Busted by Zachary O'Toole Read Free Book Online

“My Gran used to tell me stories about monsters when I was little.” Monsters and faeries and more; she’d spun tales of Ireland for him when he was young.
     
     
     
    Joe started to take off his jacket. “One thing she told me was monsters were afraid of whistling. Can you whistle?”
     
     
     
    She pursed her lips and blew, but nothing came out.
     
     
     
    “It’s tough,” he said. He had his jacket all the way off. “I can’t do it either.
     
     
     
    “There’s something else she told me about monsters,” he said as he emptied the pockets of his suit jacket. “She said that they can’t see you if your clothes are inside-out. Like this.”
     
     
     
    He pulled the sleeves of the jacket through, showing it to her. The lining was showing, the silken fabric shimmering a little in the sunlight.
     
     
     
    “Here,” he said, holding it out for her. “I think you need this more than I do. If you put this on the monsters can’t see you. You’ll be safe.”
     
     
     
    She inched forward sliding the jacket on. It hung loose on her, her arms lost in the sleeves, the hem down around her knees. When she had it on he felt the tension leave. The queasy feeling he’d had since he’d left the car faded too.
     
     
     
    “There you go, sweetheart.” He smiled at her, and she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms and legs around him, burying her head into his shoulder. Joe could feel her tremble. The blood on her nightgown was still damp, and he could feel it soak into his shirt.
     
     
     
    He stood up, holding her tight.
     
     
     
    “Okay, sweetheart,” he whispered. “There are some nice police officers here. We’re going to go over and find one. They’ll make sure you’re safe. Is that okay, princess?”
     
     
     
    She nodded, and he walked slowly out from around the building. The crowd had gone, leaving just the ambulance and the squad cars. There was an officer in one, so he walked over to it. The officer was heads-down, filling out paperwork. Joe tapped the door twice with his foot to get the man’s attention.
     
     
     
    Joe half-expected it to be Alex’s brother, but it wasn’t. The cop in the cruiser was younger than Steve or Chris, and burlier.
     
     
     
    “Can I help you?” he asked.
     
     
     
    “I’m here with Detective Russell,” Joe said. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but she was hiding in the bushes around the corner. Could you give me a hand? She’s kind of…” Joe was about to say ‘bloody’, but he stopped. He wasn’t sure it was a good word for her to hear right now.
     
     
     
    “Well, kind of a mess,” he said. He moved his arm and shifted the girl clinging to him. The front of his shirt was stained red from the blood on her nightgown. The officer’s eyes widened.
     
     
     
    “Is she—”
     
     
     
    “I don’t think so,” Joe said, cutting him off. “Just scared.”
     
     
     
    The officer got out of his car. The girl grabbed tighter around his neck and whimpered into his ear.
     
     
     
    “It’s okay, princess,” Joe cooed.
     
     
     
    “I’m just going to get the paramedics,” the officer said. “We need to get her cleaned up and checked out.”
     
     
     
    “We’ll get you something dry to wear and get rid of the stickiness, okay princess?” Joe didn’t give her much of a choice, as he was trailing the officer as he walked to the ambulance.
     
     
     
    The blonde paramedic had a moment of shock as she saw Joe and the girl. The blood on her nightgown was hidden between them and beneath the jacket she was still wearing, but it was in her hair and on her face. The officer said something to her that Joe couldn’t hear, then headed back to his car. She looked him over, and for a moment Joe felt guilty. He wasn’t sure of what, but something.
     
     
     
    “She was hiding in the bushes,” he said by way of explanation. “She says she’s okay, but there’s a lot of… mess.” As he’d done for the officer,