Free Love Never Dies by Christina Dodd Page B

communication I could have was with the insane. No one saw me unless they were deranged with the pain that life had brought them, or unhinged by obsession or driven by the desire to beat, to slash, to murder. I always recognized the signs — the agony of the broken souls and the blistering fury of the cruelly insane.
    Areila's soul burned clear and blue, yet she had seen me. I wanted to keep her with me, question her about herself, yet I watched her go with relief.
    Tonight, Cleardale had served his purpose, for only Cleardale's presence had saved her life.
    I gazed into the blot of shadow at the far end of the park.
    Like a cruel, hungry spider, there the killer waited for his next prey.
     
     
    That evening in the Virtue Falls Library
     
    At the knock on her open office door, Kateri Kwinault looked up.
    A young, attractive female waited there.
    Sheriff Garik Jacobsen stood behind her and at her left shoulder.
    Garik looked relaxed and slightly amused. Or maybe bemused, so Kateri knew whatever brought this young woman into the Virtue Falls library was nothing too serious. On the other hand, after he ushered the woman in, he stepped inside, shut the door, leaned against the wall and folded his arms. So he was interested in what happened next.
    Kateri stood and extended her hand. "I'm Kateri Kwinault, the librarian here in Virtue Falls. Can I help you?"
    In a single glance, the young woman accessed Kateri's disabilities and gently clasped her fingers. "I'm Areila Leon. I went into the police department to tell them how much I appreciated their official presence in Eugene Park earlier tonight and the sheriff suggested we come and talk to you. Although I don't know exactly . . . why. . .."
    Kateri flicked a glance at Garik. She was beginning to understand and she wanted to ask when she had become Virtue Falls's official woo-woo expert. But she knew the answer, so she gestured at one of the cheap plastic chairs. "Won't you take a seat?" When Areila was seated, Kateri eased herself into her own chair. "Now — you say you saw someone in Eugene Park tonight?"
    "Two somebodies. I'm an intern with the Banner Geological Study—"
    Kateri nodded. No one visited Virtue Falls in the dead of winter unless they were an intern with the geological study or a medical supply salesman.
    "—And when I finished my job it was five o'clock and dark, and I was in a hurry, so I crossed through the park." Areila must have seen the expression on Kateri's face because she glanced behind her at Garik. "It's the fastest way home."
    Garik nodded.
    Kateri nodded.
    "There's a homeless guy who's been there a couple of times before. I don't mean to cause him trouble, usually he seems simply . . . sad. But this time he started harassing me. He was in my face, asking where I had been, what I'd done with the kids." Areila's voice was steady, but Kateri's could see the slight tremble in her fingers.
    Kateri asked, "Tall guy, bulky shoulders, fingerless gloves, smells like BO and pine needles?"
    "That's him," Areila said. "What's wrong with him?"
    Kateri met Garik's gaze. "Cleardale's off his meds again."
    "I've sent one of the guys to pick him up," Garik said. "Miss Leon, are you sure you don't want to press charges?"
    "No, really. As soon as he saw your officer, he turned and ran. I mean he seemed really frightened, and your officer wasn't doing anything, just standing there . . . I know I shouldn't ask, but has Cleardale ever been a victim of police, um . . ." She glanced nervously at Garik.
    "Brutality?" he said. "Not that I know of."
    Areila asked, "Then what's wrong with him? Why was he so afraid?"
    Garik answered the first question. "He's schizophrenic. He met his wife at a treatment center. She had mood disorders, suffered from depression, and when one of their children began to display signs of mental illness, she killed them, all four of them, and then herself. He found the bodies and he . . . his disorder is controllable with medication, but then he