“Great.”
“Incidentally, how do you know Ms. Cooper?”
Dennis didn’t bat an eye. Patrick already knew the answer. “She works for my wife.”
Patrick smiled one last time. “You need us to leave her name off the report? For your sake?”
Dennis laughed. “Nah. My wife knows she’s with me.”
The lieutenant opened the door for Mayer and followed him through, out into the open area. It was getting late and he needed to get to their friend who still wasn’t talking. He decided not to bother asking Mayer his remaining questions. For example, why was Cooper sitting in the driver’s seat when it was adjusted for someone much taller than she was? Perhaps someone even taller than Mayer.
A few minutes later, Dennis spotted Tania emerging from another office. She approached with a weary expression. “Can we go?”
“Yep.”
Together they passed a row of empty desks and rounded the corner. At the end of a short hallway, they pushed the heavy automatic door open and crossed the marble-tiled lobby. Once outside, they were hit with the chill of the evening.
“So, do you know who it was that shot at you?” Tania asked in a low voice.
“I’ll find out. But right now, we need to get out of here.”
They approached Dennis’ truck, parked in one of the nearby spots. The left front corner was smashed, but the right side had escaped with only some deep scrapes. It was when he noticed someone standing next to the truck that Dennis stopped. He studied the person for a moment before slowly continuing toward her.
“Hello, Mr. Mayer,” said Anne Keyes.
“Are you alright?” Dennis asked.
“I was about to ask you that,” she said sheepishly. “I think I owe you an apology. I guess you’re for real after all.”
Dennis introduced Tania, and Keyes nodded politely at her. “Am I going to have to forget you too?”
“Probably.”
Keyes stepped forward. “I talked to the police. I had to. I figured it would seem strange if I didn’t. But I didn’t tell them about the young man you were with. I swear.”
“I believe you.”
She took a deep breath and exhaled. It was easily visible under the light from an overhead lamp post. “I’m sorry. For everything.” She tried to blink the tears away. “I was afraid. Afraid to get excited again. Every new piece of information has given me a glimmer of hope only to be snuffed out again. I was afraid that maybe…”
“That maybe we were quacks?”
She couldn’t even smile at his humor. Instead, she shook her head. “Please, Mr. Mayer. My Katie is all that matters to me. Without her, there is no reason for me to be here.” Tears flowed down her cheeks. “Please find her!”
Mayer frowned and reached out for her. He pulled her in close as she sobbed into his chest. He knew what it felt like. A pain so deep that you couldn’t even bear the memories. And a level of despair that led to the most terrible thoughts.
He wrapped his arms around Anne and held her. He knew it wasn’t just about saving Katie Keyes anymore. It was about saving her mother too.
18
Shannon knew something was wrong. Dan Taylor hadn’t spoken since leaving Bakersfield. Instead, he sat motionlessly in the seat next to her, staring out the window. She knew he needed to cool off, but when they got home and helped Evan inside, Taylor immediately disappeared upstairs.
When she reached his door, he was packing.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes.” He kept his eyes down and continued packing.
“May I ask why?”
“Because Evan’s going to get you all killed!” he growled.
“He’s just trying to help.”
Taylor opened his mouth angrily but stopped when he raised his eyes to find Evan standing next to Shannon. He pressed his lips together in frustration and then tried it again. “Sorry, kid. But you have no idea who you’re dealing with. You’d better understand that tonight was a wake-up call for you.” He glanced at Shannon. “For all of you.”
“This isn’t about Evan, or us. It’s about you. You’re afraid that if they find Evan, they’ll find you too.”
He stopped and straightened. “You’re goddamn right. Three months. THREE MONTHS! That’s all it took to find him! Did you really think no one would notice?!” Taylor looked at Evan. “You better hope that guy in Bakersfield is a nobody. And that you can stop this without anyone else finding out. That it’s not too late. Because no matter how good your intentions are, more people are going to figure it out.” He continued stuffing his clothes into his bag. “I told you swearing people to secrecy wasn’t going to make a damn bit of difference.” He finished with his things and zipped the bag closed. “Go ahead, kid. Be your own man. But when they find you, they’re sure as hell not going to find me. Not here.”
Taylor headed for the door and Evan abruptly backed up. Shannon stepped in front of him.
“Wait,” she pleaded. “Just…wait.”
“For what?”
“Please. My husband and Tania are still out there, and God only knows where. Please wait until I can at least be sure they’re safe.”
Taylor’s brown eyes stared at her for a long time. “Fine,” he said. “But when they get here, I’m done.”
19
It was just after 2:15 a.m. when Dennis and Tania opened the front door of the house and walked in, exhausted. They were not surprised to see everyone on their feet and waiting for them. Everyone except Dan Taylor.
Even without the terrible night they’d had, Dennis knew something was wrong from the tone of Shannon’s voice on the phone. Now in the living room, she silently eyed the bandaging on his arm and approached, wrapping her arms around him.
“Are you okay?”
Dennis hugged her tight and gave a tired smile. “It could have been a lot worse.”
She pressed her head into his chest. “Thank God. I was so worried.”
