They were a couple of blocks away from where they'd started when Shep and the others abruptly appeared, their chairs in tow. Shep fell right into step beside Clydie and though she could feel the unease coming off Matt in tangible waves, he kept his mouth closed.

Neither of them had spoken during their walk, but at some point, he'd clearly accepted the situation and had decided to go with it. Begrudgingly.

With Shep walking next to her, Clydie found her mind racing to come up with a way to raise the subject of Jessica Hyatt. It had to seem like a natural topic of conversation and she had no idea how to accomplish that. Saying anything at all might make him balk and saying too much might cause her trouble because he was the sheriff's son, and the last thing she wanted was for the man to show up at her door again.

Four blocks over, they reached the park beside the massive brick building that housed the library, or so said the wooden sign by the front door. The park itself was actually quite a sizable green space, with a large fountain bubbling away in the center and towering evergreen trees lining three sides. A massive screen had been set up at the far back of the space and food vendors were lined up along the side of the library.

There were dozens and dozens of people spread out over the grass, sitting in chairs or lounging on blankets and quilts, and since they were late arriving, the only place to pitch up was near the entrance to the park, just away from the sidewalk and the street beyond. Clydie didn't mind, though. She doubted she'd be very interested in watching movies with her stomach all knotted up and her nerves jangling with anxiety.

Once they found a suitable spot that allowed them a decent view of the movie screen, Matt sat up their chairs and she then handed the blankets off to him so that she could head toward the food vendors. Shep, having thrown up his own chair, followed behind her, both annoying and unnerving her.

As she stood in line waiting her turn, the darkness was lighted up and the opening credits of the movie began to play, the music blasting through the air loud enough to all but rattle her brain. Without even glancing toward the movie screen, she knew what picture was being shown and she couldn't help but cringe.

Matt suddenly appeared as she stepped up to order their popcorn and sodas, not so discreetly placing himself in between her and Shep. And after a visit to nearly every food vendor, they made their way back to their seats, loaded up with all manner of snacks. Shep, following along, ordered himself a soda, but had foregone any of the food on offer.

Once they were seated and Clydie was covered up with her blankets, they settled down to watch the film. And she made certain to keep her drink in the chair's cup holder beside Matt, as far away from Shep as she could get it.

It didn't take very long for everyone to get bored with watching people dancing like they were having sex while a forty year old man emotionally manipulated a seventeen year old girl, so Jax pulled a bottle out of his knapsack and began passing it around so that cups could be filled.

While Matt talked to Jason and Jax—Craig had abandoned them to go off and find his target—Clydie sat, nibbling on her popcorn and trying to work up the nerve to start a conversation with Shep. But, for the life of her, she couldn't come up with a single thing to say that didn't sound suspicious as she ran it through her mind.  

Really, how did a person gently and naturally strike up a conversation about sexual depravity and cold blooded murder?

"So, Georgia, why don't you tell me all about yourself," Shep suddenly said, leaning close enough to speak into her ear, allowing him to be heard over the blaring movie soundtrack.

"What do you want to know?" she asked into his ear, a bit repulsed by how close she had to get to him.

The scent of his cologne was sharp and unpleasant and it turned her stomach slightly. It also made her think of Julian's wonderful scent and she found herself wishing she'd worn his sweater, but she'd needed something warmer.

"Well, for starters, what kind of guys are you into?" Shep stated, his breath fanning her cheek.

She chose to ignore that question and decided to try and turn the tables. "I haven't decided yet.  Why don't you tell me about you?" she posed, trying to sound natural.

"What do you want to know?" he asked, making sure his shoulder was brushing against hers.

I'd like to know if you've ever murdered anyone. "Well, I know what you do at night, so...what do you during the day? I hope its something besides hanging out and drinking."

That sounded natural. It was a normal question, wanting to know how someone spent their time.

"Are you looking for a responsible guy, Georgia?" he asked, lifting a brow at her.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Well, its not all about hanging out and partying with me. I do have a real life," he told her and she could have sworn that he was trying to actually put his mouth into ear.

