The Boy Who Appeared from the Rain

by Kevin David Jensen

"We'll have an officer patrolling your neighborhood constantly until the kidnappers are caught," Officer Garrenton said at the doorstep of the Fleming home. He'll swing by and check the house every hour, just to make sure everything's all right. If you need anything, just call—he'll be here in an instant. And if you don't mind, I'll come back and check on Zach tomorrow, probably in the afternoon." She smiled. "I plan to sleep in late."

  "You're more than welcome," Craig responded. "I can't tell you how much we appreciate all your help." He shook Officer Garrenton's hand. Kara hugged her in farewell.

  As the officer returned to her cruiser, Craig fumbled in his pocket for his house keys. Zach reached into his pocket, too, but brought his hand back empty. "I lost my key," he groaned. He looked abashedly at Kara as if expecting a rebuke.

  "It's okay, kiddo," she consoled him. "We can get you a new one."

  "I don't want one anyway," he said resignedly. "I don't want to walk home by myself anymore."

  "Well, not for a while, at least," Craig agreed as he opened the front door. "We'll work it out so you don't have to."

  "Hey, go tell Paws you're okay," Kara encouraged the boy. "He was really worried about you this morning."

  Entering the house ahead of his parents, Zach went straight to the side door, where Paws greeted him with a bark. Kara watched him for a moment, then followed Craig in the opposite direction to their room, where they both collapsed backward onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

  "Did this day really happen?" Kara asked Craig. It felt like a nightmare from which she was finally waking.

  Craig's hand found hers. "I say we get Zach in bed and then hit the sack ourselves."

  "And take a shower—you're still dirty from work yesterday."

  "I'll take it tomorrow. You know, I don't want to ever have reason to ride in a police car again."

  "I've learned more about law enforcement today than from all the crime shows I've ever watched."

  Craig grew silent for a moment. "Hey, why do you think those Asian guys kidnapped Zach? Do you think this Hugh guy knew about Dr. Lerwick's research?"

  "Even if he did, what good would it do him to have Zach?"

  "I don't know. We just assumed it was Dr. Lerwick who had kidnapped him, because of what Eddie told us. But Zach said it wasn't…"

  "Tonight, I don't care," Kara remarked. "All I want to do tonight is go to—"

  "MOM! DA—" Zach's scream from the kitchen was suddenly caught off.

  Craig bolted up from the bed just ahead of Kara, and they raced the length of the hall. At the front door, they froze. A white-haired man stood in the kitchen, behind the stand-alone counter, his neatly-trimmed beard framing an oval face, one arm pulling a struggling Zach against himself, the other covering Zach's mouth. Thin, black gloves like Eddie's covered his hands.

  He looked up as Craig and Kara appeared. "Ah, how awkward," he said as though he had accidentally barged in on the wrong meeting. "I assure you, I mean Zechariah no harm."

  "Then let him go," Craig growled. He drew his phone from his pocket and began to dial 9-1-1.

  "Kindly put that away," the man said evenly. He tightened his grip on Zach enough to make the boy wince. Craig froze. "There's no need for us to have a confrontation here," the man continued, "not with the child in the middle. In fact, perhaps you could both set your phones on the counter here in front of me, just to make it easier to resist temptation."

  Craig hesitated, then took a cautious step forward, holding the phone out in front of himself like a weapon to be surrendered. "All right—look, just let him go, and you can get out of here before anyone finds out."

  "And leave without that for which I came?" The man watched Craig set his phone on the counter and step back to Kara's side. With a look from Craig, Kara followed suit, placing her phone slowly next to his.

  Noting her reluctance, the bearded man smiled. "Forgive me. I'm afraid I've made a bad first impression. You have a lovely home, by the way." He glanced around at the den, the dining room, and the kitchen. "Quaint, but cozy. I'm sure Zechariah enjoyed it here."

  "We intend to keep him here," Kara stated flatly.

