Failed

4247 Maplewood Dr

Sunday, February 18, 2001

5:30 PM

"This get-together was a good idea, Scarecrow." Billy sat down on the family
room sofa. "The salmon was just fantastic--Amanda really is a wonderful cook."

"Well I hope you saved some room for dessert." Lee sat in the armchair opposite.
"Amanda helped Jenna make a lemon meringue pie."

Billy grinned. "Oh, believe me--there's always room for lemon meringue pie.
Where's Mrs. West?"

"Out with Captain Curt." Secretly Lee thought there was an engagement lurking
in his mother-in-law's future, but he didn't want to say until he knew for
certain. In the distance they could hear the pleasant-sounding voices of Amanda,
Jeannie and Jenna as they played a game of Uno at the kitchen table.

Billy lowered his voice. "Jenna seems to be doing pretty well."

Lee nodded. "Yeah, she's had a pretty good run since this Thursday--no
nightmares or panic attacks."

"Things have been that bad?"

"Pretty much--the smallest event can trigger an episode--a nightmare or a
flashback--Wednesday night she nearly went into shock after seeing Johnston's
picture on the news."

Billy's expression darkened. "I heard about that press-conference--that man
deserves to be under the jail."

"Whatever they decide to do to that creep, Billy--believe me--it won't be
enough." Lee's fist clenched. "I'm not sure it ever could be."

"How's she been doing with Pfaff?"

"Pretty well, I think--she likes him--thinks he's nice--though she still wants
me to come to the sessions with her."

"She likes Pfaff?" Billy's tone was incredulous. "Wonders never cease."

"Yeah, I know." Lee said. "I do have to admit that he's done a good job--the
relaxation and breathing exercises have really helped her anxiety--she's even
agreed to let him hypnotize her."

"Why hypnosis?"

"There are some--" Lee blew out his breath and ran one hand back through his
hair "--some blank spots in her memory--when it comes to the events leading up
to and after her head injury. Pfaff says that it's possible that she might be
repressing something that happened."

"Uno!" Jenna's voice rang out. Both men fell silent for a moment until the flow
of voices resumed once again.

"You realize that it's equally possible that the head injury caused the memory
loss," Billy told him. "It's happened before."

"Of course I realize that," Lee snapped. "I just want to know for sure. She's so
frightened--"

"This is my goddaughter we're talking about--and if you're suggesting what I
think you're suggesting--then I sincerely hope you're wrong."

"I hope I'm wrong too, but right now I don't know. When you've seen your own
child shrink away from you in fear because the smell of your cologne reminds her
of her kidnapper, it's just--I picture that bastard hurting her and it makes me
feel--" Lee's fist clenched even tighter, his nails digging into the skin. "I
just want to know for sure--and I want Jenna to be able to deal with everything
that happened to her--she can't do that if she's holding it inside."

Billy nodded. "I have to agree with you there. But how are you going to feel if
you find out that something of that nature did happen to her?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know you, remember? And I know that you tend to blame yourself whenever
something happens to those you care about--even when it isn't your fault."

"Well don't worry, all right? I'm still seeing Pfaff myself."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Everyone says it wasn't my fault--Amanda, Pfaff--even Jenna told me that--I
just can't seem to tell myself." He paused. "Maybe it's because I already know
the truth."

"Which is?"

Lee looked down and away from him. "That I let Jenna down--I failed her. And no
matter what anyone says--I know this."

"Look, man--I raised three daughters," Billy said. "And as hard as you try, it
just isn't possible to protect them 24-7. You didn't fail her--you just didn't
know."

Lee was about to reply when Amanda came into the kitchen, the cordless in her
hand. Her face was pale, dark eyes wide. Something was wrong.

"Amanda, what is it?" Lee asked.

"That was McJohn at the Agency. The state police found a plastic bag last
night--by the side of I-81 south--" Lee could hear the tremor in his wife's
voice. "The things--they think they probably belong to Jenna."

Why would Gary have--Lee swallowed very hard. "Jenna--she didn't hear--"

"No, she has no idea," Amanda said. "But McJohn wants us down there as soon as
possible."

"You go,Lee--" Billy said. "Jeannie and I can stay here with Jenna."

 Agency Lab

6:15 PM

"The things are over here." Dr. McJohn led them over to a table near the back of
the lab. The antiseptic smell assaulted Lee's nostrils--reminding him of how
much he hated places like this. "There weren't any prints--everything was wiped
clean. Feel free to handle them--we've run all the necessary tests."

He had pretty much known what to expect--but still--as Lee approached the table
and stared down at the items--the wristwatch and the belt--he suddenly realized
he was shaking. Amanda picked up the belt.