Tania watched briefly before turning to Evan, who was standing several feet away. She walked to him and smiled. “Hey, stranger.”
Evan was clearly happy to see her. He began to reply but was stopped when she abruptly reached out and hugged him.
“Are you alright?”
Evan blinked. His head was suddenly spinning, for all the right reasons. “Yeah. I’m just tired.”
Dennis gently released Shannon and looked past her shoulder to Mary, who stood back observing them all with a wide grin. His eyes then searched the room.
“Where’s Taylor?”
His question was answered when heavy steps could be heard from the top of the stairs. A few moments later, two large feet appeared and descended. When he reached the bottom, Dennis spied the large bag gripped in Taylor’s left hand.
“He’s leaving,” Shannon whispered.
If Dennis was surprised, he didn’t show it. Taylor had been reluctantly cooperative at best since Evan told them what he intended to do.
He nodded at Taylor. “I’m glad you were there tonight.”
Taylor squinted at Dennis. “Do you believe me now? Do you believe me when I tell you how dangerous this is?”
“I do.”
Taylor motioned to Evan. “Then you’d better talk some sense into the boy before someone doesn’t come home from one of your ‘rescue missions.’ ”
Dennis and Evan exchanged glances but neither said a word.
“Do you even know who shot at you?” Taylor questioned.
Dennis turned back to him. “Yes. A local. He works as a bus driver.”
“And did they tell you he’s from Los Angeles?”
Dennis reacted with surprise. “Yes. How did you know that?”
Without taking his eyes off the man, Taylor reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He tossed the item onto a nearby coffee table. It was a wallet.
“I took it after I punched the son of a bitch out. Do you get it now? Do you understand? This guy isn’t from Bakersfield, he’s from her
e. Which means he followed you up there. In fact, he’s probably been following you for a while.” Taylor gave Evan a snide glance. “Did you see that?”
“No.”
“No, you didn’t,” Taylor said. “You can see a lot of things, and you’ve only scratched the surface, but you’ll never see who’s coming for you. Do you hear me, boy? Unless you know who it is, you’ll never see them coming until it’s too late. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Every time you help someone, you provide another door for someone else to find you. This guy was a damn bus driver and he found you! Who will it be next?”
The room grew deathly quiet. Finally, Taylor sighed. “Look, you want to help people. I get it. But is it worth dying for?”
Evan stared at him, considering the question. His answer surprised everyone. “Yes.”
Taylor flew into a rage. “Jesus Christ! Stop being so naïve. Death is if you’re lucky! Has it even occurred to you that when someone finds you they’re going to want to keep you alive?! How many people do you think are gonna be hurt when someone captures you and uses you like a weapon?!”
Evan swallowed hard. “I won’t let them.”
“Oh really?” Taylor smirked.
“Really.”
When Evan didn’t look away, Taylor grew quiet, staring at him eye to eye. He was the only one in the room who understood what Evan meant.
“Son,” he said, with a tone of resignation. “You don’t know what I know. You don’t know what lengths people will go to get what you have. And trust me, they’re heartless and damn creative.” After a long silence, Taylor slung his bag over a shoulder and headed for the front door. “I can’t warn you any better than that.”
When he opened the door, Evan called out behind him.
“Mr. Taylor.”
Wearily, Taylor turned around.
“Thank you.”
With one last shake of his head, he was gone.
20
The room was quiet again. All five of them silent, still staring at the door.
Dennis spied the wallet on the coffee table and crossed the room to pick it up. He flipped through the leather fold, studying what few contents were inside.
Darias Black.
He was surprised to find that their attacker kept an ID in his wallet. But then again, he probably had to. If he ran into problems during the escape and had to rely on another form of travel, a photo ID might be necessary. Black must have felt that the risk of losing his ID was less than needing it and not having one. Unfortunately for him.
Dennis checked the larger pocket. It was filled with fifty-dollar bills. He sat down on the small couch and leaned back into the soft leather. “Well, this has been a crappy day.”
Shannon grinned sympathetically and joined him on the couch. One by one, the other three crossed the room and sat down.
“So who do you think he is?” asked Mary.
“I don’t know.” Dennis flipped the wallet over, examining the worn leather. “My guess is someone with secrets. Secrets that Evan and I weren’t supposed to find.”
“But how could he have found Evan?”
“I’ve been thinking about that the whole way home. Up to this point we’ve been very careful. No pictures, no depositions, no mention of Evan at all. Not even by one of the families.” He stared at the floor, thinking. “But we obviously missed something.”
“Oh my God!” exclaimed Mary. “What if that guy Black is involved with the girl you’re looking for?”
“It’s possible. But I doubt it. Not living this far away.”
“Why not? The guy sounded pretty careful to me. After all, if they were going to kidnap someone, wouldn’t a smart person do it somewhere else?”
“Perhaps. But most kidnappers are related to the person kidnapped, and those who aren’t don’t usually stray very far. Generally speaking, they prefer the familiarity of their own environment. Being in a place you’re not familiar with introduces all kinds of possibilities for mistakes.”
“Well, maybe he wasn’t the actual kidnapper,” Shannon offered. “Maybe he was involved some other way.”
