“Hi Justin,” she said, her voice cracking while the tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m your sister, Abby.”
“Hi.” He couldn’t stop staring at her face. “Why are you crying?” he asked in a low voice.
“Because I’m happy to see you.” She wiped the end of her nose with her finger wishing she had a tissue. “I know you don’t remember me.” Her voice was low. She paused, taking in the sight of him for a moment longer before continuing. “I’ve never forgotten you . . . not for a day, not for an hour, not for a minute. I’ve prayed for this day for seven years and I can’t believe I’ve been given another chance to stand here and talk to you.” She resisted the urge to pull him into a tight hug.
Justin drew in a breath and released it. His lips parted as though ready to say something but stopped, his eyes never moving from her face. She smiled through her tears. “I think . . .” he took in another deep breath and blew it out, “I think . . . you’re the girl in my dreams.”
“I am?”
He gave a slight nod. “Did you ever sing to me?”
“Every single night . . . and every night after you were gone. I used to pretend you were still there listening to me sing a silly song named ‘itsy bitsy spider.” She smiled reliving those nights. “And at the end of the song,” she continued, “I’d tickle you.” He swallowed hard and stared at her with a surprised expression on his face. “Do you know the song?” she asked and started singing it. He sat down on the chair next to her.
He acknowledged with a nod and joined in the chorus. When the song was finished, they stared at each other. His eyes took on a glassiness like he was going to cry. But he held back.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something sticking out of his backpack leaning up against the wall. “Is that Cubby?” her voice cracked.
He subconsciously turned and looked at the teddy bear’s head sticking out of his backpack and then back at her, a deep frown crowding his face. “How do you know my bear’s name?”
“Because . . .” she wiped her nose with the back of her hand, “because . . . I gave him to you one Christmas.”
“You did?” his mouth quivered showing signs of deep emotion.
She nodded. “At night after I’d finish singing the song and tucked you in under the covers, I’d stand out in the hallway and listen to you sing it to him.” Abby tilted her head to the side. He handed her a box of tissues resting on the chair next to him. She dabbed her tears. “And every night, you’d do the same thing. You’d tuck him in under the covers, your little arm holding him tight against your body and you’d sing the same song to him.” She melted when he smiled. “I’ve missed that beautiful smile of yours, Justin. I’m so thankful we have the rest of our lives to get reacquainted all over again.” He was nodding in agreement. “I know we have a lot of hard work ahead, but that’s okay because we’re together now and nothing will ever destroy that. We’re family.”
She reached for his hand and he didn’t pull back. “Did you ever play hide-n-go-seek with me?” he asked out of the blue.
“Yes.”
“That’s my favorite game. Did you know that?”
“I did know that.” Her tears came more readily now. “We were playing that game when you disappeared.” She was sobbing now. She covered her face with her hands, a million thoughts racing through her mind.
Justin remained silent for a long time until she felt the warmth of his hand on her shoulder and him saying, “Don’t cry, Abby,” she cried harder than she ever cried before. He leaned down and hugged her. “We’re gonna be okay,” he said.
She no longer resisted and wrapped her arms around him tightly. “I love you, Justin,” she said. He didn’t say it back, but she knew from the tightness of his hug they were going to be a family again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“I WISH I could have been there, Jess,” Zach said that evening. “It sounds like it was a wonderful reunion.” He hugged her. “And I’m so happy Jake . . . I mean, Justin has his sister back. None of that would have been possible if you hadn’t persisted. You always amaze me,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose, “and I’m so lucky to have you in my life.”
“Hey, we were both responsible for solving this case. If you hadn’t taken those photographs out of the property warehouse, I wouldn’t have even thought about his teddy bear. She grinned. “He had it with him, you know. He tried to hide it in his backpack, but it didn’t quite fit and the head was sticking out. I saw it through the glass enclosure. And sure enough, there was a black ring around the bear’s eye.” She laughed. “God,” she looked up, “what an exciting day.”
