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“Did you buy a gun?”

“I did. Little did I know, I should have sent it with Dori to Lawrence.” Mr. Petracelli’s face twisted again, the bitterness getting the best of him. His breathing had grown shallower, strained. I wondered about his heart.

“Lana said your parents died,” he said abruptly.

“Yes, sir.”

“When?”

I considered his question, where he was going with this. “Does it matter?”

“Maybe.”

“Why?”

His lips thinned. “Where did you go, Annabelle?” he said brusquely, ignoring my question. “When your family went on vacation, how far away did you go?”

“All the way to Florida.”

“And your father really got a job there? That’s why you stayed?”

“He drove a taxi. Not the same as being a professor, but I believe he thought the trade-off was worthwhile.”

The news seemed to surprise Mr. Petracelli. That my father had been willing to surrender his academic career, or that my father hadn’t lied about getting a job? I wasn’t sure. He blinked. “Sorry,” he said after a moment, “guess I’m just getting paranoid in my old age. It’s easy to do, considering I wake up screaming most nights.”

The rain had started to spatter down again. Mr. Petracelli was already turning to go. I stopped him by putting my hand on his arm. “Why did you ask about my father, Mr. Petracelli? What do you need to know?”

“It’s just…after Dori disappeared, a neighbor reported seeing a man driving an unmarked white van in the area, even gave the police a description of the guy. Lana never agreed with me, of course, but my first thought?”

“Yes?”

“Short dark hair, tanned face, real good-looking guy. Come on, Annabelle.” Mr. Petracelli’s face suddenly changed again, that crafty gleam returning to his eyes. “Tell me who that is.”

For a moment, I didn’t get it. Then, as his innuendo struck, I tried to snatch my hand away. He grabbed my fingers, held on tight. “Don’t be absurd!” I said sharply.

“Yeah, Annabelle, the man who took my Dori, he sounds exactly like your dear old dad.”

He flung my arm back at me. I fell to the wet sidewalk, bruised fingers tucked protectively against my chest while Bella went into a paroxysm of barking. I grabbed her, trying to steady her, steady me.

When I looked up again, Mr. Petracelli was gone, and only the ugliness of his accusation lingered in the wet, dark air.

C
ARL FIRED ME
. I took the news well, considering I needed the job to cover such luxuries as rent. Mostly, it was a relief to leave the loud, chaotic space of Quincy Market, where Mr. Petracelli’s ugly words still tainted the night. Even Bella was subdued, walking obediently beside me as we left Faneuil Hall, crossing into the familiar territory of Columbus Park.

The harborside park was small compared to other Boston green spaces. But it offered a water fountain that kept the kids giggling and wet during the summer, while the adults lounged in the grass or beneath the shade of the long wooden trellis. There was a playground, a rose garden, and a small reflecting fountain, where the homeless kept vigil.

Sometimes, before my Starbucks shift, I’d bring Bella here to run around with her North End neighbors, an informal puppy playgroup. I’d stand to the side of the gathered humans, while the dogs frolicked.

Too cold and wet for children now. Too late for dogs or community gatherings. The homeless slept on the benches. The barflies passed briskly through, mindful of the misty weather as they exchanged Faneuil Hall haunts for North End eateries. Other than that, the park was quiet.

I found myself thinking of the note again.
Return the locket, or another girl will die.

Was there a young child in bed right now, maybe tucked in with her favorite stuffed dog and pink fleecy blanket? Did she trust her parents to keep her safe? Believe nothing could happen to her inside her own home?

He would walk across her lawn, heavy metal crowbar slapping against his thigh. He would tuck himself somewhere out of sight, maybe a tree or bush. Then he would inch along the side of the house until he came to her window.

Lifting the crowbar, going to work on the window sash…

I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyeballs, as if that would make the images go away. I felt dipped in ugliness, suffocated by violence. Twenty-five years later, I still couldn’t escape.

I didn’t want to think about Mr. Petracelli’s words. I didn’t want to think about the threat left on the windshield of D.D.’s car. The past was the past. I was a grown adult. I’d lived in the city for over ten years. Why would the boogeyman suddenly return now, demanding my old locket, threatening new victims? It didn’t make any sense.

Mr. Petracelli was insane. A bitter, crazy man who’d never gotten over the terrible loss of his daughter. Of course he blamed my father. Saved him all sorts of parental guilt.

As for Bobby and D.D.’s allegations…

They had never met my dad. They didn’t know him the way I did. How he could sink his teeth into a problem like a pit bull, refusing to let go. Obviously, Catherine had information he wanted. In that case, it would’ve made sense to my father to pass himself off as an FBI agent. Normal fathers probably did not do such things, but they probably didn’t move their families to Florida just because the police wouldn’t call in the National Guard to look for a Peeping Tom.

