Right Package, Wrong Baggage

by Wanda B. Campbell

  “Thanks, Mommy.” Matthew trotted away, and Pamela dozed off.

  Pamela finally awakened from the dream she was enjoying of her and Micah walking along the beach. They were holding hands and making plans for their future. “Lord, that was not funny,” she mumbled while looking upward at the ceiling.

  After a good stretch, she sat up on the couch and called for Matthew to come inside. When he hadn’t responded by the time she’d finished folding her blanket, she called again. Still no answer. Pamela looked over at the clock on the stove and gasped. She’d been asleep for over two hours.

  “Matthew!” she yelled as she stepped out into the small enclosed area outside the patio door. His toys were there, but Matthew wasn’t. Pamela fought back the panic that suddenly welled inside of her and ran upstairs. “Matthew!” She pushed his bedroom door open. He wasn’t there. She ran through every room in the house. She checked underneath the beds, inside the closets; even the shower stalls. Still no Matthew. With every empty room her heart sank deeper and fear overtook her. “Matthew! Matthew!” She ran downstairs and checked the garage; nothing. She checked the walkway out front; nothing. She ran through the complex without any shoes on calling for her son. “Matthew! Matthew!”

  “Oh God, where’s my son?” she cried after she ran the length of the complex and didn’t find him. She didn’t find him or anyone else. The complex was unusually empty for a Saturday afternoon.

  “Maybe he’s at Shondra’s playing with Tyson.” She spoke the thought out loud, although no one was around. That had to be it. Matthew and Tyson played together often. Tyson had even slept over a couple of times. “That’s it, she reasoned. She ran up the stairs to her neighbor’s unit. “Matthew got tired of playing alone and went to Tyson’s house for company.” Her theory proved wrong when no one answered unit number five. Pamela proceeded to knock on every door in the complex. No one had seen Matthew. Maybe he’s back at home by now, she thought as she ran back to her unit.

  “Matthew!” she screamed upon entering. Silence answered. Matthew still wasn’t there. Pamela picked up the phone to call the police, but then thought of Jessica. “She has a key to the house. Maybe Jessica came by and picked Matthew up. She has done that before. She’d always ask first, but maybe she didn’t want to awake me.” Once again, Pamela convinced herself of an explanation for her son’s absence as she punched Jessica’s phone number.

  “Is Matthew with you?” she yelled into the phone when Jessica answered on the first ring.

  “No, isn’t he with you?” Jessica responded in a voice that matched Pamela’s.

  The negative answer unleashed Pamela’s pent up emotions. “Jess, I can’t find him,” she cried. “I fell asleep, and now I can’t find him! I can’t find my son!”

  “Pam, calm down!”

  “I can’t calm down. I don’t know where my son is!”

  “Stay with me, Pam. We’re going to find him.” Jessica paused. “Have you talked to Micah? Maybe he picked him up.”

  Pamela’s hard tears softened a little. “I didn’t think about that, but it does make sense.” Pamela disconnected before Jessica could tell her that she was on her way over.

  Pamela punched Micah’s cell number, and for the first time in days wished Matthew was with him. She prayed Micah had picked him up so she could rest, like he’d done many times before when she endured a hard week. But how would Micah know what type of week she’d endured? They hadn’t talked in seven long days.

  “Hello.” Micah sounded like he was still in bed. But that couldn’t be, it was two o’clock in the afternoon.

  “Do you have my son?” Pamela yelled into the phone.

  Micah took a deep breath before answering. “Pamela, what are you talking about? You told me to stay away from your son, remember?”

  “Micah, please tell me you have my son,” she begged. “I know what I said was wrong, but just please tell me Matthew is with you.”

  On the other end of the phone, Micah sat up and tried to focus on what she was saying. “Pamela, what’s going on? Where’s Matthew?”

  “I don’t know!” she cried.

  Micah was wide awake now. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

  Pamela cried so hard, he barely understood her. “I fell asleep, and when I woke up, he was gone. I can’t find my son. He’s not here. I have checked everywhere. Please tell me he’s with you.”

