Page 6 of Forgotten Girls

“Yeah, how to feed him, change his diaper, bathe him. That sort of thing. She said she visits many first mothers who have home births.” Ginny frowned. “The doctor insisted she drop by to make sure I could care for Billy. I cared for him just fine. I wasn’t stupid.”

“The doctor sounds like a nice man.” Styles’ voice dropped to just above a whisper. “What’s his name? I’d like to meet him.”

“Dr. Paul Benson.” Ginny frowned. “He doesn’t live in town. I think he’s out at Blackwater.”

Beth nodded. “What’s he like? Is he young and handsome? I’ve always wanted a doctor like that.”

“He’s about fifty, fat and bald. He’s nice to me, always gentle, and sometimes lets me call him Paul.” She went to a drawer and pulled out a book. “I have his number. If Ethan is at work and anything happens, or someone comes by the house, I call him. He takes care of me and the others.”

“I’m sure he does.” Styles rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked away as if unable to meet her gaze.

Concerned, Beth had never spoken to a woman so completely oblivious to the outside world. She leaned forward and kept her voice low. “You mentioned others? Did Ethan bring home other girls?”

“Yes. Ethan likes to help kids in trouble. He’s brought home girls since I turned sixteen.” Ginny’s eyes flashed with anger at Styles’ sharp intake of breath. “He doesn’t hurt them. He loves them and cares for them. They stay for maybe six months or so and then the doctor comes by and takes them away to their new homes. I don’t get to speak to them. He keeps them in the root cellar in the barn out back. He leaves food for them and takes a hot meal to them when he comes home. I always cook them a nice supper.”

“What time does he finish work?” Styles glanced at his watch.

“Around nine.” Ginny met his gaze. “Will you come by and meet him?”

“I sure will.” Styles nodded. “Where does he work?”

“The Broken Hill Mine.” Ginny smiled. “It’s an important job. He guards the gemstones.”

“I bet he has a ton of friends there too.” Styles flicked a knowing glance at Beth. He looked back at Ginny. “I need to go check on my dog. Can you give me a hand, Beth?”

Beth stood and laid a hand on Ginny’s shoulder. “We’ll be right back.” She hurried after Styles and had to run to catch up to him. “Hey, slow down. Getting angry won’t help.”

“We need to get her and Billy out of here right now.” Styles was heading out of earshot. “Who is the priest who runs the Her Broken Wings Foundation in Black Rock Falls?”

Beth pulled out her phone and scrolled through the contacts. “Father Derry.” She turned to Styles. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s Ginny, but I don’t know this version of her. She was so responsible, and my mom drummed into her the right and wrong of things. She’d know better than to cover for this pedophile. She’ll go to jail for standing by and allowing him to abuse kids. I can’t believe she can’t see that it’s wrong.” Styles shook his head. “I’ll call the priest and make the arrangements. The local sheriff here will need to take them to the shelter, and we’ll need him to take charge of the prisoners when we find them. As soon as the sheriff arrives, we’ll locate Shoebridge and that darn doctor. He is in this up to his neck.” Styles pulled out his phone.

Beth swallowed the bile creeping up her throat. “I’ll go and see what I can discover about the other girls she mentioned.” She hurried back inside.

“Is Dax staying for a while?” Ginny looked toward the door. “I’d like to assure him we’re safe here with Ethan.”

Beth nodded. “He is very concerned about you. What can you tell me about the other girls? How often did he bring them home?”

“One would go and another would arrive soon after.” Ginny shrugged. “Ethan brought Ava here a couple of weeks ago. I saw her but she was asleep when he took her out to the barn. He’s been spending all his time with her because she needs him.” She looked at Beth and smiled. “Isn’t he just the kindest person?”

Alarmed, Beth tried to keep calm. This woman was so far gone, saving her would take years of counseling. She’d attended high school and yet was so under Ethan’s control she appeared to have no concept of right and wrong. “Where is Ava now?”

“In the root cellar.” Ginny picked at her nails.

FIVE

Scanning the barn, Beth was finding it hard to believe a woman who went to high school was so naive she didn’t understand that the man she was living with was openly abusing kids. The only excuse was that, as she suspected, Ginny displayed the classic symptoms of Stockholm syndrome. The unusual psychological phenomenon became established in abuse victims. They would develop a positive bond with their abusers. As more lost kids had surfaced years since their abductions, the condition had become frighteningly prominent. She’d never witnessed the behavior firsthand and seeing it troubled her. For someone to have so much power over another person seemed unimaginable. She’d read reports about abused kids becoming attached and actually caring and protecting their abusers from law enforcement. This seemed the case here. Ginny had apparently been so brainwashed by the man who’d abducted her that not only had she agreed to tell people they were married but turned a blind eye to the abuse of other kids, believing it to be normal behavior.

She found the trapdoor to the root cellar and pulled it up, surprised to see how easily it opened. Steps led down into darkness, but even in the dim light, she made out a metal door at the bottom. Using the flashlight on her phone, she walked down the steps. The door was old, dark brown, and rusted. It reminded her of something she might see in a castle. It had bands across it attached by large bolts, and the lock on the door was way past her expertise to open and she could open just about anything. Scanning all around with the flashlight, her attention settled on a small metal object pushed between a gap in the bricks. She reached up and discovered a small metal box, half the length of her hand. Inside, she found two keys on a ring. The larger of the two keys slid into the lock and the deadbolt turned over with a click. The door opened to a small storage area, the shelves filled with various items and a closet set into the wall.

At the back of the room, Beth came to another door, slipped the key in the lock, and pushed it open. To her surprise, the door led to a brightly lit modern one-bedroom apartment. Warm air rushed out to greet her, with a quite pleasant floral fragrance. A TV played in one corner, and in front of it sitting on a sofa was a young girl of no more than twelve years old. The girl turned to look at her, eyes wide with fear. Trying to turn her astonished expression into a friendly one, Beth moved forward. “You must be Ava. My name is Beth.”

The girl looked at her with distrust, stood and backed away. “I want my mom. I don’t like it in here. I don’t like that man.”

Beth ran her gaze over her. Ava wore a dress and socks. She would freeze if she went out into the cold wind. “I’ll find your mom, but first we need to get you out of here. I’m an FBI agent, a cop. You can trust me. Do you have any warm clothes?

“No.” Ava chewed on her nails. “Ethan took them. He said he’d keep them safe.” She stared at the open door, trembling. “I want to go home. I want my mom.”

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