Eric bobs a shoulder. “A little.”
“You let me know if you want me to talk to his father.”
“No. That will only make it worse. I can handle him.” Eric puts on a brave face.
“You’re a good kid, Eric. You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
“That’s why Mom and Dad made you my godfather,” Eric says.
Joe’s eyes tear up. “Yeah, that’s why.”
The vision fades away, and my eyelids flutter open. “Joe is Eric’s godfather. He really loves him, and he’d do anything to find Eric.”
“You make it sound like Joe cares more about Eric than his own parents do.”
Dad’s words send alarms ringing through my head, and Joe’s last comment to Eric plays on repeat in my mind. “Oh my God.” I stand up. “How didn’t I see it sooner?”
“See what?”
I point to Eric’s picture on the computer screen. Then I open the web browser and pull up the staff directory for the hospital. There by Dr. Joe Lehman’s name is his picture. I enlarge it, placing it beside Eric’s.
“Wow, they really look a lot alike,” Dad says.
“They should,” I say. “They’re father and son.”
Chapter Five
“They’re what?” Dad’s eyes widen at me.
“I don’t even think Eric knows. No, I’m positive he doesn’t. I think Joe had Eric with some woman. I don’t know who she is. But for whatever reason, they gave him up for adoption.”
“And Joe’s sister adopted Eric?” Dad asks.
I nod. “We need to talk to Judith and Michael Danson. I think Michael was trying to tell me this. He kept offering to give me a personal effect of Eric’s.” I shake my head, trying to make sense of my thoughts. “I think Judith and Joe swore Michael to secrecy. But Michael loves Eric, and he was trying to get me to figure all this out without coming out and telling me.”
“Let’s go,” Dad says.
He gets us back to the Danson’s house in record time. Michael Danson isn’t surprised to see us. I guess he believes in my abilities more than I realized. His eyes question what I’ve learned even though he remains silent as he welcomes us inside the house.
Judith looks petrified. “Did you find Eric or Joe?”
“No, but we did find out something,” Dad says, getting right into it. “Did you know Joe went searching for Eric?”
Judith breaks down and cries, nearly collapsing to the floor. Dad and Michael help her to the couch. Then Michael gets her a glass of water while Dad grabs a box of tissues off the coffee table and hands it to her.
“Judith, we need to tell them everything,” Michael says, his voice soft.
She continues to sob but gives a small nod.
“May I?” I ask, thinking it might be easier on everyone if I tell them what I know.
“Please, go right ahead,” Michael says, sounding thankful.
“I had a vision of Joe giving Eric the baseball that’s upstairs on Eric’s desk. While they didn’t discuss Joe being Eric’s biological father, I picked up on Joe’s emotions when Eric referred to him as his godfather. I knew it was more than that. I’m assuming it’s Joe’s schedule that made him give Eric up for adoption. But I don’t know anything more. Like who Eric’s mother is.”
Michael sits down next to Judith and places his hand on top of hers. “Joe’s wife, Chelsea, died during childbirth. She was gravely ill while she was pregnant with Eric. The doctors said the only way to save her was to terminate the pregnancy. She refused. She wanted Eric to be born. It nearly destroyed Joe to know he couldn’t do anything to save both his wife and son. He looked into every possible surgical procedure, but they all came with huge risks to the unborn child.”
As great a surgeon as he is, his skills failed him. That must have torn him apart.
“He loved Eric right from the start. As a baby, Eric looked a lot like Chelsea. Now, he’s growing to look more and more like Joe every day. People just assume it’s because they’re related. Eric never asked about it. Never had any reason to suspect we weren’t his biological parents. We just always told him he took after his mother’s side of the family.”
“And Eric had no reason to believe otherwise,” I said.
“Not until recently,” Judith said, finally speaking up. “It was that Jimmy Schumacher.” She burst into tears again, her words swallowed up by the sobbing.
“Jimmy said Eric looked nothing like me. Said there was no way I was really his dad.” Michael’s hands curled into fists. “And then he said something my buddy and I overheard when we were in the garage. Jimmy told Eric he was probably inbred. That Joe and Judith had…” He can’t finish his statement.
