Chapter 1 - The Girl Beneath the Bed
Ten years earlier, Tom Callahan had been the youngest detective in the Northbridge Police Department’s violent crimes unit.
He was thirty-one, ambitious and stubborn, with a habit of staying at crime scenes long after everyone else had gone home. His captain often told him that he became too personally invested in cases.
Tom considered that a compliment.
On the night he found Annie Mercer, Northbridge was trapped beneath a violent autumn storm. Trees bent in the wind, roads flooded, and lightning repeatedly cut the power across the northern part of the city.
The call came shortly after midnight.
A neighbor had heard glass breaking inside the Mercer residence, followed by silence.
Tom and Marcus Hale arrived together.
Marcus had been Tom’s partner for almost two years. He was older, experienced and respected throughout the department. Other detectives called him dependable. Prosecutors trusted him. Young officers asked for his advice.
Tom trusted him more than anyone.
The Mercer house stood at the end of Briar Lane, separated from the nearest property by an overgrown garden and a line of ancient oak trees.
The front door was open.
Inside, furniture had been overturned, picture frames had fallen from the walls, and a lamp flickered in the hallway. The terrible violence had already ended before the detectives arrived.
Tom entered first.
Marcus followed for several steps, then stopped.
“I’ll check the kitchen and back door,” he said.
Tom continued upstairs alone.
He found Annie’s parents in another part of the house. Nothing could be done for them. Tom called for medical assistance and additional officers before hearing a faint sound from the final bedroom.
It sounded like breathing.
He entered carefully.
“Police,” he said. “Is anyone here?”
No answer.
He noticed the edge of a pink dress beneath the bed.
Tom placed his weapon on the floor several feet away, then lowered himself onto his knees. He moved slowly, keeping his voice calm.
“My name is Tom. I’m a police officer.”
A pair of terrified eyes stared back at him from the darkness.
The girl was pressed against the wall beneath the bed, wrapped in a blanket. She appeared too frightened to move.
“You’re safe now,” Tom told her.
The word safe felt dishonest inside that ruined house.
Still, he repeated it.
Tom remained on the floor for several minutes before Annie finally allowed him to move closer. She would not take his hand, but she stopped pulling away.
When the paramedics arrived, she refused to leave with them unless Tom stayed beside her.
Outside the bedroom, Marcus watched in silence.
“You’re good with her,” he said.
Tom looked back at Annie.
May you like
“No,” he replied. “She just doesn’t trust anyone else.”
He did not notice the expression that briefly crossed Marcus’s face.