“Maybe,” Dennis nodded. “That would give him a reason to make sure we didn’t continue. What do you think, Evan?”
He shrugged. “If there’s a connection, it might help us.”
“You would need something of his.” He tossed the wallet back onto the small table. “Would a wallet work?”
“Probably.”
“Waaait a minute,” Shannon said, leaning quickly forward. “Not tonight.”
“Not tonight, what?”
Evan’s not doing anything more now. Not tonight. He’s exhausted and we’re not taking any chances. He’s doing nothing but getting sleep.”
“I didn’t say tonight.” Dennis frowned sarcastically. “But fine.”
Dennis was the first one up. With the pain in his arm, he couldn’t sleep. Even though it was technically only a graze, it felt serious enough that he knew a hospital visit was in his future. He popped two extra-strength Tylenols and took a sip of coffee. He hated taking pills but they did take the edge off, keeping the pain tolerable.
He sat down quietly at the small kitchen table and watched the rising sun peek over the dark green southern magnolia trees in his backyard. The events of the previous night happened so fast that they felt surreal. He was thankful Evan hadn’t been struck. They were both exceptionally lucky he tripped just before the shots.
Dennis heard steps behind him and turned around to find Evan entering the kitchen. He joined Dennis at the table and reached into one of his pajama pockets. Evan then quietly laid Darias Black’s wallet on the table in front of him.
“He’s not involved.”
“With Katie Keyes?”
Evan shook his head.
Dennis nodded to the wallet. “You’re not supposed to do that alone.”
“It was quick.”
“Hmm.” Dennis picked up the wallet and turned it over. “So, no link to Katie Keyes at all?”
There was no answer.
Dennis looked at Evan, who was sitting still, staring down at the kitchen table. He cocked his head. “Evan?”
Still nothing.
Dennis reached out. “Evan, are you alright?”
Finally, he blinked and looked up. His face seemed pale. “What?”
“What is it?”
He stared at Dennis for a moment before dropping his gaze back down. “It’s that man.”
Dennis held the wallet up. “This guy?”
“He didn’t take Katie. But he did other things. A lot of ‘em.”
“Bad things.”
Evan nodded.
“Other kids?”
Evan nodded again.
Dennis leaned back in his chair. That’s why Black was afraid of him and Evan. Sooner or later, they might look at his case. And find out what he had done.
Dennis grew angry. It happened every time. Sick criminals never had a problem dealing out pain and suffering to others. But when justice came due, every single one of them turned and ran. Not only were they sick, but their cowardice knew no bounds. At that moment, he would have given anything to be locked alone in a room with Black. For some men, death was the only rehabilitation.
He observed the blank stare on Evan’s face. “Are you going to be okay?”
Evan painfully shook his head from side to side. “It’s too late for them.”
Dennis raised his hand and put it gently on Evan’s back. He had no words.
21
The hamburger joint was less than two blocks from Glendale’s Memorial Hospital and just off Cerritos Avenue. Evan took another bite of his hamburger and peered down the street at a small section of the famous Forest Lawn cemetery.
“Remember, you’re going to call me twice a day.”
He turned again to his mother, sitting across the table from him. “I remember.”
Mary returned to the table with a cup of water and sipped it. “Shannon called. They sho
uld be here in a few minutes.” She looked at Evan. “You have your phone, right?”
He rolled his eyes.
They were worried and he understood why. It was the furthest they had gone for a rescue mission. All the other children they found had been in the Los Angeles area.
Looking back toward the hospital, Evan spotted the Mayers approaching on foot in the distance. It looked like Mr. Mayer’s left arm was in a sling.
With a few more bites, he polished off his burger and wiped his mouth. He quickly finished his shake, ending with a slurping sound through his straw. He was ready.
Mrs. Mayer’s sister, Mary, had lent them her Subaru and made them both promise they would take care of it. When Evan stood up, a large commercial bus caught his eye as it passed outside along South Brand Boulevard.
Evan thought of Dan Taylor and wondered where he was.
As train stations went, Los Angeles’ Union Station, or LAUS, was still quite beautiful, even as it approached one hundred years old. The original ballot measure to build the station was controversial at the time, but in present day, it serviced a staggering 60,000 daily passengers.
At that moment, Dan Taylor stood in one of the station’s large rooms, examining some of the building’s original architecture from days gone by. His eyes followed the sharp lines of the interior marble walls and ended on the terra-cotta tiles.
He took a deep breath, noting the unique smell. Oddly, it somehow reminded him of both history and the future at the same. More than that, it brought out a strange feeling inside Taylor. A feeling of years having passed without him, a result of his seclusion. And to his surprise, a feeling of regret.
Standing quietly among the hundreds of bustling passengers, Taylor suddenly got a sensation that he was being watched. He looked from side to side and seeing no one, he slowly turned and scanned the area behind him. He stopped upon meeting a pair of young eyes.
It was a boy, staring at him with the familiar eyes of a Down syndrome child. The boy was staring at Taylor with a giant grin on his face, seemingly unaware of the crowd around him.
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