It didn’t take long to positively identify the sneaker as belonging to Melissa. The searchers then converged on the spot, which was roped off with yellow tape. Erik joined the sheriff and one of the State Police investigators and they followed the girl’s trail through the woods until it abruptly ended on Route 102.
The State Trooper spent a long time looking around near the side of the road, and made Erik stand back and away so as not to disturb anything.
“I think we may have a crime scene here,” he said. “I’m calling in the detectives. It looks like the girl was put into a car.”
“Could someone have stopped and picked her up?” the sheriff asked.
“Well, I’m not a crime scene expert,” the trooper said. “But it looks to me like there was a struggle here. I’d say the girl was abducted. In fact, I think she was taken in the woods and brought back here.”
Erik shook his head. “Is there anything we can do?”
“We’ll put out a state-wide alert,” the Trooper said. “We’ll put her picture on the news and hope someone’s seen her. And we’ll follow the evidence and see what we can find.”
Erik didn’t like the sound of the man’s voice. It didn’t hold much hope.
“Come on,” the Sheriff said. “I’ll give you a lift home. There’s not much else we can do tonight. We’ll let the experts take over.”
Erik nodded and got into the sheriff’s car. It was almost midnight by now, and he was glad they were only a half mile from home.
“What was your boy talking about? The sheriff said. “A rock? Where’d he get that from?”
Erik sighed deeply. “He was lost in the woods a couple of night ago. I don’t know what it is about woods that attract kids,” he said.
“Happens all the time,” the sheriff said.
“Yeah. Anyway, he was lost for about an hour. Johnny Dovecrest found him and brought him back.”
“Now that one’s a weird bird,” the sheriff said.
“He does appear a little strange. But he found Todd in the woods. Todd wouldn’t say anything at first, but later he told me there was a big black rock in the woods, and that the rock tried to get him. He claims he got away by hitting the thing with his geologist’s hammer.”
The sheriff was silent for a moment.
What do you think happened?”
“I really don’t know. Todd’s not the kind of kid to make up things like that. He’s a pretty practical kid, usually. But it just sounded so farfetched. I mean, a rock trying to get him. I thought it was all in his imagination. Then I heard about that gravestone in the historical cemetery. I wonder if there’s a connection. I don’t think he could have wandered that far, but….”
His voice trailed off into silence. The sheriff pulled into Erik’s driveway and parked the car.
“There have been some weird goings-on since they dug up that cemetery,” the sheriff said.
“Like what?”
“Well, nothing I can really put my finger on. Just weird stuff. Like people reporting voices from the woods. Pets disappearing. And just…well…I don’t know how to say this….”
“Just try.”
“Well, it’s a creepy feeling. Like I said, I can’t put my finger on it. Just a creepy feeling. And now your boy going off into the woods and getting lost. And this teenager disappearing. I don’t know. It just feels wrong.”
“Yeah,” Erik said. “I think I’ve felt it too. I thought it was because I just moved into the place and it wasn’t familiar. But now I’m not so sure.”
He stopped and waited a moment before he opened the car door.
“Sheriff, have you heard any reports of a Satanic cult in the area?”
“Hmmm. There’s been rumors for as long as I can remember about things going on in the woods. Mostly the Indians get blamed. But it’s just urban legends. There hasn’t been a kidnapping or a murder in this town for fifty years, at least. I think every small town has rumors. I don’t pay any attention to them.”
“I heard there was a Satanic cult traveling east and they were in Rhode Island.”
“I’ll check into it. But my guess is that the devil hasn’t got anything to do with this girl’s disappearance. I suspect we might just have your run-of-the-mill pervert. Or it might even turn out to be a relative. I think the father ran off and left. Maybe he’s come back.”
Erik nodded. “You’re probably right.”
“Still, though, I’ll check with the State Police on your cult. If there is one around, I want to know about it.”
“Thanks,” Erik said, and climbed out of the car.