Little Lost Things

by Eleanor Chance

  Grace didn’t want to hear Scott defend Ryan. She was pissed and needed a scapegoat, but she said, “Makes sense.”

  “Speaking of Johnny’s phone.” He leaned forward and handed it to her. “Would you mind unlocking it?”

  She tapped the fingerprint sensor, and the home screen lit up. “What can his phone tell you?”

  “I’ll scroll through his texts, his web search, and call history. We’ll also examine the SIM card. There might be evidence that will lead us directly to him.” While Scott searched through Johnny’s phone, he said, “The Bureau has activated the closest Child Abduction Rapid Deployment, or CARD, team. They’re an elite unit that has specialized training in recovering abducted children. They have a high success rate. I regret not activating them sooner, but I truly believed Johnny was hiding out with a friend. That’s still possible, but I hope the delay won’t prove too costly.”

  “I’m not sure it would have made a difference. We’ve been searching for him since we knew he was gone. What more could they have done?”

  Scott left her question unanswered. “It wouldn’t have been easy for someone to force Johnny into their car unnoticed. He’s so conspicuous. He may have called someone we haven’t thought of for a ride and then ditched his phone to throw us off the trail. He’s an angry teenage boy after all.”

  “I pray you’re right. What else can we do now?”

  “The CARD team will arrive in the next hour. In the meantime, we’ll pull together evidence we’ve gathered and figure out where we’re going to find your boy.”

  Chapter Nine

  Johnny tossed the handheld video game Mara had given him onto the bed and got to look out the window. It was eleven at night, but he’d slept so much during the day that he was wide awake. The stream of events from the past two days played nonstop in his brain. He’d been cut off from all the people and places familiar to him. He had moments where he wondered if that life had existed or if it had just been a bizarre dream.

  It felt like the time they had stayed at a lake house with the Emersons one summer. There was a powerful thunderstorm one night and the dock broke loose. It had floated to the middle of the lake by morning. Johnny felt like he was on that dock, torn from his moorings and floating free in unknown waters. He was a kid who’d had three mothers, but he had no home.

  He heard the TV downstairs, so he got his crutches and went to see what Mara was watching. She’d left him alone most of the day and hadn’t said much. He was still waiting for her to answer his questions. He’d let it go because she was so on edge most of the time, and he was afraid to set her off.

  She’d told him after dinner that she was going out the next day to try to get his prescriptions refilled. It would be a relief to have the house to himself, even if it was only an hour. He needed time to figure out if he was going to stay with Mara or try to escape. If he was going to leave, he needed a plan.

  He went downstairs and found Mara was asleep on the couch. He tapped her arm with his crutch to wake her. She flew off the couch and spun to face him, crouched and ready to strike.

  “Easy John Wick, it’s just me,” he said.

  Mara rubbed her eyes and stretched. “You startled me. I’m not used to having anyone else in the house. What time is it?”

  “Eleven. I’m hungry. Do we have anything good?” He went to the kitchen and started rummaging through the cupboards. He found pretty meager pickings, so he tried the fridge.

  Mara dropped onto the couch with a moan. “You’re hungry again? I’ll have to get used to feeding a growing teenage boy. There are frozen meals and desserts in the freezer.” Johnny found a pizza and maneuvered it to the microwave. “Need help?” she asked.

  “I got it. Don’t baby me like Grace always does. Tony says I need to learn to fend for myself if I ever want to live on my own, which I do.”

  She shrugged and covered up with a quilt. “Less work for me. Knock yourself out.”

  Johnny cooked his pizza and managed to carry it to the recliner after a few near disasters. After a few bites, he said, “When are you going to answer my questions?”

  Mara ignored him and grabbed the TV remote. “I’m too tired to get into it now. We’ll talk in the morning.”

  “This morning you said we’d talk tonight. It’s tonight.”

