Searching For Jenna novel Chapter 43

"That scar," Cara said shakily pointing at Elliot. "The one on the inside of your arm."

Elliot sighed sadly and raised his arm revealing the scar from his armpit to his shoulder.

Cara cried out and dropped to the ground, her hands covering her mouth as she sobbed.

Matthews looked from Cara to Elliot. "What is she talking about?"

Elliot pointed to the scar. "I got this climbing over a barbed wire fence when I was fifteen. I was sneaking through Amy Miller's yard. My shirt got caught on the fence, and the barbed wire ripped through my arm. Cara's mom took me to a doctor and paid for the stitches so you wouldn't find out that I'd snuck out. Her mom knew you would have beaten me half to death if you would have known."

A couple of the FBI agents went to the vehicles and came back with a first aid kit. They had already checked Steven and established that he was dead. Now, they were working on bandaging Matthews' arm until the ambulance could get there.

Matthews stared at Elliot. "You were constantly trying to do boy stuff. I knew you were a faggot, but I didn't realize that you were a freak of nature too," he spat.

"I always wanted to do boy stuff because that was who I was inside. I didn't fully realize that until I started living as a man to keep hidden from you. The longer I lived as a man, the more I realized that was who I truly was," Elliot explained.

"Whatever!" Matthews shouted. "You're a freak!"

"Shut up, Matthews," Mark ordered. "Take him to one of the cars until the ambulance gets here."

Dana was sitting next to Cara talking to her quietly. Elliot turned his gun over to Mark and started walking toward the two women. "Cara, I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you."

"Stop!" Cara shouted. "Don't ever speak to me again!" Cara tried to get to her feet but lost her balance. Elliot started to reach for her, but she slapped at him. "Don't touch me!"

Dana helped Cara up and gave Elliot a sad look. She took Cara to the cars.

Elliot dropped his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked up at Mark, tears rolling down his cheeks. "That was the way I feared this revealing would go."

"Give her time, Elliot, "Mark suggested.

Elliot stared off in the direction Cara and Dana had gone. He wasn't sure that even time would be able to heal the pain he'd caused Cara.

Mark and Elliot heard the sounds of more cars arriving, several with sirens. Elliot stalked off to find his shirt and vest as more people started arriving at the scene. He kept his back to the people while he put his vest and shirt on. When Elliot turned around, there were officers from both the Bath and Rowan County Sheriff's departments talking to Mark and looking at Steven's body.

"Okay," Elliot said. "What about next week? Do you need me to come back?"

"No," Mark said, putting his arm around Elliot's shoulders. "I have a feeling next week's events may get canceled."

"Why?" Elliot asked.

"Because Steven was the grandson of Judge Nelson, who we already had evidence against in the human trafficking ring. Judge Nelson was the lead man of the Cobra Cartel. Steven was a recruiter, and we can prove that. His cousin, Chase, was the one we wanted. He is a ruthless killer. We can connect him to three murders, and possibly to the two girls from Evansville and the girl in your father's freezer," Mark explained. "With Steven dead, the judge and your father in custody, all we have to do is pick Chase up, which is in the process as we speak."

"Wow," Elliot said. "I wondered what Steven inviting us to that Fourth of July party was about. Now, I guess it was about Chase getting to meet everyone and assessing who we all were."

"Yes, it was," Mark said. "Chase was aware of the FBI's involvement, and that was why he changed the meeting to today."

Elliot's head snapped to the right to look at Mark, who nodded. "But you guys figured it out?"

"We've had a man working within their group for a while now. When we picked up Nelson a couple of days ago, Chase called an emergency meeting of the leaders at the cartel's clubhouse in Cincinnati." Mark's phone buzzed as he got a text. He smiled and showed it to Elliot. The message said, "Cobra Cartel officially shut down."