“You know, there were some more pictures in that property warehouse box. One in particular was a large photograph of Justin with Thomas. The frame was broken. I’d love to reframe it and give it to Abby for him as a gift.”
“Do you really think you should give that picture to him?”
“Hey, Jess, in his eyes, he was his father. He’s never going to forget Harold.”
“Well, you can give it to Abby and let her decide.”
“Fine. I’ll leave it up to her, but I’d still like to do it.” He grabbed his jacket off the chair, “Let’s get it now. After we have dinner, we can stop at that framing place on Broadway and you can help me pick out a frame. How’s that?”
“Does it have to be tonight?”
“Yes, Jess, it has to be tonight,” he huffed. “If I know those assholes, they’ll drop all this shit off at Abby’s house without even checking. What if there’s blood on some of the things in the box?” His hand rose in the air. “I don’t want the kid seeing it and taking a step backward in his progress.”
“Point taken.”
Carrying the frame inside the restaurant, Zach placed the bag down on the seat next to him and ordered their drinks.
“Tonight,” he said, “We’re having your best champagne to celebrate.”
“Oh,” the waiter said, “what’s the occasion?”
“A job well done by my lovely lady.”
“Congratulations,” he said after checking the bottle Zach had pointed to on the wine list. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“So let me show you this picture of Thomas and Jake. ”He snickered. “That’s going to take some getting used to.” He twisted his mouth to the side, “Now that I know Thomas abducted Justin,” he smiled because he remembered the right name, “I think he’s a creep even though he was good to the kid, but taking a child from his family not only ruined Abby, but also her parents. What he did was completely selfish.” Zach pulled the photograph out of the bag, the cardboard from the frame stuck to the back of the photograph. He tried to find a spot to slide in his finger to release it, but it was stuck. Using his table knife, he slid it in between and released the cardboard when an envelope fell out. “What the hell is this?”
Jessie leaned in closer. “Maybe it’s money for the kid.”
“I don’t think so. It looks like a letter,” he said, examining it. “Hey” Jessie said, “I don’t think it’s sealed. Maybe you’d better read this letter. What if there’s something in the letter that he shouldn’t see.”
Removing the letter, Zach unfolded the paper and began to read it aloud.
Dearest Jake,
By the time you find this letter I’ll either be dead, or hopefully, you’ll be old enough to understand what I did and why I did it. But before I tell you, I want you to know that having you in my life has been the greatest joy I’ve ever known, and I thank you. As you read this, please remember that regardless of what you think, I have loved you as much as any father could love his son.
But now, I must take on the painful task of telling you the truth. I’m not your biological father and you had a different life with different people before I came along. Your real name is Justin Cavanaugh, not Jake Thomas. I’m not proud of breaking the law, but I’ve never regretted my decision to free you from a life of despair.
Several years ago I was at the mall sho
pping and stopped for coffee. I hadn’t noticed you and the young girl you were with until I saw her push you away hard enough to make you fall. I think you were begging her to play a game but she was angry about something. Hearing your sobs reminded me of my own childhood. I’ve always wondered why no one ever stepped forward to save me, but those were different times than today. Regardless, saving you was like avenging their behavior to preserve your childhood.
At the time, I tried to force myself to leave, not to get involved, but the sound of your crying screamed in my head and I knew this was my chance to help, so I walked back to where you were. By the time I returned, the selfish young girl had finally decided to play hide-n-go-seek with you, and that’s when I took my shot. You’d moved back inside the store and found a hiding place in between the clothing racks. I saw your feet and pretended to be part of the game. When I found you, I tapped you on your shoulder and together we walked away. When your little hand willingly latched onto mine, it gave me great satisfaction.
Later that night, you cried for your sister, and I felt guilty, but I didn’t know where your parents lived and I had already fallen in love with you.
As I write this, I cringe to think of what you must be feeling right now. I have no doubt that you’re upset with me knowing most of what I told you over the years was a lie, but understand, loving you was not. I hope in time you’ll be able to forgive me. I love you, son.
