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  Then I heard the noise again. It was a voice. I listened. It was two voices. A chill went down my spine. Maybe this was the real Ghost House.

  Then I heard the voice more clearly. I recognized it. It was Dell Streeter. He was talking to someone. I could even discern the twang in his speech. It was tense, and he was upset.

  I wondered if he was speaking with Sadie. That would be a disaster. But how did she make it all the way over here? How did she get past the bodyguards? How did she get into a locked house?

  I stepped toward the living room and listened. I could hear the voice in the living room, too. I stepped carefully, conscious of the possibility of creaking boards below my feet.

  I realized where the sound was coming from. I got down on my knees and lowered my head toward the floor. This house had a cellar.

  I heard the other voice. It was softer and harder to understand.

  There was some kind of question-and-answer exchange going on between the two people. Streeter was much louder. He was under stress, I could tell.

  Then I heard the other voice again. It was female. And she had an edge of anger in her voice.

  It was Sadie.

  Where was the goddamn entrance to the cellar? Now I started to scramble around, looking for it. I’d seen too much heartache recently and couldn’t deal with the idea of another dead kid. It was as close to panic as anything I had ever experienced.

  I headed into the kitchen to cut across the house. Then I saw it.

  It could have been mistaken for a tall cabinet door. Wedged between the refrigerator and pantry, it was easy to overlook.

  It was the entrance to the cellar.

  Chapter 83

  I had to play this just right. I didn’t want to startle Dell Streeter into doing something drastic. I didn’t want Sadie to be caught in a shoot-out between me and the Texas drug dealer.

  There was no way to disguise the light from upstairs as I took the stairs into the cellar.

  I went down the steps carefully, with the gun out in front of me. I ducked so I wouldn’t be such an easy target, but I was still headed down the stairs no matter what happened. Dell Streeter could be standing there with a shotgun, and I would’ve pushed past him to get to Sadie.

  It wasn’t completely black at the bottom of the stairs. There was a short, twisting corridor, and I could see light coming from the end.

  Now I could hear them clearly. Sadie sounded angry.

  I came around the corner with my pistol raised so I could fire immediately.

  Then I froze.

  I lowered the gun slightly and blinked. I wasn’t sure I was seeing the scene before me correctly.

  Dell Streeter was in the far corner of the room, holding himself up on a table built into the wall. Blood was seeping out of a gunshot wound on his upper left leg. I could also see where Sadie had jabbed him with the knife on his shoulder. Streeter’s Emmitt Smith jersey was ripped, and blood dripped down his arm.

  Streeter said, “Never thought I’d be glad to see a cop.”

  When he saw how shocked I was, he yelled, “Do something!”

  In another corner, on the opposite side of the room, Sadie stood with a pistol in her hand. A blued 9mm semiautomatic. It looked like a Beretta. And she was holding it pretty well.

  I was very careful when I said, “Sadie, are you all right?”

  She didn’t take her eyes off her target. Good girl. Then she said in a very calm voice, “I’m doing great. The best I’ve done in a couple of years. But you probably don’t want to see what’s about to happen.”

  Then Dell Streeter screamed at me, “Are you crazy? Get that gun away from that bitch!”

  Sadie still didn’t look at me but said, “Will you please lower your gun? It makes me nervous.”

  I was still so shocked and, frankly, confused that I lowered the gun without thinking.

  Now Streeter yelled, “No! Don’t do what she says. Shoot that bitch.”

  Sadie said, “This is long overdue. I’ve lived my life in fear. I have nightmares about waking up with dirt over my face. Whenever a kid disappears from high school, I feel like I’m the only one who knows what happened. He’s ruining this town, and I can do something about it.”

  Streeter was shrill. “Are you kidding me? You’re listening to this bullshit? She broke in my house. Snuck up on me and stabbed me with a damn knife.”

  He continued, “When I was all confused and in shock she shoved me down the stairs. Then she shot me in the leg. Now you’re worried that she’s okay. Give me a break.”

