Page 101 of He Sees You

I recognize it—a cabin on the north side of the mountains, isolated, perfect for moving cargo.

Morrison tries to speak but only manages a gurgle.

The paralytic has reached his throat muscles.

He can see, hear, feel everything, but can't move, can't scream.

Perfect.

Cain kneels beside him, shows him the second syringe. "Digitalis. It'll cause massive cardiac arrest. With your health, your family history, no one will question it. Just another older cop who pushed themselves too hard."

Morrison's eyes are terrified now, rolling frantically, tears streaming down his paralyzed face.

"But first," I say, kneeling on his other side, "we have questions. Blink once for yes, twice for no. Understood?"

One blink.

"You've been trafficking girls through these mountains for years."

One blink. No point in denying it now.

"Jake knew about it."

One blink.

"That's why Sterling protected him. Jake had leverage."

One blink, but there's something else in his eyes.

Something eager, like he wants to tell us more.

"Sterling," Cain says slowly, reading the signs. "He's involved too."

One blink.

Violent, emphatic.

My blood turns to ice. "My father is part of the trafficking ring?"

One blink.

"For how long?" I realize he can't answer that with blinks. "More than five years?"

One blink.

"More than ten?"

One blink.

"More than twenty?"

One blink.

Twenty years.

My whole life, my father has been... I think about all the late nights, the unexplained money for my college despite his sheriff's salary, the way certain criminals disappeared from custody while others walked free.

The family vacations we could suddenly afford.