  The man tipped his head to look at the boy—Zach's weary face was drained white, his eyes bulging, pleading to Craig and Kara. He had stopped struggling.

  "I had hoped," the man continued, "to simply take Zechariah and go before you returned from the bedroom. But alas, I failed. It's unfortunate—it makes the situation so much more difficult for us all."

  "How did you get in?" Kara demanded.

  "Zechariah was kind enough to leave his key on my couch this morning," the man said. "Not that I needed it," he added as an afterthought. "Again, I hope you'll forgive my impoliteness. I am—"

  "Bill Lerwick," Craig finished for him.

  "Ah, my reputation precedes me. Yes, I am Dr. Lerwick." With his crisp, intellectual demeanor, the man could have been a college professor—or a mad scientist. "It is so good to finally meet you both, Mr. and Mrs. Fleming."

  "Please let him go," Kara pleaded. She couldn't stand to see Zach caught like this, his blue eyes so huge, so afraid. "Please…"

  To her surprise, Dr. Lerwick shrugged. "Certainly." He released Zach, and the boy ran to her. She gathered him in her arms and held him close, stepping subtly to the side and shifting him around behind her.

  "I am not a monster," Dr. Lerwick continued. "However, in order not to put myself at a disadvantage…" From within his jacket he brought out a gun; Kara didn't know one gun from another, except that this was some sort of pistol, but it made no difference—it looked lethal enough. Her whole body tensed. "I've never actually used a firearm on another human being," he said, regarding the weapon thoughtfully. "But I am willing, you understand—if necessary." He met Craig's eyes, just to make sure Craig had gotten the point.

  "Just leave," Craig told him bravely. "You can't do anything good here." Craig was shaking—Kara could see it—but he was standing strong, even so. She could see the warrior in him searching for a way to save them. He was a shrewd warrior, though; he wouldn't do anything foolish to put them in danger…unless, of course, he was too tired to think straight. She was certainly finding it difficult to think coherently herself.

  "Why don't we visit in the den?" Dr. Lerwick invited. He waggled the gun toward the armchair there.

  Craig moved first, after a moment, leading the way. He took the seat at the computer desk, keeping a wary eye on Dr. Lerwick. Kara took the armchair beside him, and Zach squeezed in next to her, snuggling close, trembling.

  "He was hiding in here, Mom!" the boy whispered between rough, uneven breaths. "When I came back inside, he jumped out and grabbed me. I couldn't—"

  "You make it sound like I'm a common burglar, Zechariah!" Dr. Lerwick chuckled, still at the standalone counter in the kitchen. "But my youthful days of petty robbery are far behind me. I'm simply here to reacquire that which is rightfully mine."

  "You yelled in time for us to stop him," Kara praised Zach softly, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

  "He's not yours, Dr. Lerwick, and you can't have him," Craig said defiantly, yet—because of the gun—almost respectfully.

  "Ah," Dr. Lerwick nodded. "I was afraid we would disagree on that issue, you and I. What it comes down to, of course, is intention—you did not intend to bring Zechariah into this world; indeed you could not. But I could, and I did. I created him and I raised him. He ran away from me and came to you, but his rightful place is still with me."

  Dr. Lerwick picked up Craig's phone and smashed it suddenly against the counter. Shattered bits of the screen and casing broke off and showered the floor. He scooped up Kara's phone and destroyed it in the same way.

  Craig, unintimidated, spoke again. "He was stolen from us. He is our son."

  Zach watched his dad, eyes flicking from him to Dr. Lerwick and back to Craig.

  "I could hardly have stolen from you what was ne
ver in your possession," Dr. Lerwick replied casually, moving into the den and settling himself across from them on the couch.

  "We are his parents! He is genetically and legally ours!"

  Dr. Lerwick barked a laugh. "An outdated paradigm for an era already fading away. Zechariah and I have ushered in a new age, when such simplistic definitions of parentage no longer apply. Now the question will be one of intention. Who brings this child into the world? It is they who will be considered the parents, and biological heritage will matter little."

