Slender Man Ch. 02

This story is part of an ongoing series. The chronological order of my stories is now listed in WifeWatchman's biography.

Feedback and constructive criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.

This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.

Part 7 - Slender In Farm Fields (Continued)

11:30pm, Wednesday, March 8th. Town & County Police Headquarters.

It was on the verge of chaos. The missing girl's name was Henrietta Claymore, a fourth grader. Her sobbing mother Carla Claymore was in the Pastor's Room with Chaplain (Captain) Calvin, our Protestant chaplain. Her father John Claymore was also there, but was in the Admin Group's breakroom with Protestant Chaplain (Lieutenant) Hobson. The parents were legally separated, so we kept them physically separated, as well. The divorce lawyers were with their clients: Tina Felton with Carla, Ferguson Stegall III with John.

Blockades were manned at every road leading out of the County; no one was leaving without their car being examined, and any suspicious vehicle was pulled over and the driver asked to open the trunk. Those that demanded warrants were held in place until the warrants arrived... and Judge Rodney K. Watts was having no problem issuing those warrants on the merest whim of 'probable cause'.

There was a huge crowd of reporters in the Press Room. Some of them, especially John Hardwood of KSTD, were angrily and viciously snarling at Captain Briscoe, Public Relations Officer; the reporters were demanding that Commander Troy personally make himself available to them to answer their questions. Obviously, I was not exactly feeling beholden to the Press, and so I was having none of that.

And speaking of Your Iron Crowbar, I was in MCD, which was our 'War Room'. The large monitor screen on the wall was hooked up to computers that showed where every Patrol cruiser was as they searched for the missing girl. Detectives were at their desks, taking phone calls, examining information being piped in to their computers, and trying to find any scrap of a hint that would help find the girl. The Mouseketeers were at two of the desks, gathering data on the girl, her family, her family's friends, any information we could find about her school and the people working at it.

And I was standing right in the middle of it all, in the middle of the MCD room, staring at the big television monitor but my mind a million miles away and going a million miles an hour...

"Commander..." I heard a voice say, seemingly from far away. It was Captain Ross, standing next to me. "Sir, Myron and Mary have some data, and it might be better to go over it in your office."

"Yes." I said, barely audible. Then I got aware of everything. "Yes. Let's go to my office...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mary started us off once we were seated in my office: "John Claymore is a teacher at Town High School, in the Vocational Department. Teaches electrical wiring as part of the homebuilding program. He's also been hired by the I.B.E.W. to give refresher training to that Union's membership from time to time. Carla Claymore is a teacher at River Valley Middle School."

"They've been married twelve years, and Henrietta is their only child." Mary continued. "Neither has a criminal record other than two speeding tickets each in the past. Carla filed for divorce from John about three months ago, and it became a raging battle over custody of Henrietta. John accused Carla of verbal and physical assault of Henrietta, and Carla fired back by saying John tried to sexually abuse Henrietta. Doctor Yates and Doctor Fredricson examined Henrietta and said there was no physical or sexual abuse. Both parents' lawyers tried to file restraining orders against the other parent, and Folsom shot both petitions down."

Mary went on: "The Federal Marshals became involved last Christmas, when Carla took Henrietta to Carla's parents' home, which is in Hammondsville to our west... and across the State Line. John immediately called the FBI, as the temporary custody order in place while the divorce is working through the courts forbade Carla from taking Henrietta out of the State.

"Marshals brought them back, and John and his lawyers really ratcheted things up in Court and tried everything to get Henrietta away from Carla's custody. Ultimately, the judge ruled that Henrietta would stay with her mother, but Carla now knows if she takes Henrietta even out of the County, she, Carla, will go to prison and lose custody of Henrietta forever."

I said "So each parent is accusing the other of this crime?"

"Carla says she thinks John is behind it." Myron said. "So the first thing we did was check on John. He was at the Kiwanis Club meeting when the news of Henrietta's disappearance broke. He'd been at the School all day, and was then at the Fire Department Range talking about the wiring in the house they're going to burn for training in a few days. It's not that he was always in someone's sight, sir... but that the windows for him to have done something are narrow."

