Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

A s Bear gave Kyle a full examination, taking pictures of the bruising on his right arm, Carlos was busy informing his deputies that Kyle had been found. They had to cancel the Amber Alert and notify NCIC. He slipped back into Sheriff Mode, still kicking himself for having left Mount Grove in the first place.

The others were still around and even more showing up. No one was paying much attention to Owen or Zitkala.

Zoe had yet to let Kyle go–which was understandable. What surprised Carlos more was the fact that she seemed reluctant to let him step more than a few feet from them. Every couple of minutes or so, her head would snap up and she would look for him. Carlos would step back towards her and she would place her hand on his leg or hip for a few seconds and then she would return her attention to Bear and Kyle.

Carlos had even followed them into the bathroom when someone brought Kyle a change of clothes. As one might expect, Kyle had been unable to hold his bladder the entire time he'd been in his hiding place. Wet wipes provided a bird bath and Carlos placed his soiled clothing into an evidence bag.

Bear had said he was in perfect condition. A little hungry and thirsty, but not harmed. The bruises on Kyle's right arm were his only injury. Carlos needed to interview him, but his health and comfort took priority.

Jenna even sent a prospect over with dino chicken nuggets, juice boxes, and fruit snacks. In a town this small, everyone would know Kyle had been found by morning.

Carlos's mind was piecing together the events of what had happened. The biggest question he had was why Kyle had hidden. Zoe had explained their codeword, and Carlos was all for having a family safe word, but he didn't understand why Kyle would have gotten out of the shopping cart and hidden without Zoe having told him to. The bruises on his arm told Carlos he might have had help getting out of the cart.

Exhaustion pulled at everyone, including Carlos. Danny arrived with coffee and pastries, courtesy of his mom, for all of the adults. After Kyle had eaten all of his dino nuggets, Zoe had allowed him to have half of a donut too.

Steel started sending bystanders home, which Carlos appreciated. He might be back in Sheriff Mode but he was still torn between being present for Zoe and being a cop. She was still looking for him every couple of minutes, so he was sticking close.

"Kyle," he started off gently, "can you tell me what happened? Why were you hiding?"

Kyle looked up at Carlos's questions. He had pink frosting and sprinkles from the donut up his left cheek, looking entirely adorable. Zoe wasn't even scolding him for eating the toppings and not any of the actual donut. "The lady told me to. She said it was time to hide."

Zoe and Carlos exchanged a look. Even though Kyle had said ‘lady' instead of ‘Mommy', Carlos had never questioned whether Zoe had been the one to tell Kyle to hide. Her fear had been too real. No one was that good of an actress. Beyond that, Carlos trusted Zoe. She would not have put on this big show for no reason.

"Did you see anyone, Zo?"

Zoe shook her head. "I was…" She flinched. "The vitamins, they were the same brand Davis used. I don't know why… Looking at them, it hit me hard… I don't know how long I was out of it."

Carlos reached for her hand. "It wasn't your fault, sunshine."

The look in Zoe's eyes said that she didn't believe him.

Carlos turned back to Kyle. "Did this lady take you out of the cart?" At Kyle's nod, Carlos asked, "Why didn't you cry out for your mom?"

"She said it was a game and Mommy would come find me."

"Do you know the lady, Kyle? Did you recognize her?"

Kyle nodded. "She gave us pizza."

Danny, who had been standing just behind Carlos, whirled around. "Penny?" While Tony's had other female waitresses, Penny was the only one who had been placed in the vicinity of the grocery store at the time of Kyle's disappearance.

"You know her?" Zoe questioned.

"She was our waitress at Tony's," Carlos explained quickly. "I'll be right back, Zoe." He gave her a quick kiss before pulling Danny away from them. "I don't understand. Penny wasn't even in the store. I saw her outside but she left."

"Could she have come back in through the back?"

"The camera," Carlos argued. He caught Jeff's eye from across the store and waved him over. "Regardless, Kyle just identified her. Whether her intent was malicious or not, she still needs to be brought in and questioned."

As Jeff approached, Danny said, "I don't understand what she was thinking. Penny would never hurt a fly."

One could argue that Kyle hadn't been hurt, but Carlos certainly wouldn't.

