Chapter 34
After Sean separated Stuart and Ray Cranton, Sean brought in Frank and Margaret Maynard, and Frank was furious.
“You’re telling me some pervert was talking to our boy?” Frank asked, fists clenched.
Stuart remained by his mother’s side, while Frank paced angrily.
“You need to do something about this, Sheriff,” Frank said. “You do it, or I will.”
“I need everyone to take a breath,” Sean said. “I brought you in because I wanted you to hear what Stuart was talking about.” He looked to the young boy, making sure he was all right.
“I’m fine,” Stuart said, head down, avoiding eye contact with Sean.
“That’s good,” Sean said calmly. “What were you and Ray talking about?”
“Nothing,” Stuart answered.
“Don’t you lie, boy!” Frank shouted, but a single side glance from Sean was enough to silence the angry father.
“It’s okay,” Sean said, facing Stuart as he got down to the boy’s level. “You’re not in trouble.”
Stuart fidgeted, and then he shrugged. “He was just asking me if I was having fun here. If I like the hotel.”
“And what did you say?” Sean asked.
“I said I liked it,” Stuart answered.
“And are you having fun?” Sean asked.
“Kind of,” Stuart answered.
“What else did you two talk about?” Sean asked.
Stuart remained half hidden behind his mother’s leg, and she gave him a reassuring touch.
“It’s okay,” Margaret said quietly.
“Um, he asked me about my family,” Stuart answered.
“What about your family?” Sean asked.
“If I liked them, if I was…safe,” Stuart answered.
Sean glanced up at the mother, who was looking at her husband. Sean turned toward Frank, the father’s face beet red. Sean slowly turned back to look at Stuart, keeping his voice low so only the boy could hear him. “And are you safe?”
Stuart remained silent, but Sean was patient.
“I can protect you, Stuart,” Sean answered.
Stuart briefly raised his eyes, but he wasn’t looking at Sean. He was staring at his father. And the moment they locked eyes, the boy shuddered. “Yes, I’m safe,” Stuart replied loudly enough for his father to hear.
Sean nodded and didn’t think he was going to be able to coax information out of the young boy anymore. He stood up and studied the mother’s face. Margaret Maynard looked as if she were on the verge of tears, but she too remained silent.
“Can we go?” Margaret asked.
Sean nodded, and then turned and watched the Maynard family leave, Frank’s menacing figure towering over his wife and son.
Sean knew something was going on in that family, but until he had physical proof that Frank was hurting them, or either Margaret or Stuart confided in him, there was nothing he could do.
But now he could speak with Ray.
Sean had made sure Ray was in a separate space when Sean spoke to Stuart. He didn’t want Ray’s presence to affect the boy or the boy’s parents.
Ray was alone in the library when Sean entered, and he faced the window that would have normally looked out to the winding road that led to the hotel’s entrance. Instead, Ray stared into a wall of white, the snow packed against the window.
“I didn’t touch him,” Ray said before Sean could speak. “I’m sure Stuart would confirm this.”
“You mind telling me what the hell you’re doing speaking to a little boy alone?” Sean asked.
Ray turned away from the window, hands in his pockets. He was far too relaxed for Sean’s liking. “I wanted to ask how he was liking the hotel.”
Sean closed the distance between them, and when he was within arm’s reach of Ray, he stopped. “Did you talk to Karla Grayson, too?”
“No,” Ray answered.
“I’m not sure I believe you,” Sean answered.
“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not,” Ray replied.
“It only matters what you can prove. And right now, you don’t have any proof that I’ve done anything wrong.
” He shrugged. “If you did, you’d arrest me.
” He narrowed his eyes, a hint of a smile on his face.
“But I’m not sure you can even do that. Can you, Sheriff? ”
Sean never had a short fuse. It took a lot to get him worked up, but pedophiles were the exception to the rule. “This won’t end well for you if you’re lying to me,” Sean said. “I promise you.”
Ray wasn’t intimidated, or if he was, he was good at hiding it.
“And I promise you that if I knew anything about what was going on here, I would tell you,” Ray said, and he held up his hand. “Scout’s honor.”
Sean had more questions for the young man, but his phone rang, and when he saw it was Rivers, he instructed Ray to return to his room until further notice. He watched Ray leave the library and then answered the call.
“Hey,” Sean said. “I’m in the middle of something; is it important?”
“Yes,” Rivers answered. “So, I was doing my financial audit on the Grayson family, but I found something else that I thought was pertinent. Turns out that Roman Grayson filed a police report with the local Philadelphia PD about a stalker.”
“What?” Sean asked.
“Yeah,” Rivers answered. “He was receiving threatening letters.”
Sean didn’t know why the father hadn’t mentioned it to him but hoped it would offer insight into Karla Grayson’s disappearance.