Hello, Little Sparrow by Jordan Jones (the reading list .TXT) 📕

She wasn’t shocked or surprised to see us, but wasn’t overly welcoming. She invited us inside without saying as much and headed straight for the kitchen.

The trailer looked worse for wear. It wasn’t taken care of like it was the first time we were there.

“Can I get you two fellas something to drink?”

“No thanks. Mrs. Maise, we have some serious questions to ask you.”

She sat down, still no worry on her face. “I’m listening.”

“Have you noticed anything missing from around the house?”

She shrugged. “I’ve been spending a lot of time at Ol’ Yellers on Third and Carmine. I get drunk and head home. I’m sure I lose all kinds of things.” She said clearly unfazed at confessing that she breaks the law every night to two officers.

I cleared my throat and continued. “I’m talking about things…sentimental things.”

Her eyes shot back at me. “You mean things my dead daughter had on her when she died? Is that what you mean? You mean the necklace my daughter, who is now dead, has in her pocket as she lie at the bottom of Covey Bridge? Please tell me if that’s what you mean, Detective, because, if not, you’ll have to be more clear about what you’re asking.”

I straightened myself up. “Mrs. Maise, I’m sorry if — “

“No you’re not,” she said with a scowl. She had officially passed the denial phase. “You all came through here and took everything I had of Madison’s. You crinkled up her drawings. You took her notebook, her necklace, and her all of her drawings. You give them back to me, only to just take them back again whenever I’m not around? You’re lucky I don’t get your captain on the phone…or better yet, the media!”

My brows narrowed. Deangelo leaned forward.

“Wait, what?” he said.

“You heard me!”

“I assure you, Ma’am, no one from the precinct came and took your stuff while you weren’t here. That’s not how we operate. We got everything we needed the first time around.”

“Explain how else these things were taken then?” Her tone lightened up a bit.

I pulled out The Sparrow file and took out the picture in the parking garage. “See this right here? Tell me what you see.”

“That’s Madison’s necklace,” she said, leaning back. “It has the butterfly and jewels. How did you find that? Where was it?”

Mrs. Maise, I’m sorry to do this to you, but I think your house is the location of a serious crime. There is a serial killer loose in Lincolnshire and I think it has something to do with your daughter.”

“The Sparrow?” she asked, finally shocked and surprised.

“Yes, you hear about him from the media?” I asked. Abraham called dispatch and requested forensics.

“Yes, I did. That’s the same necklace I got Madison. I can tell by how long the chain is. Madison didn’t want it to show, so she asked for me to get the longest chain they had. She wanted to be the only one who knew what was on it. She was strange like that; always wanting to know something that no one else does…or did.”

I studied the picture and saw how abnormally long the chain was for such a small pendant. The girl had secrets, but this one was right out in the open. The Sparrow knew Madison was secretive. He toyed with the idea of placing the necklace on the trunk of the car. He enjoyed it.

“Forensics and LT Anderson are on their way,” Abraham said. “They’re bringing spot lights and everything.”

“You said the notebook is gone? Her drawings are gone?” I asked.

“Yes,” Kay answered. “I thought your team came back for them. Well, they didn’t take the paints the first time, but I thought they did the second time.”

“We have to step outside,” Abraham said. “This is technically a crime scene with one of the most wanted people in America right now.”

Forensics pulled in as we were walking down the stairs. Benjamin was the first out of the van.

“What have we got?” He asked.

“Possible Sparrow droppings inside,” Abraham said. “That place could have some evidence. DNA…something.”

Benjamin waved in his team as Captain, along with a few squad cars, pulled in.

“All right, fellas,” LT Anderson said. “I was just about to enjoy a bubble bath before my phone buzzed.”

“Sir,” I started. “This is the Maise residence. I think The Sparrow was here. I think he took items from Madison’s bedroom and he’s using them to taunt us…I mean me.” I showed him the file with the pictures of matching necklaces, and after he shot back with a snide remark about the availability of cheap necklaces at the local malls, I mentioned the long chain. “Mrs. Maise said it was custom.”

LT Anderson studied it and let out a grouchy sigh. “If it is the same necklace, I’m not sure what to make of it.”

“That’s why we have to tear this place apart, LT,” Abraham said.

I shot Abraham a disapproving look. “I’m hoping to find something in there that connects The Sparrow to the Maise case.”

“Hair!” screamed Benjamin from inside. “We have a hair!”

We rushed through the front doors and down the hall to where Benjamin was. The bathroom was cramped, with shag carpet on the floor and wood paneling on the walls. The floor creaked as we all walked in.

Benjamin was kneeling under the sink and held up a tiny plastic baggie with short strands of hair inside. “This was inside the drain down here. This Maise lady is single, right? She doesn’t have facial hair, I can suppose?”

I shook my head and peered closely at the hair. They were short, but thick. They looked like something that came off a man’s face. They were too coarse to be from any other part of the body.

The mirror from