Mercy (Atlee Pine #4)(46)

Pine put her gun back into its holster and took out her badge. She turned the light on herself, so the girl could see both Pine’s face and the shiny FBI shield.

“I’m with the FBI. Do you know what that is? I’m a federal cop.”

Pine turned the light on the girl once more to see her reaction. She looked even more terrified, if that was possible.

Pine slid over, snagged the lantern, and turned it on. The light feebly illuminated the space, but it was strong enough that Pine could put her flashlight away. She sat cross-legged on the floor across from the girl and studied her. To Pine, she looked to be around thirteen or fourteen, with gangly arms and legs, about five five. Her skin was as pale as milk, her build scrawny. There were bruises on her face, and a cut on her lip. Her hair was blond, stringy, and dirty looking. The eyes were of someone who distrusted everyone and everything.

“Can you tell me your name?”

The girl hugged herself and shriveled back.

Pine said quietly, “I can get you out of here. Do you want to be . . . free?”

The girl shook her head and finally spoke. “N-no.”

“Why not? You can’t possibly want to stay here.”

“S-she’ll be m-mad.”

“Who, Dolores?”

The girl nodded.

“You let me worry about Dolores. We can leave right now. I can take you to a safe, warm place.”

Pine reached out a hand but the girl shrank back. “N-no. Th-the d-dog. It’ll b-bite me.”

“What dog?”

The girl pointed upward.

“I’ve been through the whole house. There is no dog.”

“O—outside,” said the girl, her eyes widening.

“I came from the outside. I saw no dog. Do I look like I’ve been attacked by a dog?”

The girl ran her gaze over Pine and for the first time looked more confused than scared.

“Dolores told you there was a dog?”

The girl nodded.

“What’s your name? I’m Atlee.”

“I’m G-Gail.”

“Okay, Gail. I saw no dog. Dolores lied to you.”

Gail sat up straighter and wrapped the blanket around her lower legs.

“But I hear it barking when I’m down here.”

Pine thought about this for a few moments. “Does she let you out of here?”

“Only when she’s here. I do the cleaning and cooking and stuff.”

“I thought you might. But did you ever feed the dog? I mean, I saw no dog bowls or dog toys. And if it’s kept outside, there was no doghouse or a chain.”

“No, I never fed the dog. I’m scared of them.”

“When the dog barks, does it always sound the same?”

Gail shrugged. “I guess. I mean, it was a dog barking. And I heard it like an hour ago.”

“Tell me something, does it always happen at the same time when Dolores isn’t here and you’re down here?”

Gail thought about it. “Maybe, yeah.”

“Right. Well, there’s technology that allows someone to do that. With a recording set on a timer.”

“There’s really no dog?”

“No. Have you ever left the house?”

“Not since I came here. Dolores said I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be safe.”

“Why wouldn’t it be safe?”

Gail said, “I stole some food and other things from a store. And the police are after me.”

“Who told you the police were after you? Dolores?”

“Yes.”

“After you told her you stole the things?”

“Yeah. She asked me a bunch of questions. And I told her about it.”

“How did you come to even be here?”

“I was hitchhiking and Dolores stopped and picked me up.”

“When was this? How long have you been here?”

Gail shrugged again. “I’m not sure. Maybe six months. Maybe longer.”

“Where’s your family?”

“Don’t have any. My mom and dad died. Overdosed.”

“I’m sorry. Didn’t you have any other family who could take you in?”

“No. So they put me in foster homes. That . . . that didn’t work out too well. So, I ran away.”

“Then Dolores brought you here. And made you live down here?”

“Not at first. I slept upstairs on the couch. But then she said I had done some bad things. I didn’t know what they were, but she kept on and on about them. I work really hard for her. I keep the house spotless and I cook and do the laundry. I do what she tells me to do. But then she said I had to come down here and sleep. But she said if I did better, I could move back upstairs where it’s warm.”

“Why does she even have a space like this?”

“She said it was like a safe room. She had it put in when someone broke into her house once. Least that’s what she said.”

“Okay,” said Pine. “But the door only locks from the outside, so it’s not much of a safe room, is it?”

Gail looked confused. “Oh, right. I never thought about that.”

“Does anyone ever come by here?”

“Not that I know of. I’ve never seen anybody except Dolores.”