And as for my father’s brief disappearance shortly after we moved to Florida…No doubt there were loose ends to tidy up. Closing out bank accounts, putting things into storage. Except, of course, he could’ve closed out the bank accounts before we left. And apparently he’d arranged for the moving company by phone….

I didn’t want to go there. My father was obsessive, paranoid, and systematic.

That still did not mean he was a killer.

Except maybe he wasn’t even Russell Granger?

My temples started to throb again, the beginnings of a first-class headache that had started twenty-five years ago and now threatened to go on without end. I didn’t know what to do. I just wanted…I just wished…

“Hello.”

The voice startled me so badly, I squeaked, twirled, and nearly fell. A strong hand grabbed my arm, held me upright.

Bella barked excitedly as I belatedly turned around to discover the old man from Boston State Mental standing beside me. Charlie Marvin. Bella barked louder. Far from being concerned, Charlie simply bent down and held out his hand.

“Beautiful dog,” he murmured, waiting until Bella gave up barking long enough to sniff his hand. Another tentative sniff, then she stepped toward him, wagging her tail.

Charlie, apparently, was a dog person. “Oh, there’s a good girl. Aren’t you beautiful? Look at those markings. You must be an Australian shepherd. Not a lot of sheep around here for herding, I’m afraid. Would you settle for taxis? What do you think? You look like a fast girl. I bet you catch a lot of taxis.”

Bella seemed to think this was a fine idea. She pressed herself against Charlie, while eyeing me for approval. The man had totally and completely won over my dog.

He finally straightened from his squat, smiling ruefully as his knees creaked, and he had to grab my arm for support.

“Sorry,” he said cheerfully. “It’s one thing to get down. Quite another to get up.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked, voice sharp, making no apologies.

His blue eyes crinkled at the corners. He seemed to find my concern amusing. He held up both hands in a gesture of mea culpa. “Remember how I said you looked familiar?”

I nodded grudgingly.

“I kept thinking about it, remembered from where. This park. You run through here with your dog. Generally a bit earlier than this, but I’ve spotted you quite a few times. I never forget a face, particularly a pretty one.” He glanced down, tickled Bella under the chin. “Of course I’m talking about you, sweetheart,” he crooned.

I couldn’t help myself, I finally smiled. Then hastily pulled it together. “And why are you in the park so often?”

He jerked his head toward the corner of Atlantic Avenue. “Working with the homeless. Just because you don’t have a roof over your head doesn’t mean you should be denied the word of God.”

I couldn’t think of an argument for that.

“Anyhooo,” he drawled, rocking back on his heels, cramming his hands into his pockets, “I’ll confess, I’ve been looking for you.”

I didn’t say anything, but felt my pulse quicken as I went on high alert.

“You’re not with the police,” he stated.

No answer.

“But they took you to the crime scene.” He cocked his head, regarding me steadily. “So I figure maybe you’re another kind of expert. Botanist, bone person. I don’t really know anything, I just watch Court TV. But I am a good judge of people and I don’t think you’re a scientist any more than you’re a cop. Which means…I’m thinking relative. Of one of those poor girls. But you’re too young to be a mother. So maybe a sister? That’s my theory, at least. You knew one of the girls whose body has been discovered, and for that I am very sad.”

Very slowly, I nodded. Sister. That seemed close enough.

Charlie smiled. “Phew!” He made an exaggerated motion of wiping his brow. “I really am blowing things out my arse, you know. Then again, more often than not, I’m right. The Lord has given me a gift. For now, I am using it for His work. Minute this gig is done, however, that’s it. I’m hitting the poker tables. In my old age, I’m gonna get myself a Cadillac!”

His smile was too infectious. I found myself smiling back, while Bella pranced around us, clearly infatuated with her newfound friend.

“All right,” I said. “So I’m a relative. What’s your interest?”

Charlie sobered up instantly, shaking his head mournfully. “I can’t sleep. I know that might sound crazy. I’m a minister. If I don’t know the true evil man is capable of, then who does? But I’m an idealist. The times I’ve been around genuine evil, I knew it. I could feel it, touch it, smell it. Christopher Eola reeked of it.

“But during all my years at Boston State Mental, I never suspected anything as terrible as a mass grave. I never walked the streets of Mattapan and imagined young girls were being stolen from their homes. Never walked through the woods of the property and thought for a second that I heard a young girl scream. And I used to walk those woods with great frequency. Lots of us did. It’s one of the finest nature sanctuaries in the state; we would’ve been fools not to enjoy God’s bounty. And that’s what I felt when I walked through those fields, skirting the marshes, retreating into the forest—I felt honestly, genuinely, closer to God.”

