Revelations (Brighton Wolves #1)

  *****

  Within the hour, the police and the entire Grady family had arrived at the abandoned house. Sandra and Geoffrey held Ginny close, refusing to let anyone close enough to really question her. The police tried while they waited for the paramedics to arrive, but they couldn’t get anything out of her. She just whimpered and clung to her parents, crying until her eyes were puffy and her face was red and blotchy. When they managed to get Ginny into an ambulance, only Sandra was allowed to ride with her, and the rest of the family had to head back to the house, grab their vehicles, and meet them at the hospital.

  Gwen and her family paced the hospital hallways, anxiously waiting for any news of her condition. Another hour had passed since she’d arrived at the hospital, and the family was starting to get impatient. Sandra hadn’t been allowed in the exam room with Ginny, and she was nearly pulling her hair out. Geoffrey had started harassing any of the nurses or doctors he could find, demanding information on his daughter’s condition, but they coolly brushed him off, telling them it wouldn’t be much longer.

  They must have practice handling crazy parents, Gwen thought.

  She and Gabe headed down a nearby hall to one of the many vending machines throughout the hospital, and she grabbed a pop while Gabe opted for chips. They leaned against the wall, too exhausted to go back to the waiting room with the rest of their family. It was stifling in there, and it wasn’t the heat’s fault. Her entire family was on edge and it was rubbing off on her and Gabe, making them more anxious than they already were. They had to escape before they snapped and went as crazy as Sandra and Geoffrey.

  A door nearby swung open, and a nurse and a police officer stepped out. Instinctively, Gwen and Gabe sank back away from the door, using the vending machines to shield them from view as they listened in on what was obviously a confidential conversation.

  “Her feet are torn from running barefoot through the woods for the last few days, and her arms and legs are all covered in numerous superficial wounds, probably from tree branches and other foliage. She’s severely dehydrated from lack of water, and possibly suffering from heatstroke. Pretty much what you’d expect from anyone missing under these conditions. However, there was one wound we noticed that was a little troubling.”

  The police officer stopped taking notes and raised an eyebrow. “What kind of wound are we talking about? You suspect abuse?”

  Gwen and Gabe held their breaths, waiting for the nurse to answer. Her blood boiled at the implication that Geoffrey or Sandra could be abusing Ginny, but she forced herself to stay calm.

  “If it is, it’s not your typical abuse. Maybe neglect would be a better word for it. Ginevra Grady suffered a very serious bite to her shoulder, and judging by how the healing has progressed, I would say it happened in the week before she was reported missing.”

  “Before?” The police officer sounded shocked as he scribbled more notes.

  “Yes. And there’s another on her ankle. It’s possible the girl was hurt and didn’t tell her parents, but I highly doubt it. Those kinds of wounds aren’t something that can be treated by a child. She should have been brought to the hospital immediately after it happened for an examination and some antibiotics. As it is, she’ll probably develop an infection that will need to be treated, and it’s going to leave a nasty scar.”

  “Thank you for being honest,” the officer said. He snapped his notebook closed. “I’ll go notify the family of her current condition. Any word on when she’ll be free to go home? The family is getting pretty antsy out there, and I’m not sure you’ll be able to keep them away much longer.”’

  “We’re getting some fluids into her and cleaning her wounds, but there’s nothing too seriously wrong with her right now. We’ll keep her over night just to be sure she’s doing okay. She’ll be free to go home tomorrow, but you’ll be able to ask her some questions in a little bit. I doubt you’ll get anything out of her though. She’s clammed right up and won’t tell us anything. Her family might have better luck.”

  The officer and nurse walked off in the opposite direction, leaving Gabe and Gwen alone in the hallway. They looked at one another, and Gwen could tell he had the same feeling of dread in his stomach as she did. It was like she’d just been punched in the gut over and over again. Ginny had been seriously injured in the week before she went missing, and nobody had bothered to tell them? Did their parents even know, or had Sandra and Geoffrey kept it from them as well? Why wouldn’t they have told anyone about her injuries?

  “Something’s seriously wrong about this,” Gabe said, breaking the silence. “I can’t believe that Aunt Sandra and Uncle Geoffrey wouldn’t have taken Ginny to the hospital if she was injured, especially if it was bad enough that the doctors need to give her antibiotics to prevent infection. Either the doctors are wrong about when Ginny got the wounds, or there’s something we’re not getting, some part of the bigger picture.”

  “Come on,” she said, not wanting to think about it at the moment. “Let’s go tell them what we heard. I’m sure they’re dying for news.” She let Gabe lead the way, and as she followed him, she kept her head down, her mind going back to the overheard conversation. She really didn’t want to think about it, but it was so troublesome she couldn’t keep it off her mind.

  Had someone in her family hurt Ginny?