"Bring Penny to the station," Carlos ordered Jeff. "Take Danny with you."

Jeff's eyebrows nearly touched his receding hairline. "Penny? As in Penny Sails?"

"Kyle just identified her as the woman who took him from the shopping cart. He says she told him to hide."

Jeff could not have looked more shocked if Carlos had just told him he was going to have a sex change. "Yes, sir. Come on, kid," Jeff said to Danny. The two of them left.

Carlos called Bulldog over. "Take Zoe and Kyle home. Check on Mom too. I need to get to the station and deal with whatever it is that's going on."

"We have witnesses including yourself that place Penny outside the store," Bulldog reminded him. "She was here."

"Without a confession, though, it's going to be hard to have a prosecutor accept Kyle's word against hers," Carlos said in a low voice. "I need her scared."

"You also need a motive." Bulldog put a hand to his shoulder. "I'll get them to Mom's. Remember, you haven't slept tonight. Might be better to get some sleep and deal with this in the morning."

Carlos shook his head. "I'm fine." He wasn't—but he also wouldn't be able to sleep until he understood what was going on. It made no sense for Penny to touch Kyle, let alone tell him to hide. Like some twisted game of hide and seek.

The brothers approached Zoe and her sprinkle-covered son. At first, Zoe protested, saying that she wanted to stay with Carlos, but Carlos encouraged her to go home and sleep. Kyle was exhausted, though full of sugar, and still needed an actual bath.

Zoe looked over to Bulldog. "You'll stay with us?"

Her fear, though reasonable, was unnecessary. If Penny was the culprit then Kyle's disappearance had nothing to do with her former identity or the warrant out for her. No bounty hunters knew where she was nor did her in-laws. Carlos needed to keep it that way and make sure that no reporters tried to interview her or take pictures. The beauty of a small town was that they might gossip amongst themselves, but they did not support outsiders.

"I'll stay until Carlos gets home," Bulldog promised.

After a quick kiss and hug from both Zoe and Kyle, Carlos watched his brother guide them away. He felt Owen's approach before he saw him.

"Kid was here the whole time," Owen muttered softly. "Unbelievable."

"Why didn't she tell me they had a codeword?" Carlos wondered. He wasn't blaming Zoe, but still felt like it was something he should have been told.

"Point of a codeword is that it's kept secret," Owen pointed out. "Additionally, Zoe might have subconsciously thought the codeword unnecessary around you."

He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse. "Kyle identified a local as the person who removed him from the cart."

"I heard. You mind if I sit in on the interview?"

"Observation only," Carlos said sternly. "I need to know what the fuck is going on and then I need to get back to my family."

Owen turned so he was facing Carlos. "I noticed you didn't correct our guest when she referred to Kyle as your son."

Carlos met the shorter man's unwavering gaze. "I have every intention of making that classification a reality. It might take time, especially after this, but I do plan on claiming him one day."

"You going to make an honest woman out of her?"

Carlos crossed his arms over his chest. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes, eventually."

Owen nodded approvingly. "What do you want to do with Zitkala?"

Carlos looked around, finally spotting her sitting cross legged on the floor by the apples. "I have no idea. Trapper had her for a reason. She's also not my priority right now."

"I've had my people looking into her. She's Cherokee."

"Should I know what that means?"

"They're an Indigenous tribe that lives mostly in Oklahoma."

"What is she doing up this way then?"

Owen shrugged. "There is a Lenape tribe in Delaware. Your great state doesn't recognize any Indigenous Tribes."

Ignoring that comment, Carlos asked, "Anything suspicious pop as to why Trapper had her?"

"Not yet," Owen answered. "I'll let you know what I find though."

Carlos nodded his appreciation. "I need to finish up here and get to the station. Let me see if Steel's willing to put Zitkala up for the night with the club."

The station didn't have an ‘interrogation room' like on television cop shows. They were a small town station that rarely had big enough crime to need a jail, let alone a designated room for interrogating people. Most of the crimes in Mount Grove were citations at best and misdemeanors at worst.

