The investigators scoured the house and lifted every article of clothing, going through every closet, and lifting objects or moving them from side to side. They checked under beds, couches, chairs and tables. There was no sign of Adam, so one of the officers pulled them aside and explained what the next phase would entail.
“We currently have officers scouring area parks, playgrounds, and just looking around town while on their regular beat. My name is Officer Feeney and I’m going to be part of this investigation, and I want to assure you that we will do everything we can and utilize every resource that we have to increase the chances for a safe return of your son. I’m a father of two young girls myself, and I can’t imagine having to go through what you folks are going through right now.”
“Thank you,” said Carter.
“Thank you so much,” said Brenda.
“Not at all,” said the officer, looking back and forth from one set of red eyes to the other. It had been a long night for Carter and Brenda, and an overabundance of tears helped create their beat up appearance. The officer was a middle-aged male, thin build with thinning black hair on his head, but bushy black hair sticking out of his shirt where a bowtie would go. He walked with a slight limp and spoke very fast. Sometimes he spoke so fast that his words ran together.
“I gotta be honest with you. Every 24 hours, the chance of finding your son…diminishes, but we will do everything humanly possible to get him back to you. We’ll be policing the neighborhood by car and on foot, and we have already contacted the press to get this story out to the public, so I’m gonna have to get a recent photo of…ahhh…Adam…if I could get that from you now.”
Hiding behind her brave face was pure agony. Brenda began to sob. It began hitting home, and hard. It was always a story of some other family and it was that family’s problem, but now she knew that she had to pull it together because she would be of no use to Adam, otherwise. She wiped her eyes with both hands and said, “I’ll get you a photo of Adam right away.”
She rushed into the house for the photo as Carter remained behind speaking with the investigator in charge of this operation. Reporters from Channel 4 and Channel 7 flew around the corner, coming to an abrupt stop when they saw all of the police cars. They had hit their spot, and it seemed as if the race was on for them to see who would be the first to report the story about the missing six-year-old child named Adam. Carter was almost sick to his stomach thinking about this Piranha-like behavior, but he said nothing to the cameramen jockeying for position because they could be the key to the safe return of their son.
Each News van contained a male cameraman and a female reporter. The women rushed along with microphone in hand. They were indeed vying for the station that got the story out to the public first. It was certainly a mixed blessing for Carter, who did not mind the commotion caused by this competition, but he did have an underlying resentment that society had come to this.
As Carter was speaking with the officer and giving him important details about his son, investigators were briefing Officer Feeney about their findings inside the premises. The only thing alarming was information Carter already knew. The window in Adam’s room, along with the screen, had been raised up, and a sheet from Adam’s bed had been thrown out the window to the side lawn. That was the strongest lead, so Officer Feeney ordered them to cordon off that particular area with crime-scene tape and he focused the search there for clues. He wanted footprints, fingerprints on the blanket, and footsteps into the woods or other potential escape routes or smoking guns.
Brenda returned with a photo of Adam. It was a photo from his sixth birthday party and there was a round, two-layered chocolate cake with four candles burning away in front of a cute smile and a birthday hat. It was one of those conical hats with an uncomfortable elastic band under his chin. It depicted such a great day for a parent, and now this photographic memory was being used for the unlikely event that they find their child not dead.
The hours began to amass, as did any hopes and dreams of finding Adam alive, but you never give up the good fight when it comes to a missing child. This was especially true for the city of Boston after receiving word of the missing child and gathering as a community. They gathered to assist in any way they could, whether it be to help search wooded areas or staple copies of that sixth birthday photo to telephone poles all over town.
“Good morning. My name is Lynn Fritz and I’m coming to you live from the home of Carter and Brenda Spence…who were horrified to discover their six-year-old son Adam missing from his bedroom. The boy’s window had been opened, and police are focusing on this investigation as a kidnapping due to the circumstances surrounding this disappearance. Now we are going to show you a photo of Adam, and police are asking that if you have any information or have seen this boy, please contact…”
“Good morning. My name is Elizabeth Pahl and I am live from the Spence residence, which has just this morning been the scene of a kidnapping. Police have canvassed the area, along with the house, and have not uncovered any hard clues or suspects at this time. They do, however, wish to have the public take a good hard look at this photo of Adam and see…”
Carter grabbed Brenda and hugged her tight while the reporting continued on around them. The only progress being made was that more people knew that their son Adam was missing. That was good, but maybe it didn’t matter. What really mattered was only the safe return of their son. That’s the only thing that mattered to them. In the meantime, they were forced to go through the motions.
They were both numb. “It’s gonna be all right.” Carter kept saying this to Brenda, but he knew all too well that nobody knew how the hell this thing was going to turn out. Every minute that passed was bad news. He could be burying his six-year-old child by the end of the week, and only if they were lucky enough to find his body. He didn’t have much more time to think because before he knew it, Feeney and Pahl had both shoved microphones into their faces.
