Conner looked past Madison to the living room. He spotted his son and daughter watching them. Aria’s big brown eyes shone wet and strange, watching the drama unfold of which she understood little to nothing. Standing there in that room, his four-year-old daughter watched the ring of adults who, in hushed tones, discussed the events of the day under the gruesome shadow of what could have been – kidnapping, molestation, rape, death, dismemberment – all the evils and horrors that befall children who wander through this world as if lost on a highway at night.
“You don’t happen to know anyone that might try something like this, do you?” the officer asked.
“No. Of course not.” Conner brushed past the officer and Madison, picked up Aria and held her close to him, gripping her tight.
“She’s fine,” Madison said. “She was just scared.”
“It’s a typical line men use when they try to lure a child away from home,” the other trooper said.
“What was scary about the man, honey?” Conner asked her. He wanted to know what he looked like, this man who’d said he knew him, the man who’d said he would take Conner’s little girl someplace far away.
“His face looked broken,” she said.
“Broken?”
One of the officers chimed in. “We think maybe scarring. Or perhaps he was just beat up and ugly.”
“Like a doll that’s been smashed,” Aria said. “I don’t want to go away, Daddy.”
“No, honey,” Conner said. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“He said he was your friend.”
“No, honey. He’s not my friend. That would never happen.”
“I ran away and told Mommy.”
“That’s good, honey. You did the right thing. You did great.” For the first time in a long time his emotions welled up enough to bring him to the point of tears. The thought of losing her overwhelmed him, pushed everything else to the back of his mind. Everything except that boy in the box in Coombs’ Gulch. That boy’s face was broken, too. That boy was gone from someone, gone far away. Just like his little girl was almost gone from him.
“Everything will be fine, Mr. Braddick,” the officer said. “Like I said, we’re combing the area. We take these things very seriously, and we’re going to put out a warning to everyone in town, using the description your little girl gave us. We’ll figure this out, but in the meantime please let us know if you see anything suspicious or if Aria remembers any more details, anything at all.”
Conner nodded, and Madison began with the thank-yous and assurances she would be vigilant in alerting the neighbors and keeping watch, something of which Conner had no doubt. The officers left, their presence of authority suddenly gone, leaving the uncomfortable feeling of having just brushed shoulders with the law. Even when it’s on your side, the law leaves one feeling helpless and victimized. Madison shut and locked the door behind them.
Conner still held Aria, slightly bouncing and rocking her in his arms.
“Where were you?” Madison asked.
“Why was Aria in the woods alone?” Conner said and immediately regretted it. Madison stared at him with cold, brown eyes for a moment, internally considering this last comment, and then silently walked past him. Once a woman had children, he thought, you become second rate, just a piece of shit dragged along to help the mother rear them. His voice had no consequence here. His purpose in this family was to provide financial security; her purpose was much more important, and he’d just criticized her – a small uprising against the queen, all the more damaging because it affirmed his place in the family hierarchy.
“We shouldn’t argue,” he said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“They’re allowed to play outside, Conner,” she said. “I can’t watch them every second of the day. It was just behind the swing set. I could see her through the window. I have things to do around here to keep this house functioning, you know.”
“I know,” he said. “I’m sorry. I’m just shook up, is all.”
“And where the hell were you? Why weren’t you answering your phone?”
Now he would get to look like a real shit head. An actual family emergency, and where was he? Downing beers and forgetting his phone at a time when he was actually needed.
“And now you’re going to be gone for five days,” Madison said. “Great. Really great. Run off with your buddies to God knows where.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Fucking enjoy it.”
That night Aria woke screaming in her room and Conner and Madison stumbled through the darkness, switching on lights, and found the girl sitting upright in her bed, sheets and blankets twisted like snakes around her. Her eyes were open, but she could not see them, even when they sat beside her on the bed and held her tight.
Conner kept saying Aria’s name, trying to catch her eyes with his, but she kept staring at the window facing the trees in the backyard.
“It’s a night terror,” Madison said. “You can’t wake her up.”
Aria kept screaming, “The broken man,” as if her mouth were detached from her brain.
Conner held her tight.
“Maybe I should call a therapist in the morning,” Madison said.
Chapter Nine
The morning Conner and Michael picked Jonathan up for the trip, the air itself seemed suffused with a shade of blue. Jonathan woke early, unable to sleep. The sun had not yet fully risen, but the air glowed as if through a colored lens. He kissed Mary goodbye, and she gave a half-hearted smile, while busying herself with coffee. Jacob wandered down the stairs as Jonathan gathered his rifle case and pack. Always a bit groggy in the morning, the boy was rubbing his eyes. “Are you leaving?” he asked.
“Yeah, buddy, but I’ll be back in a couple days.”
“Are you going to shoot something?”
“I don’t know, buddy. Maybe.” Jonathan faked a smile, trying to let