  He turned from Craig to Kara. "Mrs. Fleming," he requested much too politely, "would you be so kind as to bring us drinks? For me, a nice, hot cocoa would be perfect. I took a slight chill out in that rain." Without setting down his gun, he opened his hands to Craig and Zach. "And whatever they would like, too, of course."

  With a helpless glance at Craig, Kara stood stiffly. She glared at Dr. Lerwick, but willed her feet toward the kitchen. What kinds of poison did she have tucked away in her cupboards that she could slip into his cocoa? She immediately chided herself for the thought; she was not a killer. Besides, an extra-strong dose of sleeping pills would do the job sufficiently well until they could get the police here. But she had nothing of the sort in the house.

  Behind her in the den, Zach spoke. "But you rescued me from the kidnappers. Why are you trying to kidnap me now?"

  "Not at all, Zechariah," Dr. Lerwick replied from the other room as Kara retrieved a mug. She moved slowly, her mind desperately grasping for a way to use this change of location to her advantage. But Dr. Lerwick glanced at her in the picture window, using it as a mirror to keep an eye on her in the kitchen; the darkness outside created an excellent reflection inside. "Rather," he continued, "I merely need you to come with me for a while, to assist me in my research. I could hardly let spiteful Mr. McWrait and his hired men take you away from me, could I?"

  "What are you going to do to him?" Craig demanded.

  "What I have always done—observe his development." Kara saw the older man's reflection shift on the couch. "Zechariah has told you by now, of course, how I brought about his birth. I must watch him until adulthood to be certain that there are no unforeseen side-effects of his having been grown within an artificial womb."

  "You could leave him here and do that."

  Dr. Lerwick laughed. "Ah, but permitting him to live in the first place was a violation of law; everything since simply adds years to my prison sentence were I to be caught. I cannot take that risk." He shook his head. "No, I have prepared a place where Zechariah shall remain hidden with me while I continue my research."

  "Our son is not a guinea pig to be experimented on!" Kara interjected from the kitchen. "You did enough of that with him before. Just leave him alone now. Let him grow up and have a normal life!"

  Dr. Lerwick paused, considering, and looked toward Craig. "Why don't you and your wife come with me, Mr. Fleming?"

  "Come with you?" Craig repeated warily.

  "Certainly—keep the family together. I can provide for you. You will be my guests. Consider it an extended vacation." He said that last as though offering them a real treat. Kara could hardly imagine that time spent in this man's clutches would be anything like a vacation.

  Craig sighed and stretched out his hands, palms up. "Dr. Lerwick, surely you don't need Zach anymore! He's a normal, healthy child. What more could you learn from him than you've already learned?"

  Glancing at Dr. Lerwick's reflection as she placed his mug of water in the microwave and set it heating, Kara noticed that his attention had shifted to Craig exclusively for the moment. A thought struck her, and she waved a hand at waist-height to catch Zach's eye without Dr. Lerwick seeing. The boy saw her; fortunately, he had the good sense not to give any obvious reaction as he looked toward her.

  You—bathroom, Kara signed to the boy, hoping he remembered his sign language; they hadn't practiced much since the start of school. Window—run!

  Zach watched her, but gave no indication that he understood. As Dr. Lerwick spoke again, Zach merely turned his attention back to the conversation going on in the den.

  "You cannot possibly comprehend how much we might learn from Zechariah. He is truly the most amazing accomplishment of my distinguished career thus far."

  "Why?" Craig asked. "He's a great kid, but what makes him so different from a billion other children in the world? Why must you obsess over this one?"

  "Ah…" Kara saw Dr. Lerwick's face light up in the reflection as she lifted his mug out of the microwave. She mixed the cocoa into it and brought it to him, imagining spilling it, steaming hot, into his lap. But a man who would try to kidnap her son from their own house—with them present!—might also kill over a minor burn. So, sucking in a disciplining breath, she presented him with the mug and rejoined Zach in the armchair. With Dr. Lerwick's eyes on her, she had no opportunity to ask the boy whether he had understood her message. Instead, she wrapped a protective arm around his chest and pulled him against her.

