Page 43 of A River of Crows

Dylan grinned. “I can come back later.”

“No, come in. I've wanted to talk to you too.” Sloan ushered him inside.

Dylan took off his sunglasses and glanced around. “Is it okay to ask what happened?”

“Hurricane Caroline.” Sloan rubbed her forehead. “AKA my mother. She’s . . . um . . . well, she’s crazy.” Sloan lowered herself onto the loveseat. “We can sit here.”

Dylan sat next to her. Sloan expected him to speak first, but after almost a minute, Sloan broke through the uncomfortable silence.

“So, did you remember something or—”

Dylan's cheeks flushed. “Right. Sorry. Before I tell you, please understand it's nothing earth-shattering. But I've been thinking about Ridge's story, and I want to help if I can.”

“Go on,” Sloan coaxed.

“The FBI has got me going over timelines, and I remembered something. Well, it may be something, may be nothing.” Dylan rubbed his hands down his pants legs. “I probably shouldn't even say anything.”

Sloan touched his knee. “It's okay, Dylan.” Her touch seemed to calm his nervous energy. “I won’t share anything you don't want me to. And I won’t be angry if it turns out to be nothing.”

Dylan smiled. He looked young for his age and especially when he smiled. How he still kept such a sweet smile given all he'd been through was a miracle.

“When Eddie took me, Logan had already been there five years.” Dylan leaned forward and held his head in his hands. “This is tough to talk about, but Eddie made a lot of money recording videos and selling them. Early on, he made me watch one of Logan and another boy.”

Sloan noticed Dylan’s hands were shaking. “You don't have to tell me this if it's too much,” she said.

“No, I need to.” Dylan raised his head. “This isn’t like me, to share personal things. But when they found Logan’s remains, something inside me just woke up. I realized I couldn’t change what happened to us, but I could make sure Eddie Daughtry was held accountable. Make sure he didn’t hurt anyone else.”

“You’re incredibly brave,” Sloan said.

Dylan shook his head. “No. I’m having a moment of bravery after sixteen years of being a coward.”

Sloan wanted to tell him a moment of bravery mattered. That it was more than she’d ever had. She’d rarely talked about her childhood with her own husband, much less the media, much less a complete stranger, but she kept quiet, giving Dylan room to speak.

“So, the video . . .” Dylan squeezed his eyes shut. “There was Logan and a younger kid. I asked Logan who the boy was and what happened to him.”

Sloan sensed where this was going and felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She didn't want it to be Ridge in that video. The creek was better.

“Logan said the boy had been there about four years ago, and that Eddie sold him to some perv in Louisiana.”

“Sold?” Sloan pressed her hands against her stomach. “Was that boy Ridge?”

Dylan met her eyes. “I’m not sure, Sloan.” His voice was fragile. “Logan told me not to worry. Said the boy only got sold because he was young and that nobody would pay Eddie that much for sixteen and seventeen-year-olds.” Dylan leaned forward, resting his head on his hands. “This sounds so screwed up, but in Logan’s mind, and eventually my own, Eddie took care of us. We had food, beds, and heroin. So, it was a case of the devil you know being better than the devil you don't.”

Sloan put her hand on Dylan’s back. “I’m so sorry. I'm just so sorry.”

Dylan turned his head toward her. “I hope it wasn’t your brother.”

“But the timeline fits. Four years before would’ve been 1988.” The air conditioner kicked on. Sloan rubbed at her exposed forearms. “Do they have any other leads on who else it might be?”

“There were no other boys reported missing from this area in that time frame, but the feds have found Eddie had connections in at least three other states. So, the kid could have come from anywhere. Eddie had a lot of victims. He held at least three of us captive; some, he’d pick up off the street and have them home for dinner. Others came to him, knowing he kept bags of quarters for the arcade in the kitchen drawer and willing to do whatever it took to get them. He never got caught. Eddie’s smart. Smart enough to set up your dad.”

“Did you tell the FBI this? That the boy in the video could be Ridge?” Sloan asked.

“Not yet, but I will. They say the simplest explanation is usually the answer. So maybe your brother really died in the water that day. But it's best to assume nothing is simple when men like Eddie Daughtry are in this world.”

“Are they looking for that video?”

“Yeah. As much as I hope it’s been destroyed, if it hasn’t, then we’ll know.”