"This is torn," she said to McJohn, lifting up the two pieces.

"Not torn, Mrs. Stetson--" McJohn said. "It was cut, probably by a sharp
pocketknife."

Lee could see the shock in his wife's eyes. "Why would he do that--cut her belt
off?" Her voice trembled--Lee's hand reached for hers.

McJohn shrugged. "At this point your guess is as good as mine. All we know is
that the items were found by a couple of hikers just outside Front Royal --in a
Ziploc bag--it had been partially buried. They thought it looked suspicious and
informed the State Police."

"I asked Francine to file a report on the missing items Friday," Amanda said
softly. "I wasn't sure if anything would come of it--but I thought--just to be
on the safe side."

"It was a good idea, Amanda." Lee squeezed her hand. "And hopefully it's more
evidence against Johnston."

He looked down at the table--at the watch. The gold Mickey gleamed on the
watch's face. Lee remembered that day at Disney World--letting Jenna choose a
watch as a souvenir--he could even picture it on her wrist.


"Dad, it's so pretty--thank you..."

  Then he thought of Gary's hands removing with watch, cutting off her belt and
then--Lee wrenched his gaze away from the items, feeling suddenly ill.

"Do you--" part of him was surprised that he still had the power of speech. "Are
there results from any of the tests yet?"

"Those will take a while." McJohn picked up a clipboard from a nearby stool.
"But we did receive some other results--I have Jenna's toxicology report."

"Toxicology?" Lee stared at the Doctor in confusion and then he remembered the
nurse back at the hospital who'd taken two vials of Jenna's blood--she'd said it
was for testing. "What do the results show?"

Dr. McJohn ran his finger down the page. "A couple of things--traces of
chloroform, which we expected--but there were also traces of chloral hydrate--"

"Chloral hydrate?" Amanda repeated.

"It's a sedative and a hypnotic--from the amount which was in her bloodstream we
think it was probably used at least twice."

Knockout drops--Lee had used the drug quite a few times in his profession. He
remembered when he and Amanda had paid Johnston a visit--to question him--he'd
mentioned his daughter Marcie--said that she wasn't a morning person. And all
that time Jenna had probably been lying upstairs in a drugged stupor--

But when else had Gary used it? When Jenna was already wounded,
bleeding--drifting in and out of consciousness? Vivid and sickening images
popped into his head--of Gary leaning over his daughter's prone form, his hands
touching--

'Stop this,' he thought. 'I have to stop doing this--'

"Lee?" Amanda's voice. Her dark eyes stared into his, filled with concern.

"I'm fine," he told her. "Really--I'm all right."

"Did you want the wristwatch back?" Dr. McJohn asked. "We have no further use
for it."

"No." Lee shook his head firmly. "No, you keep it--we don't want it anymore."

SMK SMK SMK SMK

4247 Maplewood Dr.

7:40 PM

"It's no good, Jenna," Billy was saying as Lee and Amanda entered, hanging up
their coats on the rack. The Agency's Director was seated on the sofa, holding
one of the controls for Jenna's Playstation 2. "No matter how I try-- I just
can't get Spyro to reach that darn ledge."

"It's easy--" Jenna's tone was patient. "Just turn him around to face the other
way--there's another ledge you can glide to before that one--only don't slip on
the ice because--oh no--" Lee watched the screen as the purple dragon fell into
the abyss.

"Well that's okay--you have one more life I think," Jenna told Billy. Lee found
himself unable to suppress a grin as he watched the scene.

Billy looked over at his wife. "Why don't you play, Jeannie?"

"No, thank you." Jeannie smiled as she turned the pages of the magazine. "I'm
really enjoying watching you."

"Ha ha," Billy said. "How about you, Lee?"

"No--that's all right," Lee said. "Believe me, I'm not any better at it than you
are--probably worse."

Jenna turned around. "Mom--Dad--hey." She ran up to them. "Is everything all
right?"

"Everything's just fine, sweetheart," Amanda said. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Jenna replied.

Lee looked down into his daughter's face--her luminous brown eyes--his throat
tightened suddenly--

"Dad, what is it?" Jenna asked, her smile fading a little. "Something's wrong."

"No." Lee wrapped his arms around her. "No, nothing's wrong at all, munchkin--I
promise."

She was alive, he thought--alive and warm and breathing--he could feel her in
his arms and she was safe--

Maybe if he kept telling himself that he would really start to believe it.

"Dad--I can't breathe--" Jenna's voice sounded muffled against his chest.

"Sorry, munchkin." Lee loosened his grip and kissed her forehead. "I just--I
love you, that's all." Looking over at Billy he saw the questions in his
face--Lee made a mental note to explain things later.

"Love you too, Dad."