“It’s okay. We understand,” Dad says.
Michael nods. “I don’t think Eric really understood Jimmy’s comment, but there’s nothing kids can’t look up online these days. I’m not sure who was angrier, Bobby or me.”
“Bobby?” The name comes out of my mouth much louder than I intended, making Judith jump. “I’m sorry.” I lower my voice. “Who exactly is Bobby?”
“He’s been my best friend since I was five. We grew up together right here in Weltunkin,” Michael says.
“Do you have any idea why Joe would take off looking for Eric?” Dad asks, redirecting the conversation back to the case. “Would Joe have any inclination as to who might have taken Eric?”
“I really don’t know. I just assumed he was so consumed with grief that he reacted without thinking it through.” Michael inhales a shaky breath. “I know I’m not Eric’s biological father, but he’s my son. I love him. I was ready to—”
“Go after a twelve-year-old boy and his father thinking they’d done something to Eric.”
Michael lowers his head. “I’m not proud of my actions, but I was angry and wanted my son back.” It’s Michael’s turn to break down.
One thing is for sure. Eric has a lot of people who love him. The problem is I haven’t found a single person besides Jimmy who would want to harm him.
“Mr. and Mrs. Danson, I know how difficult all this is on you both, but I could really use a personal effect, preferably something from when Eric was a baby, that could help me locate him.”
Michael stands up. “When we adopted Eric, Joe gave him a stuffed animal made out of the shirt Chelsea was wearing when she went into labor.”
Oh dear God. This story gets more heartbreaking by the second. While the animal wouldn’t be metal, I should still be able to get a good read off of it if Eric slept with it. “May I see it, please?”
“Come with me.”
Dad motions that he’ll stay with Judith, and I follow Michael upstairs. He goes to Eric’s closet and pulls a stuffed bear with a baby blue T-shirt from the top shelf. A patch with a script letter E is displayed on the front of the T-shirt.
“Chelsea’s shirt had Eric’s entire name, but…”
But the bear is tiny in comparison. The name wouldn’t fit. I take the bear from Michael.
“How does this work?” he asks.
“You won’t see much of anything. It’s more a sight…” I groan as I repeat Brennan’s awful pun. “A sight for psychic eyes.”
Michael gives a weak laugh. “You’re kind of funny.”
Hardly. “Try not to talk until I open my eyes again, okay?”
“Okay.”
I hold the bear in my right hand and close my eyes.
“What a baby. You need your teddy bear, baby?” Jimmy taunts as Eric sits on the swing in the backyard.
“Hey!” A man in his late thirties rushes over. “Get out of here,” he tells Jimmy. “I don’t want to see you anywhere near Eric again. Do you understand me?”
Jimmy takes off without a word.
The man crouches down in front of Eric. “I know that kid’s a punk, but he’s not wrong about this bear.”
“What do you mean?” Eric asks.
“You’re seven now. You shouldn’t carry teddy bears around anymore.”
“But I’ve had Teddy all my life.” Eric clutches the bear to his chest.
“I know. He’s all ratty from you bringing him everywhere.”
“But I love him.”
“I’m not saying you have to get rid of it, but you should put it away in your closet or something.”
“Uncle Joe gave him to me. It might make him sad if I put Teddy away.”
“Joe buys you plenty of things. I doubt he’d even notice this.” The man raises his head and smiles at Eric. “You know, Eric, there are more important things in life than gifts. It’s more about spending time with people you care about. Like how I toss the ball around with you. That’s more fun than going to games where you don’t even get to play, isn’t it?”
“I like both,” Eric says.
“But anyone can spend money on someone. It’s being there for them that matters more. Don’t you agree?”
“Like Uncle Joe. He does both.”
“No, Joe’s—” He stops and forces a smile again. “He’s not always there for people when it matters.”
My eyes open, and one thing about my vision stands out the most. The man’s voice. I’ve heard it before. But where?