  Dr. Lerwick sipped the drink and smiled. "Excellent, Mrs. Fleming—Kara. Thank you." He turned back to Craig. "Why obsess over this one, indeed… I could ask you the same." He gazed into the mug. "To be frank—because he survived. When I saw the quality of the embryo I had purchased, I hardly thought it worth the effort. But somehow"—he nodded toward Zach—"it lived. Even then, though… How do I explain it in terms you can grasp?"

  He took another sip of cocoa. "You recognize, of course, that the quality of the embryo and of its genetic code are separate issues; the embryo's health is not itself an indication of how intelligent or capable the creature represented within it could become, if the embryo survives. And you recognize that every person's genetic code is unique, with its own particular strengths and weaknesses. This person has athletic potential but a weak stomach, that one has a strong stomach but will never be an athlete. One person is naturally gifted in math, another in music, another in literature—and a few of us in all of the above. More to the point, one person has a stronger immune system, another gets sick all the time. Why? In some cases, simply because their DNA is different."

  "So," Craig said, "Zach has a genetically bad immune system?"

  "Quite the contrary!" Dr. Lerwick replied. He was in his element now, lecturing; unfortunately, his focus afforded Kara no opportunity to escape, to get Zach outside and away from this terrible man. He continued to look from Craig to her in turn. "I wondered, at first, if that might be the case, he was sick so often. But time and again, Zechariah surprised me—he lived! He always recovered—with some medical assistance, of course, and it could certainly have turned out otherwise. Yet he persisted, and I was persuaded that his illnesses were not due to a genetically weak immune system, but were merely the result of not having had a mother's body from which to receive the usual immunities at the beginning. From the start, his immune system had to catch up. Eventually, his illnesses decreased to a normal level. He grew healthy and strong. I sent him to school, expecting that the illnesses children pass to one another would overwhelm him. But even there, his health endured. In fact, he thrived! So I was forced to reconsider what it was that had gone right in my experiments, why I had succeeded with Zechariah when with the others, under identical conditions, and even with higher quality embryos, I had failed."

  "The others?" Kara asked with horror. "How many?"

  "Then it came to me," Dr. Lerwick smiled, ignoring her, "and it was such a simple thing, so easy to overlook. I had been so proud of my discoveries, so certain that the things I had learned, the adjustments I had made to my first artificial womb, were what had given him life."

  Craig shifted; he was growing impatient with Dr. Lerwick. "But…" he prompted.

  "But it wasn't me—or, rather, my discoveries—that made it possible in Zechariah's case, not exactly. My artificial womb was already sufficient to the task, if only in a rudimentary way; it wasn't ready for every subje
ct." He held up a finger. "The clinching factor, the one thing that brought Zechariah to life when others perished, turned out to be something entirely beyond my control. His own DNA… It makes him unusually resilient."

  "A resilient immune system?" Craig puzzled, furrowing his brows.

  "Like an inherent flexibility. You might say his body is more able than most to adjust and adapt under less than ideal circumstances." He sipped a little more of his cocoa. "It was so simple I had never considered it—disappointingly simple, to be blunt. But that's why he recovered so well from so many illnesses. Not that he couldn't have died—simply that his odds of recovery were better than most." Dr. Lerwick looked at Zach. "Yes, you're quite the anomaly, Zechariah."

  "I want to stay here," Zach said, "with my mom and dad." His voice shook, but Kara eyed him proudly all the same. He was taking his cues from Craig—defiant, yet controlled.

  "My poor wife filled his head with false hopes," Dr. Lerwick sighed, "that, because of his singularity, can never be realized. He must be studied; what enabled him to survive the harsh environment of the artificial womb must be pinpointed if we are to find suitable candidates to perfect this technology and make it accessible to the world."