  Sadie said, “I’ve got to do something. He’s a disease, and he’s spreading.”

  I said, “This isn’t the answer.”

  “What is? Arresting him and taking him to jail, where they’ll release him the same day? Or is the answer to protect him from people in the town? Because so far everything I’ve seen anyone do fails.”

  She didn’t seem to be the least bit afraid. And that made me afraid. If she truly believed she had nothing to lose, then she was desperate. And desperate people are rarely open to negotiation.

  Sadie said, “Mike, you’ve been good to me. But I know how seriously you take your job. And when this is all over, I want you to be able to say you did your duty.”

  I turned from Dell Streeter back to her and said, “What are you talking about?”

  “I want you to toss your gun onto the ground. You know I’m not going to hurt you. But I don’t want you to try to interfere.”

  I hesitated.

  Sadie said, “Mike, put your gun on the ground right now.”

  I had heard that tone before. Many times. It was the tone used by people who weren’t bluffing. I bent my knees, then tossed the gun a few feet away onto the raw concrete floor. I had given up my gun in tough situations before. It always gave me a sick feeling in my stomach.

  This was no exception.

  Chapter 84

  I immediately went into my negotiator mode. I said, “We can work this out, Sadie. It’s not too late.”

  “Too late for what? This is exactly what I should be doing. There’s nothing that can happen to me that’s worse than what I’ve already been through.”

  I thought about that, and it made me sad. She was right. Life had dealt her a bad hand. But she was bright, determined, and so very, very young. She probably didn’t believe it at that moment, but she had a lot of life in front of her. I couldn’t let her give it up. Especially because of a shitbag like Dell Streeter.

  My heart broke at the thought of Sadie getting in trouble for this. I tried not to sound like I was pleading, but it was hard to do anything else.

  “Sadie, sweetheart, please don’t use that gun.”

  She stared straight ahead over the barrel of the pistol pointed at Dell Streeter.

  “Think about the consequences. You’re smart. Really smart. You can do anything in this world. But not if you’re rotting in some jail.”

  “Who says I plan to go to jail? And if I don’t do anything to him, it’s only a matter of time before he kills me. You know that. I’m a witness against him. It’s bad business to let someone like me live.”

  I was at a loss. And I was desperate. I felt like I was falling down a hole and couldn’t get my footing. How could I stop her from doing something crazy? She was too far away for me to try to make a grab for the gun. I also wasn’t sure I wouldn’t hurt her if I threw my whole body against her.

  I looked over at Streeter. He was still on his feet, but blood was pouring out of the bullet wound in his leg now. He was sweating, and his hair was pasted to his forehead.

  Sadie said, “You don’t have to be here. I’m fine. Really. It would be better for both of us if you just left.”

  “I can’t do that, Sadie. I couldn’t walk away from anyone in as much pain as you.”

  Now Dell Streeter sounded outraged. “She’s in pain? Are you kidding me? Look at me. The gimpy bitch stabbed me and put a bullet in me.”

  Sadie was very calm when she said, �
��Please believe me. I’m okay. I’m fine. I know what I have to do.”

  I said, “What do you think you need to do?”

  “I need to make this guy admit everything he’s done. If you’re here, I might as well make him tell you where he hides his heroin. That way, no matter what, you’ll at least have something on him.”

  Streeter said, “C’mon, Bennett. I’m not much for gun control, but you need to disarm her. Right now.”

  Sadie directed her comments to Streeter. She said, “I’m going to make you talk. You’re going to tell us about all the shit you’ve done around here.”

  “I’m not saying nothing. You can’t make me talk. I don’t even have to invoke my Fifth Amendment rights. You’re not a judge, and I don’t have to say shit.”

  That’s when Sadie pulled the trigger again.

  Chapter 85

  I flinched at the sound of the gun going off. Inside the cellar, with the tight walls and good insulation, it sounded like a bomb. The acrid smell of gunpowder made me queasy when I thought about the consequences.

