“So when Hawthorne found out, he started killing more people in the area. He wanted us to know he was back,” I shared my thoughts.
Emilio nodded. “His empire has grown exponentially.”
“I remember seeing Francisco drive by this building when I first arrived here,” Harry said. “He discovered critical info he wanted to share with me and Emilio. Eva was with me, so I didn’t get to talk to him until later.”
That was why Eva had seen him in her neighborhood.
“What did he want to tell you?” I asked.
“He saw Senator Falcone coming out of a hotel room with a young girl. She looked distraught and scared.”
“What do you mean, scared?” A part of me wished my gut was wrong.
“The senator raped her. Francisco hid her in his laundry cart and reunited her with her parents. They were immigrants and didn’t speak English well. Apparently, he told her parents that she was smart and deserved a full scholarship to college when she graduated. To start the application process, she needed to take a test to get her scores.”
“Who takes a college exam in a hotel room?” Harry slammed a fist into the chair. “Bastard.”
I didn’t know if I could take any more bad news. This revelation about the senator shook me, staining the image I had of him all these years. He had helped me attend college, but everything he told me was a lie.
Rage burned inside me. How many young girls had he hurt in his program? Why hadn’t I seen this?
Was it a lie when he said his family didn’t want me to visit Ozarrow Woods? Had he made it up? But why? What was there that he didn’t want me to see? I thought back to the visit, and the only thing that stood out to me was the note saying Hawthorne was back.
Had Hawthorne left me that note, or was it Senator Falcone trying to scare me and keep me from searching the woods?
Fuck!I’d told him so much about my past. Was he working with Hawthorne? If so, why didn’t he tell Hawthorne about me and the boys sooner? What was his agenda?
I was confused and furious.
“Francisco wanted to atone for all his sins,” Harry said. “Whenever he discovered something, he’d share it with us.”
“Hawthorne targets vulnerable young boys and girls. Most have unstable lives at home or are rebellious. Many of his followers started out as homeless kids needing a place to belong.”
“Vulnerable kids are easily broken and easily controlled,” I said as my unstable childhood flashed before me. “The same goes for adults.”
All of my friends were vulnerable back then too.
“Was Victor sick like the senator?” Harry asked an indirect question.
“From my knowledge, Victor wasn’t a pedophile,” Emilio said. “He kidnapped kids and forced them to work, making him more money. I never saw or heard anyone seeing him with kids in that way. He was a serial killer, not a pedophile. At least not that I know of.”
It was hard not to doubt my own judgment after this.Guilt shredded me. If I had known about Senator Falcone’s sick mind, I would’ve protected those kids.
Was Eva safe? Was she scared?
Godfrey’s name flashed across my phone, and I picked it up on the first ring. “Hey. You got something?”
“We have a recording of those fuckers from a business across the street. All the cameras from the drugstore weren’t active during that half-hour. Someone probably hijacked their system to turn it off while those men were there.”
“Send it my way.”
“Do you want me to send a copy to Detective McNally too?”
“Yes. If he asks you how you got it, say a friend gave it to you. That usually stops him from inquiring further.”
“Okay, I’m going to keep checking other recordings. I’ll let you know if I see something else.”
“One more thing—can you try reaching out to Andrew? He might know something. I texted him earlier but haven’t heard.”