His voice caught. He looked up, pinning me with somber blue eyes. “It’s shaken me to my very soul, young lady. If I could not feel the evil on those grounds, then what kind of minister am I? How can I be God’s messenger when I was so blind?”

I didn’t know what to say. I had never before had a minister come to me with a matter of faith. In the next moment, however, it became clear that Charlie Marvin was not looking for my opinion. He had already formed his own.

“It has become my obsession,” he stated. “This grave at Boston State Mental, the souls of those poor girls. Where I have failed once, it is my duty not to fail again. I would like to outreach to the families, but they have not been identified yet. Except for you. So here I am.”

I frowned, still uncertain. “I don’t understand. What do you want?”

“I’m not here to demand, sweet child. I’m here for you to talk. About anything and everything you’d like. Come, have a seat. It’s cold, it’s late, you’ve come to the park instead of finding your warm, cozy bed. Clearly, you have something on your mind.”

Charlie gestured to a waiting bench, then headed toward it. I followed reluctantly, not one for talking, and yet, oddly, hating for this meeting to end. Bella was happy. And I’d felt something unfurl inside of me in the presence of such a warm, easygoing man. Charlie Marvin did know the worst about humanity. If he could still find a reason to smile, then maybe so could I.

“All right,” he said briskly, when he arrived at the bench and discovered I hadn’t bolted yet. “Let’s start with the basics.” He thrust out his hand. “Good evening, my name is Charlie Marvin, I’m a minister, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I played along. “Good evening. My name is Annabelle, I do custom window treatments, and it’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”

We shook. I noted that Charlie showed no reaction to my name, and why should he? But I felt giddy at having spoken my real name in public after twenty-five years.

Charlie took a seat. I followed suit. The hour was late, the park wet and deserted, so I unhooked Bella from her leash. She leapt up with grateful kisses, then was off racing along the trellis.

“So, if you don’t mind me saying,” Charlie was commenting, “you don’t exactly sound as if you’re from Boston.”

“My family moved a lot when I was growing up. But I consider Boston home. Yourself?”

“Grew up in Worcester. Still can’t say my R’s.”

That made me laugh. “So you’re a local boy. Wife, kids, dogs?”

“Had a wife. Tried for kids. Wasn’t in God’s plans. Then my wife got ovarian cancer. She passed away…oh, it’s been a good twelve years now. We had a small house up in Rockport. I sold it, returned to the city. Saves me the commute—it’s possible that I’m no longer the best guy behind a wheel of a car. My brain is fine. My hands, however, are a little slow to do what they’re told.”

“And you work with the homeless?”

“Yes, ma’am. I volunteer my time over at Pine Street. Help out with the shelter and the soup kitchen. Plus, I believe strongly in fieldwork. The homeless can’t always find it in them to come to you, you gotta go to them.”

I was genuinely curious. “So you come to places like this and, what? Preach? Buy soup? Hand out pamphlets?”

“Mostly, I listen.”

“Really?”

“Really.” He nodded vigorously. “You think the homeless don’t get lonely? Sure they do. Even the mentally disadvantaged, the economically forsaken have a basic need for human connection. So I sit with them. I let them tell me about their lives. Or sometimes we don’t say anything at all. And that can be just as nice.”

“Does it work? Have you ‘saved’ anyone?”

“I’ve saved myself, Annabelle. Isn’t that good enough?”

“I’m sorry, I meant—”

He waved away my embarrassment. “I know what you meant, dear. I’m just yanking your chain.”

I blushed. It seemed to amuse him more. But then he leaned forward, his tone growing serious.

“No, I can’t say that I’ve magically turned someone’s life around. Which is a damn shame, given that the average age of a homeless person is twenty-four.” He saw my surprised look, and nodded. “Yes, it’s sobering to think about, isn’t it? And nearly half of all the homeless are mentally ill. To be honest, these folks aren’t the kind who are going to turn their lives around after getting a free shower and a cup of soup. They need help, they need guidance, and most, in my humble opinion, would benefit from at least a brief stint in a therapeutic environment. None of which is going to happen to them any time soon.”

“You’re a nice man, Charlie Marvin.”

He playfully clutched at his chest. “Oh, be still, my beating heart. I’m too old to be receiving such high praise from a pretty face. Be careful, or my wife’s spirit will come back to chastise us both. She always was a hellion.”

That made me laugh, which seemed to make him happy. Bella returned to check on our progress. Seeing we had accomplished nothing, she flopped down at my feet, sighed heavily, and put her head down. For a while, the three of us sat there, gazing at the moon, listening to the water, feeling the peace of the silence.