"Oh? What kind of real life do you have?" she questioned, trying not to pull away from him.

"I'm actually going to school. I'm studying criminal justice," he responded, sounding as if that was something that she should find impressive.

Clydie felt her stomach clench hard and she suddenly found it difficult to swallow. "Criminal justice? That sounds...official."

"Yeah. I'm going into law enforcement and I figure having some college credits under my belt would help me climb the ladder faster," he revealed, taking a quick sip from his cup.

That was just what the world needed. A police official with a penchant for sexual assault and possibly even murder.

With her heart beginning to pound in her chest, she had to take a sip of her own soda, just to stall for time and steady herself. "Where do you go to school?" she croaked out.

"Piedmont College, up in Bishop's Bay," he answered easily.

Clydie felt a wave of slight nausea wash through her. This was her opening. She'd planned on trying to bring up Jessica Hyatt, but Shep had opened this door for her... She cleared her throat, trying to work up the courage to say something, anything...anything that might steer the conversation in the direction she needed to go.

"Georgia? You still with me?" Shep urged.

She gave herself something of a mental shake, trying to get her thoughts in line. This moment could be her only opportunity and she couldn't blow it! "Yeah. D-did you say...Piedmont College?"

"I did. Its a community college, but its a good school if you're just thinking of taking a few classes," he said. "It's also a pretty good way to get your parents off your back."

"I...I had a friend..who went to Piedmont," she hedged hoarsely, looking toward the movie screen but not seeing a single thing.

"Really? What'd she think of the old place? Did she have good things to say?" he asked, cozying up against her in a very familiar way.

Clydie tried to choke down the lump in her throat, hoping she wasn't breathing hard enough for Shep to hear. "I don't know. She...she...went missing a few months back."

Shep went stiff and she stiffened by-proxy. "Who was your friend?"

"Tessa Wright," she half whispered.

There was a brief instant of quiet from Shep. "I had a couple of classes with her. How did you know her?"

Oh shit. She felt her blood turn cold as she realized there was no feasible answer to that question.

"I thought you just moved to town. How did you know that girl?" Shep repeated, leaning back so he could look at her with lowered brows and curious eyes.

Oh shit! How in hell would she have known a girl who lived states away from her? Truly, the only explanation for that might be... "Social media? I...we were friends on Facebook?" it came out as more a question than a statement, but as soon as the words were spoken they made sense, so she decided to go with it.

"Hmmm. Small world," Shep said, taking another sip of his drink.

"Yeah," she said weakly. "Did you know her?"

"Not really. I don't think I ever talked to her," he said offhandedly and his words did not exactly hold the ring of the truth.

"I...I heard that another girl from around here went missing, too. A girl named Jessica Hyatt?"

Shep's expression remained unaffected as he looked at her. "Yeah. That happened a while back."

"That's kind of scary. Two missing girls from the same area," she said, hoping her discomfort seemed in step with the conversation.

"I mean, its pretty fucked up," Shep agreed. "But, I wouldn't worry about it. That kind of stuff usually doesn't go on around here. Besides, you're not the type of girl something like that would ever happen to."

"What do you mean?" she asked, having to brace herself as Shep leaned in closer, breathing into her ear.

"You're not like those other girls. You don't look like you're selling yourself on the street corner," he said to her. "I don't think anybody who saw you would want to hurt you."

Clydie's heart leaped up into her throat and her breath caught, making it hard to find her voice. "How...how do you know those girls...were hurt? I didn't think anybody knew what happened to them."

"Nobody knows for sure," he replied smoothly. "But, its not hard to guess. Those girls weren't exactly...decent. And that kind of stuff happens to those kinds of girls."

"I thought you hadn't talked to Tessa Wright. How do you know she wasn't...decent?" she asked.

"I didn't speak to her, but I have eyes," he returned, reaching out to lay a hand on her knee. "She came to class only half dressed and hung over most of the time. Nobody was surprised when she disappeared."

