Kat ignored his sarcasm and nodded. “Of course. I’ll go and get a coffee.”
He didn’t reply, turning and striding towards the boy’s room just as Dr. Crichton was coming out. Kat had just turned away when she heard the screeching. It sounded like a cornered animal screaming for its life and it was coming from the boy’s room. Running back as fast as she could, she flung open the door to find the boy huddled on the floor in a corner, his arms crossed over his head, screaming. Finn was standing at the other side of the room looking startled and he looked at Kat as she walked in, pleading with his eyes for her to do something.
“It’s okay. I’m here, and no one is going to hurt you,” she said in a low voice crouching down beside the boy and looking over at Finn, indicating with her head that he needed to leave the room.
Nodding, he seemed relieved as he turned and walked out leaving her to try and calm the boy down. As soon as Finn left, the screaming stopped and he was calming down, his breathing returning to normal. Gently helping him to his feet, she got him back into bed before sitting on the edge and holding his hand.
“That man, the one that was just in here, he’s a friend of mine,” she told him. “He’s a really good man, a policeman, who wants to help you. His name is Finn.” She had an idea that she knew why he’d reacted so strongly. “Was it a man who hurt you?” He confirmed her fears when he nodded. “Okay, well this man, Finn, would never hurt you. Do you think we could ask him to come back in?”
The boy started to cry then, shaking his head. “How about if I stay with you? Would it be okay then?” He looked her in the eyes and she hoped that he knew he could trust her. He nodded. “Okay, I’ll just go and tell him. Thank you for being so brave.”
Joining Finn outside the room where he was waiting, she told him what had just happened. “I know it’s not ideal but he wants me there when you talk to him. He’s terrified of men, Finn, and he seems to have taken a shine to me.” She jutted out her chin. “And I won’t leave him.” She was waiting for him to make another argument but he surprised her.
“Agreed.” His face was somber. “I called the chief while you were in there and he’s okayed it. With your background, you won’t mess it up and we need him to talk to us. Apart from anything else, the poor guy needs to have someone around him that he feels safe with and it looks like that someone is you.”
Five
If he ever found whoever had done this to the poor kid, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself from beating him to a pulp. He’d sat in the bed clutching Kat’s hand like his life depended on it, and even though he’d been standing on the other side of the room he’d flinched every time Finn spoke. He’d put his questions to him gently, hoping that he would be able to give them something, anything, that would help them, but he’d gotten nothing. In fact, the boy hadn’t spoken at all, merely nodding or shaking his head in answer. He hadn’t even been able to tell them his name, just shaking his head when he’d asked.
Not wanting to push him too hard, he’d left Kat with him and had headed back to the station. He was hoping that CSI might have something to give him. They’d taken the kid’s DNA at the hospital and he was hoping that it was in a database somewhere. There was a chance, a very slim one, that if the kid had been reported missing the local PD would have taken a sample of DNA from his home and entered it in the system.
“How’s the boy?” the chief asked, coming to stand by his desk.
Finn shook his head. “Not good. The doc says there’s no medical reason for it but he won’t talk. I’ve left Kat with him. He seems to really trust her so maybe she can get somewhere.” He frowned at the thought of Kat. That woman had a way of getting under his skin; there was no denying it. He’d watched as she’d sat on the boy’s bed talking to him in a low soothing voice and had been struck by what a natural she was with him. Rather than make his feelings towards her soften, though, it had just left him even more confused.
“So we still have no idea who he is?”
“No, none. I’m hoping that we might get something from the lab.” The phone on his desk interrupted them and Finn grabbed, it hoping it was the results he was waiting for. He listened for a minute, writing notes as the chief looked on. Finally, he put the phone down with a smile and held up the paper he’d been writing on.
“We’ve got a DNA hit!” He could barely believe they’d gotten so lucky. “The kid is Daniel Lytchett, age twelve.” His fingers started flying on his computer keyboard as he spoke to the chief, inputting the information to find out more. “He was reported missing six years ago from Torino by his parents.” He paused as he read more. “He was on his way home from school. He got off the school bus to walk the short distance from there to his house, but he never arrived.”
That must be a parent’s worst nightmare, he thought “There’s a number here for the officer dealing with the case. I’ll give him a call.”
“Torino? That’s got to be what, five hundred miles from here? How on earth did a kid who went missing that far away end up here?” The chief shook his head. “No matter. At least we’ll be able to make one family incredibly happy today.” He checked his watch. “I’m going to check in with the others. They’re checking the area where the kid was found, but at this time of night I don’t think they’ll find much.”
As soon as the chief had gone, Finn picked up the phone and dialed the number listed on the file. “Officer Pelks?” Finn spoke as the phone at the other end was picked up.
“Yes, can I help you?”
“I’m Officer Groves, calling from Brecon Point PD. I’m calling about a case you dealt with a few years ago, a missing boy by the name of Daniel Lytchett.”
“Went missing on his way home from school. I remember it.” There was a pause on the end of the phone. “It was one of those cases, you know? One of the ones that you don’t forget.”
