Justice for Hope

by Susan Stoker

  She was staring at him, concern easy to read in her expression. She was worried about her son, that was obvious, but he could see that at the moment, she was also very concerned about him. “I’m okay,” he told her. “I’m just trying to think about where Billy’d go. What he was thinking as he ran across this field. How comfortable was he with nature?” he asked.

  Hope blinked in surprise at his question but answered without hesitation. “I’d have to say not very. I mean, when we stayed outside while we were homeless, he always complained about the bugs and stuff. He always preferred we find a place to stay that wasn’t out in the open in the parks.”

  Calder nodded and reached for her hand. They were both wearing bright orange vests supplied by the search organizer. He started walking with Hope’s hand in his, his eyes constantly scanning their route as they walked in the direction Billy had fled. “I’m sorry that I haven’t spent more time with him outside. Little boys should love the great outdoors. Getting dirty, lying in the grass. When we find him, I intend to change that. Maybe we can all go camping or something.”

  When Hope choked back a laugh, he looked at her. “What?”

  “Seriously? Camping?”

  “What’s wrong with camping?”

  “Calder, we spent a year basically camping when we were homeless. I can’t say it was all that pleasurable.”

  Calder hated to think about what she and Billy had been through, but he pushed the bad thoughts back. “I’m guessing you guys didn’t exactly get to sit around a campfire and listen to the crickets chirping.” He waited until she shook her head before continuing. “And that you didn’t make s’mores around that campfire. Or fish in the nearby lake just for fun.”

  When she shook her head again, he stopped and put his hands on either side of her face, tilting it up so she was looking him in the eyes. “I can’t promise that nothing will remind you of what you’ve been through in the past, but I can promise to do my best to give you and Billy new memories. Good ones.”

  “I’d like that,” she whispered.

  Calder kissed her swiftly, then took her hand in his and started walking again.

  “What does camping have to do with finding Billy?” Hope asked.

  He wasn’t surprised she wasn’t following his train of thought because all her mental effort was concentrated on finding her son. “Billy doesn’t like being outside, at least out in the open. So if he was running from Lincoln, he’d want to hide someplace sheltered. He’d want to find someplace that made him feel safe. I’m going to need you to keep your eyes peeled for anywhere that might remind you of the city and where you guys holed up. He’ll pick something familiar to him.”

  “He’s good at climbing,” Hope said. They’d reached the end of the field and had to decide which way to turn. To the right toward a neighborhood or left toward a small shopping area. “He had no problem scaling fences when we were homeless. He had to help me over more than one.”

  Calder looked toward the buildings to their left. Then he turned and looked at the neighborhood. Most of the houses had fences around their manicured lawns. At first glance, it seemed as if there were many more places to hide at the shopping complex, but when he thought about it, he had a feeling Billy wouldn’t have gone that way.

  “If he was trying to get as far away from Lincoln as possible, he would’ve tried to go somewhere that a car couldn’t get to,” Hope concluded.

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Calder said, turning right and heading for the neighborhood.

  “The cops said they went door to door here already,” Hope protested. “No one said they saw him.”

  “Billy’s smart, but he’s also shy and mute. He wouldn’t have gone up to a door and knocked to ask for help. He’d hide, making himself feel safe in the process. You said it yourself, he’s a good climber. He could get over these fences without a problem…especially if he had adrenaline on his side.”

  “So what do we do?” Hope asked as they stood on the side of the street looking at the rows of houses on either side of them. “How do we find him if he’s hiding? He didn’t come out when the searchers came through here yelling for him.”

  “He was probably still scared. But I truly think if he hears you, he’ll come out.”

  Hope put her free hand on Calder’s arm. “You too.”

  “Me too, what?”

  “If he hears you, he’ll come running. I know it.”

  Calder wasn’t as sure as she was on that. He wasn’t Billy’s mom. The little boy and his mom had been through a hell of a lot together. If he was in this neighborhood somewhere, he’d probably stay hidden until his mom came for him…just as she’d instructed him to do.

  “Come on,” Calder said. “You walk on that side of the street and yell his name. Reassure him that it’s really you and that he can come out, that Lincoln has been caught. I’ll do the same on this side.”

  Calder loosened his fingers from Hope’s but was surprised when she held on.

  “Thank you.”

  He could barely hear the words because they were said so softly. “You don’t thank me for this, Hope,” he scolded. “Billy might not be my blood, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think of him as my son.” He saw she was struggling to keep from crying. “Now, come on, let’s go find Billy and get him home. I’m sure he’s hungry and scared.”

  “Right,” she choked out. “I love you.”

  “And I love you,” Calder returned.

  Hope stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly, then took a deep breath and squeezed his hand before letting go and wandering over to the other side of the street.

  Calder stared at her for a long moment, wondering how in the hell he’d gotten so lucky, before mentally shaking his head and following his own advice about finding Billy and getting him home.

  Billy sat huddled in his hiding spot, wondering for the hundredth time if he should get up and go looking for his mom himself. But then he’d remember her lecture about staying put when lost. He wasn’t lost. He knew exactly where he was, but the last thing he wanted was for the scary man to find him instead of his mom.

