That comforted Grace some, but not enough to convince her she was wrong.
“I’m glad you brought up Johnny’s health concerns,” Agent Shepherd said. “We’ll need a list of all his doctors, therapists, medications, and medical conditions. Does Johnny have any regularly scheduled appointments?”
“Just physical therapy. We’ve spoken with Johnny’s long-time physical therapist. He hasn’t heard from him,” Grace said.
“He wants to help in the search,” Ryan added.
Agent Shepherd turned to face Alec. “Mrs. Emerson, has your book been released to the public? If not, when does it come out?”
“Next Tuesday, but why does that matter? And please, call me Alec.”
“Has there been pre-release publicity?”
“Yes, the usual.”
“In the unlikely event that this case continues into next week, the tie with your book might heighten national awareness. This is one of those rare times where sensationalism can have a positive outcome.”
“The book is available for pre-order. I’ll talk to my publicist. Maybe we can step things up a few days early.”
“Give me her name. I’ll contact her directly,” Agent Shepherd said.
“You're going to use your book to help find Johnny?” Grace asked. “That’s what caused this.”
“We might as well use my evil book for good, then,” Alec said. “You never know if someone might see his picture and recognize him.”
“My thoughts also,” Agent Shepherd said. She faced the agents and officers waiting for her signal to get started. “I have everything I need. You know your assignments. Let’s get rolling. I don’t want to lose any more time.”
The group sprang into action as one. When Agent Shepherd’s phone buzzed, she answered it and crossed to the opposite side of the room to speak privately.
Ryan put his hand on Grace’s shoulder. “As much as you don’t like it, using Alec’s book release is a good idea. We need to exploit every resource available. I’ve been involved in missing person searches at the park. The slightest scrap of information can make a difference.”
“If Johnny finds out, it might make him dig in deeper. We need to draw him out, not chase him off.”
“Forget about Alec’s book,” Steph said. “Johnny will be home before dark. Trust me, he can’t survive for long without his game controllers.”
Chapter Eight
Johnny did his best to make himself fierce and stare Mara down. “Why should I believe you any more than Grace? My whole life is a lie. How do I know you’ll tell me the truth?”
“I’ll be right back,” Mara said and rushed out of the room before he could ask any more questions.
He stared after her in shock. What a lunatic, he thought. I’ve got to get out of here. He was trying to get up to search for his phone when Mara came in and held out a bag of takeout food to Johnny. “Eat while I explain. You need your meds, too.” She held up her hand and the baggie of meds Johnny had packed for the weekend dangled from her fingers. “Is this everything you need, or did you leave some of your medications at home?”
It was the second time she’d shocked him. Johnny didn’t like how unpredictable she was. It threw him off kilter. He grabbed the bag from her. “Where’d you get these? Did you go through my pack? You had no right.”
Mara sat down and smiled. “Relax. I wasn’t trying to violate your privacy, but I know you’re on various medications and had to see what you had on hand. Why are you so worked up? I didn’t find anything interesting in your backpack.”
His head pounded harder when the memory of his departure from Grace’s house flashed in his mind. All he had was what he’d needed for school. He wasn’t planning on leaving forever. He must have forgotten to take the bag of meds out of his pack when he got home Sunday night, but Mara was right. He needed to take his meds. He had no idea how long it had been since his last dose.
“That’s all I have with me. It’s only four days’ worth.”
She scrunched up her face. “Four days? That’s it?”
“I wasn’t packing for a kidnapping,” he snapped.
He had to eat before he could take his medicine, so he opened the bag of food. It was his usual order from his favorite burrito place. She’d even gotten the salsa he liked. The thought that Mara knew that gave him goosebumps. And how had she known he’s on medications?
I have a stalker, he thought and smiled as he took the items out of the bag and placed them on the nightstand. He wasn’t sure why that struck him as funny. He should have been terrified but was only a little creeped out, but when Mara watched him with laser focus as he ate, the goosebumps returned.
“Not kidnapping,” she said. “You’re my son. You belong to me. I’ll have to figure out your prescription situation, though,” she said, just loud enough for him to hear.
“Take me to my house when Ryan and Grace are at work.” He took a huge bite of burrito. “That way I won’t have to talk to those people,” he said through his mouthful of food.
She jumped up and ran at him, stopping inches from his feet. “No!”
He backed away and instinctively threw his arm across his face. “Chill out. What’s your problem?”
Mara took a few breaths and visibly relaxed. “I’m sorry. You upset me with the idea of going to that house. Your life there is gone. We’re starting a new one together. We’ve got to find another way to stretch your meds. Maybe we can cut your doses in half.”
Johnny’s hands shook as he set his burrito on the wrapper. “I can’t do that. I’ll get sick, and are you saying I can’t even go get my stuff? I can’t see my friends? I want to call and let them know I’m okay. Where’s my phone?”
“I destroyed it so they can’t track you.”
“You did what?” Johnny wanted to punch her. His phone was his lifeline. Mara had cut him off from everyone and everything he’d ever known. “I’m not doing anything you say unless you tell me what’s going on, or I’m out of here. I may be slower than you, but I’m stronger.”
