by Mike Hopper
“This is ridiculous. My brother’s been missing for less than four days. How could they find a new family for him so quickly? Don’t people around here care about allowing families the time to find a missing child? What will we do?”
“The agency tries to place children as quickly as possible so that the abandoned child can begin to adjust.”
“My brother wasn’t abandoned.”
“We know that, but the agency doesn’t. The good news it that adoptive families are aware that they will have to allow the child to go home if a family member shows up and makes a claim during the legal time allotment. If Steuart is moved we’ll have to find him.”
“How will we do that?”
“My daddy always said you can’t ride an elevator before you enter the building.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we’ll worry about that when, and if, it happens.”
“I can’t stand the idea of my brother being sent to live somewhere far away.”
“No matter what happens Steuart will be treated well.”
“We’re talking about my brother. I don’t want him to live with another family.”
“I’d like to know how Steuart ended up there. Obviously,” Ed pointed to the notecard, “he was here for a while.”
“I hope he’s okay.”
“He’ll be okay.”
“That is not a consolation, nor is it an option. I don’t even know how you can make a statement like that. You don’t know that to be a fact.”
“Sorry. I’m trying to help.”
“If I can’t go home with my brother we may have to find a new family for me. Olivia already blames me for Steuart’s broken arm and now she’s blaming me for his disappearance. Steuart doesn’t need a new family. He has us.”
Ed put his hand on Sam’s shoulder, “You don’t need to worry. We’re lucky to have Toriah as part of our team. He always knows exactly what to do.”
“What about you? Don’t you always know what to do?”
“I’m good, but Toriah’s better.”
Sam and Ed sat side-by-side on the sofa and waited for Toriah and Dotsie to return. “I can’t get over how similar this place is to my grandmother’s house. It’s eerie. Don’t you agree?”
“No, not really.”
“No? How can you say that?”
“I see this all the time.”
“My grandmother’s house?”
“No.”
“What then?”
“Parallels, they flow in every dimension.”
“I’m not in the mood for your riddles.”
“I think I know what happened when you ended up at Point Taken.”
“You do?”
Ed nodded, “I’ve seen this before. You may have been standing in a section of the tree house that was aligned with that parallel. You thought you were traveling to the tree house in Maybell, but instead, you ended up at your grandmother’s on the bay.”
“Are you saying that we can travel from here to my grandmother’s house?”
“Possibly,” Ed stood and looked out the window. “I wonder if this house has a name? Stay here for a minute.”
“Where are you going?”
“Not far. Stay put. I’m walking to the front.” Ed walked along the winding driveway and briefly disappeared. He came in through the side door, “It has a name. Nations Kept.”
Sam ran the letters through her mind. “I don’t understand. It’s close, but not a match. I thought it would be a match. Grandmother’s house is Point Taken. There’s no letter s.”
“You’re not thinking Sam.”
“How can you say that to me? I’m working my brain over time. Traveling is exhausting.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that this is not a precise universe? Things don’t always match up. Actually, more often than not, they don’t.”
“Maybe I’m too tired. I’m not getting it.”
“If everything linked perfectly you’d have an exact mirror image of where you’ve come from. You might not even be aware of the changes.”
“You’re telling me there would be no need to travel?”
“Exactly. Why would you want to go anywhere? There would be no need for exploration because you would have all of your information and answers in one spot.”
Sam took a deep breath, “Why haven’t you been making jokes lately?”
“I’m not feeling humorous.”
“You’re so serious today. It makes me nervous.”
“As a guide I take my responsibilities seriously. First, Trista was hurt and then Steuart turned up missing. Now I’m concerned about Dotsie making the trip. I hope this isn’t too difficult on her.”
Sam stood. She walked across the room, opened doors, looked inside of cabinets and thumbed through books as she searched for clues. “Grandmother would tell me not to look through things belonging to other people. She calls it plundering.”
“Extenuating circumstances. It’s okay.”
“I wonder who owns this house. Where are the people who live here?” Sam opened a drawer and pulled out a stack of photos. “I wonder….”
TWENTY
Ed heard footsteps coming up the walk. “Move Sam! Duck!”
“Why are we hiding?”
“It might not be Toriah.”
“I’m scared.”
“Shh...” Ed put his finger to Sam’s mouth as they crouched together and waited. “We’ll be okay.”
“Is it them?”
“Shh...” Ed repeated.
“Sorry.”
“Shh...”
The front door opened. Voices entered the house. “Where did they go?” Dotsie asked.
“I instructed them not to go anywhere,” Toriah huffed. “Ed is a good man and an excellent guide; however, he is not always one to follow directions. Where are they off to now?”
Ed and Sam sprang up from behind the sofa, “Ta Da!”
“Thank goodness it’s you,” Sam said.
“Do not do that to me!” Toriah jumped.
“What?”
“Send me to an early grave by way of a heart attack ... frighten me to death.” Toriah held his hand against his chest and made a face. “I am not a young man.” He calmed his breathing, “What were the two of you doing hiding behind the furniture?”
“We didn’t know who you were. We needed to be cautious,” Sam said.
“Good thinking,” Dotsie said.