  He’d heard people yelling his name the night before, but he’d refused to budge. It could’ve been the man who tried to kidnap him or his buddies playing a trick on him. No, he was better off staying right where he was.

  His stomach rumbled and Billy did his best to ignore it. He’d been a lot hungrier when he and his mom had been homeless. He’d be fine for at least another day. He’d lucked out when he’d found his hiding spot had a few bottles of water tucked away.

  When he’d fled the school, he’d had no idea where he was going, but then he remembered Jaylen talking about his treehouse. He’d said that his dad had made it for him, and how cool it was. He’d described the rope ladder that, when pulled up, meant no one could get up there. How the roof was a real roof, made from the same shingles that were on their house, and how he even slept in it when it was warmer out.

  Billy knew where Jaylen lived because he’d seen where he got off the bus…when Billy was still riding the bus. With no other plan in mind other than to hide from the man who’d tried to snatch him, he’d run as fast as he could to his friend Jaylen’s house. The fence around the yard had been no problem for Billy, and he scampered up and over it as if he were part squirrel.

  He’d pulled up the rope ladder as soon as he was inside the treehouse and hadn’t done anything that would bring attention to the fact he was there.

  Billy had no idea why the man had tried to grab him. He’d seen him at the fence around the playground at school and had stopped when the man said he’d lost his dog nearby and asked if Billy had seen him. But almost immediately he realized the man was lying, because the man wasn’t telling him the name of the dog. Anyone who was really looking for a lost pet would know what they’d named it. Billy had tried to back away, to go to the teachers for help, but the man had reached out and grabbed him.

  Remembering what Calder had said about
not getting in a car with someone, he’d fought like crazy and the man had dropped him. His knees still hurt from landing on the ground, but at the time Billy hadn’t felt it. He’d just run as fast as he could across the field and into the trees by the school to get away.

  But even with the water that Jaylen had stashed in his treehouse, Billy was hungry and wanted to go home. He wanted his mom. Wanted Calder. They’d keep him safe from the man, he had no doubt.

  Sighing, he put his head back down on his up-drawn knees and did his best not to cry.

  He had no idea how long he’d been sitting there, when he thought he heard something. Lifting and cocking his head, Billy strained to hear something other than the dang birds chirping.

  “Biiiiiiiilly!”

  His heart started beating fast and Billy quickly climbed to his feet. He tiptoed over to the window in the treehouse—yes, Jaylen’s dad had even put a small glass window in the amazingly awesome treehouse—and peered out.

  He could only see a part of the street because the leaves on the tree and Jaylen’s house blocked most of it, but Billy stared through the glass at the section of road he could see and tried to determine if he was hearing things—or if he really had just heard his mom’s voice.

  “Billy! Can you hear me?”

  That was Calder’s voice!

  Billy’s heart was really thumping now. His mom and Calder were there! They’d found him!

  He opened his mouth to yell back—but nothing came out.

  Frustrated, Billy scrambled over to the opening in the floor and lowered the rope ladder. He could still hear his mom and Calder calling his name, but their voices were getting farther and farther away.

  Panicking, Billy shrugged his backpack over his shoulders and hurried down the ladder. He missed a rung on the way down and fell. Luckily, he was almost at the bottom and the only thing hurt was his pride. He sprang up and ran for the fence. He could barely hear his mom’s voice now. She’d passed the house and was leaving him behind.

  “Mom!” Billy croaked as he leaped at the fence to climb it. He miscalculated and didn’t quite reach the top, slamming his body against the wood.

  Terrified he was going to miss his chance to be found, Billy stepped back away from the fence in order to make another run at it—and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Calderrrrrrr!”

  He didn’t hear anything now. Not his mom’s voice yelling for him, or Calder’s. He ran at the fence and this time managed to grab the top of it when he jumped. Using all his strength, he pulled himself up far enough so he could throw a leg over the top. He peered over the fence at the road where he’d heard his mom…and stared in disbelief and joy at the sight in front of him.

  Calder hadn’t ever heard Billy’s voice before, but the second he heard his name being yelled in a desperate, scared-out-of-his-mind way, he knew it was Billy.

  He spun at the same time Hope did and began running back the way they’d come. It was hard to figure out where the voice had come from, but he was close, that much Calder knew.

  He scanned the fences and yards as they ran, and when he saw Billy’s head pop up over the top of a six-foot wooden fence to his left, he almost cried. Without waiting for Hope, his only goal to get to Billy, Calder sprinted toward the little boy.

  Their eyes met as Billy pulled himself high enough up the fence to get his leg thrown over. Billy froze as he stared at both his mom and Calder running as fast as they could toward him.

  Calder didn’t even slow down. The second he was within reach, his arms went up and he plucked Billy off the fence as if he were a toddler, instead of a quickly growing boy. He wrapped his arms around him and held on tight, his relief so profound, so overbearing, he fell to his knees right there in the yard.

  Seconds after he hit the ground, Calder felt Hope’s arms come around both him and her son. She was sobbing and almost incoherent, but all Calder could do was clasp Billy to him and thank God he was all right.

