“That was the plan.”
“You don’t think it’s those guys, do you?”
“I can’t think of who else would be following me now.”
“You should be calling the police, not me.”
“I don’t think the police would do anything if I called them right now. They’d think it was a prank call or some crazy.”
There was, again, a space of just too long before Kenzie responded again. Like she was considering whether he were paranoid, or whether what he said could really be true.
“Do you think they’re tracking your phone?”
“No, I’m pretty careful about not opening any attachments or strange links. I don’t see when they could have installed any kind of tracking on it. I’m sure it hasn’t been hacked.” Zachary thought some more about it, keeping an eye on the motorcycle, which so far was not taking any action, but was just sitting there, waiting for him to make the next move. “But why would they change tactics? Those guys know how to track people without being seen. They kept out of sight when they were tracking Madison and Luke. Why wouldn’t they put a tracker on my car this time and stay out of sight?”
“Maybe they didn’t have a chance. You surprised them.”
“I’m not that hard to find. All they have to do is wait at my apartment building. Watch to see what vehicle I get out of, if they don’t already know my license plate number.”
“Your address isn’t listed, is it?”
“No, but I know how easy it is to find someone.”
“That’s not exactly what I want to hear.”
Zachary slowed his car, watching the motorcyclist for his reaction. He slowed and stayed behind Zachary.
“This guy is being pretty obvious,” he said, relieved. “I don’t think he’s a professional.”
“Then who is he?”
“I don’t know.”
Zachary watched him for a while longer. Where had he picked the motorcycle up? He had seen him at the hotel. Was it someone who knew Burton? Someone who was following him for some reason? It could just be something like a debt-collector. Zachary wouldn’t be surprised if Burton had borrowed money from someone he shouldn’t have or had gotten in deep with a bookie. He was the kind of guy who just dove into things that he knew he shouldn’t be doing. Drinking, smoking, why not gambling? Maybe the guy on the motorcycle wanted to know who Zachary was and to see where he would go to find out if he had any money. If he could pay off Burton’s debts, given the right incentive. It could be something like that.
“I’m going to see if I can lose him. I’ll call you if I’m not going to be there within the hour.”
Zachary hung up. He made sure that there was no one right behind him, then slowed abruptly and pulled up over the curb to sit in the grassy verge beside the road. The motorcyclist had to make a split-second decision as to whether to fall back and find out what Zachary was doing, or to keep going and hope to connect up with him again later. He could take the next exit, circle around, and come up on Zachary again from behind. See whether he was having car trouble or what was going on.
Either the motorcyclist didn’t have fast enough reactions to pull over in time to stay with Zachary or he made the decision to go on so as not to look suspicious. Zachary watched him go on through the traffic, and kept an eye on him as far as possible. The motorcycle took the next exit ramp. Zachary pulled back onto the road and hit the gas, zipping down the thoroughfare as quickly as he dared. He wove in and out of traffic, took the exit after the one the motorcycle had taken, and took a few random turns that took him into a residential area. Once there, he pulled over to the side and watched for any sign of the motorcycle. If he showed up again, that meant that Zachary, his car, or something in the car was tagged with a tracking device.
He waited for half an hour without any sign of the motorcycle. He kept his ears pricked, and didn’t hear any approaching.
He had lost the tail.
For now.
30
Hopefully, the fact that the motorcycle had been tailing him meant that the pursuer didn’t know Zachary’s name, where he lived, or anything about Kenzie. He would be safe going to her house.
Zachary waited for his heart to slow.
Eventually, he started the engine and worked his way through the quieter residential streets toward Kenzie’s house. He didn’t want to hit the main thoroughfare again, in case the motorcyclist was looking for him.
When he pulled to the curb in front of Kenzie’s house, his phone rang. Zachary saw that it was Kenzie’s number.
“Kenz?”
“I just wondered if maybe you wanted to pull into the garage. So your car is out of sight.”
He considered for a moment, then shook his head. “No. I’m sure no one followed me here. And if they were following me, that means they didn’t know I was coming here. You can keep your baby in the garage.”
Kenzie’s cherry-red convertible was her pride and joy, and he wouldn’t want it on the street where it could be hit by a drunk driver. Or stolen. Kenzie might never forgive him if something happened to her baby.
“Are you sure? You could park in the alley.”
“No. It’s fine.”
“Okay. See you inside.”
She hung up the call. Zachary slid his phone away and removed his keys from the ignition. He locked the car once he was outside and checked the door. He looked at the house, looked up and down the street, and checked the handle again. He beeped it one final time to arm the alarm, and headed inside.
Zachary managed to get past the gatekeepers to reach Campbell about his case in the morning. Mario had clearly filled him in on the details that Zachary had previously provided.
“I understand your concern, Zachary, but I don’t think there’s enough for us to get a warrant.”
“I’ve done a little more investigating, and I’m hoping we might be there.”
“Okay.” Campbell’s chair squeaked as he tipped it back, and Zachary heard him take a noisy slurp of his morning coffee. “Tell me about it.”
