Mystery at Devil's Elbow
Chapter Twenty-Six - June 1972

Two years later, JD was sitting at his desk running his fingers through his hair. His men were searching for a boy taken from the old gas station on Highway 28 about 2:00 PM. The boy had been riding his bike and stopped at the gas station for a cold drink when a driver grabbed the boy and threw him in a car. A second man threw his bike in the car’s trunk, and the two drove off. The gas station attendant called the sheriff’s office immediately.

The boy was identified as Andy Dillon. He was 10 years old, and his family lived on Highway Z not far from the gas station. An immediate search of the area by deputies resulted in a description of both men and the partial license plate of the car. The driver of the car was recognized by the cashier as a resident of Crocker. The sheriff determined he was a convicted child molester. His accomplice was not identified.

A countywide search was executed with the assistance of state police, Fort Leonard Wood personnel, and Phelps County Sheriff’s Office personnel. The FBI was in route from St. Louis. The sheriff established a command post for the search teams throughout the county. Crocker police executed a search warrant on the kidnapper’s home. Nothing useful was found. It was 10:00 PM and the sheriff was concerned whether they would see the boy alive.

JD slipped away to his office for a quick phone call.

“Martha, this is JD.”

“Hey, JD, how are you?”

“Not good. Right now, I’ve got a missing boy who was taken by a child molester.”

“Oh, my goodness, can’t you replace him?”

“I think we can, but I want to replace him alive. Is Lisa there?”

“No, she’s volunteering at the hospital tonight until 11:00 PM.” Now that Lisa was a teenager she was volunteering so she could learn the nursing profession, she wanted to be a nurse after high school.

“Thanks, Martha. I’m going to send a car to get her. I really need to replace this boy.”

After they hung up, JD pushed two intercom buttons. “Deputy Haney, take a car to the hospital, pick up Lisa Fisher and bring her back to my office.”

“What did she do?”

“Nothing, I need to speak to her ASAP.”

“On my way, Sheriff.”

A map was spread out on a large table in the break room. The sheriff studied the map while waiting for Lisa to arrive. He’d bought her a cold drink from the vending machine and sat it on the edge of his desk. After a few minutes, a knock sounded at his office door.

“Here she is, Sheriff,” said Reggie.

“Hey, Lisa please come in.”

“Hey, Sheriff.”

“Close the door, Deputy, on your way out. Have a seat at the table, Lisa. That can of soda is for you.”

“Thanks, Sheriff. Orange is my favorite.”

“Let me get right to the point, Lisa. We have a missing boy. His name is Andy Dillon, and he’s 10 years old. His family lives over on Highway Z, not far from the Interstate 44 interchange. At 2:00 PM this afternoon, two men grabbed the boy and drove away in a car. One of the guys is a convicted child molester. It’s now 10:15 and these men have had that boy for eight hours. I need to replace the boy, Lisa.”

“Can you show me on the map where he lives?”

He pointed. “He lives right here off Highway Z.”

“Where was he taken from again?”

“From this gas station, right here,” said JD, pointing again.

“You said two men took him, right Sheriff?”

“That’s right, Lisa.”

“One man is older like you, Sheriff. The other one is younger, near my age.”

“Yeah, that’s correct.”

“The older man is from Crocker, and the younger man is from Richland.”

“We know the older man is from Crocker, but we don’t know about the younger man.”

Lisa bent over the map running her fingers up and down the highways. Her fingers rested on Teak Lane. She was listening to the Watchers, who were sharing information with her.

“Is there a farm right here, Sheriff?”

“Let me think.”

The sheriff got up and opened the door. “Bishop, get in here…is there a farm on this road that Lisa’s pointing to?”

Bishop leaned over at the spot. “There’s no farm there now. There used to be 15 years ago, and some of the buildings are still there, although they’ve collapsed.”

“Is there a root cellar?” Lisa asked.

“There might have been. It may have also been a tornado shelter that the family had in the yard. That was the old Douglas place, sheriff if that helps you remember.”

“Oh, my gosh, the old Douglas place. I’d forgotten about it.”

“Is there a collapsed barn they could’ve parked the car in?” Lisa asked.

“Yeah, there is.”

Sheriff stuck his head out the door again. “Hayne, get me two patrol cars on the way out to the old Douglas farm now. Get an evidence team to back them up.”

“The boy’s crying, Sheriff. He’s afraid,” Lisa said as the Watchers connected her directly with the boy.

“Has he been hurt?”

“His arm was broken when the man jerked him into the car.”

“Have they done anything else to him?”

Lisa began to cry. Though her tears, the sheriff could hear her say. “Yeah, they have.”

“Is he alone in the root cellar, Lisa?”

“It’s dark. He can’t tell, Sheriff.”

“Okay, stay with him, Lisa. Let him know help is coming.”