  "Fine, if it’ll get you to quit pestering me.” She turned off the TV and sat forward facing Johnny. “I didn’t come for you sooner because after we left you at the hospital, Rick made us go into hiding in Montana. He was paranoid and thought someone would link us to your disappearance. We stayed in Boseman for two years until I couldn’t take living with Rick anymore. I’d never forgiven him for making me abandon you, and he was unstable.”

  He was unstable, Johnny thought, but he didn’t interrupt her.

  “I had my own near misses with the law, but I settled in Portland after being on the run for three years. I got a new identity and started a new life. I’ve been biding my time until I had all the pieces in place to bring you home. I saw Alec Emerson on TV going on about that damned book of hers. That lit the fire under me to come and rescue you from these people.”

  Her story made sense, so Johnny didn’t question it. He felt the same way about Alec’s book and wished he’d never seen it. Even if it was a false reality, he could have been sleeping in his comfortable bed in a home with people who had always cared for him. Maybe ignorance was better than his new reality.

  “What about the other question? How did you know about my call to Ty?”

  “I’ve kept a close watch on you since I got to Richmond. I was outside the Walkers’ house when you had your argument with them. I heard the whole thing. I ran for my car and got to you before Ty’s brother. That’s it. No big mystery.”

  “So you have been stalking me? Creepy.”

  “How else could I know when it was safe to take you?”

  “Why didn’t you just tell me who you were and ask me to go with you? You didn’t have to drug and kidnap me.”

  “I couldn’t take the risk. Would you have believed me before you knew the truth?”

  She didn’t wait for him to respond but picked up the remote and flipped through the channels. She stopped when a picture of Johnny flashed on the screen. He sat forward and stared. It was from Thanksgiving a few days earlier. He was in the kitchen leaning on his crutches holding pumpkin pie with Alec laughing in the background. The sight disgusted him and overwhelmed him with longing.

  “Turn it off,” he said.

  “I need to hear this.” She turned up the volume.

  Johnny wanted to cover his ears and run but couldn’t tear his eyes from the screen. The news anchor described a national-wide manhunt underway to find Johnny. The FBI suspected kidnapping. They showed pictures of the Walkers and Emersons huddled together comforting each other. Johnny felt guilt, sadness, and a good mix of satisfaction. The Walkers were good people who had gone through tough times raising him, but they’d lied to him. Part of him was glad that they were getting what they deserved.

  Footage of a search party of hundreds of people came up, and he felt bad for his friends and other people that mattered to him. They hadn’t done anything to hurt him and didn’t deserve to worry. He was shocked that so many total strangers were nice enough to take the time to look for him. He’d wait for the right time to ask Mara if he could text his friends that he was alive and safe.

  When the news switched to another story, he glanced at Mara. She was beaming.

  “What are you so happy about? There’s a manhunt out for us.”

  “No, they’re looking for you. They don’t know anything about me, and we’re going to keep it that way. I’m going to dye and cut your hair tomorrow and pierce your ears.”

  Johnny frowned at her. “What if I won’t let you? I’ll be a bigger freak than I already am.”

  “You’ll let me,” she said, staring him down. “We have to change your appearance as much as possible. Too bad I can’t do anything about your he
ight or crutches. You’re too conspicuous.”

  Johnny pointed a crutch at her and sneered. “Sorry to inconvenience you.”

  “Don’t be a smart ass. I’m your mother. You can’t talk to me that way.”

  “Whatever. I’m going to my room.”

  He left his half-eaten pizza on the chair and worked his way upstairs. He’d thought being with Mara would mean freedom from Grace’s hovering. He was beginning to wonder if being with this wacko would be worse, but he was willing to give Mara a chance. Life with her would at least be unpredictable.

  * * *

  Ryan and Alec jumped up when Grace followed Scott into the living room

  Ryan said, “I’m so sorry, babe. Can we talk about this?”

  “Scott says it probably wouldn’t have made a difference, and I trust him. Let’s drop it for now,” Grace said.

  “What about me?” Alec asked.

