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<\/a><\/p>\n***<\/p>\n
Officer Gardener waited for me. He escorted me to his patrol car, and I climbed inside. He didn\u2019t speak as he drove me back to the festival grounds. A nervous feeling nagged at me. This whole situation seemed odd, but I didn\u2019t know enough about law enforcement to decide if something was actually wrong or not. Maybe it was time I asked for that lawyer Brent had suggested.<\/p>\n
We arrived back at the fairgrounds, but instead of parking in the designated area, we drove past the main gates, past the camping area, and onto a narrow gravel road that cut through the forest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are we going?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been instructed that you\u2019re necessary to an ongoing investigation. Security at the festival requested your assistance. We\u2019re going to the main security headquarters.\u201d After a pause, he added. \u201cWherever it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
We drove in silence for several minutes. When the officer slowed the car, pulled into a farmhouse\u2019s driveway, and then turned around, I was certain he was lost. I held my tongue, thinking that maybe being lost would work to my advantage.<\/p>\n
He radioed in, got a confirmation of the address, and sped up. We turned onto another road, this one narrower and filled with potholes.<\/p>\n
The road curved sharply to the left, and soon we pulled into a driveway covered in pine needles, as if it hadn\u2019t been used for some time. At the end of the drive, the car\u2019s headlights illuminated a cabin that overlooked a lake. Moonlight reflected off the rippling water. Officer Gardener pulled a radio off his collar and spoke quietly into it.<\/p>\n
\u201cDispatch, this is Officer Gardener. I need a confirmation of correct location and address, over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Static filled the line for a moment, and then a female voice came through. \u201cTen-four, Officer Gardener. Address is 105 Greenbriar Drive.\u201d<\/p>\n
I focused on the cabin and found the numbers 105 tacked to the doorframe.<\/p>\n
The officer radioed back, then shuffled through a few papers stacked on the passenger\u2019s seat. \u201cSurely this can\u2019t be right,\u201d he muttered to himself.<\/p>\n
Something about that cabin sent shivers down my spine. Didn\u2019t serial killers always flock to these sorts of places in movies?<\/p>\n
A light rain began to fall, covering the car in a mist that pattered against the windows. Officer Gardener absentmindedly turned on the wipers.<\/p>\n
After a few minutes of sitting in the rain, Officer Gardener grabbed his flashlight and stepped out of the car. \u201cI\u2019ll be right back,\u201d he told me, then slammed the door shut behind him. I watched as he circled the cabin, the steady back-and-forth swishing of the windshield wipers the only sound breaking up the silence.<\/p>\n
The darkness and rain-covered windows made it hard to see anything outside, but I focused on the flashlight\u2019s beam as he circled the cabin and then knocked on the door.<\/p>\n
When no one came to the door, he went inside. A hazy yellow glow appeared in the cabin\u2019s window as he turned on a light. I watched but saw no signs of him for several minutes until he came back outside and walked to the car.<\/p>\n
He wore a sour expression as he opened the door and grabbed my arm. After helping me out of the car, he led me toward the front porch as the rain fell in a slow drizzle.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are we doing here?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot a clue,\u201d he answered. \u201cFifteen years in the armed forces taught me not to challenge my superiors, but I can\u2019t for the life of me figure out why Officer Sanchez requested you be sent here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficer Sanchez requested it?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that like him to send potential suspects to some cabin in the middle of the woods?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, I don\u2019t understand the man at all. You, for example, should have been detained after the first murder. Now this whole investigation is just laughable. He\u2019s broken every procedural code in the book. In my opinion, Officer Sanchez ought to be fired.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFired? Don\u2019t you think that\u2019s a little harsh?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at all. And now I\u2019m just supposed to leave you here until the investigation starts again. But why? None of this makes any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had to agree with him. I was just as baffled as he was, and I didn\u2019t know how to make sense of it, except that if Brent wanted me here, then maybe this would be my way out. In truth, escaping from this tiny matchstick cabin would be much easier than burning down an entire county lockup.<\/p>\n
Maybe that\u2019s exactly what Brent had intended.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Like what you read? Bloodthorn is originally $5.99 but is currently on sale for $3.99. This is the third book of the Fairy World MD series. You can find it in the Kindle store<\/a>.<\/p>\n