This story follows on from 'The Shadow and the Tree'. Like that story it has some mentions of child abuse nothing graphic, but please be warned! Set just after the events in 'Caged'.

Prologue

Patrolman Cal Vaughan got the call at 10.54 on a cold, clear Saturday morning, reports of a naked man tied to a tree alongside Skyway Drive. As his patrol car neared the scene, he was expecting to find the unfortunate victim of a frat prank or an unsuspecting bridegroom left out here after a raucous bachelor party, but who in their right mind would leave someone out here in February? What he hadn't been expecting to see was a man so badly beaten, he was barely recognisable as a man.

He ran to the tree and immediately put his fingers to the man's bruised and bloody neck, there was a pulse, too faint, but it was there…he called out to his partner.

"Em, call for an ambulance, then get the blanket."

Vaughan took out his knife and started to cut through the ropes holding the man upright, ankles first, as soon as Emma joined him they cut through the other bonds and cradled the man's head as they lowered him gently to the ground.

Emma asked in a shocked whisper.

"Why didn't anyone stop to help him? Someone must have seen him, I mean, they called us…"

Cal pointed at the crudely painted sign that had been hanging round the man's neck.

"Not many families are going to stop when they see that; let's get him covered, then go get a large evidence bag."

They laid the blanket over him and Cal checked his pulse again; from the looks of this guy they didn't have time to wait for the ambulance, but if they moved him, would that make matters worse?

Cal Vaughan had been a Park Patrolman here in Shenandoah long enough to know that time was their biggest enemy out here, the man was icy cold, if they didn't get help soon…if what that sign says was true, was this guy even worth saving? Cal couldn't believe he was thinking this way, this was a human being, whatever he may or may not have done, he was alive, and Cal was going to do everything he could to keep him that way.

Emma opened the evidence bag and carefully put the sign inside; she sealed it and joined Cal beside the unconscious man.

"Hard to believe, when you see him like this…you know…that he could be dangerous…"

She had brought the first aid kit from the car, she took out some gauze dressings, gazed at the man's injuries and looked helplessly at Cal.

"Where do I start?"

Cal made his decision.

"We're going to take him in the car; if we wait for the ambulance it could be too late."

They got him to the hospital as quickly as they could, and though neither of them said anything, both Cal and Emma were worried by the total lack of response from the man as they carried him to the car, slid his slack body on to the back seat and drove as fast as they could to the hospital.

As he was being wheeled into the ER, one of the nurses asked Cal.

"What's his name?"

"For now, he's a John Doe."

Cal saw Emma staring at 'John Doe's' battered face and his torn, broken hands.

"How do we identify him Cal? We can't issue a picture of him looking like that, and fingerprints won't be any good."

"We wait, and hope that he wakes up…or that someone misses him."

But even as he said it, Cal wondered if anyone was really going to be looking for this particular John Doe…if he had family would they be searching for him? Would anyone care about a man who could inspire such hatred? He settled down to wait for the State Police and made a mental note to get the sign from the trunk…it would be evidence for the investigators…he shivered a little as he tried to reconcile the broken man currently being cared for in the ER with the words on that sign…

WARNING!

THIS MAN IS DANGEROUS

NO CHILD IS SAFE

SEXUAL PREDATOR