"And the wife?" I asked. "Where was she?"

"She said she was at school," said Mary, a bit skeptically, "then went grocery shopping, then went home to cook dinner. Henrietta was at her friend Heather's house, and when she was overdue to come home, Carla called Heather's mother, Jen Lance. Jen said Henrietta had left some time before, and that's when Carla called the Police."

"You sound skeptical." I said.

Mary caught her breath. "My apologies, sir. I should leave my emotions out of my reports."

I said "I don't mind you sounding skeptical if you're skeptical. I'm curious as to why you're so skeptical."

Mary said "Something doesn't fit. She's so worried about her husband taking her child away, but she lets the girl walk home alone from her friend's house when she could have gone and got her?"

"Did John accuse Carla of being behind Henrietta's disappearance?" I asked.

"No sir." said Myron. "I watched him being interviewed by Teddy Parker. He told his story, answered Parker's questions directly, but didn't speculate further. I didn't sense he was being evasive, sir, but I can't read minds like you do."

"I wish I could read minds. It would make all our jobs easier." I said. "Did the parents talk with their lawyers very much?"

"I don't know, sir." said Myron. Mary also wasn't sure.

"Mary," I said, "don't ever be afraid to go with your instincts. I happen to think you are correct that there are inconsistencies in the wife's actions. That doesn't mean she's done anything wrong, though. Okay, is there anything else I should know? Who are these people who Henrietta visited today?"

"Larry and Jen Lance, and their daughter Heather." said Mary. "Coincidentally, or maybe not, Larry and Jen are also getting a divorce. Heather is a little younger than Henrietta, but both are in the same classes in school. Neither Larry nor Jen has a criminal record. I haven't done any digging into their pasts yet."

"Go ahead and glance into that." I said. "I'm going back to MCD."

I went back into MCD, Cindy following. As I looked at the monitor of our deployment, I asked "Why are so many of our people right in the River Valley neighborhood?"

"Because the girl lives in that area and disappeared from it, sir." Cindy said matter-of-factly.

"Sir," said Captain Teresa Croyle, "we're using the concentric circles method of searching, from inside and in ever-widening circles."

"Okay." I said. "Listen, I want you to take half of the Patrol cruisers inside the neighborhood, and a third of those in this next ring, and send them further out. I don't see any coverage at all of the farm fields west of the River, where we've had Slender Man sightings, and where Kevin Greeley was dragged to his death. What do we have in the way of drones?"

"Sir," said Hugh Hewitt, "we have six drones, including two on loan from the FBI."

"Do they detect infrared?" I asked.

"Yes sir." said Hugh. "They can be set to either infrared or visible light, but not both at the same time."

"Put 'em on infrared." I said. "Fly over those farm fields. We'll see the girl's heat signature before we eyeball her in the darkness."

When Teresa and Hugh just stood there, I said "Is there a question?"

"Uh, no sir." Teresa said.

"Good. Go. Get to it." I replied. They scurried out. I noticed the MCD room was a bit quieter, and there were surreptitious looks in my general direction. I watched the monitor, and within five minutes saw Patrol cruisers being redeployed. I went back to my office.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Jack Muscone would say 'Four hundred years ago...'," Cindy said as she came into my office behind me, her imitation of him a poor one. "So why do you think this girl is in the farm fields?"

"Two reasons." I said. "First, a kidnapper is not going to take this girl and just stand on a nearby street corner. Either they're in a house, and we're prohibited from barreling through them without proper warrants despite what the Boston Police did after the Boston bombings; or the kidnapper took the girl somewhere else. I really did not understand the concentration of Police vehicles right in that area when we have 300 square miles of County to search."

"And second," I continued, "the Slender Man sightings. He's been seen in several neighborhoods and here at Police Headquarters. But there was another sighting... in a farm field, west of the River. And we're not even looking there."

"More training to follow." Cindy said. That got her a look from me, eyes blazing.

"That's the least of my worries right now, Captain." I said icily. "Finding this girl is my priority. Let's make that happen."

