Sunshine Girl {One}

The day the Sunshine Girl arrived was the first day a crowd started forming in the main lobby of Rayburn Children's hospital. Usually, people came and went, going about their business, not really stopping to chat. And the first day, the crowd was not large: just Detective DiRoso and a couple of his rookie officers, Dr. James Fleming, and the psychologist Marion Lahar. But the crowd got larger every day. It grew here because from this vantage point, you could just barely see the girl through a small window on her hospital room door. And she couldn't see you without craning her neck. It was, in short, a place to spy.1

Without taking his eyes off the girl, DiRoso explained his presence. "Just stopping by to see if there's anything to add to my report. How is she?"2

Dr. Fleming replied without consulting her chart. "Better. Her levels are all back in the normal range, and the bruising and cuts all seem minor. She'll be ready to go in a couple days." The question that ran through everyone's mind without being spoken was--Go where? A nurse ran up to hand Fleming another slim folder, which he opened and skimmed. "Some more of her test results are in, Detective. She is related to Abraham Bailey, just as you thought, but not to Richard Bailey."3

"What?"4

"Oh, you didn't hear, Joel?" Marion cut in. "Abe isn't Richard's biological son. It doesn't seem like either of them know. The mother must have had an affair."5

DiRoso leaned back. "So the Father and Son Killers aren't father and son?" His companions shook their heads. "Interesting. But Abraham is the girl's brother. So the mother slept around a lot, or had a long-term affair?"6

"Not necessarily." Fleming replied, looking up from a file. "After examining her, I'd place her age at around fifteen. I'd say she and Abe are twins."7

"Fifteen?" They all peered around the corner at the tiny form sitting up in bed, staring out a window. "She looks eight!"8

Fleming nodded. "I know. Extreme malnutrition. Actually, I wanted to let you know about that..."9

As the newly-formed team talked, life in the hospital went on as usual. The orderlies were mostly slacking off in their jobs to watch the news, which had been talking all day about the Father and Son Killer. The more morbid people would pass in the hallways and simply tell each other a number--twelve, or sixteen...by lunch it was twenty. It was the number of victims police had determined so far by the remains found in the murderers' shack. One patient had gone into hysterics around eleven, when a nurse had carelessly mentioned one of the victims' names--Roy Smith. It was the patient's husband. He had been missing for weeks. 10

Meanwhile, in her room, the sister of one murderer and the daughter of another sat silently. She had been looking out the window since the sun rose that morning. That habit--or perhaps it was her white-blonde hair--had earned her the nickname "Sunshine Girl." The first time anyone had seen a smile cross her face had been when she was transferred two days ago from the police station to the first hospital. The minute the warm June sun had hit her face, she had cried out and broken away from the officer holding her hand. At first everyone thought there was something wrong. Then they saw she was smiling--smiling and laughing and running around.11

Fleming watched her sit as he said, "She seemed really nauseous, so we pumped her stomach. That and her blood tests tell us a lot about her diet. High in protein, lacking in a lot of vitamins. She had a couple parasites. She actually was on the verge of scurvy before we got to her. Joel..."12

Marion glanced between them. "What? What's that mean?"13

"She was eating mainly meat, Joel. Raw, unprocessed meat."14

All three of the speakers had seen the room where the girl had been held captive. Their minds simultaneously flashed images of that room. Completely dark, dirty, blank walls...and the bodies...and the pieces of bodies...15

Marion turned abruptly and entered the bathroom, her usually beautiful tan face a sick shade of yellow. "Oh God." DiRoso murmured, then, "We need to figure out how to talk to her."