Wayne, in the midst of his trouble, felt proud. He had built something that he could at least compare to these incredible woods, one of the hallmarks of the very city he’d repudiated by hiding its key. He wished he had come through them before. He wished he could stop and study them.

He heard movement behind him and believed it was the officer with the shards of glass in his face. It was impossible to consider that the officer had taken the same turns Wayne had, so many by now, and yet that’s what Wayne considered.

He touched the key once more and thought,

You thought it was hidden well before? Try to find it in this place…

21

When the car carrying Margot reached the northwest entrance, she saw a second cruiser running with its lights on. The caravan that had gone from The Hedges to the North Woods had four cars of its own, and when they parked alongside Wayne’s packed truck it looked like a midnight corral. The rain and subsequent fog gave the headlights a depth Margot didn’t want to look into.

The entrance to the North Woods was lit up and Margot tried to slink deeper into the seat.

But the Goblin Police did not seem afraid.

The officers were out of their cars, standing before the entrance. Their tall silhouettes made shadows on the trees.

Margot watched as three officers searched Wayne Sherman’s car. The guilt she felt for having led them here was unbearable. She saw an officer wipe his finger along the broken glass of the driver’s-side window. She watched him suck his finger…tasting it…and she could handle it no longer.

She got out of the cruiser and entered the dark rain.

“I can figure these out,” she said suddenly. “I can find him for you.”

The officers turned slowly toward her, their faces visible in the glow of the headlights.

They looked different.

At first Margot thought it was the lights alone. Then she saw.

The officers had taken off their glasses. All of them. So many unnatural eyes looked upon her.

One of them opened his mouth and a voice deeper than the running engines spoke to her. Commanded her.

“Show…us…”

Margot’s heart was racing. The rain, the woods, the night, the police. She tried to breathe steady like Mom tried to do, but there was just too much to fear. Tears blurred her vision. The officer who spoke walked awkwardly toward her. She didn’t see him. She was holding her head in her hands, her eyes toward her wet shoes. She didn’t know how close he had come. When he spoke, when he said, “Show…us…now…” she could feel his breath and Margot screamed. Then the officer’s chin fell to the dirt.

“What…” Margot began, pointing at the fallen feature. The rain pooled in it already.

The officer grabbed her arm with violence.