The huge gate opened gloomily as if he knew what had happened. Detective Leary’s car strolled past the security pavilion and waved at the elderly porter. Leary had come nearly a dozen times this week, and the doorman knew both him and his car.

“Back to Mrs. Dolson?” The porter asked almost rhetorically.

“Yep. We are getting closer to little Alice’s kidnappers. Still, I need to confirm some facts with poor Mrs. Dolson.

“She will be pleased to hear that, I’m sure,” said the porter and waved again.

It had been six days since Mrs. Gloria Dolson called the police shortly after 9 pm, crying hysterically that her daughter had been abducted. This kind of thing rarely happened in gated communities, so the media was all over the story, which frustrated Leary immensely. He knew that they were trying to do their job. In doing so, though, they gave out information to the criminals and made the policeman’s job a living hell. Journalists were like predators, ready to shatter anyone they came across with their questions. That’s why he chose Sunday night after sunset to go once more to Mrs. Dolson and question her about the abduction. There were holes in her story, but he needed to make sure he was right before concluding.

Leary parked the car in front of the two-story house’s garage, blocking Mr. Dolson’s car. The detective ambled to the front door as if unsure if he wanted to meet the parents once again. The whole neighborhood seemed sad. There was absolutely no sound whatsoever—complete silence. Only the lone wind blowing through the trees was softly whispering about the tragic story that struck this community.

Leary reached the door and stood in front for a while, conversing in his mind with the family he was about to meet. Ten seconds later, he rang the doorbell. There was a clatter from the house as if someone were using the stairs, a door closed, and then footsteps approached the door. Just as it opened, Detective Leary took off his hat.

“Good evening, Mrs. Dolson.”

“Detective, did you find my little girl?” the mother asked without greeting and sharply.

“No, ma’am. The investigation is ongoing.”

“What are you doing here then? Shouldn’t you be out doing your best to save Alice?”

“I assure you, ma’am, my colleagues are working around the clock on the case. However, I have a few questions that we need to clarify to get to the kidnappers faster. Will it be convenient for us to talk inside?”

Mrs. Dolson stepped aside and gestured for the detective to come in.

“Forgive the mess, but I haven’t had a chance to clean since my little angel disappeared.”

“I totally understand, don’t worry.”

“Let’s sit in the living room. Can I offer you something to drink?”
“Thank you, no need.”

The hostess seated the detective on an armchair in the living room and, despite his refusal, went to pour him a glass of water and a coffee, which was lukewarm at best. She served them with trembling hands, almost pouring the cup with the black coffee on his pants.

“Mrs. Dolson, tell me, how did you find out that your daughter was abducted?”

“I think I’ve told this story 10 times to you and your colleagues. Can’t you remember the facts or reread them. You write them down every single time?” the lady replied angrily.

“Forgive me, but still, repeat yourself one more time?” said the detective in a calm voice.

He knew that all this repetition made the victims nervous. From experience, he knew that every time the story is repeated, he would hear a slightly updated version. The new testaments may contain new facts and details which the victim failed to address in his previous statement. These little details usually lead to the disclosure of the case.

“My daughter came home from her classmate’s house at 6:30 pm. Hillary’s mother, Mrs. Tift, dropped her off in front of our house. Around 7:00 pm, while we were preparing dinner, a raccoon came into the kitchen from the back door and bit my husband as he tried to chase it away. We let Alice watch TV and hurried to the emergency room to treat his wound and give him a rabies shot. When we got home at 9:00 pm, Alice was gone, and the back door was broken.”

“Where is Mr. Dolson right now?”

“He went into the woods behind the walls of the community to seek for some clues since you turned out to be rather useless.”

The detective chose to let the insult flyby. He knew that parents of abducted children could be rather aggressive towards detectives when there were no results in their case.

“You see, Mrs. Dolson, the problem with your statement is that your community is pretty well guarded. Here an ant can’t cross the premise without being noticed. That’s why I find it pretty incredible that someone has managed to sneak in without being detected by any camera. “

“What are you implying, Detective?” the woman asked in a distinctly aggressive tone. “Are you saying I lied to the police that something happened to my little angel?”

“Yes, ma’am! I don’t think your daughter was kidnapped, and I think you hid her or worse.”

Leary decided to provoke the mother by voicing his doubts. There was no going back. Either he would prove his case that Gloria Dolson and her husband had abducted and possibly killed their daughter, or he would be punished, and the case would be taken away from him.

“How dare you?!” the mother was indignant and slapped the detective.
He remained calm and began to present his thesis in an even tone.

“Mrs. Dolson, according to the cameras that have been recording all day, there are a lot of inconsistencies with your statement. Firstly, the cameras show your daughter entering the gate alone around 6:40 pm and getting to your home around 6:50 pm. The security guard, who was on duty that night, confirmed that the child had arrived alone and was crying. When he tried to ask her what had happened, the child started screaming and ran home. He thought that if something were wrong, you would contact the police. “

“These are details. Yes, Hillary’s mother, Mrs. Tift, had to leave her in front of the house, but the two girls quarreled on the way, and Alice wanted to get out of the car immediately. After Mrs. Tift saw the gates, she stopped and let Alice leave. That’s why Alice was crying because she fought with her friend. Mrs. Tift called me and explained the situation right away. You can ask her. “

Leary sipped from his coffee and noticed that the lady in front of him was looking down. He knew he had touched something. “No one has ever heard of Hillary and Mrs. Tift in Alice’s school. According to the records, there was such a family that lived here more than 200 years ago, but they were burned as witches.”