  The croak that came out of Dell Streeter when the bullet struck him made me realize there was no turning back. He let out a strangled cry. No real words, just some whimpering.

  And Sadie kept her steady stance, with the pistol still up in front of her. She was cool and calm. And that was frightening.

  I looked over at Dell Streeter, who had fallen back onto a box. The second bullet had struck his other leg almost at his hip. He squirmed in pain as blood pumped out of the wound.

  Now it was important to keep Sadie engaged with me. I had to keep her mind off what she had just done. I didn’t want it to be a stepping-stone for something worse. Although at this point, it couldn’t get much worse.

  I said, “Sadie, look at me, sweetheart.”

  She kept her focus on the wounded Dell Streeter.

  “You have to believe me when I tell you this will all work out. Just give me the gun, and we’ll walk out of this house together. No one will hurt you. I swear to God.” I meant that more than anything else I had ever said. I would kill anyone who tried to harm this girl. This girl who, despite everything else, was still just a child. Vulnerable and desperate. I had to help her.

  Sadie said, “You’ve been good to me. You’re a good father. Living back in the Ghost House with your family showed me what life could be like. What I missed out on. And it’s all because of men like this. And nothing ever happens to them. Bad things only seem to happen to people around them.”

  I thought about the drug dealer who had used Brian. How Brian’s life was ruined because he met that man. Maybe Sadie was right. This was the only way to deal with scum like this.

  Sadie took a step forward.

  I could see a change in Dell Streeter’s attitude as she crept closer to him with the gun still in her hand.

  Sadie said to Streeter, “Tell us about all the evil that went on around here. Tell us where you hide your drugs. Tell me how you’re going to explain yourself when you meet God.”

  Streeter started to jabber at me. “Bennett, stop fooling around. Do something. You’re a cop. You can’t let this happen.”

  Damn it. He was right. But I couldn’t hurt Sadie, either.

  Now she was standing directly in front of the drug dealer. He still hadn’t admitted to anything. He hadn’t done anything other than plead for his life. It made me wonder how many people had pleaded for their lives in front of him. Had he ever listened?

  Then Sadie touched the barrel of the pistol to his chest.

  Chapter 86

  I watched, frozen in time and space, with Sadie holding the gun to Dell Streeter’s chest. I calculated the distance across the room and realized Sadie would have plenty of time to pull the trigger before I made it halfway there.

  Dell Streeter’s face reflected the light from the single bulb hanging in the middle of the room. Sweat poured off his nose and chin as he tried to maintain some sense of composure. But his body betrayed him. He was shaking uncontrollably. The blood from the bullet wounds in his legs had now stained his pants past his knees.

  And the girl he had tried to bury alive was holding a gun to his heart.

  I felt helpless as I watched the scene unfold.

  Sadie didn’t look nervous or frightened. This was something she had considered doing for a long time. Then I realized that part of her motivation was to protect my family. She didn’t want anyone from the town, or Dell Streeter himself, to do anything that might hurt one of the kids. She was trying to help.

  Quickly I said, “Sadie, I can protect the family. I can protect you. The kids, Mary Catherine, and Seamus are all safe. We’ll be headed back to New York soon. You don’t have to do this.”

  Sadie kept staring at Dell Streeter, not moving the gun an inch. She said, “What about protecting the kids he keeps selling this shit to? What about the next time he gets away with some terrible crime? What happens if he just runs away and I have to worry about him coming back to kill me someday?”

  “I can protect you.”

  “I can protect myself.” She pushed the gun against Dell Streeter’s chest even harder. For the first time she raised her voice. “Talk. Tell us where the drugs are.” She meant business, and I knew it.

  Streeter stared straight ahead like he was imagining he was someplace else. A place where someone wasn’t holding a gun to his body. He didn’t make a sound.

  Sadie said, “Tell us where the drugs are or you’ll hear this gun go off again, and you won’t like it. I’ve already shot both legs. I’ll need a new target.”

  Streeter cut his eyes to the gun but remained silent.

