Page 47 of The Hanging Dolls
Bella’s face paled. “Are you insinuating I have something to do with this? I don’t even know her.”
A sharp knock on the door and Travis popped his head in, gesturing them to come out.
Zoe and Aiden followed Travis outside into the narrow hallway with peeling brown wallpaper and flickering yellow light above. Travis avoided their eyes as he rocked back and forth on his heels. Before he said a word, Zoe knew what he was going to say. She could feel the utterly revolting words that were going to come out of his mouth seeping into her skin.
“It’s… Tara,” he croaked in a small voice. “Rangers found her body in the woods.”
The clearing was small. Tall trees stood around it and Zoe swore they were leaning closer, like they wanted to cradle it lovingly. The ferns clawed at her legs as she brushed past to get a closer look. As she approached the scene with heavy steps, she wasfilled with a cold sensation. The rangers had gathered around the scene, their faces drawn.
When they parted to let Zoe through, her stomach dropped and her blood ran cold.
Tara’s body lay crumpled against a tree, half concealed by the thick underbrush, her clothes streaked with mud and the color of her skin pallid. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on her, like she was in rippling waters. For a moment, Zoe thought she saw her move. But the little girl set against the massive, century-old tree looked like a doll. She couldn’t tear her eyes away.
This time only two ropes with nooses hung from the branches. One was empty and one had a picture of Tara.
The CSU was already there collecting samples and gathering evidence. The coroner was bending down next to Tara, examining her. But Zoe noticed a sheen of sweat coating his forehead despite the chill hanging in the air.
Because Zoe noticed everything. Especially how there was one empty noose that was left hanging. One more noose for one more victim.
With a gloved hand, she carefully peeled away the photo of Tara from the second rope, and read the scribbled message on the back:
The outcome wasn’t what I hoped for, but perhaps it’s for the best. Everything concludes when darkness falls.
TWENTY-SIX
Tara Bennett had an overbite. She had two dimples digging into her skin. Her hair was dark and curly. She wore thick glasses, which she hated. She was only eight years old. She had been looking forward to the newPaw Patrolmovie to come out.
Zoe breathed through the weight pressing on her chest. She stared at the photo of Tara, wondering what she would have looked like had she been allowed to grow old. In the distance, she saw an elderly couple walking along the beach—their backs hunched and gait agonizingly slow. They probably hated being old, tired of living in a body that was a shell of what it used to be. But Zoe knew that growing old was a blessing. She had seen too many bodies deformed in unimaginable ways and lives taken for the most ridiculous reasons.
She set the picture aside and stared into the dark, treacherous waters of the Pacific Ocean. It was like a big pool of ink. The water looked thick and velvety from here. The sky was blanketed by clouds. A breeze chilled her scalp and she took deep breaths to clear her mind.
A group of kids were playing at the beach. Three boys. Two of them were older and bigger than the third one. She watchedthem idly, dark thoughts crossing her mind—how were they destined to die?
And then she noticed the two big boys shove the younger one, who stumbled backward, crying. The older ones proceeded to harass him, snatch his backpack that he was desperately trying to hold on to, ruffling his hair and roughing him up.
Anger spiked in Zoe. She hopped off the rocks she had perched herself on and barreled toward them, her blood pounding hard in her veins. “Hey!”
The three of them looked at her. But all she saw was red. Something that had to be fixed, something that waswrong.
“Get away from him!” she screeched, standing like a wall between him and the two boys.
The older boys staggered back but not before one of them retorted, “Why don’t you mind your own business, bitch?”
She fisted her hands and revealed her badge. “Say that again and I’ll teach you a lesson.”
The older boy’s eyes widened. Behind Zoe, the little one started crying. He got up and rushed to the other older one, hugging him. He was probably his kid brother. The three of them looked at Zoe with frantic, panicked eyes. That’s when Zoe realized how young they were. The older ones were not even sixteen.
Has she just threatened children?
She opened her mouth to apologize, but the boys suddenly hightailed it from there, disappearing into the night.
Zoe plopped down, her knees digging into the sand. This wasn’t her, at least not like this. She was usually careful, studying her target and not acting impulsively. But now she was losing it.
“Hello, Mr. Hunter. It’s good to see you back.” Melissa, a bony woman who wore only white dresses, smiled at him.
Travis didn’t return the smile. He crossed his arms and pouted. He didn’t want to come back here again to his old therapist. The office with its beige colors, posters containing quotes about mental health, and a collection of succulents and snake plants to add a splash of serenity and color irked him. It was ridiculous, he thought. It made him feel weak, like he was on display.
“You know,” Melissa said, capping a pen in her hands, “it’s not a weakness to be here, Travis. I have many patients who are doctors, nurses, firefighters, cops… your job comes with baggage that you shouldn’t have to process alone.”