Cindy nodded and scurried out.

Part 8 - Lost And Found

As the clock neared midnight, I got tired of repeated texts from Captain Briscoe. I told Cindy to go get him and tell him to report to my office immediately. When he came into my office, I did not invite him to sit down but locked his heels.

"Captain," I said sternly. "I am getting tired of these texts. I know the Press is arrogantly demanding I go give them personal updates. The Press can sit and spin on a crowbar for all I care."

"Sir, John Hardwood keeps yelling about----" Briscoe started, but I didn't brook it.

"Yelling?" I said. "Tell him that the next time he yells, he will be arrested and booked for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace, and I'm not kidding; I'll send Rudistan and Morton in there right now to break his ass down. And tell everyone in the Press Room that the Police Commander will not be dictated to by the lying Fake News assholes of the Press."

"Sir, I can't say that to them..." protested Briscoe.

"I'll go tell 'em!" Cindy happily offered.

"I expect what I said to be relayed verbatim, Captain Briscoe." I said. "Get out of my office, and don't text me again unless it's actually important."

Briscoe left, and I could tell he was not happy about our 'conversation'. Tough, I thought. Why am I the only one that treats the Press like they should be treated... respect or disrespect them in the exact same measure they respect or disrespect me?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"This is Alpha-4. We've got her!" came the call.

MCD cheered as the radio messages came in. "She's groggy, but seems to be okay. We are taking her to University Hospital now."

"Roger that." said Lt. Croyle. "Crime Lab team, meet them at the Hospital. Also send a team to inspect the scene where she was found."

"This is Commander Troy." I said into the radio. "Congratulations, good job by everyone. Alpha-4, come to Headquarters and my office when you are done at the Hospital."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"She was just lying there, sir, asleep." Patrolman Johnson said. She was lying on a white sheet, which is what we saw in the moonlight. She had her coat on, and her breathing and heartbeat were slow like she was sleeping, but otherwise she seemed to be okay."

"Did she see anything when she was kidnapped, or afterward?" I asked.

"She was incoherent at the scene, sir." said Patrolman Barker, one of the newer Officers on the Force. "She was murmuring, but no clear words."

"Okay." I said. "Good job, guys. Report to your Sergeant, and get your written reports in as fast as you can."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

3:00am, Thursday, March 9th. Information was coming in fast and furious. I'd told my Captains to gather it and put it together into reports for my consumption. I told Captain Briscoe to announce that the girl was found, and that no more statements would be made until the next morning. Though the Press continued to make demands that I personally address them, it became clear I'd be doing no such thing, and they finally cleared the Press Room and went to the Hospital.

Cindy and Teresa knocked on my door and came into my office. "Sir, is the Chief here?" asked Cindy.

"He's asleep in his office." I said. "I told him the girl was found and that he should go home and get some rest. He said he'd rest here in case something came up. So, whaddya got, Angels?"

Teresa started: "The girl Henrietta was admitted to the Hospital for observation. She was drugged with a sedative, but will be fine after she sleeps it off. She was not physically harmed otherwise, and was not sexually molested.

"One of our Officers interviewed Heather and Jen Lance last night." Teresa continued. "Heather said she and Henrietta were talking on the front porch and Heather had to go to the restroom. When she got back to the porch, Henrietta wasn't there, and was nowhere in sight. Heather thought Henrietta had just walked home, even though she wasn't supposed to, and didn't even say anything to her mother for a while. Then Carla Claymore came over to pick up Henrietta, and that's when the hysterics started... with Jen and Carla. Both women became very upset, and still are."

"And Heather saw no cars on the road, no one else walking on the sidewalk at all?" I queried.

"She says she saw no one and no cars at the time Heather disappeared." Teresa said. "She said cars passed by over time, but she took no notice of them." I nodded.

"Sir," said Cindy, "the Crime Lab team got the sheet that the girl was lying on. The only footprints leading to it were our Police Officers's. They said they looked for footprints as they walked, and saw none. They tried to be careful about doing as little as possible to mar the scene, one walking in right behind the other. But they had to approach the girl and check her out when they found her."

