Page 86 of Caged
Danny played surprised as well, taking in a deep breath and leaning back hard in the chair he was sitting in. "Injuries?"
The detective cleared his throat and nodded. "The details of the case are still being investigated, but I can tell you he was arrested with another man who is also being investigated for child abuse and child pornography. They were both injured when we arrived, but we're unable to discuss that information with you due to laws."
"Will he live? Is he hurt badly?" Danny asked.
"Severe enough, but he should live. We're building the case and expect to hand it over to the district attorney. I'm sure he will be in contact with you as soon as he gets the case." The second detective glanced at his notebook. "Were you both home last night?"
"Why?" Danny asked.
Marshall frowned.
"We're just checking on a few things. Were you here all night?"
Marshall shook his head. "No. We went to dinner at Illegal Pete's, then hit a movie after. We got home a little after eleven."
The detective made a note in his small book. "Thanks, which theater?"
Marshall gave them the name.
"Why? Where did you think we were?" Danny asked, looking confused and worried.
"We're just investigating. If you were here in town, you have nothing to worry about."
Marshall wished they could dig more information from them, but he was proud of how well Danny was covering for them knowing everything. He genuinely looked surprised by the news. "So what happens now?" Marshall thought it best to ignore the odd questions about where they were.
"Charges will be filed and the case goes to court. With the amount of evidence against him already, I doubt Mr. Burns will ever see the light of day again. We just wanted to inform you of his arrest and let you know that he is no longer a threat to you." The detective stood, the other following his lead.
"Thank you." Danny stayed seated, still looking like he was in shock.
Marshall stood and shook the man's hand. "Thank you for letting us know. Please let us know if anything changes."
"We will. I'm sure the D.A. will be in touch soon. If you need anything, please let us know." He handed Marshall a business card.
"Thanks." Marshall glanced at Danny. "You okay while I see them out?"
"Yeah, just shocked. I can't believe they got him." Danny looked as if he'd just gotten the news.
Marshall gripped Danny's shoulder before turning and leading the detectives out. Once they were gone, he headed back into the living room. "You did that well." Marshall smiled as he sank to his knees beside Danny's chair.
"I get they can't tell us much, but you'd think they'd want to let me know he was castrated." Danny pouted. "I wanted the gory details."
"You'll have to get those from the team. The police don't like to advertise that people are being castrated. They worry it will cause a panic. But my take on that is that it should cause a panic. Let the pedophiles sweat a bit and worry that they'll be next. Almost all the news on the stings we do leave out the team's part in things. The police take the credit and life goes on. It's not perfect, but the team doesn't care. They want to stay in the shadows. As long as the pedophile is stopped, that's all that matters."
Danny sighed. "I wanted to see pictures to prove it was really him."
"I'll tell you what we can do. Once it's safe for us to go to the team house, I'll hack into the jail's database and get you photos. I doubt he's been booked yet since he's in the hospital, but there will be crime scene photos that should be uploaded to the system soon. We can look for those. We can also talk to D, Patrick, and Jessica and let them tell us if it was him. I'm sure they'll be happy to tell you all the details once they see you. We just have to stay away from STK for a day or two so we don't draw any attention to the team." Marshall hated having to wait. He wanted to talk to everyone and find out what happened, but safety had to come first.
"Do you think they'll check and make sure we were really out to dinner last night?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, I do. They want to catch whoever is castrating people. I'm guessing they'll follow every lead they have to try and do that. It's why the team is so careful about where they go and what they do. One tiny mistake can lead the police to us."
"Does that worry you?"
Marshall thought about it. "It never used to. This is a cause I was willing to risk going to jail for, but since I met you, I have a reason to not get locked up for twenty years. It's more of a worry now because I have something to lose. Before you came into my life, it wouldn't have mattered. I mean, of course I want to stay free, but I could have gone to jail knowing what I did made a difference. A few years in jail for me is nothing compared to the torture and pain you and many other faced. I'd much rather have a part in rescuing you and others like you and risk a little jail time."
"I wish I could do more to help the team."
Marshall grinned. "You can. You can feed us. If cooking is your passion, we're always hungry and ready to eat. I don't see why the team can't include a cook or chef."
