I flew back to the school to pick up Oak, who was clutching several papers and waiting for me outside drinking her coffee. She got in and we immediately called Meryl and put him on speaker.
“Ok boss, listen to this. I decided to speak with the school principal about recent hires, see if anyone out of the ordinary was working there. She immediately remembered this one guy because he was clearly a nomad.”
“Ok, but that doesn’t automatically make this guy a suspect,” I said.
“I know. I asked more about the fellow. He was applying to fill the role of janitor. He presented a resume and all, usual interview stuff. The interview ended and the man left, or so she thought. But them when she exited her office a few minutes later, she saw the man talking to a little girl, sort of in an intimidating way. Guess who the little girl was?”
“Luna Lampour,” I breathed.
“Yup. The principal intervened and sent the man on his way. But she recalled the scene because it had been so weird and Luna had seemed scared. But she hadn’t recalled it until I jogged her memory because it had happened at the very start of school semester several weeks ago.”
“And the man, who was he?” Meryl asked.
“Goes by the name of Bract. I’ve got the copy of his resume here with me.”
I felt a cold weight sink into my stomach. Meryl was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, “we can’t let this go, this is currently our only lead, unless you have something Senel?”
“I don’t,” I said quietly.
“Bring this Bract guy in, and don’t take any chances. Get the Sheriff’s boys to go with you. This guy is armed by Senel’s account and we don’t want anything squirrely happening.”
“Yes sir,” we said at the same time.
“Let me know when you’re on your way.”
Oak hung up just as we pulled into the Sheriff’s office. I exited the car, a little stunned. If Bract hadn’t mentioned this interaction to me after I had shown him Luna’s picture, that meant he was withholding something for sure. Had I been played so easily? Was Bract truly the culprit? The man hadn’t acted suspiciously up until now but I had to admit, this looked bad. If he had known Luna or met her that day, maybe he had taken an interest in her and been scoping her out.
We explained the situation to Morton and Salas. Morton called one of his beat cops Calloway in and then Salas and Calloway caravanned with us out to the location I had just been to that morning. We parked, and I led them through the woods along the path I now knew well. All the way, Calloway, who apparently had frequent dealings with the nomads, grumbled about low lives and vagrants.
“They’re like pigs in mud. The Forest Service calls us out at least once a week to find help to clean up these abandoned camps of theirs. It’s disgusting, trash everywhere, shit half buried, burned horse shit in the fire pits. We’ve had to start a volunteer woods clean up squad in town because it was taking us and the Forest Service boys days to get the job done. And then they move camp and we have to do it again. Complete disregard for the local law as well. They just shoo their hands at us and spit whenever they see us. Won’t listen to a word we say about picking up their trash and stop living like animals. We have to bring some of them in for drunken disorderly, their men get wasted on the edge of town stumbling all over the road and causing a scene. Had a few skirmishes with them too. Some of them came at us with spears and knives one time when we come to clean up their camp before they moved. Like we were invading their property or something and it wasn’t public land they parked their shit wagons on. Arrested those sons of bitches, they got to do three months in the hole for that. I don’t know why the commissioner don’t pass some law to get the whole lot of them thrown out of Melspol. Damn nuisances.”
“We’re almost here,” I said, cutting Calloway’s diatribe short as we approached the ravine where Bract was camped. We fanned out a bit and I took the lead. When we got within sight of the trailer, I called, “Mr. Bract, are you home?”
There was no immediate response. I moved a little closer. I could see that a change had overcome the camp. Many items that had been around that morning were gone, presumably in the trailer now. The plants were line up next to the door as though staged to be moved inside soon. The fire in the pit had been put out. It looked as though Mr. Bract intended to move. Damn, another bad sign. But I didn’t say anything as we moved closer. “Mr. Bract, we need to speak with you.”
The door of the VW opened and Bract immerged, holding his bow loosely at his side.
The moment Calloway saw the bow, he pulled his gun, pointed it at Bract and roared, “Wiggin’s Sherrif Office! Put the weapon down now!”
Bract gazed out at the scene, blinked at me in recognition, and then complied in the slow, calm manner he had used during our first altercation.
“Hands behind your head!” Calloway shouted and Bract intertwined his fingers behind his head.
“Step out of the trailer!”
Bract did so. I moved forwards a few paces and spoke as evenly as I could, “Mr. Bract, we need to bring you in for questioning, there is evidence that you spoke to the victim several weeks before she went missing. If you could please come with us.”
Bract gazed at me for a moment, completely ignoring the other three. Then he nodded and began to walk forwards.
“Whoa there, not so fast,” Calloway said. “We need to search him.”
Bract waited patiently as Salas patted him down, reaching his legs last and, I realized with an internal groan, his hunting knife.
“He’s got a knife,” Salas said, removing the weapon.
“Cuff him,” Calloway said.
“There’s no need-” I began, but Salas was already pulling his cuffs and instructing Bract to lower his hands. A moment later with Salas in front and Calloway behind, still holding his gun, we began to march.
“If you’re arresting him, don’t you need to read him his rights?” Oak asked, staring at the tall form of Bract as we walked through the trees.
