I hear a pop, and my fingers make contact with a straw sticking out of the container. I put my lips on the straw and take a sip. Oh my God, it’s heavenly. Even though it has a slight metallic aftertaste, it’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted. The water is cold in my mouth and my parched throat and my empty stomach. I want to guzzle the whole thing, but at the same time, I’m not sure when I’ll get more. I should save it. Ration it. That’s what a survivor would do.
I reluctantly close the top and gingerly put it back in the corner, now half empty. I’m not going to drink more until I feel really desperate. I need to know what the situation is. Will he come back? Will he give me more water? Food?
With the water tucked away, I explore the final corner of the hole. This corner isn’t empty either. I feel something there, something long and smooth. My fingers close around it. I squint as hard as I can, desperate to see something. Anything. But it’s too dark.
I keep feeling around, and I realize there are more objects in this corner. They have a similar feel and consistency. Sharp or round edges. Mostly long and thin.
Then I come across something that feels a little different. It’s round, roughly the size of a melon. But it’s not a sphere. As my fingers round the curve, I feel two large holes. My chest tightens as I realize what I’m touching.
It’s a skull.
I can’t stop screaming, even though nobody can hear me.
Chapter 29
Transcript of police interview with Dr. Alice Hebert:
“Thank you so much for speaking with us today, Dr. Hebert.”
“I thought it was my obligation to do so.”
“Can you state for the record your profession?”
“I am a child psychologist. I’ve been in private practice for the past twenty-three years.”
“So I guess you’ve seen it all then?”
“Just about, yes.”
“And what made you come forward?”
“When I found out a young girl’s life was in danger, I felt it was my moral obligation to say something. To save her life. Even if it meant breaking patient confidentiality.”
“That’s the reason we were so eager to speak with you today. We don’t know how much time Olivia has left. We’re desperate to find her.”
“I understand. I’ll do what I can.”
“Based on the fact that you’re willing to speak with us about confidential issues, I assume you believe Liam Cass is responsible…？”
“Obviously, I can’t say for sure. It’s been many years since I treated Liam. But… yes, I believe he’s capable of this.”
“When did you start treating Liam?”
“When he was seven years old. His mother brought him to me because of several disturbing statements he made in class and at home.”
“What kind of statements?”
“More than once, he mentioned the idea of wanting to trap a girl and watch her starve to death. He actually did play this out once when he was in kindergarten. He duct-taped a girl in a closet.
“I spoke to the principal at the school, and she told me about that incident in the closet.”
“It was very disturbing, obviously, and his mother was quite upset over everything.”
“What about the father?”
“I only met him once. He had a very busy job in the city, and he seemed to think we were making a big deal out of nothing. He didn’t get it. But the mother was almost hysterical. We had a session without Liam, and she ran down a list of things he had done that had scared her.”
“Such as?”
“Liam was, in many ways, mature for his age. He was very responsible. For that reason, Mrs. Cass was persuaded by him to purchase a pet hamster. Unfortunately, the first hamster allegedly escaped and she had to buy him another. Liam told her the second hamster escaped as well, but then she caught him burying it in the backyard.”
“Was the hamster dead?”
“Yes, but Liam finally admitted that he was the one who killed the hamster. He let it slowly starve to death.”
“Jesus.”
“Yes. It was quite upsetting. After a few months, it was very clear Liam was suffering from antisocial personality disorder. Do you know what a sociopath is, Detective?”
“That’s the personality disorder when you don’t feel emotions. Weren’t Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy sociopaths?”
“Most likely. As early as the 1800s, doctors who worked with mental health patients noticed some patients demonstrated outwardly normal behavior, but they had no sense of ethics or empathy. These patients were called ‘psychopaths,’ but then it was later changed to ‘sociopaths’ because of the effect these people had on society. Now both terms are used but ‘sociopath’ generally refers to a milder form of the disorder. Psychopaths are much rarer.”