“Good man who doesn’t always follow directions?” Ed raised an eyebrow. “Thanks for the kind words.” He turned to Sam, “I retract everything nice I’ve said about Mr. Toroar.”
Toriah shook his head, “Ed, don’t get me started. This isn’t the time for your antics. We have much work to do yet.”
“Did you find Steuart?” Sam asked.
“As they say, I have good news and I have bad news.”
“Good news,” Sam said, smiling and nodding, “I’d like the good news first.”
“Bad news,” Ed said. “Let’s get it over with.”
“Yes, that’s what I said. I have good and bad news. You need to choose which you prefer to hear first. It doesn’t matter to me. We will cover both.”
“Bad news first,” Sam said. “Ed’s correct. Let’s get it over with.”
“Give us the good news,” Ed said. “We need to hear something uplifting.”
“Okay,” Sam looked at Ed and then at Toriah, “Let’s begin with the good things.”
Toriah took a deep breath, “Ed, you are correct. Steuart is exactly where you said we would find him.”
“That’s wonderful,” Sam said. “Did you see him? Did you talk with my brother? Why didn’t you bring him with you?”
Toriah stood silently. “What’s wrong?” Sam asked. She turned towards Ed. “Something’s wrong. What’s wrong with Steuart? Where’s my brother? Tell me.”
Sam looked at Toriah.
Dotsie stood quietly. She looked at Sam and then looked away.
“Did you see Steuart?” Sam asked. “Did you see my brother?”
Toriah sat down and nodded, “Yes, we saw Master Steuart.”
“That’s good, right?” Sam let out a sigh of relief. “That’s a good thing, correct?”
Ed touched Sam’s arm and looked curiously at Toriah. “Wait, Sam, he’s not finished.” Ed turned to Toriah, “What’s the bad news?”
Toriah cleared his throat, “We were unable to speak with Steuart.”
Dotsie nodded.
“Is that all?” Sam asked. “That doesn’t sound so terribly bad. You know where he is and you’ve seen him. That’s a lot. All we need to do is go get him. I thought you were going to say something awful.”
Toriah cleared his throat again, “There’s more.”
“More?” Sam looked at Toriah and waited.
“A family is interested in Steuart. He’s being taken to their home this afternoon for a trial visit—in the country.”
“Is that a weekend thing?” Sam asked.
Ed shook his head and looked at Toriah, “In Bellamy a trial visit can become a permanent visit—if all parties are in agreement.”
“I’m not in agreement! They can’t just throw my brother into a new family. It makes no sense. We have to do something now.”
Ed agreed, “You’re right Sam. This could become much more involved if Steuart moves from his current location.”
“We can’t lose any more time,” Sam looked at Ed. “We need to get Steuart now. Let’s go.”
“My feelings exactly,” Toriah interrupted. “That’s why Miss Caples and I made a stop on our way back.”
“For what?” Sam asked.
“We’ve rented a car.”
“Car?” Ed asked.
“Yes.”
“You drive?” Sam asked.
“When the need arises. Yes, I do. I’m a capable and experienced driver.” Toriah reached into his pocket and removed his wallet. “I’m even licensed here.”
“What good will it do for us to rent a car?” Sam asked. “Are we planning to follow the family that wants Steuart? How will we get him away from them?”
“No. That’s not the plan. You’re getting ahead of things,” Toriah cleared his throat. “This is much simpler. We plan to go inside The Minor Protection Agency offices pretending to be the family coming for Steuart.”
“Will that work?” Sam asked.
“I believe it will. However, we’re looking at a time sensitive situation. The most important thing is that we arrive first.”
“Are you sure? Do you believe this will work?”
“Absolutely, as long as we move swiftly and create enough confusion, everything should be fine. We’ll have your brother home in short order.” Toriah cleared his throat. “I’d be dishonest if I didn’t tell you that this will be tricky.”
Ed looked at Sam, “Remember the three rules.”
Sam nodded.
Toriah continued, “We each have an important job. This depends on all of us doing our part and working together as a team.” He pulled a folded paper from his coat.
“What’s that?” Ed asked
“Important information. This folder contains the name of the family coming for Steuart. The man’s name is Sal Sebby. His appointment is scheduled for three-thirty this afternoon.”
“Today?” Sam asked.
Toriah nodded, “Today.”
“We need to go now,” Sam insisted.
Ed put his finger to his mouth in an effort to calm Sam. “Listen to Toriah. First, we need to go over the plan.”
“The four of us will ride over together. Ed, we’ll drop you off first. Sam, we’ll drop you off after that. Ed will walk from the corner to The Minor Protection Agency. He will enter the building first and make contact with the clerk. She’s a rather tall, thin woman with short red hair and black frame glasses. Her name is Prim Tate. My research tells me that she’s a helpful person, but also meticulous about her work.”
“By the book, obsessive?” Ed asked.
Toriah nodded, “Ed, do you remember the Metro Cup affair?”
“Only our finest hour. How could I forget? That’s what you have in mind?”
“That is precisely what I have in mind. It worked beautifully last time and I see no reason that it won’t work equally well for us today.”
“Any special changes?”
“None.”
“You’ve done this before?” Sam asked.
