Chapter 452

"There was a little girl, about four years old. Her name was Madeline Sloane. She lived in Manhattan, not far off Central Park West. She was a gifted little girl. Her mother stated that Madeline tested right out of kindergarten and was going to go into the first grade that fall. She was mature for her age as well, verbally astute and well mannered. Everyone always commented on how much older she seemed. Her father, Arthur Sloane, was a high profile defense attorney. He represented many mafia and shady business men, celebrities. Her mother, Hannah, was a writer. A novelist. She also had a column in The NY Times. She had an older brother, too, his name was Henry and one day, in late August, Henry was asked by their mother to take her to a park not far from the house to play for a bit so she could entertain some friends. So, he did. And when they arrived at the park, some of Henry's friends came and asked him to play basketball across the street. Henry, who was only 12 at the time, wasn't the best babysitter, told little Madeline to go play on the playground until he came back to get her. The basketball court was across the street so Henry figured he could keep an eye on her here and there. He watched her walk over to the swings and that was the last time she was seen, by anyone, as Madeline, ever again. He went to check on her after about 20 minutes of playing and she was gone. Vanished."

Pearl looked over at Jim and then back at Erik.

"How awful. This is a horrible story." Pearl said.

"Yes. And it gets much, much worse." Erik said. Pearl sat back in her chair.

"Her parents were distraught, of course. Searchers came, police, volunteers. They searched for the beautiful little girl for days. She was on the news. In the papers. Nothing. And days turned into weeks. And so on. It caused so much destruction in the lives of her family. Her mother carried the guilt of the disappearance, blaming herself. She shot herself exactly three years to the day after little Madeline's disappearance. Her father, Arthur, didn't live a year past that. The official report said it was a heart attack but many said it was a broken heart. His daughter was his world. And then he lost his wife. Henry was sent to live with distant relatives in Illinois. So, after their deaths, the search grew colder and colder with no one to champion it. Soon, many forgot about the little girl and the family she came from."

"I don't understand what any of this has to do with myself or Jim?" Pearl interjected.

Erik continued.

"Around the same time of the disappearance, near northern Ohio, a couple known to be a bit elusive had a new housemate that the neighbors saw coming and going with them. A "foster" daughter they said they had acquired from the state. They couldn't have children of their own so they had told several friends they were applying to adopt or foster so no one really saw any red flags at all. But they didn't qualify for that. They had little income and the husband was terrible drunk, in and out of jail for alcohol related offenses. One day, a neighbor approached the girl who was sitting outside on her tricycle. She said hello and the girl said hello. They chatted a little and the neighbor thought it odd that the girl, who looked no older than 5 or 6, told her she was 12 years old. She seemed bright enough so the neighbor assumed malnutrition and being in foster environments must have stunted her growth. The girl was homeschooled and it was documented that the family moved 8 times in a matter of 6 years. She didn't go to a regular school until college, when she turned 20 She tested right in perfectly well for the age her birth certificate said she was. 8 years older than she was, biologically. She was small, very small for that age but her parents, having sheltered her and kept her away from society as much as possible, had everyone believing it to be true."

"Erik, I…I don't understand." Pearl was beginning to fidget in her chair.

"Yes you do." He said.

"She met a college boy, and they got married. Her parents supported it because it verified their lie. It helped their lie. She was 16 when she married him. She thought she was 24. And they allowed it to happen. She was so young. He abused her, just like the man she thought was her father. She was too young to understand and defend herself."

"Erik." Pearl's voice was shaking.

"That little girl, Pearl, that little girl is you."