“Make your plea to the public!”
Carter heard the same variation from the two reporters, but didn’t know for sure who said what. He knew that he needed to make a plea to the public in a way that made the public not think that the parents did it. “I got this,” he whispered to Brenda, knowing full well that she would not be able to hold it together long enough to get this very important message out, which could be detrimental to the safe return of their son. The only thing that mattered was the safe return of Adam, and the most precious moments of time were already beginning to pile up in their rearview mirror. The news at noon was now broadcasting this sad story live for the first time.
“I’d like to thank everybody for their support.” Carter looked around at the crowd that was building as the news went out into the airwaves. “Thank you to the police for their quick response. Thanks to the volunteers for their time and effort, helping get the word out with flyers…and who will be searching the land for anything related to our dear son, Adam. It’s been a very trying time for us. All we want is for the safe return of our son.” He then dipped his head down and his body convulsed in an attempt to muffle tears.
“Adam!” Brenda had grabbed one of the microphones, which was also being held by the channel 4 reporter. “Adam…if you’re out there…and you see me…please come home.” She had wanted to say more, but her emotions twisted her face around too much for Carter to allow the interview to continue. As she was moving her hands over her face to cover her anguish, Carter grabbed her from behind and guided her away from the live shot and took the helm.
“Please…if anyone has seen anything…please contact the local police. If you saw the little boy in the photo…our son…Adam…help bring him back to us. He is our world. Thank you.” He stepped away and wrapped his arms around Brenda. He could hear her sobs while he was talking. As the reporter took over, he had to comfort his wi
fe. He knew what Adam meant to her, and her world would be forever incomplete without him. That’s the way Carter felt, and he was barely able to hold it together for the cameras.
He again squeezed Brenda tight and her sadness passed through him. She was sobbing uncontrollably, and that got him going. He felt drops down his own cheeks, and then he began to shake as he tried his best to hold it together. He could not, and looked up to see the camera on them with the green light on. He thought about lunging for the camera, but thought better of it and did not, aware that he could jeopardize the return of their son. He could only cover their ugly emotions by turning his back.
“Now I know how my parents felt,” said Brenda as she took a sharp, deep breath after saying that. “They didn’t know where I was for years, and I was too selfish to reach out to them to at least tell them I was okay.”
“You were a teenager,” said Carter. “You can’t go back there and start blaming yourself. You were young.”
“Adam’s just a six-year-old child,” she replied. “He had to be taken. He could not have just gone away on his own free will, and the window was opened. I did it to my parents on purpose.”
Carter looked up and saw that the cameras were again approaching them. He ushered Brenda away from the scene and back into the house. Just as they got into the house, there was a knock on the front door. Carter turned around and expected to see the media again, which caused a dilemma since they were both helping them and invading their privacy, simultaneously. He so badly wanted to tell them to shove it up their asses, but not at the expense of their son.
He was surprised to see an older gentleman at the door. He walked over to the screen door and saw the man with a large German Shepherd on a thick brown leather leash.
“Can I help you, sir?” Carter asked as he approached the door.
The man stared at Carter through the screen door for an awkward moment before speaking.
“Hi…Carter?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Hi.” The man chuckled nervously when he said hi again, and then said, “I guess I already covered that. I just heard yer story and…well…I was close enough and wanted to help. Skippy here wanted to help too.” He nodded down to his dog as he said this, and then he grinned widely.
Carter was not sure how to take him, but he had to at least consider the man who was the first of the general public to offer a hand. He eyed him thoughtfully through the screen, and he was a little taken aback by the man who continued to smile in such a traumatic time. He must have forgotten to shave for a few days because it didn’t appear to be a purposeful beard.
“Excuse me, sir, but I’m gonna have to ask you to leave,” said an approaching officer.
“No, no,” said Carter. “He’s okay…for now. Just give me a minute with the man.”
“No problem,” said the officer, and he opened the door and walked through for more of his investigation.
Carter stopped the screen from shutting on the man and invited him inside.
“Thank you, Carter,” said the man. “My name is Evan, and this is my dog Skippy. I live around the corner from you and I was watching you on the TV. Skippy was watching too.”
“Oh, he was…was he?” said Carter.
“Damn right. Smart dog. Became his owner when he was ten…too old to work. He was a police dog, he was…very good at his job. Why, we first heard about this on my scanner, but when we saw yer story on the TV…well…we thought we’d take a walk and offer you our services.”
“Well, that’s awfully kind of you, sir.”
“Evan. Just call me Evan. My father was Sir. Makes me feel old…it does.”
“Okay Evan…and Skippy…they’re gathering a search party as we speak, so we’d love all the help that we can get. We’re desperate. My wife is in the other room and she’s despondent.”
“Brenda,” said Evan.
“Yes, that’s right. Brenda. They did say that on the news.”
“Didn’t get it from the news.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said I didn’t get it from the news.”