Zachary outlined what he knew, then waited for Campbell to think it through.
“I still don’t know, Zachary. It’s a stronger case, but I don’t know if it is quite there.”
“There was someone else in that basement with Burton,” Zachary asserted.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because he couldn’t write. So he is not the one who wrote those names on the wall. He was not able to read or write. Who do you think wrote them? The parents?”
“The social worker could be wrong. Maybe he could write his name. A lot of kids know that before they can read or write other things.”
“I think she knew him pretty well. They would have had all kinds of examinations done to see what kind of shape he was in and what his IQ and educational levels were. They had to know all of that kind of thing to bring the parents to trial. They needed to know exactly how bad the damage was.”
“Have you seen the tests that were done?”
“No. I would have to get in contact with the prosecutor and see if he still had all of the documentation on file and would let me look at it, and I haven’t gotten the court documents yet to see who it was. You may have a lot of that information in the police file too, whatever investigations were done on your end. You could request them from storage and have a look.”
“Yes, convenient for you, isn’t it? Letting us do all of the work.”
“I’ve put a lot of hours into it already. If you want me to look through the file, just let me know and I’ll be at the police station the minute you want me.”
“I know that,” Campbell said, and Zachary could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m just teasing you.” There was another sharp squeak from his chair. Zachary pictured him sitting up now, leaning over his desk, making some notes. “I’m going to have to think this through and see what we’ve got in the files. I wasn’t around when this happened, obviously, so I don’t have any background on the case. And I
don’t think we have anyone around who was here at that time.”
“It was a long time ago, and the police department thought that they’d done everything that was required. They didn’t know that there might have been another boy, or they would have looked into it then.”
“Or maybe they did,” Campbell pointed out. “I might open up that file and find that they already did a search at the time and didn’t turn up any sign of the older boy.”
“That’s true.” Zachary hadn’t thought about that possibility. “You’re right.”
Maybe there wouldn’t be any need for a search warrant at all. Maybe Campbell would call him back and say that the floor of the basement had already been dug up and there were no remains to be found.
“Have you looked for birth records for this other brother?” Campbell asked.
“Preliminary only, yes. I figured at the time that there was a possibility that the other boy had been adopted, so his name was changed, but the social worker said that they didn’t have any idea there was another boy. He must have disappeared sometime before Burton was found.”
“You don’t think it means there wasn’t another brother?”
“No. I think it means the births weren’t recorded. The public records that I looked at never indicated that there were any children living with the Weavers. The census done during that time period states that there were only two adults living there. None of the neighbors knew that there were any children. I think the children were probably born at home and never attended to.”
Campbell grunted. There were, of course, cases he was aware of where just that had happened. People didn’t trust the government or wanted to stay off of the radar for some nefarious reason. Undocumented children. Ghosts who, as far as the government was concerned, never actually existed. They might be kept by the parents, as Ben and Allen had apparently been, or they might be trafficked or sold through black-market adoptions.
“I’ll take a look from my end,” Campbell promised. “It may take a few days to even get the files, so don’t call me tomorrow looking for answers.”
“Okay. You’ll let me know what you find?”
“I’ll let you know if I find anything actionable. No guarantee that I will. If we decide to investigate further or to get a warrant, I’ll give you a heads-up. If not, I might not get back to you.”
“I’ll touch base next week, then,” Zachary said. “Wednesday?”
Campbell grumbled. “I don’t have time for this.”
“That’s why I’ll call you. You have plenty else on your plate. You can give me an update then.”
“Talk to you next week.” Campbell hung up.
Zachary decided to spend the weekend with Lorne Peterson, his oldest friend and former foster father. He would have dinner with Lorne and Pat, his partner, and go see Joss and Luke, who lived closer to Lorne than Zachary did. Vermont was a small state, but it still took time to travel from one end to the other. However much Zachary enjoyed highway driving, he didn’t have time to go back and forth twice over the weekend.
“Do you want to come?” he asked Kenzie. “Do you have the time, or are you busy over the weekend?”
“I’ve put in enough hours that I should be able to escape for the weekend. Unless someone calls in sick.”
Zachary nodded. “I’ll tell Pat that we’ll both be there, then. If you end up not being able to go, he’ll be disappointed, but it’s not as inconvenient as showing up with another person who wasn’t expected.”
“I’m ninety percent sure I’ll be able to go.”
“Great.” Zachary smiled at her. It was always nice to get away for a day or two, and they would enjoy a change of scene. As long as she didn’t think he was planning a romantic getaway. He glanced back at her once just to be sure.
But they were still trying to work things out between them and Kenzie had promised not to push him into anything he wasn’t ready for. As much as he wanted a close romantic relationship with her, his body and his PTSD brain set roadblocks in his way. He could push through them physically, but as he and Kenzie had discovered, that just resulted in his dissociating. Not being mentally present for the more intimate moments sort of defeated the purpose.
“It sounds nice,” Kenzie said, catching his glance. He wasn’t sure if she had picked up on his moment of anxiety or not. “It’s always good to catch up with Lorne and Pat.”