“He’s got no rights, he a damned illegal immigrant,” Calloway dismissed.
No one else said a word after that. We marched to the cars and there was a short standoff when I suggested that Bract come with us to our office in Cresel. Calloway seemed reluctant to let the man out of his sight and I didn’t feel like arguing about jurisdictions.
“Meet us at our office then,” I said. “We’ll be conducting the interview there.”
“Interrogation you mean. He’s a suspect in a kidnapping,” Calloway grunted, shoving Bract unceremoniously into the back of their car.
“He’s a person of interest, Calloway, not a suspect. There’s no evidence of foul play at this time,” I corrected coolly.
“There will be in about half an hour,” Calloway muttered as he got in.
We drove back to Cresel, myself feeling glum. I didn’t like the way that had gone down. Oak looked a bit edgy as well. “Calloway’s always been a bit aggressive, but I’ve never seen him this over the top,” she commented. “He likes his law and order straight up from the few times I’ve worked with him.”
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“Sounds like he’s got reason to be frustrated,” I admitted. “But that’s no excuse to take it out on a potentially innocent man.”
As I said it, I felt a familiar twisting in my gut, recalling the man I had beaten almost to death during my final raid on the child labor syndicate. As much as I hated to admit it, I had been in a similar position, though in my case, I had been 100% certain the suspect we had been in the process of apprehending had been responsible for the deaths of two children who had died of suffering heat exhaustion while they had been forced to labor for the drug lords. Even if I cared to convince myself that my actions had been righteous and Calloway’s actions were abusive of power, I feared they stemmed from the same root.
When we arrived at the station, we waited for Salas and Calloway to march Bract into the interrogation room. They deposited him in a seat and then we all convened in the main office to assess the situation.
“Deputy Salas, you and I will conduct the initial interview,” Meryl decided. “After that, Senel, you can ask any follow up questions that you see fit. Oak, I want you in with us to take notes.”
Which left me and Calloway sitting stiffly in the office room, glaring around. I logged onto my computer after a moment, scrolling through some of the public forums we had put up about Luna’s abduction. Ashley was going through them every couple of hours in between answering the call line, but I wanted to see for myself. So far, most of the comments were just expressing their sadness about the situation. A few were teachers mentioning how wonderful of a student Luna was. I scrolled around for about twenty minutes before the trio trooped out of the interrogation room, Meryl shaking his head.
“What’s up?” I asked, standing.
“Guy won’t say a damn word to us,” Salas said. “Clammed up. Confirmed his name, that was it. We can’t get him to even look at us in the face.”
“These nomad types are all like that,” Calloway informed us. “When those assholes attacked us as their camp we were trying to clean, we tried to take their statements afterwards. Not a word out of any of them, they wouldn’t even talk to the attorney.”
“Let me talk to him,” I said, striding forwards.
Calloway coughed, but I ignored him. Meryl shrugged. “Have at him.”
“Oak, with me.”
We headed into the interrogation room. Bract looked up as we entered and his gaze fixed on me for a moment before he panned over our heads to the corner made by the ceiling and the far wall. We took the seat opposite him. He was sitting straight backed, his hands folded in the cuffs, his body language was self-possessive.
“Mr. Bract,” I said. “I apologize for the way officer Calloway acted towards you. There was no need for the cuffing and no need for him to pull his gun.”
I stood and held out the key to the cuffs. After a moment, Bract extended his arms and I undid them and handed them to Oak. Bract folded his hands on the table where we could easily see them, but continued looking at the upper corner.
“Would you be willing to answer a couple of questions? After that, you’ll be free to go.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, but other than that, he said nothing.
“I want to ask you about the day you came to Wiggins Elementary to seek a job. This was about three weeks ago at the beginning of the school semester, correct?”
Bract hesitated for a moment, and then nodded curtly. Oak began to scribble on her notepad.
“You were looking to fill an ad for a school janitor, is that right?”
Another nod.
“Had you ever been employed with the school district before?”
Bract shook his head.
“Why did you seek the janitorial job?”
Bract leveled his eyes with me. “I see an ad in the paper. I get them in town from the recycling center. I need a job, and I have no skilled labor background for the other jobs listed, like office jobs. The janitorial job is no skilled labor.”
“How did the interview with the principal go?”
“Fine, but I think she does not want to hire me, because I am a nomad.”
“And we have it from the copy of the resume you gave her, that you had worked janitorial at a movie theatre before this, as well as a landscaper and a fruit picker.”
Bract nodded.
“As you were leaving the interview, did you speak to Luna Lampour that day Mr. Bract?”
Bract let out a breath and glared determinedly at his corner.
“Please Mr. Bract. If you don’t answer the questions, you will continue to be prosecuted until you do.”
Bract sighed. “I do not know her name then. I just recognize her face.”
“You recognize her face from where?”
Bract rolled his gaze onto me. “From that day in the Kasepo camp when they are arguing that I tell you about already.”
“Luna was there that day in the Kasepo camp?”