  “Pamela, listen to me!” Micah ordered. “Hang up and call the police.” Pamela nodded like he could see her consenting to his command. “Do you hear me?”

  She disconnected his call without another word and dialed 911.

  Waiting for the police to arrive was torture for Pamela. Sweat dripped from her pores. This had to be what burning in hell’s fire felt like. It had been over two hours since she had laid eyes on her son, heard his whining, or been embarrassed by one of his inquisitive questions. She was afraid and lonely, and the darkness that covered her at the thought of not knowing where her only child was threatened to swallow her. If anything happened to Matthew, that’s exactly what would happen—she would die, and she knew it. Pamela couldn’t stand the loneliness any longer; she picked up the phone and called her parents.

  “Oh Jesus!” Dorothy cried and immediately went into prayer. Pamela listened until the police knocked on her door.

  Jessica arrived with the police. That was a good thing, because Pamela couldn’t speak clearly. Between wiping her friend’s nose and trying to comfort her, Jessica told the officers what Pamela had told her, then handed Matthew’s current school picture from the mantle to the police for an adequate description. She couldn’t tell them what Matthew was wearing. Unfortunately for Pamela, she couldn’t remember what her son had on that morning. She’d been too sleepy to take note.

  “Where’s my son?” Pamela cried continually. Jessica tried to comfort her, but it was useless. Pamela was inconsolable.

  “Ms. Roberts,” the female officer started, “what about your son’s father? Would he have taken him?”

  “He’s dead.”

  “What about his family?” the officer continued. “How’s your relationship with them?”

  “I haven’t talked to them in years. They live out of state. They have never shown any interest in my son,” Pamela answered sadly. Her former in-laws hadn’t laid eyes on Matthew since he was in diapers at his father’s funeral.

  “Did you find him yet?” Micah entered the town house with AC. At the sound of his voice, everyone turned and gave him a brief glance, but Pamela jumped from the couch and ran to him.

  At first, Micah didn’t return her embrace, but she held on to him so tightly. He had to grip her to keep from losing his balance. Pamela cried so hard and loud, the officers stepped outside to give her a moment to collect herself.

  Jessica answered for Pamela. “They’re interviewing the neighbors now to see if anyone saw him leave the complex.”

  “How long has he been gone?” AC wanted to know.

  “Almost three hours,” Jessica answered again.

  “Oh God, please let my baby be okay,” Pamela cried, still clinging to Micah.

  “Pamela, what’s going on?” It was her neighbor, Shondra.

  Everyone, including the police officers, turned and inspected the woman sporting a fresh set of gold acrylic nails. By now, the entire complex knew what was going on; why didn’t Shondra?

  “We’re looking for Matthew. He appears to be missing,” the female officer answered from behind her. “Have you seen him?”

  “Have you checked with Mr. Larson?” Shondra asked. “I saw Matthew in his car when I left for the nail shop.”

  Pamela’s body relaxed a bit and thought that if Matthew was with Mr. Larson, everything was fine. She would definitely have that discussion with him this time about taking her son places without her permission.

  After Shondra gave the officers her account of what she witnessed, Micah shook his head. The story didn’t sound right.

  “What’s Larson�
��s first name?” the male officer asked.

  “Steve or Steven,” Pamela answered. “He could be home. His car is not parked outside, but he normally parks in his garage.”

  “Let’s go and have a talk with him,” the officer said after speaking codes the civilians didn’t understand into the two-way radio.

  Pamela and Micah started to follow the officers to Mr. Larson’s unit, but were instructed to remain in Pamela’s unit. They did watch from Pamela’s front door. The spark of hope Pamela had moments earlier quickly flickered when her neighbor didn’t respond to the officer’s persistent banging.

  “What’s his number?” Micah asked Pamela from the doorway, then used his cell phone to call both Larson’s home and cell numbers, but didn’t get an answer from either number. The knot in his stomach suddenly became worse than the pain in his right ankle from the injury he sustained the day before.

