Page 76 of Unnatural
“No. I did experience the very vivid dreams that felt real. Those were all the drugs though, because I don’t have those now.”
“Yes, I experienced those too,” she murmured. They sat there for a moment, both quiet, going over their own thoughts.
“Okay, I’m just going to come out and say what I know we’re all considering,” Ashtyn said. She glanced at her husband and then looked at Autumn. “Is it possible they knew you didn’t have ADHM but put you on the medication anyway?”
Kaden looked at her, his face draining of color. “Why would they do that?”
“Because they needed a control group,” Autumn said, voicing what had been slithering through her mind but that she’d only put into words right that moment.
“That can’t be true,” Kaden said, but Autumn heard the note of doubt in his voice. “That would be pure evil.”
Yes, yes, it would be. But so would being left alone and defenseless in the woods so children could practice being monsters.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The sheriff’s office looked like any other small-town sheriff’s office and, Mark thought as he entered the building, smelledlike one. A somehow pleasant mixture of stale coffee and Xerox paper. Or maybe it was just pleasant to Mark because he’d worked in buildings like this all his career. To him, they smelled likepurpose.
“Agent Mark Gallagher here to see Sheriff Monroe,” he told the receptionist when he stepped up to the desk.
“Is he expecting you, Agent Gallagher?”
“No. But if you’ll let him know it’s official business about an important ongoing case, that would be appreciated.”
“Absolutely, sir.” The young girl picked up the phone and spoke on it as Mark wandered to the bulletin board hung near the door, perusing the myriad notices common to small towns: missing pets, community meetings, a kid named Timothy advertising his lawn mowing business. “He asks that I send you back,” the receptionist said, and Mark turned back to her. “His office is just around the corner, first door on the right.”
“Great. Thank you.” Mark followed the instructions, and when he turned the corner, the sheriff was already standingin his doorway.
He held out his hand as Mark approached. “Agent Gallagher? This is a surprise. We don’t usually deal much with the feds. Come on in. Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.
Mark sat. “Thank you for seeing me without an appointment. A lead pointed me here this morning, and there wasn’t time to call.” Truthfully, there had been plenty of time to call, but Mark had wanted to see the sheriff’s reactions without any advanced preparation.
“It’s no problem. A lead you say? What can I help you with?”
“There was a school shooting in New York City about a month ago. I’m sure you heard about it.”
The sheriff linked his hands on the desk in front of him, expression grim. “Real tragedy. They always are.” The sheriff’s gaze was direct, but his body had gone still. He’d grown cautious suddenly. “What about that situation brings you here?”
“I have reason to believe Autumn Clancy witnessed the shooting.”
“Autumn?” He leaned back. “What makes you think so?”
“I can’t get into that, Sheriff. But being as she works with the department, I thought it might be helpful to talk to you about her.”
The sheriff looked away. “Autumn Clancy is one of the most decent, honest people I know, Agent Gallagher. Truth is I think of her as a daughter. Lots of folks in town do.” He paused. “She was adopted by one of the locals when she was a teenager. She had a real rough beginning, and somehow, it didn’t stop her from showing genuine love to every single person she meets. If Autumn was anywhere near that terriblecrime, I can guarantee she was not involved, nor would she cover for anyone who was.”
Mark watched the man for a moment.Nor would she cover for anyone who was.He knew. He knew where Autumn was, and he knew where the white-haired man she’d helped leave the scene was too. Mark would bet his bottom dollar on it. The sheriff obviously cared very deeply for Autumn Clancy, and he would also wager that if the man was going to share her current whereabouts with Mark, Mark was going to have to give him a good reason to, beyond professional threats.
“I have no reason to believe she was involved in the shooting, Sheriff. However, she’s with someone who might have knowledge of the shooter.”
The sheriff frowned. “The shooter? I thought he died by suicide.”
“He did. It’s complicated, but I have reason to believe the shooter was not identified properly.”
“I’m not following.”
Mark took in a deep breath. The last few days had been full of following up leads about who the identified suspect had been, who Autumn Clancy was, even talking to two different doctors and asking them how the white-haired man might have survived being shot so many times at such close range—questions that had only been met with confusion and halting guesses. And now he needed to learn more about Autumn Clancy and her connection to the man who seemingly had some kind of superpower. He’d needed a few minutes to size the sheriff up, to get a feel for him as a professional and as a personal acquaintance of Autumn Clancy. Now that he had, he decided to trust him with at least some of the truth. “I used to work for the Montana Department of Justice,” he said. “But several years ago, I began workingfor a small undercover task force.”
“I see. What sort of task force?”
