So focused on the pacing man, he jumped when another man unexpectedly entered the room. He was also wearing a dark suit, but did not have a hard hat and his tie was blue. Without the hat on, he could see that his hair was gray. Before he had a chance to ponder why he wasn’t wearing a hat, the two men began to talk, or rather, argue. It appeared they were shouting, their arms jerking wildly.
Eyes wide, he watched as the man with the blue tie turned and walk out of the room. Just as he got to the door, he turned around, and David observed the man’s red face as he shouted something.
The first man pulled his phone out of his pocket again, but looked up as another man entered the room, this one wearing the clothes of the construction workers, including the bright yellow vest. The man with the red tie backed up a few steps, throwing his hands up, palms out in front of him. David’s eyes grew wide. This is better than TV!
Turning, he picked up his mom’s phone from the desk. He had seen her use the camera app like binoculars when they were at the beach and she wanted to get a closer view of some seabirds. Holding the phone in front of him with the camera app turned on, he used his fingers to zoom in on the scene across the road.
The man in the suit had dark gray hair and glasses. The man he was arguing with had dark hair and was much larger, with a big, square head. Wondering when their argument was going to end, and getting a bit bored with it, he considered going to try and find his mom. She had promised she would be back soon after the last time she checked in on him.
The first man was looking down at his phone again when the other man stepped behind him, pulling something out of his pocket. His interest piqued again, David watched as the younger man made a swift movement with the rope in his hand, tossing it over the neck of the man in the suit.
Gasping, David jerked, almost dropping his mom’s phone. Clamping his hands onto it, to keep it from falling, he continued to stare out the window, wondering if the two men were just playing.
The younger man jerked his hands back, tightening the rope, lifting the man in the suit off his feet as his hands clawed at his neck. They struggled for a moment, both falling backward, onto the floor. David jumped from his seat, but was unable to see them anymore. His heart pounded in his chest, but he did not know what to do.
Suddenly the younger man stood, his chest heaving the way David did after he had run for a long time on the playground. Finally, the man bent forward and David watched as he hefted the man in the suit, who was not moving, over his shoulder. He walked out of the room with the slumping man still over his shoulder, until they were out of sight.
David felt tears prick his eyes as he stood numbly, his body in shock. The last time he had spent the night with his best friend, they had watched a scary movie on TV that neither of their mothers knew they had watched. He had been scared but did not want to tell his friend they should not watch the movie. Now, he had an even worse sense of fear at what he had just witnessed.
Turning, he tossed his mom’s phone on the desk as he bolted from the room. She was almost to the office, having left her meeting, and caught him as he flew into her arms. Dropping to her knees, she held his shaking body tightly, asking, “David, baby. What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Did you get sick again?”
He burrowed in, his arms clinging to her neck, and she rocked back on her heels, his weight almost taking them over. Catching herself, she stood and, as big as he was, held him tightly as she moved back into her office.
“David, what’s wrong. Did you get scared?”
He nodded his head while it was still tucked beneath her chin. Sylvie’s eyes quickly took in the room, seeing her phone and iPad on her desk, David’s backpack casually on the floor and his coat still hanging on the back of the door. Nothing looked out of place.
Moving to her desk, she bent over and set him down on top. Cupping his face with her hands, she stared into his wide, terrified eyes. She could feel his body shaking underneath her hands and felt a punch of fear, straight to her heart.
“Baby, Mom’s here. What happened, what happened?” She tried to keep her voice calm, but felt the words crack as they came out.
“O…over there. Mom, I saw the man over there.”
“Over where, David? What man?” Her heart raced as she wondered if a man had entered her office and harmed her son. In the matter of a few seconds, her mind raced through the horrible possibilities and she cursed herself for leaving him alone, even though she was just down the hall.
He lifted a shaking hand and pointed behind him, not looking at the window. She jerked her eyes above his head, looking through the window, seeing nothing but the building across the street.
“What man? A man over there?”
His chin quivering, he nodded.
“So, there wasn’t a man in here with you? You saw someone across the street?”
He nodded again and her breath left her lungs in a whoosh. Relief that he had not been assaulted in her office rushed over her and she had to force her legs to straighten or she would have fallen to the floor. Sucking in a deep, shuddering breath, she looked over his head again, seeing nothing across the street. What had he seen? What could a man have been doing over there? Her mind immediately jumped to the possibility of one of the workers urinating thinking no one was observing him, but she knew that, at his age, David would have found that amusing. Then she wondered if perhaps two workers had been fooling around, which would have confused him.
Sucking in another deep breath and letting it out slowly, she leaned down and felt him still shaking. “Okay sweetheart, you saw something happen across the street. I need you to tell me exactly what you saw. Go ahead and tell me everything and then I’ll help you understand whatever it was.”
His voice barely above a whisper, he said, “I saw him hurt the man. He hurt the man, Mommy.”
He had not called her Mommy for the past couple of years, always using Mom. Hearing him revert, she stared at him wide-eyed, as she repeated, “Hurt the man?” At his shaky nod, she said, “Honey, I need you to talk to me. I need you to tell me exactly what you saw.”