“Did you see anything?” Michael asks.
I don’t respond because I’m too busy searching my memory. The vision at the baseball field. Someone yelled and scared Jimmy away. That someone was the man I just saw in this vision. Who is he?
“Mr. Danson, I saw Eric when he was younger. He was holding this bear and talking to a man who scared Jimmy off because Jimmy was making fun of Eric for playing with this.”
Michael nods. “That was probably Bobby.”
“The man you mentioned earlier?”
“Yeah. He’s here a lot, and like I told you, he knows Jimmy picks on Eric.”
“Bobby sort of sided with Jimmy even though he scared him off.”
Michael cocks his head, clearly confused. “What do you mean?”
“He told Eric he was too old to carry around a stuffed bear.” I’m not sure if I should upset Michael by telling him the rest of it, but I also can’t afford not to follow every possible lead. Eric will be the one to suffer if I do.
Footsteps sound on the stairs, and I know Dad and possibly Judith are about to join us.
“Mr. Danson, Bobby didn’t seem too fond of Joe. Do you know why?”
“Bobby doesn’t care for my brother and the gifts he’s always giving Eric,” Judith says from behind me.
I turn to face her. “Why is that?” I wouldn’t think it odd for an uncle to spoil his nephew. Or did Bobby suspect there was more to Eric and Joe’s relationship?
“Bobby saved up a lot of money to get a signed baseball for Eric. Said if he had a son, he’d want him to have a ball signed by his hero.”
“Wait, I had a vision of Joe giving Eric that signed baseball,” I say, pointing in the direction of the autographed ball on Eric’s desk.
“He did. He got Eric’s idol to autograph it and gave it to Eric before Bobby got the chance to.” Judith’s tone leaves nothing to the imagination as far as how Bobby felt about that.
“I see.”
“I told Bobby it was fine. Eric would love two signed baseballs,” Michael said. “But Bobby was upset. He said he always thought of Eric as the son he never had and Joe ruined the perfect gift for him.”
“Bobby doesn’t have any children of his own?” I ask.
“No. He can’t have kids. He’s always wanted one, though. Calls Eric his honorary son. It’s why Eric started calling him Uncle Bobby.”
Uncle. My entire body tingles at the word. The vision I had of Eric and Jimmy in the baseball dugout resurfaces. Eric mentioned Jimmy was talking about the wrong uncle. That’s why I saw that particular vision! My ability was trying to tell me I had the wrong uncle. “He’s the uncle.”
Dad grips my elbow. “What are you figuring out, Piper?”
Goose bumps spread down my arms as I meet Dad’s gaze. “Bobby is the one we’re looking for. He’s the uncle who took Eric.”
Chapter Six
“No.” Michael furiously shakes his head. “Bobby would never hurt Eric.”
“I don’t think he’s trying to. I think he’s trying to one-up Joe.”
“No way—”
Dad holds up a hand to stop Michael. “Mr. Danson, this is what Piper does. If you want us to find your son, you need to let her keep going on this train of thought and stop interrupting.”
“Bobby thinks he was doing Eric a favor by taking Jimmy. He’s trying to be the better uncle.”
“But why take Eric, too?” Judith asks.
“Because deep down, Bobby knows he can’t compete with Joe because Joe is Eric’s father.” My gaze goes to Michael. “You told Bobby the truth.” It’s not a question. I know he did.
Michael breaks down, covering his face with his hands.
“How could you?” Judith asks. “You swore you wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Michael walks over to Eric’s bed and sits on the end of it. “Eric and I got into an argument. I was upset and feeling like a bad father. Bobby came over, and we were working in the garage.”
“You mean you were drinking in the garage,” Judith says, her voice full of accusation.
Michael doesn’t deny it. “It just slipped out. I swore Bobby to secrecy. He’d never tell anyone. He loves Eric.”
“He does,” I say. “But it’s more than that. He wants Eric for himself.” I turn to Dad. “We need to find Bobby…” I don’t even know his full name. Since Michael is a mess, I ask Judith, “What’s his last name?”