  “Your crimes are piling up,” Grace said. “You’ll owe me. All I want to do now is figure out where Johnny is.”

  “I’ve run dry of ideas. I’m going to take one of Adam’s magic pills and sleep,” Ryan said. He kissed Grace’s cheek before she could duck out of the way and waved to the rest as he went down the hallway.

  “Since the CARD team is on their way, I sent Nichol home for a good night’s sleep. I’ll stay tonight. I’ll be in the corner with Johnny’s phone until they get here.”

  Grace nodded and dropped onto the couch next to Alec.

  Alec squeezed Grace’s hand. Without looking at her, she said, “Since you’re already mad at me, there’s something I want to bring up.”

  “You have the worst timing of anyone I’ve ever known. Can’t this wait?”

  “No, it might actually help with the search for Johnny. I think you should call Craig.”

  Grace sat forward and frowned at Alec. “He must know about Johnny by now. The FBI has Johnny’s old file. I’m sure they sent an investigator to Craig’s house.”

  “It should come from you. He may not be Johnny’s father on paper, but he is Johnny’s biological father. He deserves to know what’s happening.”

  “Craig gave up the right to know about Johnny’s life when he signed away his parental rights. I’ve given him multiple chances to be a part of Johnny’s world, but he’s always refused. I don’t owe him anything.” Grace fell back and rubbed her temples. “The last thing I want is for our first call in five years to be the news that I lied to Johnny and drove him away. Craig will blame me. He wouldn’t be wrong, but I don’t want to hear it from him.”

  “He’d hear from me if he tried to blame you. This is no one’s fault but the person who has Johnny.”

  “Then why should I call Craig?”

  “Maybe he knows something. Maybe he decided he wants Johnny after all. Who knows? It wouldn’t hurt to find out.”

  “The FBI can question him all they want.” Grace shook her hand free of Alec’s and covered her face. “I failed Johnny. I had one job, to keep him safe, and I failed. I should have pushed Craig to take him when he was a baby. It was where Johnny belonged.”

  “Drop the self-pity. Since the day Mara dumped Johnny in the ER, he hasn’t belonged anywhere but with you. There isn’t a person on earth who could have loved him as you have. A bad guy is responsible for Johnny’s disappearance. I won’t stand for you blaming yourself.”

  “Do you think a bad guy has Johnny?”

  The doorbell rang before Alec could answer. An officer guarding the door looked through the peephole before opening the door and admitting the six-person C.A.R.D team. They introduced themselves.

  While Scott brought them up to speed, Grace studied the one who had introduced himself as Special Agent Reid, the team commander. He was roughly six-three with light brown hair and a closely shaved beard. Enough muscles bulged in his arms that it looked like he’d be able to lift a car, but he had a kind face and the concern was clear in his eyes when he gazed at Grace. Something in his look told her she could trust him.

  “We studied the records on the way here,” he said. “We’ll work from here tonight, but since it appears unlikely that Johnny’s in the immediate area, we’ll move to the Richmond field office in the morning. We’ll have access to better resources there. I alerted Agent Shepherd, and I promise to keep you in the loop, Mrs. Walker. We’ll be calling on you for additional information as evidence comes to light. We have a ninety-percent success rate. I won’t stop until I find your boy.”

  She noticed that he didn’t say he’d bring him home alive, but she understood that wasn’t a promise he could make.

  “Thank you, Agent Reid. We’re placing Johnny and ourselves in your hands,” Grace said.

  Alec shook his hand and introduced herself. “We’re thrilled you’re here, but Grace needs to rest, and my husband’s been asleep downstairs for two hours. I’m going to join him.” She kissed Grace’s cheek. “See you in the morning. Don’t forget what I said.”

  Grace watched her go before reluctantly going to face her demons for another night.

  * * *

  Johnny admired himself in the full-length mirror. He’d resisted letting Mara give him a makeover, but he had to admit he liked his new look. It had taken months of pestering to get Grace to let him grow his hair longer, and he’d been reluctant to see Mara chop off his hard work and dye it black, but she’d done a decent job. She spiked it with gel and dyed his eyebrows black, too. Without his crutches, even his friends might not have recognized him.

