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.And according to Sanders, Glenn hadn t224 SARAH MASTERSreturned to him after she d killed her parents,as he d instructed.She was surrounded on allsides, officers ready to catch her in case shebolted. Damn shame, that, when you think aboutit, Langham said.Oliver nodded, staring out the windshield at anow dark sky, thinking of Glenn.He saw her ona swing in his mind s eye, hair flying behind heras she surged forward, the length of it streamingover her face as she flew back.She was doingwhat she always should have, being a kid with nocares in the world except where her next mealwas coming from and whether she could havesweets after tea.Except she hadn t ever had thatkind of life, had she? Shitty parents had deniedher the childhood she deserved, the pair offucking bastards.Yeah, Oliver acknowledged his anger towardMr and Mrs Close was probably strongerbecause he d had a strained and unhappychildhood himself, knew a little of what Glennhad gone through.Wished he d been able toswing on the damn swings without constantly225 SUGAR STRANDSworrying he d be called a weird little bastard orworse.And if he was honest, what they wereabout to walk into frightened him.He didn twant to see that kid taken away, treated like acriminal.He hoped the police who dealt with herwere compassionate, understood why she dacted as she had, that drugs had played a majorpart in what she had done.It was out of hishands, probably out of Langham s, too, but atleast the detective could keep tabs on her, couldlet Oliver know how she fared after her fate hadbeen decided.What had happened to the other kids? They dbeen taken to the hospital, he knew that, butwhen would they be reunited with their franticparents? When all the tests on them had beenexhausted? When it was deemed okay theyweren t a threat to society? He had no idea if anyof them had killed.He could only hope the onlymurderers were Alex Reynolds and Glenn.Noother bodies had turned up, no new spirits hadspoken to him, but that didn t mean jack shit.Langham parked at the end of the streetfurthest from the park.They got out of the car,226 SARAH MASTERSclosing their doors quietly, and Langham lockedthem without using his key fob.The blip-blip-blipof it would be too loud in the quiet street, alertingGlenn that someone was about.They didn t need her running.This needed toend.Now. How are you going to do this? Oliverwhispered, following Langham across the road tothe side the park was on. I have no fucking clue.Instinct says just togo up to her, see what she does. Oliver widened his eyes. What? And risk hergoing for you? She didn t go back to Robert Sanders, so myguess is the drugs will have worn off by now. But what if they haven t? What if she s stillcrazed? I don t know, man.Maybe I m not thinkingstraight.Maybe I should be armed.Who the fuckknows? At least talk to her from the other side of thefence first. An iron-railing fence skirted the park,enclosing it as a child s oasis, supposedly keeping227 SUGAR STRANDSthem safe from weirdoes or them running out intothe path of a car on Bridgewater Road.Fencesdidn t stop anyone if they had a mind to dosomething, and from what Glenn had done, shemight have a mind, all right.They came to a stop, level with that littlegirl coasting through the air.Two streetlampsburned brightly, illuminating the apparatus.Illuminating her.She had a glazed look abouther, stare glassy, just one kid going throughthe motions of making the swing move.Noenjoyment, nothing. She s come down off the high, Langhamsaid. Reckon I m safe to go in? Oliver shook his head. I don t know, man.Isit wise? I ll be all right, you know. Langham lookedat him and smiled, but he appeared tense, like hewas withholding something. What s going on? Oliver asked, swallowingto wet his suddenly dry throat. The park s surrounded, right? Right. With trained marksmen. 228 SARAH MASTERS What? Sounds mad, doesn t it? Guns needed for alittle kid.But there s no telling what state she sin, and kid or not, she s got to be taken into thecity somehow
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