“No, not in the camp. There is arguing and shouting and crying, but I am looking around a lot and I suddenly see two faces on a ridge behind the camp. I do not see them very clearly, but one is dark and one is light, they are girls, young. And I can tell they are townie, because of how they dress. They see me too I think, and they vanish.”
“And you recognized Luna as one of these two girls that day at the school?”
“I recognize her hair in the braids from that day and her skin color is dark and I think it is her. I know I shouldn’t talk to her, but I want to warn her to stay away from nomad camps. It is dangerous for a townie girl to be spying on other people’s business like that.”
“What did you say to Luna?”
“I say I recognize her and ask if she recognize me from that day. She says yes. I tell her don’t go around spying on that camp or any other camps. It’s dangerous. She looks scared but she should be. It is not right for her to spy.”
“And what did she say?”
“Nothing. That principal lady come and tell me to leave. I don’t get the job obviously.”
“And did you ever see Luna again, or talk to her again after that?”
“No, never. Not until you show me the picture of her this morning. Then I am remembering seeing her that day at school.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about that when we were talking earlier?” I said, my frustration seeping out a trickle. “We could have avoided this whole mess.” I swept my hand around.
Bract’s beard moved back and forth for a moment. “I was afraid you will think I have something to do with her kidnapping.”
I let out an exasperated breath. “Why?”
“Because, I am an easy target. All our people are an easy target for you police to accuse. I’ve seen it many times and I don’t want to be the next one locked up.” He fixed me with a steely glare. “I have done nothing to this child and I would never do anything to any child.”
His eyes flickered with something like pain for a moment. I gazed at him for a long moment and then stood. “You’re free to go, Mr. Bract.”
Bract stood slowly as though unsure if I was being sincere. Oak raised her eyebrows at me, shrugged and then went to get the door for us both. We all filed out.
“I can give you a ride back to the road by your van,” I said as we entered the office. Bract looked at me. Before he could answer, there was a loud exclamation from the office. Calloway was on his feet, staring at Bract.
“What, are you letting him go?” he blustered.
“There’s no probable cause to hold him,” I said.
Meryl strode out of his office. He gave me a sharp look and then nodded. “Let him go. If Senel is satisfied than so am I.”
I marched Bract to the door without another word and we exited. I got in the car and motioned him to the front passenger’s seat this time. He got in gingerly and we headed out.
For several long minutes there was silence. Finally I said, “were you intending to leave the area after our conversation this morning?”
Bract turned to look sideways at me. Then he nodded.
I hesitated and then said, “do you know of a nomad camp far northwest of here. Large, about three hundred strong?”
Now Bract was looking surprised. “I’ve heard of it. Never been there. How do you know of it?”
“I saw the place. Do you think the Kasepo group is there?”
“Possibly. They could be also be anywhere by now.”
“Why do you think the girl Lysha was taken? What message could be sent by terrorizing an innocent child?”
“I don’t know,” Bract said, and for the first time, a hint of frustration came into his voice.
“You know more than I do,” I remarked.
“And how is that supposed to be helpful? I’m not one of your cops. I’m not interested in law and order of this country. I’m not interested in questioning people. I just want to be allowed to live in peace.”
“You don’t care about the lives of two young girls, kidnapped and afraid out of their minds?”
Bract didn’t say anything to that. We made our way towards Wiggins, winding along the curving highway.
“There are a lot of sad stories out there Inspector. Most of them don’t have happy endings.” He fingered his wild beard. “Why do you not ask these questions in front of those other officers?”
“Because, I don’t think you would have answered them.”
“Because they would have thrown me in jail. I have no rights in this country after all.”
“Maybe they would have held you for a time. But DI Meryl is a fair man. He wouldn’t arrest someone without good evidence.”
“Maybe not, but like I said, my people are easy targets.”
“As are children.”
Bract didn’t reply. By now we were close to his stop off the small highway. I pulled up to the now well-known little pathway leading into the woods.
“Listen Mr. Bract, I want to ask for your help.”
“My help?”
“I need to get into that nomad camp.”
Bract turned to stare at me. “You’ll be very unwelcome there. They may even attack you. My people have no love for your laws and police.”
“That’s why I need your help. An introduction, that’s all I’m asking. Surely there is someone in charge or someone I can have a conversation with.”
Bract sniffed and shook his head. “You ask a lot of me.”
“Will you do it?”
“Just you?”
“And my partner Oak.”
Bract’s beard scrunched as he chewed his tongue. “If I help you, I will be compensated?”
I had wondered if this might come up. “I can’t pay you,” I said slowly. “But I can process a hunting permit for you. So that you won’t be arrested for illegally hunting on the National Forest.”
Bract mulled this over. “Ok, we have a deal.”
“When can you go?”
Bract glanced out the window at the lowering sun. “Night is best.”
“Ok, we can pick you up just after sunset. Here at this spot?”
Bract nodded slowly. He got out of the car. But before he closed his door, he popped his head back in. “Don’t wear your uniforms. And make sure your weapons aren’t visible.”
I nodded and watched him disappear into the woods, hoping that I had not just made a horrible mistake in letting him go.