  From where they stood, they could see the female officer say something into the two-way radio, then the male officer kicked Mr. Larson’s door open.

  “Oh no,” Micah moaned. He figured the police must have had probable cause for them to enter Larson’s place without a warrant. A few minutes later, Micah’s fears were validated when the officers unwound yellow tape and declared Larson’s unit a crime scene.

  Pamela took off running and screaming toward Larson’s unit. She made it inside before the officers could stop her. Micah, AC, and Jessica were just a step behind. The sight before her brought Pamela to her knees.

  Numerous stacks of pornography magazines lined the floor of the living room. The walls were covered with pictures of men and boys of various ages, sizes, and nationalities, all with little or no clothing and all in compromising positions. On the coffee table, it appeared Larson was making a magazine of his own. He had pictures of boys Matthew’s age or younger, all nude. In some pictures, he fondled the boys, and in others, Larson guided the little hands over his own body parts.

  “Oh God, no!” Pamela screamed. Micah picked her up and carried her out of the unit and out into the common area. “Oh God, please!” Pamela’s cries were so loud they were heard throughout the entire complex. Micah kept his emotions bottled up. Jessica cried along with Pamela while AC held her.

  “Ms. Roberts, were you aware that Steven Larson is a registered sex offender in the Megan’s Law database?” the female officer asked, standing on the lawn next to them.

  Pamela was too dazed to answer. “He preys on little boys Matthew’s age and younger. He’s a pedophile. We’re treating this as child abduction and have activated an Amber Alert.”

  The officer’s words were too much for Pamela. Her body went limp in Micah’s arms, and then everything went black.

  Chapter 16

  Pamela finally regained consciousness while she rested in her bed with Dorothy snuggled against her, praying hard for her. Pamela’s back faced her bedroom door so she didn’t see Micah leaning against the door frame. He had been there the entire time, praying for her and for Matthew.

  If anything happened to Matthew, Micah felt he would never forgive himself for not protecting him from the hands of a predator. As for Pamela, she would literally go crazy without Matthew. He was her world.

  “Oh God, I’m sorry. Please have mercy and help me,” Pamela said out loud, then looked up at her mother. The last four hours were not part of some crazy dream. It was real, all of it. Her son had been abducted by a pedophile.

  “Pam, this is not your fault.” Her mother comforted her by rubbing her head and rocking her.

  “It is my fault, Mama. It’s entirely my fault. I created this mess,” Pamela whined.

  “How were you supposed to know the man is possessed by a lust demon?” Dorothy tried to hold Pamela’s chin up so she could make eye contact with her, but Pamela wouldn’t allow it.

  “Mama, I really didn’t know the man,” Pamela answered sadly. “I’d only spoken to him in passing since he moved here last year. He seemed so nice, and he always offered to assist me with Matthew. He said he’d grown up in a single-parent home and understood how hard it is to raise a child alone.”

  “I still don’t see how this is your fault. You didn’t know he was only being nice to you just to get his hands on my grandbaby. You just needed the help he provided.”

  “No, Mama.” Pamela’s body trembled as a new batch of tears fell. “I didn’t need his help. I had all the help I needed in Micah. I trusted Micah, but after he told me about his past, I was afraid to leave him alone with Matthew. I was afraid he would abuse Matthew, if he already hadn’t.”

  Dorothy looked over her shoulder to the doorway at Micah. His back now faced the room.

  “I know Micah loves him and would never hurt him, but I got scared, and I handed my baby over to a child molester. I watched Micah like a hawk, but I gave Steve Larson free access to my baby.”

  Dorothy didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything, just prayed harder. When she checked the doorway again, Micah was gone.

  Outside on Pamela’s porch, Micah allowed himself to release his pent-up frustration by throwing blows at the air. Surprisingly, he didn’t cry. He was too angry to cry. His anger toward Pamela mounted by the second. How could she be so naïve and callous at the same time? Steve Larson’s unsolicited offers were the classic method of operation for a pedophile, and Pamela couldn’t see that. “All she saw was my past!” he grunted. After all he’d done for her and Matthew, Pamela preferred a child molester over him. “I’ll never be good enough for her,” he grumbled and slapped at the juniper bush. “After Matthew is back, I’m out of here!” he declared. “She’s not worth it.”