“Well, we had a bit of an incident here last night and it looks like we might have found him.”
“Found his body, you mean?”
Finn smiled, enjoying this part of his job. “No, I mean we found him alive.”
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the phone “I don’t believe it. I was sure that we were only ever going to find his remains. Dear God, if only it had been six months sooner.”
Finn was confused but officer Pelks went on to explain, and what he told him made his blood run cold.
***
Finn sat in silence at his desk, taking in what he had just heard. Despite years of investigating and never giving up hope, Officer Pelks and the boy’s family had never been able to come up with any leads at all and the case had gone completely cold. The Lytchett’s had remained in the same home where they’d been living when Daniel went missing, and it was on a drive back to this house after attending a fundraiser for missing children just six months ago that the accident had happened. A trailer had skidded on black ice and jacknifed before toppling over and crushing the Lytchett’s car. They didn’t survive. They died without ever knowing what had happened to their son. Unexpectedly, this thought brought tears to Finn’s eyes and he brushed them away with the back of his hand. Dammit! According to Officer Pelks, the kid had no other family, so he was all alone in the world now. Hasn’t he gone through enough? he thought angrily.
Checking the clock on the wall, he realized it was now past midnight and his shift had ended hours ago. Long hours were part of the job, though, and he still had a lot to do before he could go home. Pushing his chair away from his desk, he stood up and walked over to the chief’s office. The door was open, but Finn knocked on the glass anyway before walking in and filling him in on the conversation he’d just had.
The chief shook his head. “As if the poor kid doesn’t have enough to deal with,” he said wryly. “This needs to be handled sensitively. Get together with Dr. Crichton about the best way to move forward. We don’t want to do anything that’s likely to get in the way of his recovery. We’ll also need to contact Child Protectiv
e Services as he has no legal guardian.”
Finn nodded. “Okay, I’ll speak to Dr. Crichton as soon as I can. She was still at the hospital when I left. I’ll contact CPS in the morning. He’s going to have to stay in the hospital overnight anyway and he’s safe and settled where he is for now. ”
The chief nodded. “Okay. CSI are still at the original scene but there’s nothing more you can do tonight. After you’ve spoken to the doc, go home and get some rest.”
“Will do.” He turned to leave. “Night, Chief.”
Six
He’d planned on going home and calling Sally, but halfway there he’d turned the car around and headed to the hospital instead. He tried to convince himself it was because he wanted to see Sally, but he knew that the real reason was one he didn’t want to admit to himself. He wanted to see Kat, wanted to make sure she was okay. Why did she get to him so much? He’d dated many women, married one, but none had had the effect on him that Kat did. When he didn’t see her he managed to push thoughts of her to one side, almost pretending she didn’t exist; but when he found himself in her orbit, she was all he could think about. Even now, when he was dating someone else and should be thinking about her, thoughts of Kat were in the place where thoughts of her should be.
As he turned the cruiser into the hospital parking lot he made himself a promise. After this case was over he would sit down with Kat and sort this out once and for all. But to do that he needed to sort out his own feelings and he wasn’t there yet. Admittedly, to do that he needed to actually sit down and think about it, which was something he had been studiously avoiding. He couldn’t avoid it forever, though.
Seven
She’d fallen asleep with her head resting on the bed, his small hand still clutched in hers. The curtains were drawn now and the room was dark except for the gentle glow under the door given off by the lights in the hall outside. It had taken him a long time to settle at first, and the first time he’d fallen asleep it had only been a few minutes before he’d woken screaming, gripped in the throes of a terrible nightmare. Kat had sat and cuddled him, reassuring him gently until he’d finally managed to go back to sleep. Now the sound of his gentle breathing was the only sound in the room and it was like a balm to her heart. Gently pulling her hand from his without waking him, she stood up and stretched. God, I need a coffee. She turned to the door, intending to go and grab one from the machine down the hall.
“Don’t leave me.” The words were barely more than a whisper, but the plea behind them was deafening. She quickly went back to the bed and took his hand in hers. “So you can speak!” She smiled gently at him. “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you. I was just going to grab a drink. Is that okay?”
“Okay.” he whispered.
“Would you like some candy from the machine? Don’t tell the nurses. It’ll be our little secret.” She winked.
A small flutter of a smile crossed his lips and he nodded.
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” She squeezed his hand and left the room, closing the door gently behind her.
***
“Damn machine!” she cursed under her breath. It had taken her money but wouldn’t give her the candy. There was no way she was going back empty-handed. It might only be a candy bar, but she had a feeling this kid had been let down enough and she wasn’t about to do it to him again.
“Need help?”
She hadn’t heard him come up behind her. “Hi, Finn. Yes, please. This damn machine won’t work.” She watched as he put his hands on the top of the machine and gently rocked it back and forth until, with a satisfying clunk, the candy dropped into the tray at the bottom. “Neat trick,” she said, reaching in for it. “You must have done that before.”
He laughed. “Yes, we have history, this machine and I.” His face turned serious. “How’s the kid doing?”