“Something similar,” Ed said.
“Similar,” Toriah nodded.
Ed turned to Sam, “This is a solid plan. It’s simple. It should work.”
“As long as we focus and work as a team.” Toriah continued, “Ed will be followed by Miss Caples and myself. We will enter the building together.”
“What about me?” Sam asked.
“You have an important job. It sounds simple, but timing is key. You’ll walk into the office behind Miss Caples and me. I suggest that you wait about four minutes before coming inside. The situation will be chaotic, but I need you to ignore the confusion because it’s a big part of the plan. Pay no attention to anything you hear. Instead, we want you to walk down this hall,” Toriah produced a map showing Sam the layout of the building, “Turn to the left and continue to room number twelve. This is where you’ll find your brother. You’ll quickly explain to Steuart that we’ve come to take him home. At that point, the two of you will quickly and quietly retrace your steps and walk through the front door where you’ll go straight to the car. Open the door, get inside and wait for us. We’ll follow behind shortly.”
“Won’t the clerk say something when she sees Steuart leaving with me?”
“Dear girl, please believe me when I tell you that the clerk will not see either of you.”
Ed, Toriah, Dotsie and Sam practiced the plan several times before piling into the car and leaving for The Minor Protection Agency.
Sam looked at Dotsie, “This has to work.”
* * *
“I’m nervous,” Sam said.
Ed put his hand on her shoulder, “You can do this. Believe in yourself.”
“What if something goes wrong?” Dotsie asked.
“Everything will be fine,” Toriah cautiously drove towards the office. He stopped at the corner and looked at Sam in the rearview mirror, “Are you ready young lady?”
“Ready,” Sam opened the car door and stepped out onto the curb.
“We can do this,” Ed looked at Sam. “Pretend this is a game. I’ll see you in a few minutes kid-oh.”
Sam felt her heart beating fast. She stood on the corner and took several deep breaths before walking in the direction of the office building.
Toriah stopped at the next corner. Ed exited the car, “Good luck Toriah. Good luck, Dotsie.”
Ed put his hands in his pockets and began whistling as he walked towards the office building. He opened the front door, strolled inside, walked to the front counter and slapped the service bell, whistling as he waited.
A woman emerged from the back and stood behind the counter, “Good afternoon, may I help you?”
“Prim!” Ed laughed loudly.
“Yes,” the woman nodded, “I’m Prim Tate. You are?”
“Prim Tate, as I live and breathe. Wow. It’s so great to see you. As they say, longtime, no see. How great,” Ed laughed, coughed, and then rubbed his nose with the palm of his hand before reaching out for a handshake.
The woman declined.
Ed continued, “I’m impressed.” He winked and then raised and lowered his eyebrows, “Looking good baby.”
“Excuse me…?”
“No need,” Ed waved his hand and shook his head. His speech became rapid. “Please, don’t say that you’ve forgotten me.” He threw his hand over his heart, “I’ll be destroyed. I know I should have called. Hey, we both should have done something, but I lost your number, time passed and well, life got in the way. But after that magical night there were so many things going on. Li
ke I said, you could have made contact.” Ed coughed again.
Prim looked confused, “I am afraid that...”
Ed interrupted, “No need to be afraid. I’m fine with things. There’s no need to be embarrassed. It was a natural thing. There are beginnings, there are endings, and there is the in-between.”
The woman frowned, shook her head and tried to speak, “You must be...”
“Delighted. That’s what I am. I am delighted to see you.” Ed leaned in across the counter, “You don’t have to say a thing. Your expression is priceless.”
“Sir, are you playing some sort of game with me?”
“How could you even think that?” Ed threw his hands in the air. “With our history ... It’s been a long time, but some people are extra special .... Life happens ... we move on to other things and we find happiness, but we rarely forget that magic. You’re a big girl. You understand that these things happen.”
“What?” Prim shook her head, “I don’t understand. What are you trying to say to me?”
“That’s not why I’m here. Hey, I had no idea that you worked here.” Ed stopped and took a deep breath. “Sorry, I was so shocked to see you that I temporarily forgot my reason for visiting.”
“And that is?”
“I got a call that my nephew’s here.”
“Your nephew?”
“Yeah, I’m here to pick the kid up and take him home.”
“Your nephew?”
The door opened. Toriah and Dotsie walked quietly into the room and stood at the opposite end of the counter. Prim glanced at Toriah, “Sir, I’ll be right with you.”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Toriah nodded.
Prim turned her attention to Ed. “Sir, who are you here for?”
“Mossy Gibin, that’s his name. We never know where that little guy will end up. He’s a busy kid. Where’ve you got him? You can tell him that I’m here.” Ed reached in his pocket and took out a wrapped peppermint. Prim watched as he unwrapped the candy, popped it in his mouth and bit down.
“Oh, gosh,” Ed stopped. “I apologize, I only had one. I didn’t think that you might want a bite.” He opened his mouth, pulled the candy out and offered it to Prim.”
“No, thank you. Please put your candy back in your mouth.”
“I’m trying to be polite.” Ed rubbed his nose again, “I don’t want to pressure you, but I need to get going. Can you please get the kid so we can be on our way?”
