WHITEY FOUND SEAN in the woods a hundred yards past the ravine. They'd lost the blood trail and any evidence of footprints in the more open areas of the park, last night's rain having wiped clean anything that nature didn't cover.
"We got dogs sniffing something over by the old drive-in screen. You wanna take a walk over?"
Sean nodded, but then his walkie-talkie bleated.
"Trooper Devine."
"We got a guy out front here-"
"Which front?"
"The Sydney Street side, Trooper."
"Go ahead."
"Guy claims he's the father of the missing girl."
"The fuck's he doing on-scene?" Sean felt his face fill with blood, get hot and red.
"Slipped through, Trooper. What can I say?"
"Well, push him back. You got a psychologist on-scene yet?"
"En route."
Sean closed his eyes. Everyone was en route, like they were all sitting in the same fucking traffic jam.
"So, keep the father calm till the shrink's on-scene. You know the drill."
"Yeah, but he's asking for you, Trooper."
"Me."
"Said he knows you. Said someone told him you were here."
"No, no, no. Look-"
"He's got some guys with him."
"Guys?"
"Bunch of scary-looking dudes. Half of 'em are like semi-midget, and all of 'em look alike."
The Savage brothers. Shit.
"I'm on my way," Sean said.