  Kara gaped at Dr. Lerwick. He had a face somewhat like Eddie's, its proportions similar, though the fuller beard obscured the likeness. But he had none of Eddie's gentleness—only a feigned kindness, lacking substance.

  "Why did you do it?" Zach asked. "Why did you make me alive?"

  Kara flinched visibly; the boy's wording stabbed at her. This man had made her son alive—shouldn't she be thankful? Yet she felt only bitterness toward him, especially at this moment, as he held his weapon, threatening her family. She hugged Zach more closely. If only the boy had understood what I signed to him…

  Dr. Lerwick stood and walked to the large portrait of the Fleming clan—before the arrival of Zach—that hung over the fireplace at the far end of the den. "A fine-looking family," he remarked. "Your genetics"—he looked to Craig and then to Kara—"would naturally be of interest to me, as well. If you would consider joining me for but a short time—a few months might be sufficient—I suspect we could learn a great deal. In time, we might even be able to grow you a whole family…"

  "You ignored my son's question," Craig retorted.

  "It's okay, Dad," Zach spoke again. "He always ignores me."

  "That's not acceptable here," Craig said to Dr. Lerwick. "Answer my son."

  Dr. Lerwick fingered the gun in his hand, considering it for a moment, before he replied. "It pleases me to do so. I made you alive, Zechariah, because…I wanted to. I am like God to you. I chose to give you life. And that, you see, is why you belong to me."

  Zach snorted. "You're a lousy god!"

  Dr. Lerwick turned away from the portrait to face the boy. He smiled, mildly humored.

  "You can't even walk on water!" Zach exclaimed. "Jesus walked on water. You had to take the ferry!"

  A snort of laughter escaped through Kara's nose.

  Dr. Lerwick extended one hand toward Zach. "If I can give a child life at will, who's to say I couldn't walk on water if I tried?"

  Zach wasn't finished with his assault. "What if you had done something wrong? What if I had been born with three legs or something? Or no legs?"

  "It could have happened," Dr. Lerwick admitted.

  Kara shuddered. She spoke softly, solemnly. "You didn't answer my question, either. How many have you sacrificed for the sake of your…research?"

  "They were but tools, my dear Kara, for the furthering of knowledge. Truth be told, few survived for long. I used no more than were necessary, and fewer than I could have justified."

  "You are a monster," Kara spat, regarding him with horror. What was this man not capable of doing to further his own interests?

  "Perhaps, but history will count me a hero," he returned, "quite possibly even in my own lifetime. I will fulfill the hopes of barren women everywhere. Women like yourself will sing my praises."

  Kara glared at the man as darkly as she could manage, but Zach began to squirm next to her, distracting her. She put a hand on him to quell his fidgeting. "Zach—"

  "Mom," he whispered, though not low enough for secrecy, "I really, really have to go to the bathroom…please? I haven't gone since we got to the big FBI building…"

  Actually, he had gone just before they had left, perhaps half an hour ago. Why—? The moment his earnest eyes met hers, she understood. Oh, good boy! she praised him silently. She turned to Dr. Lerwick.

  He opened his mouth in that same hollow smile. "By all means, do whatever you need to do, Zechariah. But hurry, please. While I am delighted to have met your parents at last, and as much as I am enjoying our visit, you and I really must be going. I daresay I've overstayed my welcome." Craig grunted at that sentiment.

  Zach darted from the chair to the hall, disappearing into the bathroom. Kara heard the door shut behind him. Run, Zach—hurry! she urged him in her mind.

  It did not seem to dawn on Dr. Lerwick that Zach might try to escape. He rambled on almost congenially. "It was not until well beyond the fourteen-day threshold—when the development of an embryo for research becomes, sadly, unlawful in our land—that I noticed something different about Zechariah's development, that he was thriving. He was…active in the 'tank,' as we affectionately called it. On day forty, he waved his arms for the first time. In the twenty-ninth week, he blinked, right on schedule. It was…wonderful."