Dad
“Whoa,” Zach said, jerking back in his chair. “There’s no way either of them are getting this letter.” He folded it and slipped it back into the envelope and back into the bag. “Now that she has her brother back in her life, any reminder of what she did will only serve to singe that open wound.”
“I’m glad you suggested picking up this photograph, Zach,” Jessie said. “If you hadn’t used good judgment, she would have undoubtedly found that letter. Maybe you should go through the rest of the stuff to be sure there are no more surprises in anything, then tell Abby to check out the contents to see if she wants Justin to have it.”
“That’s a good idea.” He was shaking his head when the champagne arrived. The waiter set the flutes down in front of each of them and walked away.
Jessie was the first to hold up her glass. “To Justin and Abby, may they live a long and productive life together as family.”
“Let’s make the most of tonight, Jess. I have a criminal I’ll be chasing down next week and out of touch for a few days.”
“How long are you going to be gone?”
“Maybe two, three days, if I’m lucky. But if I’m really lucky, I might be able to do it in one day so I can get back here to you to help you move into my place.”
“I never said I was moving back in with you.”
“But you want to, don’t you?”
She remained silent, staring at him with so much love, she couldn’t believe how filled her heart felt. “I do. If I don’t do it now, we’ll never know.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
ZACH ENTERED the crowded gallery of Native Art and saw Alex Cavanaugh behind the counter checking out a customer’s purchase. He walked to the counter. Alex was surprised to see him.
“And where’s your lovely wife?” he asked, looking over Zach’s shoulder to find her.
Zach liked the sounds of that ‘wife’ reference, but he couldn’t think about that now. “She had to get back to work,” Zach said. “Listen, do you have some place we can talk in private?”
Alex gave him a questionable frown. “To talk about moving here to New Mexico?” His words came out in a rush as he gestured to the number of customers meandering around the gallery. “Because I need to take care of them before I can chat.”
“No.” Zach discreetly held out his shield causing Alex to jerk back in shock. “This is something more urgent—it’s about Justin,” Zach said.
Alex stared in shock upon hearing his son’s name. “You found him dead?”
“Please, Alex, can we go somewhere to talk? Unless you want the world to know your personal business.”
Alex called out to his clerk. “Josh, I’ll be back shortly. Please take care of things while I’m gone.” He turned to Zach, “Okay. Follow me.” Heading toward the back of the store, Zach followed close behind thinking about why he hadn’t told Jessie he was coming here. In essence, he’d lied to her since his business with Alex was not in an official capacity. Unlike Justin, his issues with his own father were unfixable. He realized he couldn’t compare his life to Justin’s, but the kid deserved that chance to know who he was. Now that Abby had her brother back, maybe she would be more forgiving. He wasn’t sure Jessie would agree with him, but at least he wanted to give Alex the opportunity to show whether or not he was a stand-up guy. His stomach knotted, unsure of whether he was doing the right thing. According to Jessie, Abby was still angry with her father, and she had every right to be, but her anger might have worn off now that Justin had been found. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered if he was sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong because he was opening a can of worms maybe no one wanted opened. Nevertheless, regardless of the outcome, he felt he needed to advise Alex his son had been found alive.
They walked into Alex’s office. The room had a desk with chairs around the front, a table in the corner with thick books on top, which he assumed were catalogues for other art pieces.
“Okay, so tell me.”
“Your son has been found alive and well.”
Tears gushed from Alex’s eyes. “Unharmed?” he asked.
“So to speak.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means he has a lot of mental anguish to deal with, but in time with counseling, he should be better. I’m only here as a courtesy to you because quite honestly, I’m not sure Abby would even want to see you. But that’s not my call. This was my case indirectly. I’m a homicide detective. My victim was killed by a stray bullet. His son, Jake, who turns out to be Justin, witnessed the man he thought to be his father, die.”
“Oh my God. Tell me more about this.”
