Gingerbread Man

only the two of them out here, and Amanda clearly needed help. Lifting her hands, Holly gently took the black wig off Amanda's head, removed the clips that held her hair up, and stroked the light brown locks away from tear-stained cheeks. She felt eyes on her, and glanced through the doorway, down the hall. Vince's gaze met hers, probing, searching for something she couldn't hope to name. Then he focused on Reggie again.
    * * *
    "PLEASE, I'VE TOLD you everything I can," Reginald said. It was amazing to Vince that the man kept calm, dignified, even when he must be going crazy inside. Guilty or not, this was traumatic. "Just tell me the other children all got home safely. I need to know."
    Sighing, the chief nodded. "The guests were questioned one by one, their names and addresses taken down. The cars of those few who came by car, were searched, plate numbers noted, and then each family was given a police escort back to their respective homes."
    Reggie protested, "I can't believe the police suspect anyone who was at my party may have been involved in something this—this—"
    "Someone at the party snatched a little girl," Vince interrupted. "There's just no way around that. It's happened. She's gone."
    Reggie closed his eyes.
    "A couple of cops went out onto the lawn with flashlights," the chief said. "They walked that path you led the kids around, during the parade."
    Reggie's head came up, eyes hopeful. "And... ?"
    "And they found Suzy Cooper's witch hat. It was near the farthest end of the parade path from the house, where all the parents were waiting. Bethany vanished between that spot and the house, on the return trip, after she'd given her own hat to Suzy."
    "No. No, that's impossible. The lawn is completely fenced in."
    "Not quite, Reg." Vince sighed, glanced at the chief, and the chief nodded at him to go on. "We found a break in the fence near that farthest point. A recent one. The bars had been sawed clean through, in an area hidden by some shrubbery. Someone planned this in advance. Someone who knew the route the kids would take."
    Reggie waved a dismissive hand. "The parade around my lawn has been the same ever since I started the party. It's never changed. Anyone who's ever been to one would know that."
    "Think, Reg," the chief said gently. "Anyone who was at one of the parties you
used to throw
would know. But you haven't thrown one in sixteen years."
    Vince met the chief's eyes. They both knew that narrowed it down. It was someone local, and someone who'd been local sixteen years ago, as well.
    "Are they searching for Bethany?" Reginald asked, looking Vince squarely in the eye in a way guilty parties didn't often do.
    "Teams of police officers and volunteer firemen were dispatched into the woods. Boat patrols are searching the lake. The FBI has been notified, and they'll be on the scene to take over by morning."
    "God, I hope they find her."
    "So do I," Vince said. He spoke quietly, glancing again toward the far end of the hall, where Holly hovered over Amanda D'Voe. Vince knew full well that Holly was teetering on the edge of what she could endure. And yet, she was hanging tough. Out in the reception area of the station, even now, she was running a wet cloth over Amanda's D'Voe's face, washing away the Halloween makeup, serving her tea, telling her not to worry. Even now, when he knew damned well she was reliving her own worst nightmares. It had been close, for a while. But she hadn't given in. She'd fought it, and she'd won. For now, at least. His admiration for her strength rose with every moment that ticked by.
    Vince drew his gaze back to Reginald. The former Hollywood star, the arrogant living legend was gone. All that remained was a frightened old man who was cold, pale, trembling. "Are you sure you're telling us everything? If there's anything you're holding back, Reg, now is the time to tell us. Trust us."
    "Trust you? There's nothing you can do to stop this, much less to help me. If there were, that little girl wouldn't be suffering God only knows what right now while you all wring your hands and question the innocent."
    "We're doing all we can do, Reggie," Chief Mallory said.
    "All you can? Well, it's not enough. Can't you see it's not enough? Look at them out there! You think it ends when you drop the case? Or when you solve it, or think you have? It doesn't, you know. Just look at that young woman in the next room. It's killing her—still. After all this time, it's still killing her. You