“Well, he was certainly right about one thing,” she said. “I’ll never forget him.”
The detectives sat stone-still and silent. The sergeant from the sexual assault unit leaned forward. “What were his exact words, please?”
“He said, ‘You’ll never forget me now.’ And then he walked away.”
The men looked at each other. “That’s a wrap. You can go. Make sure we’re able to reach one or both of you. If you change cell numbers, please contact us. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Cal led her away. “You all right?”
She shrugged. “A little beat up. Why were they so hard on me if they know he’s the bad guy?”
“They had to be convinced you weren’t a co-suspect in that hit-and-run but, more important, they want to know if you can lead them to their suspect.”
“Lead them! Don’t they understand I’d be running in the other direction?”
“I’m pretty sure they understand that now. I wondered why this much energy was being spent trying to find him for a hit-and-run when the victim has made a full recovery. Sierra, the man has obviously raped other women. They connected the dots—found his face on that hit-and-run film. They might never have found him if there hadn’t been a felony hit-and-run. That tape would never have been viewed in the first place if there hadn’t been a crime and investigation. That’s why they were looking for you. They tied your car to their suspect. I have a feeling, based on what you’ve said and their questions, they’re looking for a predator. A serial rapist. Or worse.”
She couldn’t speak. Finally she said, “Won’t the other victims bring him to justice?” she asked.
“And what if they can’t?” Cal said.
“Can’t?” she repeated shakily. “Dear God.”
The privilege of a lifetime is to become
who you truly are.
—C. G. Jung
Chapter 17
SIERRA WAS JUST too tired to call Connie. She wasn’t about to explain all this over the phone. But she saw his texts and he’d added another one with a picture of him with Molly. She finally wrote back, I miss you guys, too. Sorry, I’m exhausted and hungry. Tomorrow will be better.
He must have been sitting on the phone. He texted back instantly. If you needed me, I would come.
The sweetest man alive, she thought. She didn’t think she deserved him. She texted back, I’m okay. I’ll be in touch tomorrow. Thank you for being so wonderful.
They went out for dinner in the hotel, then to bed. She slept incredibly well for someone who had just surmised that the only way this monster would go to jail was if she faced him and accused him. And she was sure she wouldn’t be able to.
But God was watching out for her. She didn’t even dream.
The next morning they picked up a copy of her medical records. Cal called Charles—Sergeant Tilden—who had interviewed them and arranged to have the mug shot of Craig Dixon emailed to him. Then they headed for the airport. Cal changed their flight, but they weren’t going right home. They flew to Des Moines and rented a car, making the two-hour drive to the little farming village where Marissa and Jed Jones lived. Given their parents were overly sensitive to drop-in guests, even their own children, Cal called and told his mother that he and Sierra were passing through and wanted to stop by and say hello in the morning.
“Say hello?” Sierra asked with a laugh. “Is that what we’re doing?”
“We’ll say hello, ask if they need anything, ask Marissa if the man whose picture I have on my cell phone was the one who came to the farm looking for you.”
“You think she’ll even remember? It was over a year ago!”
“I’d be satisfied with her best guess.”
Sierra held her breath. She didn’t even want to see the farm. It was the farm where she hid for three months prior to rehab; it was the farm where she had started to fear she was crazy like her father. She didn’t want to know if the bad man had followed her there.
“I’m not for certain,” Marissa said. “But I think that’s him. He was wearing such nice clothes and he said he worked for a special department of some kind. I wish I could remember. But it didn’t matter because I just said you hadn’t been around in a long time, you were in Michigan. Or you could have gone off to California.” Then she smiled with satisfaction. “And look, I was right. Wasn’t I.”
On their way back to Des Moines, they were both completely silent.
“She might be mistaken,” Cal finally said after a very long silence.
“She’s not mistaken,” Sierra said. “He followed me. I bet he did have some kind of tracker in my phone.”
“Well, the phone is gone,” Cal said. “How long after he visited the farm did you check into rehab?”
She laughed, an almost hysterical sound. “Twenty minutes,” she said. “Okay, not quite that fast, but fast.”
“And they took all your personal items, including your phone, and turned it off and locked it away.”
“Yes, and when I asked my group leader if it was possible there was an app in my phone, he said he’d take care of it. He had the phone wiped, got a new number for me, and I was able to use it again after three weeks. But I had to check it out before I could have it. I couldn’t just have it in my possession. If you can believe it, there were people making drug buys from inside, if they could.”