  Hope pulled back and took Billy’s head in her hands and said, “Are you okay?”

  Expecting Billy to nod, Calder was shocked when instead he said, “Yeah. I’m good. I knew you’d come for me.”

  It wasn’t until that moment that Calder fully comprehended what had happened. Billy had yelled his name. Out loud. The sound had made both him and Hope come running, but he still hadn’t truly processed the fact that Billy was no longer mute.

  “I’ll always come for you,” Hope told her son, tears once again falling down her cheeks.

  “And that goes double for me, Bud,” Calder added, his own tears squeezing out of his eyes.

  When Billy buried his face against his neck once more, Calder looked up at the woman he loved more than life itself. Hope was smiling and crying at the same time.

  He mouthed, “I love you.” When she mouthed it back, Calder felt his throat close up once more. He’d never been happier in his life than right that moment, with the two most important people in his life, safe and happy in his arms.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “After the basketball game, me and Jaylen are going to get to spend the night in his treehouse. His dad said it was okay, and we’re gonna eat popcorn and cake at the game and then go out for burgers.”

  “Jaylen and I,” Hope corrected and smiled at her son.

  It had been a month since he’d almost been kidnapped, and he was back to being a normal seven-year-old. He didn’t continue talking immediately after he’d been rescued, but with patience and a few visits with the school psychologist, he’d slowly come out of his shell. His friends at school were excited to hear him talk, and Jaylen was his new best friend. His parents felt horrible that they hadn’t noticed the rope ladder was up inside the treehouse instead of hanging down, as it usually was. Hope was just happy that her son hadn’t been wandering the streets while he’d been missing.

  Joseph had decided it was time he moved into his own place once more, using the money he’d received from the insurance payout for his diner to purchase a small condo nearby. He’d said that as Billy’s “PopPop,” he needed to stay close.

  Hope was thrilled he’d decided to move out to the suburbs and was also relieved he’d decided not to reopen the restaurant. It was a lot of work, and Joseph wasn’t exactly getting any younger.

  Tonight was the first time Billy was spending the night at someone else’s house, and Hope thought the entire experience was harder on her than her son. He’d talked about nothing else but the game and the treehouse and how much he was going to eat. She’d tried to talk to him about what to do if he got homesick, but Calder had pulled her aside and told her to chill out.

  “What time should we come and pick you up, Bud?” Calder asked Billy, putting his arm around Hope’s waist as he pulled her into his side.

  Billy shrugged.

  Calder chuckled. “Right. I’ll walk you to the door when I drop you off and have a word with Jaylen’s parents, how about that?”

  “Okay. Did I tell you that Jaylen got a hockey goal for his birthday? His dad is gonna set it up in the driveway so we can play!”

  “He’s going to be there to watch you though, right?” Hope asked, imagining the two little boys playing without being supervised and someone pulling up and luring them away.

  She felt Calder squeeze her waist reassuringly even as Billy rolled his eyes and said, “Of course, Mom. He’s going to be goalie!”

  Hope tuned out her son’s rambling when she felt Calder’s lips brush against her temple. “Stop worrying,” he said quietly. “The Jacksons aren’t going to leave him unsupervised. They know what happened and will make sure he’s safe.”

  Hope nodded and smiled at her son as he continued to bounce around babbling about his upcoming overnight.

  “Hope,” Calder said, turning her face so she had no choice but to look up at him.

  “Yeah?”

  “Nothing I say will make you worry less, will it?”

  She knew she was overreacting, but this was the first time she’d intentio
nally spent the night away from her son. Billy might be excited about it, but she was not. She shook her head.

  “I know you’ve been thinking about Billy, but you know what this means?”

  Hope focused on Calder. “No, what?”

  “We’ll have the house to ourselves. No more worrying about how much noise you make when I’m deep inside you. We can sleep naked next to each other. We won’t have to worry about him bursting into our room in the middle of the night.”

  Hope knew she was blushing but couldn’t help it. She and Calder had a healthy sex life, but they were always careful because the last thing she wanted was Billy walking in on them. The thought of being able to completely relax and not worry if she was being too loud or if Billy might wake up and need her was exciting.

  Calder chuckled. “I see you like that idea.”

  “Yeah, I like it,” Hope told him with a shy smile.

  Calder kissed her temple once more, and she felt his fingers ease under her shirt and trace the sensitive skin of her lower back. Shivering, she shot him a warning look before pulling away to head into the living room to make sure Billy’s bag had everything he’d need for the night.

  Two hours later, they were back home after dropping Billy off. Hope paced, feeling restless and jittery. She really didn’t like not having her son by her side.

  “Hope. Come here,” Calder said.

  “This was a bad idea,” Hope said, ignoring Calder. “What if he wakes up in the middle of the night, freaked out? What if he remembers he had to spend the night in that treehouse while he was hiding from being kidnapped?” She gasped as something just occurred to her. She turned to face Calder. “Did you hear from the detective? Are Donna and Lincoln still behind bars? What if they got out and they want revenge? We need to go and pick Billy back up. He’s not safe. It’s—”