  "You should have told us," Kara upbraided him. "We could have found a way—"

  Dr. Lerwick cut her off with a wave. "The moment word of how the child had been born got out, I would have been arrested. I would have spent my best years in prison, my research dispersed to minds far inferior to my own, who would spend the next decade working to merely comprehend that which I had already accomplished! No, telling you was impossible."

  "Secretly, though!" she argued. "If you had offered us a child, surely we could have made some arrangement, some—"

  "I think not," Dr. Lerwick replied abruptly. He gave a wry grin surprisingly similar to Eddie's. "Forgive me, but you and your husband hardly seem the law-breaking type."

  "You would have been our hero!"

  "No more than I am today. Oh, to have a child would have delighted you, I'm sure, but when you asked how I had acquired his embryo, what would you have had me say? That your embryologist was kind enough to sell it to me, and you should thank me?"

  Kara had no answer. Her mind was fuzzy—how were she and Craig sitting here in the den, talking about such things with a man who threatened them with a gun and intended to kidnap their son? At least Zach would be free by now. The bathroom window opened easily enough. She didn't know what Dr. Lerwick would do when he realized he had lost Zach, but if she could keep him talking, it would give the boy more time to escape. That was all that mattered.

  She swallowed; conversation with this man made her nauseous. "They said our embryos couldn't develop—"

  "Terribly low quality embryos, yes. The embryo that became Zechariah was no better than the others. But unlike the natural womb, the tank allows even poorly-developed embryos to survive; attachment to the lining of the artificial womb is done manually, so that embryonic quality is nearly irrelevant. That's just one small part of the genius behind the miracle I have given you."

  Kara swallowed again. "How—how did you make…the 'tank?'"

  "Ah, that would be far beyond your understanding, my dear. Even the most basic terminology would baffle you."

  "Just…a rough idea, then," she urged. Anything to keep him talking. Craig gave her a strange look. "I'm curious," she defended herself. He would understand later.

  Dr. Lerwick drained the last of his cocoa. "Most experts assume that the hormones the mother's body releases, and the timing of them, are still an insurmountable complication. But I made a breakthrough in that regard shortly before
I built my first 'tank.' Adjustments had to be made along the way, of course, but then I noticed that—What are you looking at?"

  Kara tensed. Her eyes had flicked unconsciously toward the entryway and the hall as she thought of Zach, wondering how far he had gone by now. Would it be far enough?

  Following her eyes, Dr. Lerwick stepped around the corner into the entryway and to the bathroom door; Kara and Craig jumped up and followed, keeping a respectful distance from that pistol still in Dr. Lerwick's grasp. The man rapped on the door. "Zechariah?"

  There was no response. Dr. Lerwick tried the doorknob, but it was locked.

  Way to go, Zach! Kara grinned, clenching a fist. He wasn't allowed to lock the door when he was in the bathroom, but apparently he had considered this situation an exception to that rule.

  Dr. Lerwick knocked again. "Zechariah! Speak to me!" Hearing nothing, the man stepped back from the door, sized it up, and slammed into it with his shoulder. With a crack, it broke open and swung inward.

  The window was open. Zach was gone. Kara laughed out loud. Craig shot her an astonished look. She grinned at him as Dr. Lerwick stepped back into the hall.

  Seeing his expression, Kara frowned—the man was chuckling to himself. "Clever boy," he remarked, clapping his hands. "Right out the window. Ah, well…" Dr. Lerwick peeked cautiously out the glass in the entryway. He furrowed his brows, looking left and right across the front yard, toward the street.

  A sudden chill ran down Kara's spine. The man was too comfortable. He ought to have threatened them furiously or raced out the door in search of Zach.

  "Ah, there we are," Dr. Lerwick sighed, still watching through the window. He placed his hand on the front doorknob and waited. A few seconds later, just as Kara caught the sound of footsteps on the front porch, he pulled the door open. Zach tumbled inside as if thrown in, and two Asian men—one taller than the other—followed. They wore stern, dispassionate expressions.

