Page 54 of Long Pig

“Something is terribly wrong,” he finally said.

“Is there someplace she would go to get away for a few days?”

“No. She only leaves the ranch once or twice a month. The party was a big deal for her. Until Sofia, she had no friends besides me. Something has been worrying her, but she wouldn’ttell me what it was. I swear to you, Lucia, she has no one in this world but me and the dogs. She’s in danger.”

“Call the Sheriff’s Department and then call it into Navajo County in case she’s in their jurisdiction.” Lucia didn’t question his statement about danger. “Please call me back after you make the reports. I’ll contact Sofia just in case she knows something.”

“Thank you, Lucia.”

He called Apache County first and spoke with a dispatcher he didn’t know. She said a deputy would call him. Next, he notified Navajo County and was patched through to a deputy immediately.

“How many hours has she been gone?” Deputy Taylor asked after Dale explained what happened. He sounded young.

“Look, Deputy Taylor, I’m a recently retired deputy from Apache County. You know it’s the totality of the circumstances and not a set amount of time that shows a person is in danger. My granddaughter rarely leaves our property. She’s not comfortable with strangers. Yes, she’s old enough to go wherever she pleases and stay out as late as she wants, but this is very outside her normal behavior. She was upset before she left, but wouldn’t discuss it. Something is wrong. You can be on the good or bad side of this. I’m not known for exaggeration.”

The man hesitated before asking, “What type of vehicle was she in?”

Dale gave the information along with the plate number.

“I’ll put a request in to check the speed cameras and see if she passed them,” the deputy said.

There were two speed cameras at separate ends of town that recorded each license plate that passed. Dale had used the search feature numerous times when tracing someone’s story. If Willow entered Show Low in her truck, Deputy Taylor would have the information within an hour.

The call ended, and Dale sat thinking for a moment. More than anything, he hoped he’d blown this out of proportion and Willow was simply acting like a normal woman her age, but with Sofia out of town, it meant she lied to him. Whatever was going on, Willow was in trouble.

He called Lucia again.

“Sofia has no idea where Willow is. They haven’t spoken since the party. Is there any chance Willow made friends with a man she didn’t want you to know about?”

“There’s no reason she would keep it from me. I don’t judge her, and I want her to make friends and to go on dates. She’s with me more than she should be. It was hard enough to get her to go to the library and spend time there.” His phone buzzed. “I have a call coming in. I’ll call you back.”

It was Deputy Mitch Stevens from Apache County. He wasn’t Dale’s favorite, but he was far from the worst.

“Look Dale, I’m aware of the complaint she made against Kirk Wallard. I just came from his wife’s house. She thought he was on duty, but dispatch informed her he wasn’t scheduled for today. He’s also not answering his phone. Could this be related?”

Ice traveled through Dale’s veins.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

A Vegetarian Diet

Butch

Through testing and refining, Butch learned that slow building fear gained more cooperation from victims than terrifying them to the point they couldn’t function. One of the tactics he used was darkness and solitude. They began to question if he would return, or if starvation would kill them. He became their light in the dark. And though terrified of him, they breathed a sigh of relief when he returned. He liked that power, and his cell phone provided an infrared camera feed so he could watch them without them knowing.

Willow was not like his other captives. Maybe it was because he had different plans for her, and somehow she sensed that. Or at least he had before she discovered the deputy’s body. He watched her strange behavior, wondering what was going on inside her stubborn head. Willow’s shoulders never shook, which would indicate crying. She remained calm, and never screamed or cried out for help. All his past women screamed.Men eventually begged and cried, but in the beginning, they didn’t scream.

As the hours passed, she intrigued him even more, and his earlier rage turned to a low simmer. As far as her bathroom habits, he wasn’t a sicko, and he gave her privacy when she used the toilet.

Sleep claimed him at last, and the cell phone fell forward onto his chest when his breathing slowed. He fell into the darkness like he owned it, because he did. Even his dreams paid him homage.

He woke feeling refreshed and in a surprisingly good mood. He prepared Willow’s breakfast and included a cup of coffee. Caffeinated beverages were not part of his master diet plan. The time he had with them was to refine, not corrode their taste.

Willow sat with her back to the wall, the sleeping bag wrapped tightly around her. She covered her eyes with one hand when the light snapped on.

“It’s only me,” Butch said as he walked closer. “I thought you might be hungry. I also have coffee.” He set them on a small stand too far for her to reach.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked evenly.