Page 102 of Devil and the Deep Blue Fish

Jackson snorted. “Of course we are. I may be reckless, but I’m only a little bit stupid.”

ELLERY SEEMEDto think differently.

“The plan was,” he explained patiently, “that we would all go up together—”

“And I appreciate that plan,” Jackson replied, glad he’d entrusted the driving to Cody. “It was a good plan. But it didnot accommodate for how soon it gets dark or the fact that there have already been bodies found up there.”

Cody took a hard left, and Jackson found himself pressed up against the passenger window. He tried not to say something sarcastic because his original assessment of Cody needing his hand held had not only been dead wrong, Jackson was starting to suspect that little noises like, “Oh my God, we’re all going to die!” would only egg the guy on.

“But that’s the point,” Ellery said, and it sounded like he and his mother were doing a paperwork roundup on a massive scale. “We can give their coroner some pictures of some of the missing children and see if they match the identities of the young people we haven’t managed to round up.”

Jackson let out a long breath. “Ellery, I asked those kids at the table this morning how long was their longest stay in that place. Do you know what they said?”

“Oh my God,” Ellery muttered. “I… I hadn’t even thought to ask that. Or to ask the advocates. Or to—”

“We’ve been busy!” Jackson told him. “But I asked, and you know what he said?”

“What?”

“Three months. The longest any of them could recall a kid being there was from three months ago. Now I may not have time to study that paperwork I was scanning for you, but you know what Idoremember seeing?”

“Oh God…,” Ellery rasped. “They’ve had that part of it up and running for over nine months.”

Jackson hoped his voice wouldn’t break. “Where are they?” he asked. “Yeah, some of them escaped, but we saw how well thatdidn’twork for a lot of them. Some of them, I hope, made it back to their parents—in fact, I would bet alotof them made it back to their parents. But at least four that we know of didn’t endup on the street and didn’t end up back at their parents’ houses, and you know what we have to ask now, don’t you?”

“How many more are out there,” Ellery whispered. “Oh Jesus, Jackson. What do we do?”

“Fetzer and Hardison were in the ER last night,” Jackson told him. “They know the basic story. You need to call them and tell them you need help screening all those parent forms to see if the parents know where their children are. You said your mother was talking to the state AG—which is great. I’m glad we have contacts. Your visit to Hoover and Schmitt will be very necessary, and getting warrants will be very necessary, but right now we have a way to search for more proof and more….” He worked hard to stay strong for the missing and the dead. “More lost children,” he said. “There’s also some outbuildings back along the property line,” he added, because he’d been studying the map Toby had sent to his phone since he’d buckled in. “Cody and I can check those out too, while everybody is focused on your little lawfare excursion.”

“Where will you be?” Ellery asked, sounding disconsolate and, for lack of a better word, young.

Jackson gave him directions, sending the map Toby had pulled up for him to Ellery’s phone.

“Cody and I will be along the back edge of the property,” Jackson told him. “If you can come up early, there’s a small picnic area with a parking lot and some restrooms and picnic tables on the west side of the river. Cody and I have a two-hour head start on you—we’ll be ready for a break in four or so hours.”

“Jackson,” Ellery said, sounding wretched. “We can’t even call in any police. We’re supposed to be a fact-finding mission!”

“Well, weareon a fact-finding mission!” Jackson argued back. “And Toby hooked us up with his friend who’s training a cadaver dog—he’sgot all of the law enforcement contacts for this area and a satellite radio to boot.” There had been good reasonsfor making all those other phone calls before he called Ellery, he thought virtuously.

“Oh God,” Ellery muttered. “Jackson, do I have to tell you to—”

“Be careful?” Jackson finished for him. “Take care of your property? Come back okay? No, baby. You do not have to tell me that. Do I have to tell you the same thing?”

“I’m not going to be inanydanger.”

“You’re going to be facing off against a child molester and two killers,” Jackson snapped back. “And whether you’re doing it with guns or computers and fake smiles, it’s going to be a grim, dirty business. Tell Lucy Satan to keep her wits about her, and make sure the whole world knows where she’s going and why or you two need to stay the hell home.”

“And Galen and Jade,” Ellery added, from what Jackson could tell, for pure meanness.

“Now why would you put so much of my family in one fucking basket and dangle it over a fucking cliff?” Jackson snapped, out of patience. “You had better meet us in four hours—I don’t care if you have to stand on the accelerator and put a light and siren on top of the goddamned Lexus. If we’ve found enough evidence, there might be no reason for you to go in there and face off against Hoover and Schmitt and fuckin’ Twitty and the Dwaynes at all. Neither of us have the easy job today, Ellery, so maybe… you know. Have some faith in me, and be careful yourself, okay?”

“Of course,” Ellery replied with dignity. “And I’ll be sure to pass along your regards to my mother.”

“She’s a good broad,” Jackson said, knowing the anachronism would make Ellery smile.

“She is indeed. Take care of my Detective.”

“Take care of my Counselor,” Jackson replied, and they both hung up. He glanced around, and realized they’d hit the freeway and Cody was taking Highway 50 to Sunrise Boulevard.

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