“That’s impossible! I spoke with Mrs. Tift yesterday. You can check my phone history. It’s all there”.

“We will do that, ma’am. Be sure of it.”

A short silence raised the tension.

“At 7:00 pm, you and your husband are really leaving the house. Besides the towel on Mr. Dolson’s arm, he’s also carrying a sack in which something is moving,” Leary broke the silence.

“Yes, my husband managed to catch the raccoon in a sack, and we decided to throw him out of the fences.” the woman immediately answered.

“It was a pretty big raccoon.” the detective snapped.

“What has the raccoon size got to do with my daughter’s abduction?” Mrs. Dolson tried to gather herself with a counter-offensive.

“You and your husband returned home around 8:00 pm, and in the hospital, the record says the bite was not from a raccoon but an unknown creature.”

Mrs. Dolson was just about to explain when Leary interrupted her.

“And at 8:53 pm, your daughter enters through the gate again, this time unnoticed by the guards. Shortly after, she walks to the back of your house.”

The mother fell silent.

“What actually happened, Mrs. Dolson?” the detective asked in the same calm tone. “Where’s Alice now?”

“I do not know!” cried the mother.

“Stop the theater. You kidnapped your daughter, that’s clear. Is she alive, at least?”

“I don’t know,” the woman said with a sobering voice.

“Answer me!” the detective shouted as loud as he could.

Mrs. Dolson was startled.

“She’s in the basement with my husband.” said the woman through tears.
“Let’s go get them,” Leary said, standing up.

Mrs. Dolson walked briskly in front of him. She opened the basement door, and the detective peered inside. He clicked the key on the wall beside the door, but the light didn’t turn on. The bulb was broken.
“Alice, are you here?” The policeman whispered softly.

A hushed child’s weep answered from the darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, Leary saw the silhouette of the girl kneeling and crying. In front of her was Mr. Dolson’s body. His torso was half-eaten by a wild animal. The detective grabbed his holster and took a step down.

“Darling, come on. It’s all over. Come here and tell me what happened,” Leary said.

The girl stood up and stepped to the light coming from the door. Her hands were covered in blood, and her dress was torn. When the light shone on her face, Leary became speechless with terror.

The little girl’s face seemed to be replaced by that of a terrifying monster. Two huge spider-like claws stretched from the edges of her jaw, and four rows of sharp teeth gaped in her mouth. Her eyes were blood red, soulless, like a beast. The detective drew his pistol and aimed at the monster. However, just before he could fire, he felt a hard object hitting him in the back of his head. The detective fell down the stairs.

“She’s my little angel no matter what, and you’re not going to kill her,” Mrs. Dolson whispered.

Leary felt the monster’s saliva run down his forehead. The mother closed the basement door just as the detective began to scream in agony. She sat with her back to the door, crying.

Mrs. Tift put her hand and gently stroked Gloria’s hair. She had appeared from thin air with her daughter. Hillary looked completely different from the time the two met on the playing ground in the nearby park. From the cute little girl, she had turned into a hideous creature with a melting face, empty eye sockets, and burning hair.

“Your nightmare had just begun, my dear,” the witch said with a soft yet abhorrent voice.

With one wave of her bony hands, she made the detective’s car turn on and head for the gate. The porter opened the gate and, without looking, waved at the car. Several miles down the road, the vehicle steered off a cliff right into a lake.

“Why? Why are you doing this to us?” Gloria asked through tears.
“Your ancestors burned my daughter and me at the stake, just because we were using herbs as medicine. Seeing my daughter’s agony when her flesh was melting away, I called for Satan and offered him my soul so I could have my revenge. Now it’s time for you to pay,” the witch answered with a trembling laugh.

“Your ancestors were killers, so I doubt you will have any problems with killing people. In a few days, your daughter will be hungry again, and you will have to find a new victim,” the witch said with a soft voice. “Or you can leave your daughter to die from hunger. The choice is yours,” laughed the witch just before she and her Hillary disappeared.

Mrs. Dolson sat there with eyes full of tears, knowing she was going to the electric chair sooner or later. She was a mother, a house-wife, not a killer. She didn’t know how to hide her trail, and sooner or later, the police will get to her.

The mother opened the basement door once more. She saw her girl biting off the detective’s flesh. Disgusted, she shut the door and started planning how to capture her next victim.

***

If you found this interesting and want to express your support for my work monetarily, please consider tipping me with a small DONATION. Any amount will be greatly appreciated. 

Subscribe to my email list for funny emails every now and then (Maximum once a week). You’ll have the opportunity to get every new story and article directly.