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Mark?” Mike became alarmed at the mention of his youngest child and blood in the same sentence.
    â€œHe’s at the bleachers waiting for the cops.”
    Mike calmly called through the screened door to his wife who was searching an index file for a recipe. “I’m going to the field for awhile, back soon.”
    He did not see any reason to upset her. Cathy may have just wandered off and be with Mark right now. If not, he did not want to think of that possibility.
    Mike arrived at the field before the police. The first thing he noticed was the blood dripping from one concrete level to the next.
    â€œWhat happened, Mark?” Mike asked his son, sitting on the bench with Cathy’s torn doll. The sight of the mangled toy sent a surge of urgency flowing through his being. Mike realized Cathy was not just off taking a walk. Something horrible happened to her.
    â€œWhere were you?”
    â€œI’m sorry, Dad. I was playing ball and…”
    Mike interrupted, “Playing ball? You were supposed to watch your sister, damn it.” Mike turned to the growing crowd. “Does anyone know what happened?”
    â€œNo, sir,” replied the catcher. He held the baseball that had just rolled across one of the flowing trickles of blood. “We were just playing ball and when Mark looked for her she was gone.”
    Mike Collins sat next to his son and the damaged doll, at his feet the crimson puddle. A siren blared over the murmur of the crowd and a moment later a patrol car pulled onto the field, stopping at the bleachers. Chief Murphy and Officer Andy Feeney walked from the car, moving back the onlookers as they approached the bleachers.
    â€œIs your son all right?” the Chief asked Mike.
    â€œI think so. Pretty upset though, like me.”
    â€œUnderstandable.” Murphy looked back to his officer and nodded toward the crowd, “See what they know.”
    Murphy sat on the bench directly below Mark so he could be eye level with the boy. He placed his hand on Mark’s arm and spoke softly.
    â€œI need to ask a few questions so I can find your sister. Are you up to telling me what happened?”
    Mark sniffed and rubbed his wet face, smudging the tears across his cheek. He nodded and whispered, “Okay…it happened so fast. We were on the field and Cathy was here with her doll. Then we heard a dog yelp and went…”
    â€œYou heard a dog?” Murphy interrupted the boy’s story.
    â€œWe heard it but didn’t see it. It sounded hurt or something.”
    â€œWhere did you hear this dog?”
    Mark pointed to a spot along the bank of the river in line with the ancient Oak tree on the opposite side.
    â€œAfter you heard this dog, you looked but found nothing? Did you hear it again?” Murphy asked.
    â€œNothing was there, we didn’t see anything. We came back to play and Cathy was gone,” Mark buried his face in his hands as tears appeared once again.
    Mike listened intently to his son then said to Murphy, “We’re wasting time, we should be looking for her.”
    â€œI want you to go home with Mark,” Chief Murphy insisted, “you’re too upset to be of any help. Wait at home, maybe she’ll show up there. We’ll begin a search and I promise to keep you abreast of things, okay?”
    Mike nodded reluctantly, a tear flowing onto his cheek. He took hold of his son’s hand and they both walked slowly toward their home. He had no idea how to tell his wife. Andy came from around the back of the bleachers, examining the ground.
    â€œAnything?” asked Murphy.
    â€œThere’s a blood trail leading toward the river.” Andy gazed at the onlookers directed to stand outside the field along the sidewalk. “Nobody saw or heard a thing. How about you, learn anything?”
    â€œOne possibility, the kids say they heard a dog by the river. It was gone when they went to investigate.”
    â€œYou