Page 10 of Innocence

Matthew and Irene walked back toward the fire with Sterling. He looked as though he felt much better, a smile finally on his face.

“You okay, Sterling?” asked Ian.

“Much better, now. Thank you. I don’t think I’ve said that to any of you, but thank you for what you did, what you’re trying to do for me.”

“This is what we do,” said Gaspar.

“So your father says,” he smiled. “I do want to help you find this young woman’s killer or killers. She didn’t deserve any of what happened to her.”

“You’ll be involved,” said Nine. “What I want to know is what it was like playing semi-pro baseball. Always wanted to play pro ball.”

“Well, you’re all big enough to play pro football or hockey. You’d be giants on the baseball diamond, but I’d sure love to see you all slide into home and take down a base-hogging catcher,” he laughed. “It was all I ever wanted to do. I played college baseball at Grambling and then bounced around between teams for a few years. Lost a lot of girlfriends over baseball.”

The men chuckled, nodding.

“We’ve lost a lot of girlfriends over our time in the military,” said Rafe. “Just so you know, Sterling. We talked to Harry, Warren, and Edith’s parents, and they all believed you were innocent. They apologized to their children for not believing them sooner. They thought they were making things up to protect you.”

“That’s good to hear. Those three kids were something else. Never saw three more interested in learning everything about the game.”

“Kids can be curious,” smirked Gaspar. “I’ve got eight brothers and six sisters, all younger. They were about the most curious group you’ve ever seen. Gabe probably more than anyone.”

“I was not!” he said defensively. “I just wanted to know the truth.”

The grove laughed, shaking their heads at him. He smirked at his siblings, pointing to Jean and Adele.

“Those two were more curious than I was,” he said, smiling.

“Y’all were all curious,” said Irene. “All of my boys, girls, and babies are curious. It’s what makes you good at what you do.”

“All of ‘em?” asked Sterling with a puzzled expression.

“Every man, woman, and child you see here belongs to me in one way or another,” said Irene. “I don’t care who they were born to. They’re mine.”

“That’s how I feel about the kids at the park. Soccer, football, baseball, it don’t matter. I knew them all, watched them all, and worked with them all. Sometimes, you’re giving them a hug when they miss a hit, and sometimes, you’re high-fiving when they get the tackle.

“Hell, sometimes, I’m talking to them about their parents, schoolwork, girlfriends, and boyfriends. Sometimes, it’s other things. Bullies. Alcohol. Drugs. I swear, kids got a lot more to worry about than when I was young. Maybe that just makes me old. Or maybe it makes me naïve.

“All I know is that I’m proud of them all. They’re good young men and women. None of them have given me a lick of trouble other than the occasional sass or show of poor sportsmanship. I pull ‘em aside, have a little talk with them, and we’re all back on track again. No problems to speak of.”

“If it helps at all, Sterling, I don’t think this had anything to do with you or the park,” said Ghost. He nodded at the man, then shook his head.

“I’d love to tell you that it makes me feel better. But it doesn’t. That child is still dead, and the killers are still out there.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

With most of the team gone to bed, Miller, Trak, Ian, Ghost, Nine, Gaspar, and Ivan sat around the fire, staring into the flames. Ian shook his head, looking at the other men.

“A girl with no problems, no enemies that we know of, is randomly taken from the side of the road, beaten, abused, raped, and murdered. I’ll never understand.”

“I don’t think we’re meant to understand,” said Trak. “We’re meant to stop it.”

“We will stop it. Wherever they are, we’re going to stop it.” Nine looked intense and determined. “We found their home. They’ll be looking for a new place. If they’re from that area, they may try to find something in the woods again, especially if they’re stupid. Let’s set up some cameras in the trees, see if we can find anything.”

“I’ll take care of it tomorrow,” said Ivan. “If we’re lucky, the other hair strands will show DNA of other missing victims. Maybe we can give some families peace of mind.”

“I keep thinking about all the things that had to happen for us to be drawn into this. Tracy had to find a way to escape and walk toward the ballfields. Sterling had to offer to help that girl and call 911. And those kids, those cute damn kids had to bring their savings to us and beg for help,” said Miller.

“It was meant to happen,” said Trak solemnly. “We were meant to get this case.”

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