“Turland. His name is Bobby Turland,” she says. She grips Dad’s arm. “Find him. Please. If he took my son…”
“We’ll do everything we can to find him.”
“Do you have anything of Bobby’s?” I ask Michael. “Preferably something metal? I might be able to see Eric if he’s with him right now.”
“I have some of his tools in the garage. Eric helped us build a birdhouse about a month ago, so they’ve both touched the tools.”
That’s perfect! “Please show me.”
Michael leads me to the garage, while Dad calls the station. I know he’ll pretend we got this information completely from the Danson’s so we have something more concrete than my visions to base this need to track down Bobby Turland. I don’t even care at this point. I just know we need to find him.
There’s a workbench in the garage with plenty of tools on it. Beside that is a refrigerator, which I assume contains the alcohol Judith mentioned.
“Which tool did they both use on the birdhouse?” I ask.
“That small hammer.” Michael points it out.
I pick it up. “Remember—”
He holds up his hands in front of him. “Don’t say anything until you open your eyes. I know.”
I close my eyes and clear my mind.
Eric is standing in a warehouse of some sort. It looks abandoned and completely empty. “I want to go home. This was funny at first, but I don’t want to do it anymore.”
“Oh, come on. We’re having a blast. Your uncle Joe would never think to help you out like this, would he?”
Eric’s brow furrows. “No. He’d never do something like this. But I didn’t think we were going to hurt Jimmy either. That’s not what you said when you told me your idea.”
“We’re not hurting him. We’re teaching him a lesson. They’ll find him soon enough, and then he’ll think twice before he ever picks on a younger kid again. You have to stand up to bullies, Eric. If you don’t, they’ll never stop torturing you. Do you think it’s okay that he’s been hurting you for so long?”
“No.” Eric lowers his head.
“That’s right. It’s not. Now, let’s go. We have to get gas before we make our trip.”
“Are you sure Mom and Dad said I could go to California with you? I mean, they’re supposed to approve it with my school.”
“Oh, they did. Don’t worry about it. We
just didn’t tell you because we wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Oh.” Eric’s voice is full of reservation. “How long are we going for?”
“We’ll see.”
The door to the warehouse opens, and Joe walks in, frantically scanning the place. “Eric!”
“Uncle Joe!” Eric starts running toward him, but Bobby grabs him, holding him back. “Let go, Uncle Bobby,” Eric pleads.
“Get your hands off him right now!” Joe yells.
“Or what? You’ll give him up again?”
Joe stops, and a look of complete shock covers his face. “You know?”
“Know what?” Eric asks, still trying to break free of Bobby’s grasp.
Bobby ignores Eric’s question, his focus solely on Joe. “He’s your son, and you gave him up. You didn’t even want him, yet he thinks you’re the greatest thing ever!”
“Your son?” Eric asks, his gaze going to Joe.
“Eric, I didn’t want you to find out this way. I’m so sorry.”
“You’re my dad?”
Joe nods, and a tear streaks down his cheek. “Your mother died giving birth to you. She knew it was a possibility—” He chokes on a sob. “No, it was a certainty, but she chose to carry you to term anyway. With my job, I couldn’t be there to raise you, so I asked your mom and dad—my sister and brother-in-law—to take you in. They loved you from the start. You’re their family. It was what was best for you. I could still see you, but you’d have parents who could be there for you all the time. You deserve that.”
“Shut up! Don’t you lie to him!” Bobby screams. “You don’t get to toss him aside when you feel like it and then buy him things to make it up to him. You don’t love him. I love him! He’s the son I never had, and I should be his godfather. You had your chance to be his dad, and you didn’t want it.”
“No! That’s not true at all. I wanted what was best for him, despite what that meant for me. Look what you’re doing! You’re only thinking of yourself.”
Bobby laughs. “Oh, really? How did you stop that Schumacher kid from picking on Eric? Because Eric and I stripped him to his underwear and tied him to the bench in the baseball dugout.”
A Sight for Psychic Eyes Page 4