  Pamela and Dorothy joined the others downstairs about an hour later. To Pamela, her town house resembled a police precinct more than a single-family residence. Officers, both uniformed and plainclothed, were taking pictures, writing notes, or talking on phones in codes she didn’t understand. Pamela asked the female officer for an update, and just as Pamela feared, there wasn’t one.

  Pamela frantically scanned the room. In addition to the police, Pastor Jackson and the first lady were also present. She decided not to interrupt the conversation they were having with her father. Henry’s face was covered with worry.

  Pamela did a double take when she saw AC and Jessica holding hands. She assumed they were praying, although their heads weren’t bowed and their eyes were wide open.

  Dorothy placed a cup of tea on the counter. Pamela climbed on the bar stool and hoped the warm liquid would stop her body from shaking. She was blowing the steam when Micah walked in the door from outside. For the first time, Pamela noticed that he was limping and his right ankle and part of his foot was bandaged.

  “Micah, what’s wrong with your foot?”

  Micah didn’t answer her. He didn’t even look at her.

  AC noticed his hardened expression and answered for him. “My boy fell off a roof yesterday and broke his foot. We were in the emergency room half the night waiting on X-rays.”

  “Oh my goodness.” Pamela couldn’t believe it. Micah had carried her around on a broken foot.

  “Are you in any pain? Do you need anything?” She walked toward him.

  This time he answered, not because he wanted to, but because they had an audience and what he felt or didn’t feel for Pamela right now was irrelevant. His main concern was Matthew. “It’s just a hairline fracture. I just took another dose of pain medicine. I’ll be fine once it kicks in.” Instead of looking her in the face, he looked over her head at the kitchen clock. “Any news?”

  “No,” Pamela whispered, then laid her head against his chest. He didn’t embrace her.

  “You should really get off of that foot,” his aunt ordered.

  Micah started for the recliner with Pamela clinging to him. Before he had the opportunity to release Pamela and position himself over the chair, his cell phone blared. He didn’t recognize the number, but with Matthew missing, he felt he needed to answer the call. “This is Micah Stevenson,” he sai
d after the caller asked to speak to him.

  “Yes, I know Matthew Roberts.”

  At the sound of Matthew’s name, the entire room quieted down except Pamela.

  “Who is it?”

  The caller’s next statement caused Micah to fall back into the chair, taking Pamela with him.

  “What is it?” Pamela asked. Dread gripped her once again.

  “I’m on my way.” Micah threw the phone to the officer closest to him, and after rising to his feet, set Pamela on her feet. “They found him, and he’s all right!” he yelled. “He’s at the Albany Police Station on San Pablo Avenue.”

  Everyone cheered and Pamela fell to her knees, but this time her tears were happy. Micah had stepped out into the walkway when Pamela realized he was going to leave without her. She quickly pulled herself together and ran after him and AC.

  On the way to the police station, Pamela never questioned why the police called Micah and not her. She simply thanked God for her baby being alive.

  Chapter 17

  AC let Pamela and Micah out in front of the police station, and then went to find a place to park. Pamela ran into the three-story building, leaving the impaired Micah behind, to find her son. Micah made it just in time for the elevator that would take them to the third floor. Once inside the elevator, Pamela nervously grabbed at Micah’s arm, then once the doors opened on the third floor, she practically dragged him down the hall. Micah didn’t say anything, just limped behind.

  “Where’s my son?” Pamela barked at the first officer she saw.

  “Excuse me?” the officer replied.

  “I said, where’s my son?”

  Micah jumped in before Pamela caught a case for assaulting an officer for being non-responsive. “Officer, my name is Micah Stevenson, and I’m here to see Officer Townes.”

  No sooner had Micah said his name, Matthew came running from nowhere, yelling, “Micah! Micah!”