Zach filled in the details while Alex listened intently. When he was done, Alex sat silent apparently trying to absorb what he’d heard.
“Did you know that two months after you left, your wife committed suicide? That she slashed her wrists and died on Abby’s bed and left a note telling her she wished it had been Abby who’d been abducted, not Justin?” Alex was crying again. Zach stood, preparing to leave. “Like I said, I’m here because I think you have a right to know. What you do or don’t do with this information is up to you. I don’t have Abby’s address, but if you do decide to do something, she works in Missing Persons on West 100th Street, in Manhattan.”
Alex stared into space for a few minutes. “When Justin was abducted, I was only concerned about myself during that time. It was a selfish thing to do, but I figured my parents would take care of Abby if anything happened. I was weak.”
Zach threw up his hands. “Well, consider yourself told. You have a nice life, Mr. Cavanaugh.”
While he waited at his gate at the airport, Zach’s guilt got the best of him and he called Jessie. “Hey, I’m on my way home.”
“That was fast. Did you catch your guy?”
“I did.” He hesitated for a few minutes, trying to decide the appropriate way to tell her. He wasn’t sure how she was going to take it, but he had to be honest with her. “Ah . . . I have something to tell you.”
“Uh oh, this sounds ominous. What’d you do? You found someone else and you’re breaking up with me?”
“What? Are you nuts?”
“What other information would you hold back from me besides something to do with us personally?” She paused before continuing. “And if has nothing to do with us personally, then anything else would be a piece of cake.”
He laughed. “Well, it has nothing to do with our relationship. It has to do with me lying to you about where I went this weekend.”
“Okaaay, where
did you go?”
“I’m in New Mexico. I went to see Alex to tell him about Justin being found.”
“Oh boy!” Zach could hear her blowing out a frustrated breath. “I’m not so sure that was a good thing to do. You took it upon yourself to do something you had no business doing.”
“Hey, you said any news other than our relationship, would be a piece of cake to deal with.”
“That’s true, I did. So why did you do it and why did you lie to me?”
“I did it because, unlike me who won’t ever resolve issues with my father who turned his back on me because I didn’t follow in his footsteps, Justin and Abby deserve a chance to be a solid family. It sounded like what Alex did was based purely on emotion. I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d discourage me.” He felt a tightening in his chest. He hated doing things she wouldn’t have approved of him doing. “I didn’t insist he come back,” he tried justifying, “I merely told him his son had been found unharmed and that he’d been reunited with his sister. Now, it’s up to him to do whatever he’s going to do, or not.”
“Did he seem relieved? What did he say?”
“Actually, he was hard to read. He cried of course, and admitted he’d been very selfish, but that he knew his mother would look after Abby. That based on the circumstances, she could give her a better life than he ever could.
“Wow, he’s a real peach, isn’t he? Okay, get your butt home. I won’t tell Abby about this. Let him do whatever. And if you ever lie to me again, hotshot, I’m going to kick your ass every which way to Sunday. You got that?”
“Yes, ma’am. It won’t happen again.”
Jessie disconnected the call and wondered what happened to that tough guy who never gave a damn about what other people thought. She snickered. The guy was in love, that’s what. Truth was, she was very much in love with him too. She’d been amazed at how quickly she’d changed her mind about them being a couple after she’d left the two-one. She’d promised herself she’d never get involved again, but once she changed precincts, it seemed perfectly natural to give herself freely to the relationship. Zach had taken away the mistrust she’d felt for men in the past, and replaced it with the kind of faith she never thought possible. What she’d learned from this experience though was what she thought she had with Harwell turned out to be nothing more than infatuation. Zach had shown her what true love was all about. If nothing else, having him admit he lied to her showed her she’d be a fool not to move in with him. She smiled and looked at the stack of boxes she had piled up on the floor because she had given it thought. She’d tell him when he returned home that she was ready to give it another try. His admission had convinced her of that.
Elusive Justice (Kensington-Gerard Detective series Book 2) Page 18
