— “I can make sure you spend the rest of your life in a cage,” Audrey hissed.
But Frank wasn’t intimidated.
— “Lady, I’ve done my time. I know the rules. You want the girl? Show me the paperwork. Otherwise, you’re trespassing.”
Audrey looked like she was about to explode. She hated not being in control. She stepped outside and pulled out her phone.
— “I’m calling the local deputy. We’ll see how brave you are then.”
As soon as Audrey left, Lily grabbed Frank’s leg, trembling. It was obvious she was terrified of her stepmother. Frank knew he couldn’t keep her—he had no legal right—but he hated the idea of handing her over to that woman. Why was she so quiet? How did she end up in the woods?
Deputy Miller arrived a few minutes later, and he didn’t even look at Frank. He went straight to Audrey with a sycophantic smile.
— “Mrs. Sterling, I’m so sorry about this,” Miller said, gesturing toward the cabin. “This man is a career criminal. We’ve been keeping an eye on him. I should have known he’d be trouble.”
— “I don’t care about his history. I want him in a cell. He held my stepdaughter here against her will. Arrest him now.”
— “With pleasure, Mrs. Sterling.”
Miller pulled out his handcuffs. Frank looked at him with pure disgust.
— “So that’s how it is? She tells a lie and you jump to it?”
— “Shut it, Frank. You’re coming with me. We’re going to have a long talk at the station about how you ‘found’ this girl.”
— “Why don’t you ask her why she’s so scared of her stepmother? Why was she alone in the woods miles from home? Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
— “I said shut up. Get in the car.”
Scout followed them to the cruiser, barking and jumping at the door.
— “Easy, Scout. Stay here, boy. I’ll be back.”
Frank got into the back of the car. Audrey watched him with a smug smile. Lily was being led away by one of the security guards toward the SUVs.
— “Lily, get away from that dog! It’s filthy. Who knows what diseases it has? Get in the car.”
The girl didn’t want to leave Scout, but the guard picked her up and put her in the back of the luxury SUV.
At the county jail, Frank sat through hours of questioning. Miller kept bringing up his old priors, trying to rattle him.
— “Are we going to talk about the actual case, or are you just enjoying the trip down memory lane?” Frank asked tiredly.
— “Don’t get smart with me. We can hold you for forty-eight hours without a charge.”
— “I need to make a call. My dog needs to be fed.”
— “The dog can wait,” Miller sneered. “You’ve got bigger problems.”
Frank was put in a holding cell with the usual crowd—drunks and petty thieves. It had been years since he’d been in a place like this, and the smell of bleach and despair made him sick. He thought about the life he’d built in the cabin and wondered if it was all over.
— “Hey, old man, what are you in for? Hurting kids?” someone yelled from across the cell.
— “Watch your mouth, kid, if you want to keep your teeth,” Frank snapped back. The cell went quiet. Even at sixty-three, Frank had an air of authority that commanded respect.
He was moved to a private cell later that evening. Miller probably hoped the other inmates would do his job for him, but Frank wasn’t an easy target. He spent two days in that cell, waiting for the hammer to fall.
— “Frank, let’s go. Interview room.”
— “What now?” Frank asked, his joints aching from the hard bunk.
— “You’re about to find out…”
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