A kindagerten instructor for ten years. That was enough reputation to make her the least likely suspect but every time Rowan looked at the gruesome pictures before him, it was like he could see her standing there, ax in hand, legs spread apart, a deep smile of satisfaction on her face.
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The Wright Jackson case had been closed for seven months yet he kept thinking there was something he was missing. A tenth grader didn't just disappear from her house after making two complaints to her friend in the neighborhood about seeing her younger brother's kindagerten instructor with an ax chopping a tree in their backyard off.
Of course the story didn't make sense but till date, Diane was nowhere to be seen and without any evidence, Miss Santiago continued to teach at Wisconsin High school.
“Officer Rowan? There's someone on the line for you” he smiled at Sharon and took the receiver to his ears.
“Wisconsin Police department, how can I help you?”
There was raspy breathing in the background for about ten seconds before the caller released a small cough.
“Good day to you too, Officer. God bless your soul”
He didn't get many preachers on the line but he said a silent “Amen” and waited for the caller to keep speaking.
“You know I've always seen and admired you. Tall, dark, handsome, smart…. you're everything a woman would want…” the voice sounded old, like his grandmother just before she died. Someone of that age couldn't possibly be admiring him now, could they?
“Thank you, miss uh?...”
“Oh my name isn't important. As a matter of fact I would like to stay anonymous for this call” Rowan slapped his palm to his forehead but didn't object.
“Alright ma'am. So what is your emergency?”
“Emergency?” The caller sounded genuinely surprised. “There is no emergency, officer. I only called to tell you my observations on the Wright Jackson case.
“Yeah? And what's that?”
“It's closed, let it remain that way. Stop poking your nose into dead waters. You should instead be looking for a way to make your mama in Arizona hold her grandbabies. She should hold them even if she cannot see them"
“Lady, are you threatening me?”
“Enjoy the rest of your day, officer” and with that, the line went dead on him.
Rowan could tolerate anything else but not a threat on his poor mother who couldn't even see the light of day.
“Sharon, give me everything on the Wright Jackson case and the tree that was ruthlessly axed down in that backyard.” He said as he grabbed his jacket and car keys.
“Sir, I think you should stop obsessing over a closed case"
“Well, it's about to be reopened. And get me every information on that girl that teaches at Kindergarten. When I say everything, I mean down to what she had for breakfast this morning”
He didn't care that Sharon and the rest of his team were staring at him like he was walking around with a frog on his head, this kidnapper, whoever it was, had just gotten him all riled up.
The Wrights had moved out of the apartment as soon as their daughter was declared missing. No one could fathom where a ten year old would go and her friend next door, Cindy, who she wrote letters to didn't have a clue either.
He walked around the house inspecting the tree, there was nothing strange about it except that it had been chopped down very roughly to several pieces. When his phone chimed, he took a long look at the email then turned back to the tree.
If the tree, like the report said, had been standing since the 1990s when the teacher was about a baby, then she probably had an attachment to the tree.
He googled up the maple tree in Wisconsin then shouted, “Ah-ha!”
He raced back to his car and drove as fast as he could to the kindergarten then picked up Miss Santiago for questioning.
“I know that the Wright Jacksons bought the house from your family, right?” She nodded stiffly.
He saw he had touched a sore spot because she looked away from him.
“Miss Santiago, your father was killed under that tree shortly after building a treehouse in it for you and your brother. I read all about it” he could see that her eyes were glistening with tears and her lips were quivering. “Now what have you done with Diane?"
“I didn't hurt the child!” She yelled banging at the table. When she huffed out a breath, he sighed in relief and continued.
“So what really happened with the child?”
“ I swear I didn't even touch her. I only threatened to chop her head off if she didn't go back to bed. I just didn't want her parents to wake up…” then she suddenly threw her hand over her mouth. She just exposed herself.
Officer Rowan smiled at her pathetically. She would remain in custody while he reopened the Wright Jackson case, this time, they were looking for a runaway child not a kidnapped one.