“Well, he spoke to me, so that’s a good sign. But after what he went through, I’d be lying if I said he’s okay.” She turned and started walking back to the room and Finn fell into step beside her. “Have you managed to find out who he is yet?”
Finn nodded. “Yes. His name is Daniel. He went missing six years ago.”
“Six years? Where on earth has he been all that time?”
“That’s what we need to find out.”
“Poor kid. Any news on his family?”
Finn pulled up short. “Unfortunately, yes.” He filled her in on what he’d found out so far.
“Oh my God. That’s awful!” She’d assumed there was a family out there looking for him and the news that he was all alone broke her heart. “What’s going to happen to him now?”
Finn shrugged. “We don’t have any choice. We’re going to have to contact CPS.” He didn’t look happy at the thought. “They’ll find him foster parents for now.”
Kat shook her head. “No.”
“What do you mean, no? Kat, we have no choice.”
She didn’t know what made her blurt it out but she just knew there was no way she was letting this kid go into foster care. “No. He’s going to come home with me.”
Finn looked taken aback. “Really? You’d do that?”
“Absolutely.” She knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was the right thing to do. “This kid has been through so much, more than we probably even realize. He seems to trust me. It makes sense that he come home with me. For now at least.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll have to clear it with CPS, make sure they’re okay with it, but I’m sure it will be fine.” He gave her a hard look. “Are you sure you want to do this? It won’t be a walk in the park, you know. He’s bound to have problems after this.”
“What? And you think because a kid might have problems they don’t deserve a good home?” She could feel herself getting angry.
“No, that’s not what I meant at all and you know it. I meant it’s going to be hard and with everything that happened with Jamie and Jake I just want you to think about it, be sure you’re up to it.”
“I’m sure.” She stuck her chin out defiantly.
“Okay. Well I’ll call them in the morning and make the arrangements then.”
“Thanks, Finn.” She stopped walking as they arrived outside the room. “You’d better not come in. He seems calmer and I’d hate for him to get upset again.”
Finn immediately agreed “Of course. I came to see Sally anyway so I’d better go and track her down.”
Kat hated the feeling those words gave her, but that was her problem not his. “Could you tell her that he’s spoken to me? It’ll save me having to go and find her.”
“No problem.” He opened the door to the room for her. “I’ll catch up with you tomorrow. Try and get some rest.”
“I will. Thank you, Finn.”
Eight
After their midnight snack, she’d curled up in the chair beside Daniel’s bed and tried to get some sleep herself. It wasn’t easy; the chair was not designed to encourage long stays and she’d kept waking up when she lost the feeling in various parts of her body. She’d finally given up at five a.m. and she was very conscious of how awful she must look when Dr. Crichton arrived shortly after they’d served breakfast. It was hard not to be. Despite having been at the hospital until late the night before, there was no sign of tiredness on Sally’s face, her skin looking fresh and flawless. She was very petite, only about 5’ 2” and very slim. Her blonde hair was cut in a pixie style which showed off her high cheekbones to their full advantage. Her easy glamor was making Kat feel like an ugly duckling but she had to grudgingly concede that Finn had good taste in women. That thought didn’t make her feel any happier about it, though.
Kat stood back as she examined him. “That’s great, Daniel, thank you. I’m just going to have a quick word with Kat outside.” At her prompting, Kat stood and followed her out of the room.
“I’m pleased to say that he’s well enough to be released. Physically, he will mend; what damage has been done psychologically, though, it’s too early to say.” She hand
ed Kat a large brown envelope filled with papers. “We’ve had a call from CPS allowing us to release him into your care.”
“That’s wonderful news. Thank you. What’s all this?”
“They’ve arranged for him to see a psychologist and all the details are in there. There are also some forms in there that we need you sign before you leave. You can drop them at the desk when you go.”
“Okay, no problem.” She was just about to turn and go back into the room when Sally stopped her.
“One more thing, Kat. Finn and I talked last night about how best to break the news to him about his family. We both agreed it would be best if it came from you. How do you feel about that?”
She’d be lying if she said she wanted to do it, but they were right; it would be best coming from her. “I think you’re right. It’s going to be heart-breaking for him and he seems to trust me more than anyone else, so it makes sense.”
“Okay, great. I’ll let Finn know.”
Checking that Daniel could still see her through the window, she gave him a little wave before pulling her phone out of pocket to call Jamie.
“I was just about to call you,” Jamie said when she answered. “How is he this morning?”
Kat filled her in on his condition and on what they’d learned about him since the night before.
“The poor kid! That’s awful. What’s going to happen to him now?”
“Well, that’s just it. I should have checked with you first, I know, but I told Finn that he could come and stay with us for now. Is that okay with you?” Kat knew she should have asked before she’d said, it but she doubted very much that Jamie would have an issue with it.
“Of course he must. Absolutely,” Jamie confirmed.
The McKays Box Set - To Kill For, Blood Sport, Hard Time & Gang Land Page 16