Free The Last Time She Saw Him by Jane Haseldine

hold him as tightly as I can.
    “It’s okay, Logan. Everyone is afraid of something. I’ll tell you a secret,” Navarro says and leans in toward Logan. “I’m scared to death of bats.”
    “Bats aren’t that bad,” Logan says as he tries to suppress a slight smile.
    “You’re braver than I am,” Navarro says. “So let’s keep going here. After the lights went out, what happened?”
    “I felt like a little baby hiding under my bed, and I was going to come out, but then someone ran into my room. I thought it was my mom. But the person dropped their flashlight on the floor, and I saw their boots. My mom doesn’t have boots like that, and we aren’t allowed to wear shoes in the house anyway because of Will and all the germs and stuff.”
    “That’s good, Logan, real good. Can you tell me what the boots looked like?” Navarro asks.
    “They were brown. And they stunk, kind of like when you’re driving by a farm and you can hardly take it because it smells so bad.”
    “Like manure?” Navarro asks.
    “Yes, sir, I mean, Ray, sir,” Logan says.
    “Were the boots big, like a man was wearing them? Or were they smaller, like women’s shoes?”
    “It was dark. I couldn’t really tell.”
    “Okay. So this person is standing over your bed. Did they say anything?” Navarro asks.
    “Well, they did, but it wasn’t nice. Mom and Dad won’t let me say those kinds of words.”
    “It’s fine this time. Your mom and dad aren’t going to mind,” Navarro replies. “Right, Julia?”
    “Absolutely. Tell him what you heard,” I say.
    Logan clears his throat nervously. “They said something really bad. It was something like, ‘Selfish is as selfish does. Dirty, selfish little girl. Dirty, selfish little whore.’”
    A tear slips down Logan’s cheek, and he wipes it away with his pajama top.
    “Hang in there,” Navarro says. “Logan, buddy, can you tell me if the voice was a man’s voice or a woman’s?”
    “I’m not really sure. They just sounded really angry. It was definitely an adult’s voice though,” Logan says. “Then they started humming.”
    “Humming? Like humming a song? Do you know what song it was?” Navarro asks.
    “No, I’m sorry I don’t,” Logan says. “I think I might have heard it when Dad used to take me to church, but that was a long time ago, and I’m just not sure. I’ll let you know if I remember.”
    “Great, a crazed, angry, religious hummer,” Navarro mumbles under his breath and then turns his attention back to Logan. “You’re doing real good. What happened after the person in your room started humming?”
    “I was sure they were going to look under the bed and find me. I closed my eyes for a second. Like if I opened them, they’d be staring right at me.”
    “But they didn’t find you.”
    “No. The person left. I heard them run out of my room real quick, and they never came back. I stayed under the bed until my mom came in. She told me to lock the door when she went to go look for my brother. Then a few minutes later, I heard my mom scream for Will outside. That’s all I can remember.”
    “That’s okay. You did great. Do me a favor. If you think of anything else, you tell your mom or dad right away. All right?”
    “I will,” Logan promises. “Is Daddy going to be here soon?”
    “He’s on his way,” I answer.
    “Can I go in my room?”
    “Just be careful what you touch. I’m going to talk to Detective Navarro out here for a minute. Let me know if you need anything,” I say and trail Logan’s retreat until he is safely out of earshot.
    “Please tell me you have something,” I implore Navarro. Before I can pump him for information, Russell turns the corner from Will’s room holding another plastic evidence bag.
    “We just found something under the little boy’s crib,” Russell says. “It looks like an Indian arrowhead.”
    Russell holds the plastic bag up for Navarro and me to inspect from afar.
    “I didn’t know what it was at