Page 44 of Petty Deadly Gorgeous

While the computer went through its opening processes, I jotted down how long he disappeared for at the restaurant and Maddie’s demeanor before and after that time. I also noted what Ollin told me. That she believed he was the man who hit on her friend.

Next I went to excel and pulled my up my case spreadsheet and clicked to organize them by case nature. It neatly grouped together all the cases with young girls for me. My next command grouped them chronologically.

I blew out a breath and opened the file on our most recent case, Ella Collins, and I reread the notes inside. We were always together when we talked to her, so she wouldn’t be what I need. I need to find girls he spoke to alone.

Closing that file, I went to the next one. LaTasha Haynes. I remembered her well. In my notes, I found her to be a delightful girl to talk to. She had chubby cheeks, witty humor and answered our questions even when she cried from the memories.

In between my notes, I highlighted when Sean and I spoke to her and her parents individually.

“BINGO!”

I set the file aside and moved on to the next case, Hollie Callahan, and found the same highlight, making me growl and toss that file with LaTasha’s.

Now that I knew what I needed to look for, I went through the small stack of case notes faster and found three more girls. Nina Russell, Pamela Glover and Deanna Maynard. With each case I reviewed, anger grew inside me.

As I sat back in the chair, I rubbed my eyes and then my fist came down on the desk in anger. Hearsay is one thing. Looking deeper into what you hear is what helps you decide what to do. For me, in this moment, finding five young girls that he “may have” said or done something untoward with made me sick.

I needed to talk to these five girls. I needed to find out if he was a pedophile. And if he was? Well, I’ll make sure he never preys on a young girl again.

The door opened at the same time I asked the room. “Why did I overlook this?”

“Overlook what?” Jon came in and sat across from me at the table. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I just popped into the library to hang up a flyer and I noticed your car outside.”

“How well do you know me?” I tilted my head and watched him brush his hand through his blond hair.

“That’s an existential question.” He laughed. “How well does anyone know anybody?”

I gave a half-hearted chuckle. “You’re not wrong.”

“Pardon me for saying, but you look very distressed.” He tilted his head, and I watched his eyes soften. “Can I help with anything?”

“What would you do if you met someone who was a pedophile?”

Jon’s head fell back in laughter. “I’d torture them and make sure they died a bloody death.” He nodded. “When Anna was thirteen, she felt our connection, and I told her I wouldn’t cross that line.”

“A demon with morals, huh?”

“Dom, I am many things. But I do not prey on children.”

“Good to know.” The tension in my shoulders eased as I talked with him. “How old are you?”

His laughter grew. “I’m immortal. Time means nothing to me.”

“How long have you known Anna?” I collected my files and put them back in my briefcase.

“I first met her in the fifteen hundreds when she was known as Countess Bathory.”

My hand froze in place and I looked at his face to see if this might be his idea of a joke. When I saw how serious he looked, I sat back and stared at him.

“Perhaps you should do a regression to see who you were.”

“You’re the second person today to mention reincarnation to me.” I shut my computer down. “I didn’t believe in it, but considering I know a demon.”

“Intimately.” He winked at me.

“I get the feeling you’re goading me into believing I’ve lived before?” I closed the laptop and unplugged it, putting it on top of the files.

Jon sat with a smile on his face. “You have. Twice.”

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