Clydie tried to remember to breathe, but felt as if she couldn't quite manage it.

Shep let out a little chuckle that had gooseflesh skittering along her arms. "Don't look so scared, Georgia. Like I said, nothing ever happens to decent girls. So, I think you're safe."

She wanted to ask him something else, to keep him talking, but he suddenly pulled away from her, leaning around her and nudging Matt, who turned away from his conversation with Jax. "Pass the bottle this way, Matt. I'm bone dry over here," he said and once the bottle of alcohol had been produced and passed down, Clydie felt she needed to take a little break from...Shep.

She handed her cardboard box filled with her mostly untouched food over to Matt and tossed her blankets back, getting to her feet. "Where are you going?" Matt questioned, starting up from his own chair.

"I'm...I'm getting a re-fill," she replied, picking up her completely full soda.

"I'll come with you," he said, but she held out a hand to stop him.

"No, that's okay. I'll be right back," she assured him. "Do you want anything?"

"Naw. I'm good," he replied, regarding her with wary eyes.

She turned and walked away through the darkness, toward the line of vendor stands. Once she had put some distance between herself and Shep Benton, she pulled in a deep breath and tried to shake off the...ick. Shep hadn't exactly given her anything definitive that she could use, but his words were enough to give her a major case of the heebies.

She had no idea how to keep him talking about the two girls or how to get him to say something that might be incriminating. Really, all she would need was some small detail that no one else should know, rather like the way she'd known about the mark on Jessica Hyatt's arm. Though, she honestly had no idea what that detail might be.

Wishing she was better at bullshitting people, she walked up to one of the vendor stands, tossed her cup into the trash can sitting there, and ordered another soda, her mind desperately trying to come up with anything that might allow her to wheedle something useful out of Shep, but that also wouldn't raise his suspicions.

The man running the stand handed her the soda and she forked over the exorbitant amount of cash to pay for it, feeling slightly ripped off for being charged so much for what tasted like iced water with a single squirt of soda. Fuming a bit, she stepped back over to the trash can and dropped in the paper from her straw, jabbing the thing into her cup and taking a long, fortifying swig. And then, suddenly it struck her that she might be able to wait for Shep to get drunk before bringing up the subject of the missing girls again.

Weren't drunk people supposed to have loose lips? And hopefully no memory of what they'd said come the next morning?

A heavy weight crashed into her from behind, sending her soda flying from her hands and her body pitching forward. Before even a single breath could escape her, something hard clamped around her waist and down over her mouth and nose...and then she was lifted up off her feet and rushed forward through the darkness.

It happened so fast, she couldn't even react until she realized that she was out on the sidewalk and being moved away from the people in the park...away from help. Fear streaked through her and she felt her body start to fight, her legs kicking and her back arching as she tried to buck free of the crushing grip around her, but it was too little, too late and within a few fast seconds, she found herself swept past the front of the library and then moved around the corner and down the darkened sidewalk there.

But, then, almost before she could blink, she was whipped around and her back was slammed so hard into the side of the brick building, the air rushed out of her lungs and her vision went double. An instant later, a hand was back over her mouth and nose and a forearm was across her throat, pressing her windpipe partially shut and sending pain scattering through her.

"You're gonna tell me what you know about my sister, you little bitch!" a deep voice growled at her and she felt stark dread roll over her.

Katie Hyatt's brother. Shit!

"I'll give you one chance!" the young man snarled in her face. "Either you tell where you saw my sister, or this is gonna get real bad for you! Understand!"

She had no choice but to nod because she could barely breathe, let alone speak.

"I'm gonna take my hand off your mouth and if you scream, I will hurt you!" he warned, his gruff tone deadly.

Again, she nodded her understanding, feeling as if her heart was going to fly right through her chest. Even if she did scream, the movie's soundtrack filtering out of the park was so loud, no one would hear her anyway.

Slowly, the hand on her mouth was removed and she tried to suck in a long breath, but the arm crushing her windpipe kept that breath short and raspy. But, despite that, she was immediately met by the overwhelming scent of alcohol that emanated from the man.

