Camp Driftwood

Chapter 7 - Transgressions

Chapter 7 – Transgressions

Henry Buscador's fist hammered onto the doorframe for the third time. He could see movement through the stained glass set into the door, but there was still no response. He was done being ignored.

"Miss Adams!" He snapped again, losing patience, "Laura, open the damn door. We need to talk!"

"Go away!" he heard her hiss, "Please, you need to go!"

"I'm not going anywhere."

There was silence again. Henry fumed to himself, preparing to kick down the door and confront Miss Adams face to face. Just as he was about to, the door cracked open. Laura stood in the doorway, a shadow of her former self. Her eyes were red from tears wildly looking out to the street, not even passing over Henry. Her hair was unbrushed, wild and tangled. Even though it had only been a day since Kaylee had left, it looked like she hadn't slept in a week.

"Please, Mr Buscador, you need to go," she whispered with urgency, "They said they'd be watching."

"Who will be watching," he dropped his voice to a low mutter, "Hale?"

Her eyes widened at the mention of the name, and she instantly turned to close the door. Henry easily intercepted it, forcing it open with barely any effort and forcing his way into the house.

"You can't be here!" her voice turned shrill, cracking with the stress of her situation, "Please!"

"Tell me everything," his voice hardened as he closed the door behind him, "Now."

Her eyes darted to the windows, all of which had the curtains drawn shut. Her voice came as barely a whisper, as her eyes stared vacantly ahead. "He said they'd kill her if I talked to anybody."

"Miss Adams, I've seen this happen before," he said gently, leading her over to the couch. "It's going to be okay. Just take a deep breath and tell me what happened."

She tried to breathe steadily, but it was interrupted by a series of racking sobs. Henry took a seat on the couch opposite her, waiting.

"It was so perfect," she said quietly, as if talking to herself, "He was with the Church... He could fix everything..."

"Hale?" Henry asked softly.

"Hale, yes. Deacon Hale. Oh god, I was an idiot. How could I trust him so easily?"

Henry gritted his teeth. Damn it. He always knew Hale would come, sure, but not this soon. He thought they had more time, at least another year. He had gone soft, and Kaylee had paid the price. They had her now.

"He's been doing this for a long time," Henry replied, "You're not the first to let him in. What did he do?"

"He took Kaylee. He took my little girl. After they left, a man called me. He said that Kaylee was going to stay with them for as long as it takes, and that they'd be watching. If I called the cops, they'd kill her. If I talked, they'd kill me. If I kept quiet, they'd send her back to me when they were done. They said it might take a year or two, but I'd see her again. Oh god, I don't know what to do..."

"Laura, I've met Hale before. I know about the people he's working for. If you do nothing, you'll never see your daughter again."

She whimpered, muttering something unintelligible.

"Laura, focus," he cut her off, "They'll be listening to your calls, and they'll be watching you. No cops. Just stay here, and stay quiet. Can you do that?"

She nodded.

"Good. Now, I'm going to find Kaylee, and I'm going to bring her back. I promise Laura, I'm going to bring her back to you."