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Frank, Lancaster, and the other agents looked inside and were once again surprised.
“Well what do we have here? Bingo!” exclaimed Agent Lancaster as he held up Maggie’s police badge along with various plastic bags containing locks of hair, jewelry, and other personal belongings.
“Let’s get this stuff logged and bagged then to the lab immediately,” Lancaster said.
Frank knew there was good reason to worry.
* * * *
By the time the 6:00 p.m. news aired everyone was aware of the search for Lieutenant Donald Friedman as well as the agents’ interest in questioning him.
The reports were already surfacing calling Friedman a suspect in the case.
“I don’t believe this. There is absolutely no possible way that my father is the serial killer,” Tod said as he paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room.
“I didn’t want to believe it either, Tod, but you should have seen what was in his basement. There was a lot of incriminating stuff in there,” said Frank as John sat down in a chair looking just as shocked at the information.
“My dad never used that old cubbyhole. I remember helping him organize that basement and pushing that workbench in front of the door. That’s a two-person job,” said Todd as he thought about everything Frank was telling him.
“I really don’t know what to say except that your father better show up soon or that Agent Lancaster is going to have him tried and sentenced before he knows what hit him,” said Frank as the other man looked at him, unsure of what to do next.
* * * *
“I don’t believe this, Peter. I just don’t believe what I’m hearing. Could it possibly be true? Oh God, what am I saying? There’s no way it could be true.” Sarah rambled on, not knowing what to think or how to react to the news reports. She gripped the telephone tighter.
“Well, Mom, he didn’t show up to work today and he knew that Agent Lancaster was waiting to question him. His house did not show signs of forced entry or that he left in a hurry. However, the agents did find incriminating evidence,” Peter told his mother.
“Well what kind of incriminating evidence did they find?” she asked her son.
“I’m not sure, Mom, I’m not privy to that information yet. Frank saw it for himself and I have to tell you that he was pretty upset,” said Peter.
“What about Tod? Oh God, poor Tod must be going out of his mind,” said Sarah.
“Well Frank and John are with him right now. They’ve decided to do a little investigating on their own, Mom. None of us believe that Donald is the killer.”
They spoke a little longer before hanging up the phone.
“What did Peter say?” Eric asked as he patiently waited in the lounge chair listening to the whole one-sided conversation.
Sarah explained it all to him as she grabbed a tissue and began to cry.
In an instant Eric was at her side consoling her.
“It is going to be all right, Sarah. If Donald is the killer, then the agents or the police will find him. All this worrying will be over and our Grace will come home again,” he told her as he hugged her.
“I just can’t believe Donald would do this. He was so kind to our family. The boys adore him,” she said as she thought about her handsome friend who she had been so attracted to.
“You have always had a special connection with him, Sarah. He helped us through so much when Clara was missing and then after she was found. I have to admit sometimes I was a little jealous,” Eric told her as Sarah wiped her tears and looked at her husband rather surprised.
Sarah gently touched Eric’s cheek and spoke to him softly.
“There was no need for you to be jealous, Eric. You are my husband, I love you so much, and you were there for me, for all of us when Clara was missing.”
He smiled softly as he touched her hair and he tenderly kissed her. “I love the children as if they were my own and I’ve always felt the need to protect my two girls the best that I could. I promised myself to protect both you and Grace as long as I live, Sarah.”
She hugged him. “She’s safe, Eric, very safe with Sandman. As a matter of fact Frank may have been right when he said one positive thing we could get out of this whole situation,” she told him with a huge smile.
“You mean that Special Agent Sandstone who is supposed to be protecting her?” Eric asked, sounding a little concerned.