  That’s when Sadie took a step back, looked down the barrel of the pistol, lowered it slightly, and pulled the trigger.

  Again the sound erupted in the small room like a lion’s roar. I was a little more prepared for it, but it was still shocking. The muzzle flash blinded me for a second. As soon as my hearing came back I heard a wild wailing.

  My eyes focused, and I realized that Sadie had shot Streeter in the hand. She had blown off a couple of his fingers, and blood was gushing out of the stumps.

  Streeter’s eyes bulged at the sight of his mangled hand.

  Now Sadie stuck the warm barrel of the gun to Streeter’s temple.

  That did it. I don’t know if it was the sight of his destroyed hand or the feeling of the gun mashed against his skull. Dell Streeter started to talk.

  “Okay, okay, okay. The stash is in my office. The room with the computers. At the top of the closet, there’s a hole in the ceiling that’s hidden. We keep everything there. I swear. Just lower the gun.”

  Sadie said, “That’s all I needed to hear.” She looked at me. “That would be enough to send him to jail, right?”

  I just nodded. I didn’t care what it took—I wanted her to step away from him while he was still alive.

  Sadie said, “Good.” Then she took half a step away from Streeter and aimed the gun at his head.

  Now I rushed forward and shouted, “No!”

  Once again, the sound of the gunshot in the enclosed cellar was deafening. The smell of the gunpowder was sickening. And the idea that this young girl had been pushed to murder was devastating.

  Then I looked across the room. Sadie was starting to cry as she dropped the pistol.

  Dell Streeter just stared at me. Terrified.

  Sadie had fired over his head intentionally. And now everything had caught up with her. She leaned against the shelves on the wall of the cellar and started to weep.

  I crossed the room to hug her.

  Chapter 87

  The last thing I wanted was Sadie facing some kind of attempted murder charge. I left her sitting on the bottom step of the cellar stairs. I grabbed some rags off a workbench and did my best to stem the blood pouring out of Dell Streeter’s legs. He whined the whole time.

  His hand was the ugliest injury. The fingers were gone. There was nothing I could do about that. He flinched and grunted as
I wrapped a towel around his bloody stumps.

  I said, “Hold that in place with your other hand.”

  All he had the strength to do was nod.

  The wound on his shoulder was superficial, but I could see where it would’ve startled the shit out of him. I’m sure he never expected a teenage girl like Sadie to sneak up behind him and stab him with a butcher knife. It didn’t matter what the knife did to him: the shock was what allowed Sadie to get control of him.

  As I was tying a rag around the wound on his right leg, Streeter seemed to focus and looked at me.

  He said, “Is it going to be hard to arrest her for attempted murder?”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “That crazy little bitch tried to kill me.”

  “That’s how it may look from your perspective. I saw a girl acting in self-defense. I suspect just about any jury would view it the same way. I don’t see any story line in which a drug dealer under investigation for murder isn’t considered a threat to a helpless girl.”

  “That girl is anything but helpless.”

  I had to smile. “You’re right. I meant helpless-looking girl.”

  “So all that talk about justice is just bullshit?”

  “Justice comes in many forms. Some might say you’re escaping justice by being arrested and not giving the people of this town a chance to deal with you.”

  “I’m not worried about any charges you try to file against me for information I gave up while being tortured. This is still America. No judge will allow anything you find in this house in court. Nothing I said will ever be repeated in front of a jury.”

  He wasn’t quite as stupid as he looked. He had a point, and I’d already considered it. I heard someone shout from upstairs.

  “Police. Is anyone down there?”

  I shouted, “Yeah, we’re down here. We need some paramedics.”

  A few minutes later, after professionals were tending to Dell Streeter, Sadie and I were safely upstairs. Police cars from the state and county were starting to pull into the compound along with a fire engine. I guess the fire department didn’t get enough calls and wanted to be in on anything that might happen. Firemen are like that. They like to be involved. It makes them feel better about getting paid to sleep and work out.