"Of course." I said. "So where was she as we look at the map?"

"Along the same road that Kevin was dragged upon to his death." Teresa said. "But much further east, not far at all from County Road 5."

"Any camera footage into that area?" I asked. "Or along the way that might show us a car that came from the River Valley subdivision to that farm?"

"Myron and Mary are gathering that, sir." said Cindy. "But I'm not hopeful. The perp could've taken a hundred different routes to get there, including all the way around the Bypass from the south side."

"Sir," said Teresa, "I want to apologize for my poor plan in searching for this girl. You are right that it was bad----"

I held up a hand. "Don't apologize. What you were doing was very much standard procedure. You also did very well making sure every road out of the County was covered. We'll discuss more efficient deployments at a better time. For now, tell the Night Shifts to continue looking for suspicious vehicles, and everyone else can stand down... after their police reports are turned in, of course."

Part 9 - The True Enemy

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the lovely redheaded reporterette at 7:00am, Thursday, March 9th, from in front of Police Headquarters. "Ten-year-old Henrietta Claymore was found alive and unharmed last night after disappearing late yesterday afternoon or early evening!"

"Police Commander Donald Troy has refused to give the Press any information about the girl's disappearance nor her recovery." Bettina continued. "Commander Troy also refused to update the Press with any information as the search for young Henrietta was underway. Fortunately for Commander Troy, his Police Officers found the girl alive and well. After asking if the FBI was being asked to assist in the search for the girl, Channel Two News was told that Commander Troy had not asked for such help, and that he didn't need it."

"I am going to have Briscoe's ass spinning on this crowbar." Cindy said, her voice full of anger, her ice-blue eyes blazing with cold fury.

"No no no no..." I said. "Briscoe didn't say any of that. Bettina made that shit up, if I don't miss my guess."

"And in other news," Bettina said, "Governor Val Jared continues to insist that the SBI will be dismantled, and all that is left will be expected to support inferior local Law Enforcement personnel, even as the Budget battle continues to be deadlocked. The SBI has been gutted largely by the actions of Commander Donald Troy, who arranged the Legislative compromise that has left our State at the mercy of drug lords."

*CLICK!*

The television screen went black, briefly protesting as the power to it was cut off. The remote was in the Green Crowbar's hands. I have rarely seen her so angry.

"I can't listen to any more of that shit." Cindy said. "I am getting tired of that bitch!" She stalked out of the room.

"If she hadn't have turned it off," said Joanne Warner, "I would have... by throwing something at the screen."

"What is up with her?" asked Theo Washington, who had a stunned look on his handsome face.

"I dunno." I said. "I must've done something right. The Press hates me the most when I do something right. All right, I have work to do. Y'all have a great day, and let's bust some perps." With that, I headed back to my office.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"This is Priya Ajmani, Five-Alive News in the Morning!" said Priya at 8:00am from in front of City Hall. "Five-Alive News is continuing its coverage of the aftermath of the disappearance and rescue of Henrietta Claymore last night! Let's go to trusted reporter John Hardwood for the latest. John!"

"Thank you, Priya." said Hardwood, who was in front of the Courthouse complex. "Although Henrietta Claymore was found safe just hours after disappearing, the Press is being stonewalled in obtaining the facts you have a right to know, about what happened last night. Commander Donald Troy refused to speak with the Press last night, and also has refused to issue any statements to the Press regarding the investigation."

"Additionally, continued Hardwood, "Five-Alive News has learned that Jay Swenson and Ken Eidex of 'Citizens For Police Accountability" plan to file a lawsuit against Commander Donald Troy, saying he authorized forced warrantless searches of Citizen's cars during the hours Ms. Claymore was missing. Commander Troy has not responded to our repeated requests for comment."

"John," Priya asked as the television went to split-screen, "were any citizens actually searched without a warrant?"

"Mr. Swenson and Mr. Eidex believe so." said Hardwood. "Additionally, Priya, citizens complained about being detained by Police if they objected to having their cars searched."

"That is total bullshit!" snarled a very angry Cindy Ross as we watched in my office.