It was time to begin, before the drowsy child fell asleep.
“Sophie, we want to catch this man,” Mattie said, “and I need to ask you some questions. Would that be okay?”
Sucking her thumb, Sophie nodded. Cole touched her hand with his finger. “Take your thumb out of your mouth so you can talk,” he murmured. She did as he asked, never taking her sincere brown eyes off Mattie.
“Can you tell us about how he took you, sweetheart?”
The memory made her eyes widen, and she looked more awake. “I got off the bus and was walking home. All of a sudden, he drove up behind me, jumped out, and grabbed me. He put a piece of tape on my mouth and I couldn’t even scream.”
“Did you see his face?”
“He was wearing a ski mask.”
“Did you see his car?”
“No, I . . . I was fighting to get away. Then he put something over my head. A pillowcase or something. He said—” Her breath caught. “He told me later that he used a gunny sack with Candace, and it killed her.”
Mattie nodded, reached out, and took her hand; it felt small and a bit sticky around the thumb. She gave it a squeeze. “You were afraid, I know. I would have been too. You’re brave to tell us about it.”
Sophie nodded, her eyes wide.
“Could you see anything inside the car that you were in?”
Sophie shook her head. “He put tape around my hands, but I still tried to open the door to get out. I pulled on the handle, but it wouldn’t open, so I pushed the button to open the window.” She turned her head to look up at Cole. “I wanted to jump out, Dad, but I was afraid to.”
“I know you did your best to get away, honey. Don’t worry,” Cole murmured as he stroked the curly hair back from her face. His jaw muscle bulged from clenching his teeth.
The open window made it possible for Banjo to pick up her scent, Mattie was thinking. “What happened after you opened the window?”
In a breathless voice, Sophie continued. “He drove for a little bit, but then he stopped. I was kicking at him and trying to hit him and stuff, and he told me to stop or he’d hurt me. He used more tape on my legs and put me on the floor in the back. He rolled the window back up and started driving again.”
“What else do you remember about the ride?”
“We were on the highway for a long time, then he turned left and it got bumpy, then he turned right and it got real bumpy and wound around. I could tell we were going uphill. I tried to pay attention so I could run away and get back home. Then he carried me into that cave place and took the tape and the pillowcase off. I was . . . I was crying pretty hard—” Tears spilled from her eyes and washed down her cheeks as a sob wrenched from her, cutting off her words.
Cole pulled a blue bandana from his back pocket and wiped her face while Olivia, looking devastated, hugged her more tightly. Sophie pressed her face against her mother.
Mattie waited for Sophie to calm. Although Robo had led Mattie through the forest, following the scent Sophie left when she’d tried to make her escape, there’d been a rugged, overgrown lane farther down the road from Gus Tilley’s place that led to the abandoned cabin. Sophie had mapped the route in her mind perfectly.
After Sophie quieted, Mattie continued, using a conversational tone, gently guiding the interview back on track. “You did a good job paying attention to the roads you took. That place you were inside is called a root cellar, Sophie. The pioneers built them beside their cabins to keep their food cool. We can talk more about that later if you want. It’s not as scary when you know what it is.” This was stretching the truth; she’d felt terrified of that dank, dark space herself. “Now I want you to focus on what you remember about the man. He left the ski mask on while he was with you. Could you see anything through the holes for his eyes and mouth that you can tell us about?”
Sophie straightened. “He had brown eyes. Not dark chocolate like Dad’s, more like mine.”
Disappointment set Mattie back for a moment as she realized her primary suspect didn’t match Sophie’s description. Stella’s instincts might have been right and hers wrong, because Gus Tilley’s eyes were blue. But she put on a smile for Sophie.
“Good job. Anything about the shape of his eyes or his eyelids that stood out? Was he white skinned or dark? And would you guess he was young or old?”
“Young, I think, but I’m not sure. White skin around his eyes.”
“What about his voice? Did you recognize it as anyone you know?”
Sophie shook her head. “It was deep, like a growly bear. I think he was disguising it.”
If he tried so hard to disguise himself, it might be someone Sophie knows. Or he could have planned to let her go and didn’t want her to identify him.
“He said he was gonna take me away tonight, and I wouldn’t be able to get away ever again.”
Mattie’s throat swelled as she realized how close they’d come to losing her. She squeezed the girl’s small hand. “Robo found you because you got away. You did the exact right thing.”
Sophie nodded, her eyes sincere. “I watched a TV show about a girl that was kidnapped. She tricked the guy by acting like she was his friend. I decided to do that.”
“You let her watch that stuff?” Olivia murmured, looking over Sophie’s head at Cole.
He ignored her and continued to watch Mattie. Their eyes met briefly when she glanced at him before focusing back on Sophie. “That’s a great strategy, Sophie, and it works sometimes. Is that what helped you get away this morning?”
“Well, maybe. But it was mostly because I was sick. I guess I sort of played that up a little, you know, like when I’m trying to stay home from school.” The glance she gave her dad this time seemed playful, and it made Mattie’s spirits lift to see the old Sophie shine through, but the girl’s face became pinched as she went on. “I was lying in that bed, crying, and I told him I was so, so sick. He said he was going to get me some medicine, and he left the chain off. I pushed so hard against that door . . . it took a long time, and I got it open enough to squeeze through. But then he was coming back and he caught me on the road. I screamed and screamed.” She looked like she was going to dissolve again, but she held it together.
“Good job, Sophie! You did such a brave thing. That’s exactly how Robo found you. He followed your trail through the forest.”
Sophie’s eyes were brimming. “He’s such a good dog.”
Mattie had to blink away her tears as well. “We’re lucky to have him. What about this time, Sophie? Did the bad guy already have the ski mask on?”
Sophie looked startled and then her focus went inward. “Not at first, but he had it on when he caught me. I remember I saw him down the road. He does have a white face.”
“Did he have a beard?”
“Uh.” Sophie paused to think. “I can’t remember.”
“How tall is he? Try to compare him to your dad.”
“About as tall as Dad . . . strong, but not wide and muscle-y like Dad. Skinnier.”
“And his car?”
Sophie shook her head. “Kinda like the sheriff’s Jeep. Maybe silver. I’m sorry, Mattie. I didn’t look at it very long. I ran away.”
“No need to be sorry. Of course you needed to run, Sophie. You’re doing great.” Mattie smiled, trying to back off on the pressure. “Did he talk to you much? He told you about Candace. What else did he say?”
“While I was crying, he told me I reminded him of his sister. That me and Candace both look like his sister.”
Mattie exchanged glances with Stella. She’d recognized the resemblance earlier, but this meant that the kidnapper had exposure to both girls prior to their abductions, indicating it was probably someone from the Timber Creek community. Her mind raced through their remaining suspects. Burt Banks: he had brown eyes. But then, so did Hank Wolford. Both Merton Heath and Jace Gardner matched the description. What time had Brody dropped them back off in the forest? She’d have to check on that. And Brooks Waverly? His eyes were dark too.