Page 81 of Pain
"You are a believer?" She asked Bryon.
He gestured to Faith. "How can I not be? It was your information that allowed us to find her and the other girls."
"You are resourceful. I didn't give you much to go on."
"It was enough for my team," Bryon said proudly.
"So, what would you need from me?" Gretchen asked as if she didn't already know.
Matt bit back a smile.
"Just the same information that you've been giving the police. Unlike them, we will follow up on it as soon as it's in our hands. My team will go in, take care of what we do, then leave the rest for the police. No one would ever know you were involved, in fact, I'd like to keep you as distant from the team as I can. It's safer for you that way."
Gretchen nodded. "I've seen images of things, but don't know all the dastardly details, which is probably best. If any of my information can bring a child home, then I am more than happy to assist."
"I was hoping you'd say that. We'll pay you as well. You would be an official member of our team."
"I don't need the money." She waved him off.
"Need it or not, it's yours. Do what you want with it," Bryon insisted. "What I was thinking, is when you have something for us, you could just give Matt a call and ask him and Faith to come visit. It will look like nothing more than Faith coming to see her grandmother or something of that sort. You can pass the files to Matt, and we will take it from there."
Gretchen smiled as she looked out in the yard where Faith was watching a ladybug climb up her arm. "I'd like a granddaughter."
"She'd be happy to have you as another grandma." Matt smiled.
"Now, I get information on a lot of things. Not all of it is in the news, do you want that as well?"
"Anything that has to do with children being hurt, kidnapped, or even abused," Bryon said.
"Sadly, I should keep you pretty busy." She sighed as she stood. "I'll be right back."
Matt looked at Bryon. "I like her."
"So do I, but it's kind of scary thinking how much she must know about each of us."
Matt blushed. "She knew about Xander and me before we'd let anyone know."
"That's how she won your trust?" Bryon laughed.
Matt nodded. "No one knew, but she did. It proved a lot to me."
"I guess it would." Bryon glanced up as Gretchen walked back out.
"Here you go." She set a large stack of files down. "This is everything I have given the police in the last ten years. I'm guessing none of it has been researched. Some may be too old to do anything with, but once a pedophile, always a pedophile. They don't change. So, even if we can't help some of the kids from the older cases, the information may lead you to new ones." She stared at the files. "I don't know why I see so much of this. My sister, she had the gift too. She only saw happy things. She could predict the sex of a baby before the mother even conceived. Me, I can see all that too, but I also get this." She waved her hand at the file.
"It takes a strong soul to handle what you've had to." Matt couldn't imagine having visions of abused children haunting him.
"Up until now, I wasn't sure it did any good, but I had to try. Now, I have hope that it hasn't all been in vain. In fact, she is proof it hasn't." Gretchen smiled as Faith walked back to them.
"Your flowers are so pretty." Faith sat down beside Matt.
"Thank you. I enjoy working with them. I always said I'd have done well to own a flower shop." Gretchen grinned. "Maybe someday you and your dad can come out and you can learn all about flowers. I'd love to pass my knowledge on to someone."
"We'd enjoy that." Matt reached for Faith's hand.
"I want to learn the names of them all," Faith told her.
"Well, let's start now." Gretchen stood. "I'll be right back." She grabbed a pair of clippers off the patio and walked into the yard, cutting several roses from one of her bushes.