Despite it being after three-thirty by the time they got to the station, Bert had on a fresh pot of coffee and was looking more awake and alert than Carlos thought he had a right to. Carlos unlocked his office. His utility belt and badge, as well as his hat and uniform shirt had been returned to him. His cruiser had been moved from the diner and was parked outside the sheriff's office. In a way, his trip out of town seemed almost fictional. Had he really disregarded logic so much that he'd chased Trapper to a motel near Philly?

Yes, unfortunately he had.

They weren't in the station ten minutes before Jeff and Danny returned with Penny. She was wearing shorty-short pajamas and a spaghetti strap top.

As Danny placed her in Carlos's office, Carlos turned to Jeff. "You could have at least let her get dressed."

Jeff looked uncomfortable as he said, "She insisted on coming now ." After a pause he added, "She seemed disappointed that you hadn't come to get her. Danny thinks she was waiting for you."

Carlos's brows drew down. "And what do you think?"

"I think that a woman in her thirties is sorely underdressed and a little too excited about being woken up in the middle of the night by the police." Jeff scratched his chin. "She wasn't surprised to see us, Carlos."

Carlos did not like the sound of that. Penny was looking more and more guilty, but the why of it did not make sense. Carlos clasped Jeff on the shoulder in thanks before heading into his office.

Owen was already sitting on the edge of his desk, staring Penny down. She looked warily at Owen, like she was trying to place who he was, but perked up into a smile when she saw Carlos enter.

"Carlos, I?—"

"Sheriff Santiago," he interrupted, walking around his desk to take a seat in his big chair.

Her smile faltered some. "I'm sorry?"

"This is an official inquiry into the attempted kidnapping of a four year old boy, Ms. Sails. You will address me as ‘Sheriff Santiago'."

Penny sat back in her chair, the action making her chest stick out further in her small top. "Of course, Sheriff."

At Owen's grunt, Carlos glanced over at him. There was no doubt he was picking up on Penny's not-so-subtle cues. The woman hadn't even put a bra on, meaning that both of them could see her nipples as clearly as if she wasn't wearing a top. His tired brain wondered if somehow he was being pranked by a porn company trying to film him unawares.

Fortunately, though tired, Carlos had his priorities straight—and his main one was to get this interrogation over with so he could return home to his woman and her kid. He hated that he had to leave them in his brother's hands. It should be him with them, protecting and comforting them.

"Ms. Sails," Carlos started, "where were you at forty-thirty-seven yesterday afternoon?"

Penny's eyes glanced between the silent Owen and Carlos. "You know where I was. You saw me outside the grocery store." She sat forward some, revealing even more of her cleavage. "I'm sorry, Sheriff, but I don't understand why I'm here?—"

"And yet you didn't question my deputies when they brought you in?"

Her cheeks pinkened. "I assumed it had to do with your girlfriend's missing son. Anything I can do to help, you know I will."

"And why would I think you could help me at three-thirty in the morning in your pajamas?"

She licked her lips. "I assumed you wanted…comfort."

Owen snorted before returning to his stoic expression.

Carlos ignored him. "Comfort? Because you kidnapped my girlfriend's son?"

Her jaw dropped. " Kidnapped ? What, no… I mean, that poor woman. She lost her son and is probably blaming you."

"She's actually blaming herself. What I find more interesting than you trying to point Zoe's finger at me, is that you were the person who separated me from Zoe and Kyle in the store."

"Of course," she said with a sly smile. "Strong man like you? Mrs. Guthrie needed help getting her groceries to the car, poor lady."

"Did you go back inside after we spoke?" Carlos asked.

"Inside the store?" Penny shook her head. "Silly me, I forgot my wallet. I had to go back home to get it."

"Really? Because I have a witness that places you in the aisle with Kyle and his mother."

Penny's cheeks paled. "W-w-witness?" she stammered.

Carlos nodded, his face giving away nothing. "He saw you pick Kyle up out of the cart. He didn't hear what you said to him, but he saw you with Kyle."

Penny's eyes flitted about. She swallowed hard and Carlos saw sweat appear above her brow. "I… I… I needed, um, something, but then I realized I forgot my wallet."

"So you did go into the store?" Carlos questioned. "You just said you didn't."

"Like I said, silly me." She uncrossed and recrossed her legs, as if trying to draw attention to them.