Mara went back to her chair without a word.
“You say you’re my mother. How is that possible? Alec’s book said that the DNA done tests when I was a baby showed this Craig Stuart is my biological father. He was in New Mexico. Is he your husband? Where is he? Are you taking me to him? The book said his wife died when I was born.”
The questions that had been swimming in his brain spilled out of him. He’d been trying to make sense of what he’d read in Alec’s book for the past twenty-four hours. Then, this Mara showed up and threw him into a completely different world. He was desperate for a thread of truth to grab onto and pull himself to safety.
Mara gripped the armrests on her chair as she watched him. Johnny could tell she was high strung, and for all his bravado, he was afraid to set her off. If she was capable of kidnapping, what else might she do? Even if she was his mother, he wasn’t sure he wanted to stay with her. He thought of Adam’s friend, Paul, who was a lawyer. He didn’t know his number, but he could Google it.
“I said I’m going to tell you the truth of who you are and I will,” Mara said, interrupting his thoughts, “but first, we need a few ground rules. You’re not allowed to contact anyone for the next few days. Your friends might be worried about you, but if you call them, you could be traced. We can’t have that.”
“How can I contact anyone? You destroyed my phone.”
Mara held up her hand to stop him. “Don’t interrupt. Don’t leave this house or spend too much time near the windows. You can move freely inside otherwise. I’m a nurse, and I have a job, but I took a few days off to get you settled. When I go back to work, you’re going to have to keep yourself entertained until I have enough money to take you to Portland, Oregon. That’s where we’ll live. I only came to Richmond to get you.”
“Portland? I don’t want to go to Portland. Why can’t I stay here and go to my school with my friends? What about school? I’ll get behind in my classes.”
“I have a copy of your class schedule. I’ve got the textbooks that aren’t online downstairs. You’ll have to study on your own, but I’ll help as much as I can. I told you to forget your old life. It no longer exists for you. The sooner you let it go, the better.”
Johnny got his crutches and pushed himself off the bed. He went to Mara and glared down at her. “And what if I don’t?”
Mara laughed. “Is that supposed to scare me? When you hear my story, you’ll want to stay. Sit down and listen.”
Johnny had expected to frighten her and was disappointed that it didn’t work. He sighed in defeat and obeyed to keep her talking. He hated to admit that he was dying to hear what this strange woman had to say.
* * *
Mara was relieved when Johnny went back to sit on the bed. Even if he was on crutches, he was a big boy and could probably hurt her if he’d tried. She had to establish her dominance over him from the beginning, or her plan would fail. It wouldn’t be easy to manipulate him into leaving the only life he’d ever known.
He picked up his burrito and took a bite. Through his mouthful of food, he said, “I’m waiting. What’s this great story you have to tell me?”
She gave him the comforting, motherly smile she’d practiced. “I can’t believe you’re sitting here with me after all these years. I’ve dreamed of this day since you were six months old. We’re going to have a wonderful life together, Johnny. By the way, your real name is Kyle. Can I call you that?”
“No. It’s too late for that. I’ve been Johnny my whole life.”
Mara frowned. “Not your whole life. For six months, you were Kyle.”
“Call me Kyle if you want, but I’m not changing my name.”
She shrugged. “Fair enough. Here’s how it happened. I was with a man named Rick. He wasn’t a good guy. He couldn’t keep a job. He ran up lots of debt.”
“Why did you stay with him?”
“I was young and ignorant. I thought I loved him. One day, I came to my senses and left him, but some of the debts followed me, and I was desperate for money. I had a job as a nurse but was only getting two shifts a week. It wasn’t enough to get out of the hole Rick dug for me. I found out by a fluke that a friend of mine knew a couple who was looking for a surrogate mother. Do you know what that is?”
Johnny slowly shook his head. “I’ve never heard of that. I’m sure I’ll regret this, but what is it?”
“A surrogate mother is a person who has an embryo implanted in her from another couple who can’t have a child on their own. She carries and delivers the baby for the couple. They were offering $50,000 plus expenses and other fees. It was more than I needed to pay off my debts and still have money in the bank. I wouldn’t even have to stop working until just before the baby was due. I passed the application process, and the implantation worked. You were born healthy and perfect.”
She stopped and glanced at Johnny. She laughed at the disgusted look on his face but could tell he was buying her story. She knew from following him the previous few weeks that even though he cared most about video games and hanging out with his friends, he was intelligent and a good student. She was satisfied that he had a typical teenage life despite his disabilities. As much as she loathed Grace, she was grateful that she’d raised her boy well.
“Does that mean Craig Stuart and his wife are my biological parents?” Johnny asked, breaking into her thoughts.
“Yes, but I felt like your real mother. I carried you and went through the pain to give birth to you. When the time came to turn you over, I couldn’t do it. I offered to find a way to return their money, but they only wanted you. I’d signed a paper promising not to keep you, but I couldn’t let you go. You were my son.”
“That sounds horrible. Why would you do something so crazy in the first place?”
“I told you. I was desperate, and you wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t done it.”
“I guess it’s better than you dealing drugs or whoring.”