"You've got three seconds! Talk!  And I don't want any bullshit!" he growled, his shadowy face looming over her.

She tried to find her voice past the terror racing through her, tried to come up with something to say that would get this man away from her, but she only had the truth. And she knew it would not make him happy.

"I-I don't know anything about your sister," she croaked out in a rough whisper and even as the enraged growl poured out of him, his fist was ramming into her stomach.

Agony exploded through her, taking her breath and buckling her knees, but the arm against her neck held her upright, keeping her on her feet. "I said no bullshit!" the man rumbled at her.

Through the pain and the darkness swirling before her eyes, Clydie saw him draw his free hand back again and she didn't even have a second to brace herself before his fist was crashing into the side of her rib cage with such force, the world around her went black. But, from outside the shadows pushing in around her, a garbled noise sounded out...and the pressure on her throat was suddenly gone.

Without the forearm holding her up, Clydie's body crumpled to the ground, landing her on her hands and knees. As her body was gagging and coughing and trying to pull in a breath of air past the throbbing in her throat and the fiery agony in her middle, another sound echoed around her. It was a sound that she somehow instantly recognized and one that had her trying to blink the darkness out of her eyes.

And when she did, her bleary gaze landed on two figures that were a few feet in front of her, out in the street. One of those figures was on his knees and the figure that was left standing was...Julian. Even through the shadows and the fog of agony swirling around her, she knew it was Julian. And it seemed that he was trying to beat the young man before him to death.

Julian's fists were swinging---the dull crack of of bone striking bone sounding like muted gun shots---slamming into the man with such fury that she just knew that there was damage being done. As a thread of terror snaked through her, two more shapes barreled past her, throwing themselves at Julian, and a third shape rushed over to her, kneeling down beside her and taking hold of her shoulders, lifting her up onto her knees.

"Oh my god, Clydie! What in hell happened!" It was Shep and as much as hearing his voice repulsed her, there was nothing she could do but continue to try and breathe in and out.

"Get off me!" Julian roared as the two people tried to wrestle him away from the target of his rage. "The fucker hit her! Let me have him!"

"Julian, you can't beat him to death!" Matt's familiar voice growled, echoing off the brick building. "Clydie's watching you!"

Julian's answer was to snarl and keep fighting, his fist connecting with the second shape---Jax---that was trying to pull him away from the man.

A loud oomph sounded out and Jax stumbled backward, but just as quickly dove right back into the fray, and somehow, after Julian managed to land a few more blows to the still kneeling man, he was forcibly dragged away by a few feet.

"Brody, get the hell outta here!  Now!" Matt bellowed and Brody lurched to his feet and began stumbling away down the street, disappearing out into the darkness. 

"Fuck!" Julian thundered, trying to break free of his captures and go after the fleeing man, but he was held firmly in place until Brody Hyatt was well out of sight. "Fuck! Get fucking off me!"

"Do not go after him, Julian!" Matt warned as Julian managed to jerk away from the hands holding onto him.

Rather than tearing off after the young man, Julian turned and strode toward Clydie, who was still on her knees on the sidewalk. Reaching her, he all but shoved Shep aside as he dropped down next to her, taking her into his arms. "Goddammit, Clydie, how bad did he hurt you!" he asked, his voice rough.

The only answer she could give him was...to break down into choked sobs.

She didn't want to cry. She wanted to be stronger than that because the situation seemed to call for it...only she couldn't. A grown man had just pulled her off into the darkness...and she could still feel the pain radiating outward from where his fist had struck her. How could she not give in and cry?

"Shhh. Its okay. I'm here," Julian assured as she leaned against his shoulder and just let the tears come. "I'm right here with you, Clydie.  You're safe now."

Those gruff words, on one hand, filled her with a measure of relief and comfort. But, on the other hand, those words set off a warning in the back of her mind because...why was Julian there with her? She hadn't told him where she was going to be, so either he just happened to be at the park and just happened to see what was happening to her...or he'd been following her.