He was glad they were properly avoiding using names on the radio when not needed. “10-4, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He looked at his detective. “You convinced me. Treat this like an attempted kidnapping until we can get statements from the victims and give me a call when crime scene techs arrive. Meanwhile, set a second boundary a hundred yards back in all directions. I don’t want more evidence being trampled if there are others involved.”
“You got it, Chief.” Clarke turned around and followed their path back to the parking lot. This night had turned bad very quickly; if young women were being attacked in the woods, it was going to be a media sideshow.
Craig pulled to a stop outside the Emergency Room doors as Debbie jumped out, running inside while he found a parking place. By the time he met her at the reception desk, she was sobbing and just handed the clipboard full of forms to him. “She’s here, but we can’t see her yet,” she said as he led her over to some chairs.
“She’s going to be all right?”
“They wouldn’t tell me, just that she is being examined now. She promised someone would be out to talk to us soon.” They sat nervously as he finished the papers and walked back with the insurance card. They watched the national news feed on the television and held each other as they waited.
They saw another ambulance pull in, and behind it was a police car. Debbie’s hand covered her mouth as they saw the red hair and the blood on the face of the young woman. “It’s Treasure,” she said as they wheeled her in. Dawn was let out of the back of the police car, and she was crying as she walked in with the young officer. The frustration and anger boiled over, and Denise almost ran over to confront her former friend. “How could you let her hurt my baby,” she said as she slapped her face.
The officer stepped in front of Dawn as Craig pulled his wife back into his arms. “Getting arrested won’t help our Jenny,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m sorry, Dawn, about everything.” He pulled her back to the chairs, looking back once to see if they were following.
“It’s all right,” she told the officer. “She blames me, and maybe she’s right.” Dawn was barely holding on; she had arrived at the accident scene with the ambulance, and the sight of her broken and bleeding girl was too much. She had called her Mom on the way here, and she was being brought over as well.
The waiting room started to fill up as they waited for news; Jenny’s grandparents showed up with their other daughter, and a pair of detectives showed up. They took Dawn into a room and took her statement, and then returned her to the room. Everyone looked up when a Doctor came into the room, and the receptionist pointed to Jenny’s parents, who stood up as he walked. “She’s going to recover, and she’s asking for you,” he said.
“Thank God,” Debbie said as they followed him to the doors.
“She can’t talk yet since her throat is swollen from being choked. We are taking her in for a CAT scan as soon as it opens up, but she wanted to see you first.”
One of the detectives followed them. “I need to ask her a few questions if she’s awake,” The doctor nodded, then led them back into one of the trauma rooms.
Debbie rushed to her daughter’s side. Jenny was sitting up in the bed, with a oxygen tube in her nose and ice packs around her neck. Her eyes opened wide and she started to cry as she hugged her Mom. “Baby I love you,” she sobbed. Craig went to the other side of the bed, holding her hand as he leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Are you all right,” Mom asked. Jenny nodded, and Debbie stood up, her hand gripping Jenny’s still. She looked at her daughter; her eyes were bloodshot, she could see bruises on her throat and a bump on her temple. “You’re going to recover and I’ll make sure Treasure never hurts anyone again,” she said.
Jenny’s eyes got wide and she shook her head. She pointed at the detective and beckoned him to come closer. “Miss Jenny, we need you to tell us what happened,” he said.
“Here, you can use this,” the nurse said, handing her a small white board and a dry erase marker.
“Where is Rea,” she wrote.
“She’s here, she was found in the road a few miles from where you were found,” the Detective said.
“They took her she tried to save me.”
“Who took her,” the Detective asked.
“Two men & big black wolf hybrid. Grabbed me choked me.”
He wrote down the information. “Can you describe either of the men?”
“Didn’t see guy behind me. Big, 6-6 ish, barrel chest, strong arms.” He wrote it down and she erased it. “Guy 2 White 6′ 200 lbs sandy blond hair to shoulders.”
“Any identifying marks? Clothing?”
“Black coat, ski cap, jeans.”
The detective wrote it all down. “If I get a sketch artist down here, could you help her with it?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Dark, scared.” She erased it. “Is Rea ok? Did they rape her?”
“I don’t know. She’s alive, my partner is in with her now.” She started crying, along with her Mom, who now realized Treasure was just as much a victim as her daughter was. She owed Dawn an apology.