“Then, on Sunday, I’ll be going over to see Joss and Luke. I’m sure it would be okay for you to go with me.”
Kenzie drew in her breath and held it, thinking about the suggestion. She breathed out again. “I think I’ll let you do that on your own for now. It’s probably best for Luke if he doesn’t have to worry about more people knowing where he is, and I’m not sure Joss would want me around.”
“I don’t know if she wants me around,” Zachary pointed out. “I think she’s prickly with everyone. It’s certainly not just you.”
“And then there’s you.”
Zachary opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.
“I know it gets harder for you the more people who are there. It’s pretty comfortable when it’s just us and Lorne and Pat; they’re laid back and you don’t get too stressed out when it’s just them. But with Joss… it’s a lot more difficult to be around her. You’re on edge, worried about doing or saying the wrong thing.”
“Yes…”
“And then you add Luke in there. He’s a whole different ball game. Lots of stress dealing with him too. Not personal, like with Joss, but worrying about all of the consequences of anything you say to him and what his future choices might be. And now knowing that Rhys is interested in him too…”
Zachary nodded more definitely. She understood him better than he gave her credit for. The combination of her experience with him and her intuition, and now the sessions with Dr. Boyle too… she really had a chance to get to know him more deeply than anyone in his life probably had before. Including Mr. Peterson. Including Bridget.
“So I think it’s already stressful dealing with Joss and Luke, with all of the personal stuff and the potential repercussions. So maybe it’s best if you don’t have another person there to deal with as well.”
“You don’t stress me out.”
“Not normally. But if you’re trying to run interference between me and Joss or Luke… that’s a different story. Or just having too many people in the room at once. I know it’s not easy. You don’t want to get overwhelmed.”
Zachary nodded slowly. “Okay. Yeah. You’re probably right. So you don’t mind… staying at Lorne’s while I go to Joss’s?”
“Not at all. They always make me feel at home. And if they need some space, or I do, I can go over to the library or a coffee shop and get some personal time.”
“Yeah. All right.” Zachary considered the list of items that was starting to build up in his head. “I’ll… I’ll call Pat first, so I don’t forget.”
31
Spring came earlier in the southern portion of Vermont. It wasn’t usually that noticeable, but things were definitely greener as they traveled south. When they arrived at the little white bungalow, Zachary saw Pat’s tulips were coming up, splashing the yard with bright, welcoming color. He took a deep breath as he got out of the car, taking in the sweet smell of freshly-cut grass.
“It’s so nice,” Kenzie said. “I think we should stay here for a week or two until things catch up at home.”
He looked at her quickly, then realized she was kidding. She might be able to get a couple of weeks of vacation since she had worked at the medical examiner’s office for more than a year, but she would need to give them notice before just dropping off the map.
“It sure is nice,” he agreed. “Sometimes, it seems like spring is never going to come.”
They walked up the sidewalk together, Kenzie slightly ahead of Zachary, and Mr. Peterson had the door open by the time they got there.
“Kenzie, Zachary!” He pulled in each of them in turn for a
hug, giving Kenzie a friendly kiss on the cheek. “Good to see you. Come in. Tell me how everything is.”
Zachary always found himself examining Mr. Peterson for signs of aging and declining health. A fear that he could lose someone else in his life, one of the only people who had been there to support him over the years, almost since the fire. Lorne Peterson continued to age well. He was a little heavy around the belly, and his fringe of hair was completely white, but he still moved with vigor and always seemed happy and healthy. Zachary couldn’t see any signs that he was declining.
They gathered in the living room to chat. Pat poked his head out of the kitchen, where he was cooking up something that made Zachary’s mouth water, even with his suppressed appetite.
“Kenzie. Zach. How was the drive?”
“Great,” Zachary answered, at the same time as Kenzie answered, “Pretty.”
“Next time we’ll be able to bring the convertible,” Zachary said to Kenzie. Flying down the highway in a convertible with the top down was fun, but not pleasant if it were too cold. Kenzie was looking forward to when she could take it out again.
“Sounds good.” Pat wiped his hands on the dishtowel he was holding, then flipped it over his shoulder. “Dinner will be on shortly.”
Kenzie and Zachary each filled Lorne and Pat in a little on what they were working on. Kenzie was careful not to share too many details of her work, which was not generally acceptable for dinner conversation. When Zachary started to talk about Burton’s case in general terms, Lorne laid down his fork and watched Zachary intently.
“I think I remember that case.”
Zachary stared at him. “You do? But it happened upstate, and it wasn’t even in the papers there.”
“No. But we were still fostering then. That kind of thing goes through the fostering committee like lightning. Hearing that a child who has gone through that kind of thing is going into the system? Everyone follows it. Holds their breaths to see who gets him, wonders about what kind of problems he’s going to have. Something like that… Well, to be honest, it’s like what happened to you, Zachary. When the community hears about something so unusual or extreme, the whispers start. Even before the internet and texting, people would get on the phone and light up the lines.”
He Never Forgot Page 17