  "He tried to run," the taller one reported in a thick accent as Dr. Lerwick shut the door behind them.

  "The officer patrolling the neighborhood—did he see you?"

  "No," the shorter Asian man answered.

  "They're helping you!" Zach exclaimed incredulously. His face, arms, and knees were smeared with mud.

  "Everyone has their price," Dr. Lerwick responded offhandedly.

  Zach lunged for the door. The shorter Asian man grabbed his arm and neck and held him easily in spite of Zach's twisting.

  Dr. Lerwick's lips curled into an unfeeling smile. "If you cannot hold still, Zechariah, we will be forced to tie you up again. I know how uncomfortable that is for you."

  Zach froze, terror darkening his blue eyes. Fury shone in his eyes, too. "You're a liar!" he shrieked at Dr. Lerwick. "You said you were trying to help me! I told everybody you rescued me!"

  Dr. Lerwick cocked his head at the boy. "But I did rescue you, Zechariah," he explained as if stating the obvious. "It was McWrait who was behind your abduction. He thinks you belong to him, you see, since he paid for the research that produced your birth. He was my first investor. But someone, it seems, robbed one of his stores and left a message in defense of your honor. 'For Zach,' I believe it said. He sent me a message informing me that he would get revenge, and then he hired these fine men to kidnap you. I really have no idea who launched this whole affair, but I'm delighted that it's all worked out for the best. These gentlemen—it seems he promised them significantly less than they deserved…just as he once did with me."

  Zach stared defiantly at Dr. Lerwick. He trembled with rage and fear.

  Kara couldn't bear to see her son like this. Instinctively, she moved to help him, to free him, but Craig caught her with his strong arms and held her back, though she flailed against him. Only when she noticed Dr. Lerwick's pistol leveled at her did she still herself, with a great force of will. There had to be some way to save Zach, if only she could see it…

  Craig's eyes were calculating—and, like Zach's, furious. Kara had never seen such a forbidding look on her husband's face. She loved him for it, though it frightened her.

  The shorter Asian man held Zach in place there in the entryway. Dr. Lerwick considered Craig and Kara. "Such a dilemma," he mused. "Killing the two of you would make the situation so messy. But since you refuse to come and join me in my research…" He tapped a finger against the barrel of the gun, thinking. "Here, give the boy to me," he instructed the taller Asian man. "Find something to bind the adults. There is no need for unnecessary deaths. I am not a murderer."

  Murderer or not, he kept the gun leveled at Craig as the Asian men passed Zach to him and stepped toward Craig and Kara. They took hold of Craig first, but he resisted, pushing them away.

  "Now, now, Mr. Fleming," Dr. Lerwick warned, his voice louder, more intense, "do remember how uncomfortable I am with the prospect of violence. Neither of us wants the situation to get out of hand." He pulled Zach against himself threateningly.

  Craig slowly dropped his arms. Kara saw in his face what she felt inside—a seething, helpless rage. The shorter Asian man shoved Craig to the floor and planted a knee in his back. The taller man joined him, and together they dragged Craig into the den. Keeping a watchful eye on Kara, the taller man rummaged through the computer desk drawers and discovered the old roll of duct tape there. Despite its age, plenty of tape remained on the roll, and the taller man bound Craig's wrists with several layers, then repeated the procedure on his ankles. Craig strained against the bonds, but could not break them.

  The shorter Asian man returned to the entryway and, taking Kara roughly by the arm, pulled her into the den and leveraged her to the floor beside Craig. He pinned her two wrists together in one large hand. The taller Asian was about to bind her with the duct tape when Dr. Lerwick moved suddenly away from the front door, pushing Zach ahead of him.

  "Someone is coming," he said. He forced Zach into the den, where the wall dividing it from the hallway would block him from the sight of anyone at the door. "Bring Mr. Fleming over here. Kara—" He turned to her; why did he insist on insulting her by using her first name? "Answer the door and send them away. If they step one foot inside the house, I will kill your husband." He leveraged his gun at Craig's head just to reinforce the point.