“Watch your mouth,” she snapped and smiled at his reaction. Scolding him made her feel like a real mother.
“How did you end up with me?”
“I contacted Rick. He’d had run-ins with the law, so I figured he wouldn’t have a problem helping me. He agreed if I promised to get back together with him. I’d have done anything to keep you, so I said yes.
"We formulated a plan to get you out of the hospital. It worked like a breeze. We brought you to Richmond and started to new life with you as our son. Rick found a job and agreed to behave himself. I stayed home and took care of you. We had six months of bliss until that damned hurricane came.”
Mara was pleased to see Johnny watching her as she wiped her tears.
“Grace told me about the hurricane, but she didn’t know how I got hurt. What happened?”
“We were evacuating in Rick’s fishing boat because our street was flooded. The boat capsized, and you hit your head when you went into the water. We rushed you to the hospital, but Rick wouldn’t let me stay with you because he was too afraid we’d get caught. He forced me to leave you. It was the worst day of my life. I’ve never gotten over it.”
Johnny stared at her in shock, and she didn’t have to fake her anguish. Even though she’d fabricated the story to that point, leaving Johnny at the hospital had been the worst thing she’d ever had to do.
After watching her for several seconds, he said, “Grace told me what happened after that, at least I think she did, except for the part about Craig Stuart trying to get me back. Why did he lie and tell people my mother died when I was born?”
“He was ashamed to admit that they’d used a surrogate.”
“But didn’t the FBI know? After reading about my kidnapping in the book, I Googled news stories on my phone. What really happened to my biological mother?”
“Maybe Craig paid the FBI off. He’s rich. I don’t care. She got sick and died not long after you were born. Leukemia, I think. Maybe the stress of losing you was too much for her. What matters is that you’re here now, where you’ve belonged all along.”
Johnny had finished his food. He wadded up the wrappers and held them out to Mara. “Thanks for the food. That’s a wild story. Seems too farfetched to believe.”
“It is wild, but how could I make up a story like that? I swear to you that you’re my son.”
Johnny digested that for a second before saying, “I have two more questions. Why did you take so long to come for me, and how did you know I called Ty for a ride last night?”
“I’ll answer the rest of your questions later. I won’t lie to you the way that Grace has your entire life. Take your medicine and rest. You’ve been through a shock, and we don’t want to bring on a seizure.”
Johnny nodded and rolled onto his back. “I am pretty freaked out and tired, but I won’t let this go. If you want me to trust you and go with you to Portland, you need to always tell me the truth. If I find out that you’ve told me one lie, I’m gone.”
“You have my word.”
She covered him up and kissed his forehead. She was relieved that he was out before she made it to the door. She could have conjured up some quick answers to his questions, but she needed to have all the threads in place. If her story unraveled, she wouldn’t get another chance to persuade Johnny.
* * *
By the time Johnny had been gone for twenty-four hours, Grace and Ryan had compiled lists of friends and others Johnny had frequent contact with. Investigators on Agent Shepherd’s task force had already questioned them. They’d gone to the school to interview teachers and administrators to see if they recalled friends no one else had mentioned. Their search had been a dead end.
Even before the sheriff did a press conference on the evening news, all of Richmond knew Johnny was missing. Every friend or neighbor had called, texted or stopped by to offer sympathy and support, and news of Johnny’s disappearance had gone viral on social media. Even Johnny’s doctors and teachers had come by to offer help. Their house had bec
ome Grand Central. So many different people came and went that Grace lost track. She’d escaped to her room a few times, but hiding didn’t drown out the sounds of controlled chaos taking place just beyond the walls.
Grace was touched by their generosity, but the only person she wanted to see come through the front door was Johnny. Rehashing the story to every well-wisher who showed up got old for Grace in a hurry. Alec and Steph clued into her fatigue and started running interference. Ryan was running on pure adrenaline, but Grace was exhausted. She was a reluctant expert in dealing with trauma and understood the importance of pacing herself in a crisis, but she’d passed her saturation point. Losing Johnny was her worst nightmare and she was staring it in the face.
Jayda showed up at dinnertime with her arms full of bags of food from their favorite restaurant. Darnell followed her inside carrying more. They’d brought enough for the family and entire task force. Grace had lost her appetite, but the smell of Italian food wafting from the bags made her stomach growl. When Ryan took out his wallet to pay Jayda, she refused.
“We gathered a fund from the neighbors to pay, and we’re setting up a schedule online for the days to come, just in case. Don’t give your meals another thought.”
Ryan's eyes glistened as he returned his wallet to his pocket. Grace hugged Jayda without a word, overwhelmed by her kindness.
“We can only imagine what you’re going through, but I know you’d do the same for us if we were in your position. You know how much we all love Johnny.”
“I do,” Grace whispered and squeezed her hand.
Ryan took the bags from Jayda, and he and Darnell set the food on the dining room table. When he was done, Darnell turned toward Grace. “I’m sorry I was a jerk to you. Johnny talks about what a good mom you are all the time. That’s not how he says it, but it’s what he means. He felt bad for lying to you about Charlottesville.”
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