by Jeff Vrolyks
Chapter Thirty Two
Norrah and I were sitting Indian style on the sandy beach, facing one another, giddy in love. Aaron returned to us with a bright smile. From it, I assumed he had caught that little scamp and got some answers out of her.
“Caught that little pixie, did you?” I said to him before he arrived at our company.
“Not quite. But I followed her right into a guy named Taylor. Taylor was Raggedy Andy, one of the masqueraders.”
“No kidding?” I said. “Taylor Labaucher? I remember the name. Yep, one of the twenty-three, just as Aaron Mendelssohn is.”
He took a seat beside us.
“I was one of the twenty-three reported missing,” Aaron said. “I never really considered that, how my name entered that mix. I get it with the others, their parents reported their child missing after hearing the story on the news and trying to contact their kid. But I wouldn’t have had anyone to report me missing, yet I made the list. I know my dad was called by the police, but how did that come to be?”
“It is possible there were more than twenty-three missing,” I said. “There were twenty-three that we know of, confirmed missing.”
“How did you know I was one of them?”
“The cars on the street. Registration. After getting your name, your family would have been called and questioned. Don’t underestimate the power of scores of detectives with unlimited resources.”
“Ah,” Aaron said. “That makes sense. Guys, I now know why I’m still here. To share my story with the others. They’re having nightmares of that night. Nightmares of Devil killing everybody there. I only wish I had run into Taylor sooner. I’d like to speak with each and every one of those kids, but haven’t the time to do it. I have to leave tonight.”
“Extend your vacation,” Norrah suggested. “This is more important than teaching. It’s teaching of another fashion, about God.”
“I agree, but I don’t think that’s what’s supposed to happen. I asked for two weeks off, and they are over. This is the way it’s meant to be. And I was meant to run into Taylor just now, that’s why Maggie lured me over there. Everything happens for a reason. I’m coming back here a little later, to speak at length with Taylor about my story. I figure I’ll check out of my hotel, stop by on my way out of town.”
“We’re going to miss you, Aaron,” Norrah said.
“We are,” I said. “Let’s do more than stay in touch. We can come up to see you from time to time, and you are always welcome at my place.”
“And mine,” she said.
“I appreciate that, guys. You have been too kind to me. I’m blessed to have made friends with you.”
“What we were saying before you returned,” I said, “is how nice it would be to have that punk ass Paul here right now. How satisfying it would be to grill that asshole. It would take every ounce of restraint in me just to keep from pummeling that dude into a world of hurt.”
“Vengeance is God’s,” Aaron said.
“I suppose, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like a turn at giving that punk his comeuppance.”
“We won’t ever see him again, that’s my guess,” Aaron said. “He’ll move on to another city, another state maybe. He’ll probably change his name, too. If his name is even Paul Klein. There is no record of him, as you said, so it’s probably a fake name. I wouldn’t be surprised if he moved to some little farm town in a state like Kansas or Nebraska, in a town not too hip on current events. And who knows what he might get up to there.”
“Too bad it wasn’t God’s will for us to run him down and send him to hell,” Norrah said. I couldn’t believe she said it. She was far too sweet and kind a woman to entertain such dark thoughts.
“You shouldn’t think things like that,” Aaron said. “Like I said, like the bible says, Vengeance is God’s. Don’t worry about Paul. God is watching him.”