  Piercing his ears had been a different story. He’d tried to talk Mara into using clip-ons, but she insisted on poking holes in his ears. She used ice to numb his lobes, but it still hurt like hell when she stuck the needle through. His ears had been throbbing ever since. Mara assured the pain would be gone by morning. She showed him how to take care of them to avoid infection. At least she was a nurse and had disinfected his earlobes before starting.

  When she came at him with the nostril ring, he fought her off, refusing to let her stick a needle through his nose. She laughed and told him to relax. He was relieved to find out it was a fake that clipped to his nostril. When she finished, she handed him a black hoodie and a pair of ripped jeans. He changed and nodded in satisfaction.

  He joined Mara downstairs and said, “I look like a gimpy badass.”

  She laughed and gave him a fist bump. She was wearing her nurse’s uniform and said she had to go to the hospital.

  “I thought you weren’t working until tomorrow,” Johnny said.

  “I have to get your prescriptions filled. You only have enough left for a day and a half. Since your mom, I mean Grace, never got them filled where I work, I shouldn’t have a problem. Remember what I said, don’t contact anyone and stay away from the windows. Your textbooks and my laptop are on the table. Get started on your homework while I’m gone.”

  “Can’t I have one more day? Who’s going to know?”

  “I don’t want you to get behind, so you’ll be up with your classes when we get to Portland. Don’t get on your school website. Just do your best to figure out what you should be studying.”

  He rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. Mara went sort of nuts whenever he disagreed with her. He had no intention of doing schoolwork, but he’d be able to fake it easily enough.

  She left through the front door and locked the double-sided deadbolt from the outside. He’d never seen a lock like that. He checked the door that led to the backyard, but it had the same kind of lock. The few windows on the first floor had bars on the windows, but it wouldn’t have mattered if they didn’t. There was no way he could climb out with his bum legs. So much for his plan to just walk out the front door and call a friend to rescue him. He’d have to come up with a better strategy.

  He bristled at the realization that he was Mara’s prisoner. He felt like the victim in one of those real-life crime dramas about kidnapped teenagers he’d seen. As unpredictable as Mara was, Johnny was grateful that she wasn’t as terrifying as the kidnappers in tho
se stories. When the search for him calmed down, he’d talk to her about giving him a key and gauge her reaction. Maybe she was locking him in for his own protection?

  Ignoring Mara’s orders to stay away from the windows, he looked out the one by the front door to see what the neighborhood was like. Mara’s house was on the corner. The houses on the adjacent corners were rundown and in need of paint jobs, but the yards were in decent shape. One house down the block had a beat-up car parked on the grass and a sagging porch, but the rest Johnny could see looked fine.

  He left the front and went to check out the backyard. The door had a small window, but he had a view of the whole block. It was a good size yard with a six-foot cedar fence like the Walker’s had. It needed a good power-wash, but it looked sturdy. Three bare old oak trees stood in the middle of the lawn, which was mostly dead weeds and leaves, but it was a nice space. Ryan would have had it looking great in an afternoon. A whitewashed shed stood in the far corner. Johnny could see junk piled high through the windows and wondered why Mara had a shed full of rusty metal.

  He went to his room next to get a wider view of the area. Most of the yards and houses were like Mara’s, but the yards were in better shape. A narrow ally ran behind her house to the end of the block. That would be a good way to escape without being seen if he could get a key to the back door and find a way to open the lock on the gate. He’d had more time to search for a key when she went to work the next day.

  He gave up his reconnaissance and went to the kitchen to cook another pizza. It was easier to carry his food to the recliner than it had been the night before. He settled into the recliner and turned on the TV. He flipped through the channels making sure to avoid the news networks. The last thing he wanted was to see the dopey picture of him holding the Thanksgiving pie staring back at him from the screen.