"Yes, silly you, Ms. Sails. When you were forgetting your presence inside the grocery store in the very aisle where a child went missing, did you happen to talk to Kyle?"

Penny shook her head. "No, of course not."

"So my witness is lying? You didn't pick Kyle up?"

"Yes, yes, of course, it's a lie," Penny said hastily. "I would never hurt a child, Car—I mean, Sheriff . You know me better than that."

"Actually, I don't. We aren't friends, Ms. Sails. You serve me pizza on occasion, but we aren't friends."

His harsh statement made her flinch. It wasn't entirely untrue. They weren't hang-out-together friends, but they were friendly. As friendly as any two people who grew up and lived in the same small town all their lives.

"Sheriff, I—" Her eyes glanced to Owen and then back. "Could we speak in private please?"

"No," Carlos said shortly. "Why did you take Kyle out of the shopping cart, Ms. Sails?"

She swallowed nervously. "I… I… If his mother had been watching him, he wouldn't have wandered off. A poor mother that one is. She… She needs to watch her kid better instead of laying the blame at your feet when the kid misbehaves. Wandering off like that. I'd never allow my kids to do that."

As far as Carlos knew, Penny didn't have any kids. Yet, he had a sneaking suspicion that when she said ‘my kids' she meant ‘our kids'… As in Carlos's and Penny's kids.

"Kyle didn't wander off," Carlos said, ignoring the ick feeling crawling up his spine. Penny wasn't a bad looking woman and only a few years older than him. She just wasn't a woman Carlos had ever looked at as more than a fellow resident and his occasional waitress.

"I just… I may have waved at him, said ‘hi', I don't remember. I didn't hurt him though."

Carlos fought the urge to rub his temple. "Ms. Sails, in the past ten minutes since this interview started you have gone from being outside the grocery store and never having stepped foot inside, to being inside and not seeing Kyle or his mother, to seeing his mother being neglectful of Kyle, to waving and saying ‘hi' to Kyle… Please make up your mind as to where you were and what you were doing." When Penny just sat there, Carlos snapped, "The truth now, Ms. Sails."

She jumped in her chair so high that Carlos was impressed her boobs didn't pop out of her tank top. "I just… I didn't mean… It wasn't supposed to go this far!" Carlos continued to stare her down, not giving an inch. "She wasn't…" Tears started flowing down her cheeks and Carlos realized for the first time that she was wearing makeup. "I just wanted to scare her. Make her think twice about moving here, maybe, I don't know. I thought if you saw how unfit she was as a mother that you'd lose interest in her."

Though Carlos's heart sank into his stomach, he kept his expression blank. She'd done this for him ? It was so sick and twisted that Carlos had no idea what to make of it. Penny flirted with him at the pizzeria, but as far as he knew, she flirted with everyone.

Tears continued to flow and the dam broke. "I panicked. I told him to hide but he didn't act like normal kids do. He didn't run off or cause a fuss. What kid doesn't know how to play hide-and-seek?" Penny scoffed like Kyle's actions were his fault and not hers as the adult. "Then the mom, Zoe ," she said with scorn, "just kept standing there. She didn't even notice the kid was missing! I just… I panicked and I left. I know where the camera is at the back entry and I skirted around it. Next thing I knew, the kid's missing! Full on manhunt-missing and how was I to know he wouldn't come when his mom called him? I just wanted to scare her," she added, like it justified her actions. "It wasn't supposed to go this far!"

Disgust filled Carlos. "I don't get it, Penny. Why ? What would possibly make you think that any of this was okay?"

She shrugged offhandedly. "I just wanted to show you she was a bad mom."

Carlos shook his head. "You have no idea what she's been through. You have no idea how good a mom she is. You sicken me, Penny Sails. Even if Zoe and I broke up tomorrow, I'd never look at you."

Her jaw dropped. "You come to Tony's every week! Sometimes more! You can't tell me that's not to see me!"

Carlos snorted, standing. "No, Penny. That was for the pizza . Tony makes a damn good pie. You just happened to be there." He rounded the desk. "Penny Sails, you're under arrest for child endangerment and attempted kidnapping of a minor."