Carter looked at the old man with suspicion. Up to this point, things were a little bit off about Evan, and they continued to tilt in the wrong direction. He looked at Evan closely, noticing the dark pupils in his eyes, the tattered clothing, old tan pants with the hem flipped up on the outside, and red lumberjack flannel shirt. Temperatures were warming up, but something told Carter that he had worn that same outfit the previous day. “Take a seat on the couch…please.” Carter put his hand out toward the couch behind him.
“Thank you. Don’t mind if I do.” Evan looked back and slowly sat down on the couch, easing his landing with his hands. Skippy took a couple of steps toward his master, spun around and sat in front of him, looking up at Carter.
Carter pulled up a wooden chair that he had grabbed from the kitchen and placed it in front of Skippy and sat down. “So Evan…where did you say you live?”
“Oh, just a short walk from here,” he said, and then cleared his throat. “We don’t get around too fast anymore. Well, I don’t…and Skippy, well, he don’t have much of a choice…long as I got the leash.” His lip curled up on one side and he let out a short chuckle.
“I don’t recall ever seeing you and Skippy around here. How long have you lived here?”
“My whole life, really. My wife died in 2003 and I ain’t been the same since. She was murdered…a hit and run to be exact.” His eyes closed as he reflected on the tragedy.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” said Carter. “Did they ever get the driver?”
Evan’s complexion turned red. He paused, then said, “They never did, so I did.” Then he smiled wide.
Carter stared at his reaction. “You did what?”
“I caught him. They kept telling me that they had some leads, but nothin’ led to nothin’. Took matters into my own hands.”
“How did you find him?”
Evan smiled and got to his feet. “I’ll tell you when I get to know you better…not until. For now, we have a job to do.”
Carter stood up when he said this. “Is that why you offered to help…because of the loss of your wife?”
“Ah, sure. I’m what you would call an old warrior…been that way since Nam. Been that way…since Nam.”
Brenda had regained her composure and entered the room while Evan was finishing his statement. She was mentally prepared to join the search party. After a quick introduction to Evan and Skippy, she encouraged them to begin the search. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she moved with a purpose, and when she limped out the front door, she saw that there was a gathering of people in her front yard that were not cops or other emergency personnel. She learned that this was a group of volunteers who gathered on this early weekday morning to form a search party to find her son.
CHAPTER THREE
Carter and Brenda were ready for a change when they moved from Denver to Boston in 2004. It was new territory for Brenda, but to Carter it was moving back to the home he had grown up in. He loved Boston and it was perfect timing. The year he moved back was the year that the curse of the Bambino was lifted. The Red Sox hadn’t won the World Series since 1918, and in 1920 Babe Ruth was traded to the Yankees so the owner could finance a play. It took 86 years for the curse to be lifted, and Carter felt that his return to Boston had a little something to do with it. However, this 2004 team called themselves The Band of Idiots, and they had a little something to do with it too.
The lifting of the curse wasn’t the only thing that was meant to be, however, and Carter knew it. He had met his soul mate in Brenda, and she moved 2000 miles into unknown territory fo
r him. After years of togetherness, and reconnecting from a past life, he could see no other option than to make it official, and he did so, on the scoreboard at Fenway Park during the ALCS game against the Yankees. Take that Babe! He embarrassed the hell out of Brenda, but she accepted and the Fenway faithful cheered for five whole minutes. They may have lost that game, but they won the series in historic fashion and moved onto and won the World Series. Carter and Brenda moved on to the Justice of the Peace and got hitched in a private ceremony.
Shortly before this proposal, Brenda’s pregnancy test turned blue. They were a bit surprised by this, but figured that it was meant to be. However, there was one secret and one secret only that Brenda was withholding from Carter. She never forgot about what the evil spirit of Martin had told her one day on the phone. He told her that she was pregnant, even before she knew. She ended up buying a home pregnancy test after a week of having that weigh on her mind, only to find out that Martin was right. She just prayed that he was not right about the child being evil. Burned into her mind were his words, “Good luck with our little one in the oven.”
Adam was wise beyond his years. He was so wise in an old soul sort of way. The problem with this was more of a problem for Carter and Brenda because they were never certain whether or not Martin had followed them from Boulder to Boston. At the earliest stages of Adam’s life, the odd behavior began, and Brenda knew that it would not serve them well to withhold the truth from Carter about what Martin had said that day on the phone.
Carter and Brenda wanted a clean break from Martin. The move to Boston was supposed to serve that purpose. However, by the age of one, Adam began making strange faces and moving his eyes as if he was taunting Brenda. They were not the normal faces that a one-year-old child would make. She felt like she was going crazy, so after several visits to a therapist, she was convinced that she should reveal to Carter what Martin had said about the pregnancy.
Desert Son Trilogy: Desert Son, Wayward Soul, Spiritual Intervention (Books 1-3) Page 48