  For all his feigned politeness, Kara did not dare question whether he would do it. The Asian men dragged Craig fully out of sight and took places on either side of him. The doorbell rang just as they disappeared behind the wall. With a deep, stabilizing breath, Kara moved to the door.

  It was Officer Garrenton there, with Agent Nyler. Both were armed, as usual, and Kara wanted more than anything to send them into the den to save her boys. But she could think of no way to do it without Dr. Lerwick first carrying out his threat against Craig.

  "Sorry to bother you again, Mrs. Fleming," Officer Garrenton greeted her in a weary but gracious tone. "We forgot to give you Zach's backpack." She offered it to Kara, who accepted it from her without a word, simply nodding once. Officer Garrenton continued. "We would have brought it tomorrow, but Agent Nyler received some pictures from the undercover agent overseas who sent us Zach's photo yesterday."

  Agent Nyler stepped up next to Officer Garrenton and showed her a handful of full-sized photographs. "I need to ask Zach if any of them are the Asian men who kidnapped him. Do you mind if we come in for just a minute?"

  Kara wanted to scream that of course they could come in, that they needed no pictures to identify the two Asian men, that he could find them right behind her in the den. But with Craig's life in the balance, she could only bite her tongue and weep inside. "I…can't…let you come in right now," she choked. "Maybe you could come back later—tomorrow?"

  Officer Garrenton looked at her with concern, much as she had looked at her that first night, right here at the front door, when Kara had claimed that she was not Zach's mother, that she had never seen him before. "Mrs. Fleming, is everyth
ing all right?"

  Kara nodded a little too vigorously, hoping the officer would suspect a problem even as she prayed she wouldn't. Which option put her family in greater danger? "Y—yes," she stammered, "they're…resting right now, both of them. Really tired. Exhausted. They need to not be disturbed. If you could come back first thing in the morning…"

  With a long look at Officer Garrenton, Agent Nyler cocked an eyebrow. "If we could bother Zach for just one minute, it would really help us to—"

  "The morning would be…better." Kara's voice sounded strained to her. She yearned to say so much more.

  Officer Garrenton's look of concern darkened almost imperceptibly. She turned suddenly to Agent Nyler. "Yes, this appears to be a bad time, Clint. We should have been more thoughtful. They've had a very long day."

  "Jackie, I—" Agent Nyler began to protest, but with a hand on his arm, Officer Garrenton stopped him.

  "We really should let them rest," she said, raising her eyebrows at him. "Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Fleming."

  She steered Agent Nyler back down the walkway. Kara closed the door behind them, released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and sobbed into her hands. Strong arms heaved her roughly away from the door and deposited her onto the kitchen floor between the standalone counter and the dining table. Within seconds her wrists and ankles were bound together with duct tape.

  "Watch them," Dr. Lerwick ordered, "make sure they leave."

  The shorter Asian man hurried to the entryway to obey.

  "You have saved your husband," Dr. Lerwick commended Kara. "Tomorrow, when I am gone and Zechariah with me, you can tell them everything that happened. And they can search, but they will not find us."

  "I don't want to go!" Zach began to weep. "Please, Grandfather—let me stay with my mom and dad!"

  Dr. Lerwick opened his mouth to reply, but the shorter Asian man stepped back into the den. "The police are gone," he reported.

  "Good. One of you keep watch, and the other bring the car. It is time for us to take our leave."

  They returned to the entryway, where the taller Asian stepped out the front door and closed it behind himself. The shorter man stood guard at the window.

  Dr. Lerwick wrenched Zach's arms around and shoved him roughly into the entryway.

  "Please, Grandfather, no!" Zach pleaded. Dr. Lerwick ignored him.

  In the den, Craig strained at his bonds, but they held. Kara met his eyes. Like her own, they were very much afraid.

  *****