CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Found unable to stand trial, Beatrice Ravel was deemed criminally insane and sentenced to life in an institution. Although that should have satisfied the team, it did not.

"Her care will not be what she needs. Not in that place," said Rachelle.

"Honey, I know. But we cannot have that woman here or anywhere near us or our families," said Gaspar.

"I know that. I'm suggesting we hire an outside specialist to help her. Just give this girl a chance, Gaspar. I think what her grandmother did to her is only the tip of the iceberg. We haven't been able to find anything on where her parents are, if they're alive or dead, nothing."

"She cannot be helped," said Matthew with a sad expression.

"But, Pops!" Rachelle protested.

"My sweet child, hear me in this. She cannot be helped. There are those who arrive into this world so damaged, so broken, that nothing can help them. She was one of those. Her upbringing only made it all the worse. Her pieces cannot be put back together. No matter how hard you try."

"Nothing, Pops?" she asked with a tear.

"Nothing, my sweet girl."

"Damn," muttered Gaspar. "I've never known someone that couldn't be helped just a little. I don't even want to know what hell she lived through."

"No. You don't." Matthew walked away from the group, his chin tucked into his chest. Irene gripped his hand, and they continued to walk together.

"There must be something we can do," said Rachelle.

"Sis, I love that you want to save them all. But I have to go with Pops on this one. They can't all be saved. You saw her. You heard her. That poor kid has been damaged her entire life. We're just now figuring out how many lives she took or ruined. We leave this one alone."

"Come along, everyone," said Claudette. "The children are trick-or-treating over at Belle Fleur. They want everyone there."

"We could use some cheer," smiled Miller.

It turned out that the children were exactly what the team needed. Costumes were worn, candy eaten, mostly by Alec and Tailor, and games were everywhere. It was good to laugh. Good to see healthy children.

They needed this.

When all the trick-or-treating was done and the kids gone to bed, the adults were doing s'mores by the fire and feeling a bit better.

"Evening, folks," smiled Sterling.

"Sterling. What are you doing up so late?" asked Mary.

"I'm gonna head home in the morning. You folks have made it so that I can do that. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. We start football playoffs next week if you feel like dropping by. The kids are excited."

"That's amazing, Sterling," said Nine.

"Strange thing, though. I got an anonymous check for a hundred thousand dollars to upgrade the park and facilities. You folks know who that came from?" he smirked.

"No."

"Nope."

"Afraid not."

"You're all terrible liars," smiled Sterling. "But you're the finest people I've ever met. Goodnight, everyone."

"Good night, Sterling," smiled Gaspar. Wilson was walking toward the fire with a big smile on his face.

"What's the grin for?" asked Miller.

"Elena and Major had their baby." The whole grove erupted in applause and cheers. "Baby girl. Hadleigh . A little over seven pounds and the fullest head of black hair I've ever seen."

"A girl," nodded Miller. "Bastard deserves to have a girl."

"We thought it was going to be a boy, but the ultrasound wasn't as clear as we thought. I don't think he's disappointed, but he did mention needing to clean his guns."

"I hear that," smirked Doc.

"Elena had a bit of trouble, but we got her out of there," said Wilson.

"One girl lost. One girl saved," said Rachelle with a sad face.

"Maybe that's the way it works," said Gaspar. "Maybe we lose one and save one. I don't know, sis. I just know that we did what we thought was right."

"That's all we can do," nodded Rachelle.

"Hey," said Code, walking toward the fire.

"Hey, brother. What's up?" asked Nine.

"We went out and looked at the cabin around Sor's place. I think Nelly was right. We found several sets of footprints out there, but someone is avoiding the cameras and the alarm triggers."

"Damn. Is he still on a case?" asked Ghost.

"Yeah. We set a few more cameras and triggers, so we'll hear it or see if something happens. She didn't want to come back with us. She said that she felt safe there."

"You're doing all the right things. We'll make sure she's safe, and when Sor gets back, he'll convince her to come here," smirked Ghost.

"You sure about that?" asked Gabe.

"Positive, brother. That's what we do. Convince those we love that being closer is the best bet." The winds began whipping across the grove, and they could see the outline of faint gray clouds coming in.

"Storm's coming," said Rafe. "Let's get everything buckled down. It could be a nasty one."

"It always is here," said his twin. Gaspar nodded at his family, looking around at the oncoming storm, he stood and called out to them all.

"Let's move, everyone. Winter is here."