wiped her tears as he said, “Please don’t cry, Mommy.”
Beth pulled him onto her lap. “They’re happy tears because I’m just so glad we found you.”
“Uncle Jack and Mr. Doug saved me.” I puffed up a little at getting credit, even though it was a group effort.
“Yes, they did.” Beth looked at me over Chase’s head.
“We had lots of help,” I added, knowing he’d named us because we were the first two friendly faces he saw.
“Mommy, can we go home now?” Chase asked as he burrowed into her chest.
I saved Beth from having to disappoint him. “Not yet, Little Man, you’ll have to talk to a nice policeman first.”
A few seconds after I said it, I heard John in my ear. He was telling the officer he wanted Chase to get checked by a doctor. “We’ll bring Chase and Beth to the station after Chase is medically cleared.”
The officer’s grumbling response wasn’t clear, but it sounded like he was complaining about the delay, worried Chase’s memory wouldn’t be as good.
“You have our statements and enough evidence to convict without a statement from a scared five-year-old.” John’s tone ended the argument. “We’ll bring him to the station after he’s seen a doctor. If that’s a problem for you, you can speak with Agent Jones.”
“What’s going on?” Beth’s question interrupted my eavesdropping.
“John's pushing his weight around,” I answered with a laugh. When I heard, “watch it, Sharpe,” in my ear, I laughed again and made a mental note to be more careful while my mic was on.
#
John and I took them to the hospital.
I demonstrated Herculean control and kept my hands to myself, while we waited for Chase to be seen by a doctor. There was nothing I wanted more than to wrap my arms around Beth, and let her know I was here for her. But I couldn’t, this wasn’t about me. It was about her and her needs.
I have to let her come to me.
John took out his phone and held it towards Chase while he told us about the crazy lady who took him from the park. When I raised my eyebrows in question, he mouthed, "video."
He’d have Chase’s unofficial statement recorded. Clever.
Chase looked scared when he explained how he tried to tell her he couldn’t go with her, “just like you said,” but she wouldn’t listen. John and I listened while Beth reassured Chase he wasn’t in trouble, and praised him for trying to do the right thing. He let her words sink in for a minute then told us the rest of the story.
After Smith grabbed him, she'd forced him in her car and made him drink some water. He didn’t remember anything else until he woke up in the cabin.
John and I made eye contact—she’d drugged him. Probably crushed a sleeping pill in the water. We’d ask the doctor to check for drugs in Chase’s system. He wasn’t showing any signs of drugged-up behavior, it was still best to check.
“She made me soup and strawberry milk. She said they were my favorite, but I don’t like strawberry milk.” He crinkled his nose in disgust, making Beth chuckle.
He doesn’t like strawberries, noted .
He said she kept calling him Scotty and wouldn’t listen when he told her his name was Chase. She locked him in the bedroom as punishment.
“She said I had to stay until I stopped hurting her and called her Mama.” Chase yawned. “Why’d she do that?”
Beth rubbed his back as she looked at John then me, her eyes pleading.
“Mrs. Smith got confused when she saw you because you look just like her little boy, who went to heaven.” John answered with practiced ease. Raising four kids and having thirty some odd years in law enforcement made him an expert at handling situations like this.
I couldn't have come up with an answer half as good, even if I’d had twice the time.
“Like my daddy?” Chase asked his mom.
Yes,” Beth whispered, “like your daddy.”
“It’s so sad that her little boy died,” Chase said, looking sad.
Just then a nurse came out and called for Chase. I waited while John and Beth went back with him. Beth had readily agreed when John had asked earlier if he could go with them. He’d phrased it as offering support and a second set of ears, which was true, but he also wanted to hear anything else Chase might say, and to ask the doctor to test for drugs.