“A man came in, right over there. He was walking around and then talking on his phone. But then another man came in and it looked like they were yelling at each other. Then he left and another man came in.”
He swallowed deeply and she gathered him in her arms as she moved to sit in one of the chairs in her office, cradling him. “Okay, that’s good, sweetie. Keep going, tell me what else happened.” Her brain, still jumping ahead, wondered if the two men had been arguing and that had frightened him. Please, let that be all there is!
He wrapped his arms around her neck, burrowing tightly, and said, “The man who came in last walked behind the other man. I didn’t know what he was doing at first, but he threw something around the other man’s neck and hurt him.”
Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest at the idea of the two men across the way in a physical fight that her son had witnessed. “Okay, and that scared you? Did they leave?”
He shook his head as he pulled back slightly to stare up into her face. Whispering again, he said, “They fell into the floor, and I couldn’t see, but the first man was kicking and struggling and trying to grab his neck. Then the second man got up and he picked up the first man and threw him across his shoulder. The first man wasn’t moving, Mom. He just hung there. And then the second man carried him out, and I couldn’t see anymore.”
Her mind grappled to understand what he was telling her and whether or not he could have misinterpreted what he saw. While only eight years old, he had never been the type of child to exaggerate, and from his terrified eyes, pale complexion, and shakiness, she knew he was not lying.
She shifted him around in her lap so that she could stare directly into his eyes. “David, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Can you do that for me?” He held her gaze and nodded, a serious expression on his face.
“I’m going to ask you some questions and I need you to answer them honestly.
Remember, you’re not going to be in trouble at all for how you answer them, as long as you’re honest. I know that you were in here for a long time. Did you perhaps fall asleep, and have a bad dream?”
He shook his head, and replied, “No, I didn’t fall asleep.”
“Okay, when you looked across the street, into the building over there, did you see two men talking and you imagined that they were fighting?”
His chin quivered and he shook his head again. “Mommy, I’m telling the truth. They were fighting and when the one man, who was bigger, picked the other man up, he wasn’t moving.”
“Okay, David, I believe you. But, honey, we can’t go home yet. I have to call the police and report that you saw something. They’ll send a policeman here who’ll ask you questions and then they can go over there and see if they can find anything.”
She was not sure if the idea of having to talk to a policeman was going to frighten him. But he solemnly nodded his head, and said, “You always said that the police help people. I want that man to get help, Mommy.”
At that moment, if she ever had any doubts about his story, she knew he was telling the truth. Whatever he saw…whatever those men had been doing…he was telling the truth. And that realization terrified her.
Two hours later, Sylvie was still sitting in her office with David sitting next to her, his small hand clasped in hers. The police had come and questioned David over and over. It did not take much for her to figure out they were trying to trip him up.
They had sent two officers to the building across the street, and she watched from her window as they entered the room. David positively identified that that was the room where he had seen the men. The officers searched around but did not find anything on the floor. Another officer arrived and searched for fingerprints, but there were multiple ones, probably from all the construction workers.
David looked up, and said, “Mom, I didn’t see them touch anything in the room.”
She pinched her lips as she forced a smile directed at her son, before looking up at the officer in charge still in the room with them. Doubt in her son’s story oozed from him.
“Detective Tragg, may I speak with you out in the hall for a moment?”
He nodded and stood as she kissed the top of David’s head before leading the detective into the hall. Shutting the door behind her, she opened her mouth but before she could speak he jumped in.
“Ms. Gardner, I know your son thinks he saw something, but a young boy like that has an active imagination. I’m not saying he’s wasted our time because we check out a lot of calls for things that never happened and I’ll certainly have your report if anyone comes up missing. But, if you want to take my advice, take your son home.”
“My son is not lying,” she bit out, her insides quaking as she clasped her hands in front of her to keep them from shaking as well.
“Well, now, maybe that’s true,” he said. “But even you admitted he was running a fever today. Maybe in his fevered mind, he saw things that just weren’t there.”
Exasperated, she said, “He’s not delirious. He barely had a fever. I don’t know what he saw but he saw something.”
“I understand that, ma’am, and you did the right thing by calling the police. We’ve taken the report. We checked out the scene. If anything else comes from this and we need you, we’ll let you know.”
Realizing that she was not going to get anywhere with the officer, she nodded and walked back into her office. Plastering a smile on her face for her son again, she said, “Come on, David. We can go home now. The police will take care of everything.”
He looked up at her, and asked, “Will they get the bad man, Mom?”
She felt, rather than saw, Detective Tragg behind her. Keeping her voice steady, she replied, “Yes, David. I’m sure the police will do their job and try to find the man you saw.”
She helped David put his jacket on, grabbed his backpack, shoved her phone and iPad into her purse and slung both over her shoulder. Taking him by the hand, she turned and, on unsteady legs, walked out of her office.
They had barely made it to the elevator when Mr. Thomas walked out of his office, his face red with anger.
“I can’t believe you have the police in this building!”
Exhausted, she looked up at her boss, and asked, “Just what would you have me do? My son witnessed a crime and you want me to ignore it?”