“I believe it.”
The detectives sat stone-still and silent. The sergeant from the sexual assault unit leaned forward. “What were his exact words, please?”
“He said, ‘You’ll never forget me now.’ And then he walked away.”
The men looked at each other. “That’s a wrap. You can go. Make sure we’re able to reach one or both of you. If you change cell numbers, please contact us. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Cal led her away. “You all right?”
She shrugged. “A little beat up. Why were they so hard on me if they know he’s the bad guy?”
“They had to be convinced you weren’t a co-suspect in that hit-and-run but, more important, they want to know if you can lead them to their suspect.”
“Lead them! Don’t they understand I’d be running in the other direction?”
“I’m pretty sure they understand that now. I wondered why this much energy was being spent trying to find him for a hit-and-run when the victim has made a full recovery. Sierra, the man has obviously raped other women. They connected the dots—found his face on that hit-and-run film. They might never have found him if there hadn’t been a felony hit-and-run. That tape would never have been viewed in the first place if there hadn’t been a crime and investigation. That’s why they were looking for you. They tied your car to their suspect. I have a feeling, based on what you’ve said and their questions, they’re looking for a predator. A serial rapist. Or worse.”
She couldn’t speak. Finally she said, “Won’t the other victims bring him to justice?” she asked.
“And what if they can’t?” Cal said.
“Can’t?” she repeated shakily. “Dear God.”
The privilege of a lifetime is to become
who you truly are.
—C. G. Jung
Chapter 17
SIERRA WAS JUST too tired to call Connie. She wasn’t about to explain all this over the phone. But she saw his texts and he’d added another one with a picture of him with Molly. She finally wrote back, I miss you guys, too. Sorry, I’m exhausted and hungry. Tomorrow will be better.
He must have been sitting on the phone. He texted back instantly. If you needed me, I would come.
The sweetest man alive, she thought. She didn’t think she deserved him. She texted back, I’m okay. I’ll be in touch tomorrow. Thank you for being so wonderful.
They went out for dinner in the hotel, then to bed. She slept incredibly well for someone who had just surmised that the only way this monster would go to jail was if she faced him and accused him. And she was sure she wouldn’t be able to.
But God was watching out for her. She didn’t even dream.
The next morning they picked up a copy of her medical records. Cal called Charles—Sergeant Tilden—who had interviewed them and arranged to have the mug shot of Craig Dixon emailed to him. Then they headed for the airport. Cal changed their flight, but they weren’t going right home. They flew to Des Moines and rented a car, making the two-hour drive to the little farming village where Marissa and Jed Jones lived. Given their parents were overly sensitive to drop-in guests, even their own children, Cal called and told his mother that he and Sierra were passing through and wanted to stop by and say hello in the morning.
“Say hello?” Sierra asked with a laugh. “Is that what we’re doing?”
“We’ll say hello, ask if they need anything, ask Marissa if the man whose picture I have on my cell phone was the one who came to the farm looking for you.”
“You think she’ll even remember? It was over a year ago!”
“I’d be satisfied with her best guess.”
Sierra held her breath. She didn’t even want to see the farm. It was the farm where she hid for three months prior to rehab; it was the farm where she had started to fear she was crazy like her father. She didn’t want to know if the bad man had followed her there.
“I’m not for certain,” Marissa said. “But I think that’s him. He was wearing such nice clothes and he said he worked for a special department of some kind. I wish I could remember. But it didn’t matter because I just said you hadn’t been around in a long time, you were in Michigan. Or you could have gone off to California.” Then she smiled with satisfaction. “And look, I was right. Wasn’t I.”
On their way back to Des Moines, they were both completely silent.
“She might be mistaken,” Cal finally said after a very long silence.
“She’s not mistaken,” Sierra said. “He followed me. I bet he did have some kind of tracker in my phone.”
“Well, the phone is gone,” Cal said. “How long after he visited the farm did you check into rehab?”
She laughed, an almost hysterical sound. “Twenty minutes,” she said. “Okay, not quite that fast, but fast.”
“And they took all your personal items, including your phone, and turned it off and locked it away.”
“Yes, and when I asked my group leader if it was possible there was an app in my phone, he said he’d take care of it. He had the phone wiped, got a new number for me, and I was able to use it again after three weeks. But I had to check it out before I could have it. I couldn’t just have it in my possession. If you can believe it, there were people making drug buys from inside, if they could.”
“I believe it.”