Mr. Thomas leaned forward, growling, “This would not have happened if your son had not been here, where he should not have been!”
“Oh, really? The crime happened because my son was here? The crime was actually witnessed because my son was here. So now, the police have a chance to find out what happened!”
Mr. Thomas leaned back, his fury barely in check. “I don’t want your son here again. If you cannot handle your responsibilities for this job and combine it with your motherhood, then you may need to find another job.”
Now, shaking as much from anger as from fatigue, she said, “Then I may just have to report your threat to Human Resources.” The elevator doors opened and with David’s hand firmly in hers, she walked in, jabbing the button to go down to the garage.
Looking up at her, his eyes teary, David said, “Mom, I’m sorry your boss is yelling and it’s my fault.”
Kneeling, she hugged him tightly. “Honey, I’m so proud of you. You were scared, but you did the right thing.” Standing as the elevator doors opened, they walked to their car. “Let’s go home. We could both use something to eat, and a good night’s sleep.”
As they drove home, she wondered if either of them would be able to sleep peacefully. Hours later, as David lay in her bed tightly snuggled into her embrace, she let out a long breath. Exhausted to her bones, she was afraid to close her eyes. Kissing the top of his head, she kept vigil all night.
5
Mace, Drew, and Rank stood near the opening of one of the caves as the sun set from behind them. It was a habit Mace had formed from the first night he owned the lighthouse. Every evening possible, he either climbed to the top of the lighthouse, stood at the opening of the large cave, or occasionally sat in one of the chairs at the back of the house. But he always tried, when not on a mission, to watch the sunset sky.
The others had left at the end of their shifts, the day providing new leads for missions and the completion of others. As night descended, the three of them walked back inside, securing the compound. Once they were upstairs, Drew and Rank said their goodbyes. Marge handed each of them a large slice of apple pie, wrapped in foil, saying, “Take ‘em home, boys. I know you’ll enjoy them.”
As Mace took the supper plate she had prepared over to the table, she spent an extra minute wiping down an already clean counter.
Looking over at her, he shook his head. “I know you’ve got something to say. When you start cleaning things that are already clean, I know you’re just trying to figure out how to bring up something that I probably don’t want to hear.”
Huffing, she tossed the sponge to the sink and turned to face him, leaning her hip against the counter. “All right. Every one of those men is dedicated to this job, but they don’t mind going out in the evenings or weekends when they’re not on a mission. Go to a bar, hang with friends, drink, dance, even find a convenient girl for the night—” His eyebrows rose at that last one and she said, “What? You forget I was a young woman in the sex, drugs, rock n’ roll sixties? My social life was a helluva lot wilder than yours! What I’d like to know, is what you have against having a little fun?”
Undeterred in taking a bite of the chicken casserole she had prepared, he chewed slowly, fighting a grin, before swallowing. Knowing she was itching for a response, he dragged it out as long as he could.
“Oh, good grief, Mace. No one takes that long to chew! You’re just avoiding the question.”
Chuckling, he wiped his mouth, looking at her with affection. “You know, if I didn’t know what a badass you were, I’d almost mistake you for a mother hen.”
Narrowing her eyes, she said, “I got all night if it takes that long for you to answer the question.”
“I could just fire you, you know, for insubordination.”
“Oh, hell, nobody’s ever been able to get rid of me when I didn’t want to leave. You don’t scare me.”
He agreed, nodding. “You’re right, I doubt anyone could get rid of you. You’re indispensable.” He watched as she crossed her arms over her ample chest, her hip still leaning against the counter. Throwing his hands up in defeat, he said, “I honestly don’t have a good reason. I’ve never been one to hit the bars to blow off steam and, other than an occasional pickup, I just haven’t been that interested. On top of that, I’m sure as hell not interested in a relationship.”
“And just why not? You’ve spent your entire adult life working for the defense of our country, at the expense of your own social life. You’ve now spent the last several years building this company, literally from below the ground up. I just hate to see you devote everything to your work, and not leave any room to take care of your heart.”
Shaking his head, he replied, “Gotta admit, what you and Horace have is pretty cool to watch. But from what I saw from my parents, relationships aren’t that easy and when they go south, they can go really bad.”
“Sounds to me like you’re just scared.”
“Damn, woman. Those’re fightin’ words.”
Grabbing the dishtowel from the counter, she tossed it at his head, but he threw his hand up, catching it deftly. Walking around the counter, she grabbed her purse and coat. “Well, you may have won this battle,” she quipped, “but I’m in for the long haul. One of these days, I hope to see you settled like me and Horace.” With that she headed out the door, to meet Horace at their car.
He watched her leave and his smile slowly faded from his face. He was not opposed to having a relationship…a good relationship…he just had no idea how to go about it. An image of the beautiful woman from this morning ran through his mind and a chuckle slipped from his lips. Hair falling from the low ponytail, her subtle makeup playing up her features, her perfect curves, and her chest covered in his coffee. Shaking his head, he thought, If I keep making first impressions like that, I’ll never have a relationship!
Vote Then Read: Volume III Page 293