Diamond Lake Series: Complete Series (Bks 1-7) Boxset

by T. K. Chapin

  "You look confused. Nine o'clock, right?" Charlie pulled his cellphone out to check the time, then let it slip back into his pocket. "Yeah, it's nine."

  "Sorry, I forgot."

  Peter turned his eyes up to me. "Where's Mom?" His voice cracked under disappointment. "I want to go home."

  Getting down on my knees, I looked Peter in the eyes as I rubbed his shoulder lightly. "It's going to be okay. We'll keep an ear open for her car pulling in as we work in the backyard." Peter's shoulders slouched and air escaped from his lips. "Do you want to help us?"

  He hinted at a smile.

  I smiled. "It'll be fun."

  Inviting Charlie and Joe through the house, we all headed to the back where the dog house was still just a skeleton. We had the roof to do, along with the walls and floor boards. Joe, being the handyman he was, had offered to help out.

  “You and Katie set a date?” I asked as we stepped out onto the back porch.

  “Yep. Next June.” Joe smiled warmly.

  “Congrats, man.”

  “Thanks,” Joe replied.

  Charlie and Joe took off across the yard to work on the roof while I let Peter help me with the floorboards.

  "Have you ever hammered nails before, Peter?" I asked, dropping to my knees along the frame inside the dog house.

  "Only plastic."

  Joe and Charlie paused with shingles in hand, letting out a light chuckle.

  Smiling over at Joe and Charlie, I turned back to Peter. "Okay. Well, good. You've had some practice. I'll help you get started." Taking a nail in one hand and the hammer in the other, I showed him how to find the perfect spot for the nail in the wood and then lightly tap the end of the hammer on the nail head to help get it started. His eyes were fixed on my hands and I saw a glimmer of joy radiate out from them. His mom might not have shown up yet, but he wasn't letting that get in his way of enjoying the day.

  After a few nails, I handed him the nail and hammer. He stuck his tongue out as he lay on his stomach and focused on the nail between his index finger and thumb.

  Swing!

  Missing, he came less than a quarter of an inch from one of his fingers.

  "Whoa, careful, bud. You almost smashed your finger."

  "Sorry . . ."

  Patting his back, I said, "It's all right. Give it another try."

  Bent nails and missed swings led to not only a couple of Peter's fingers throbbing in pain, but a mounting frustration in his eyes. Peter threw the hammer into the grass. "I quit!"

  Raising an eyebrow at the overreaction, I shook my head. "You can't quit just because it becomes difficult." My eyes drifted to the hammer and I pointed. "Go get it, and let's give it another try."

  Reluctantly, he got up and dragged himself over the boards toward the hammer. Peter puffed in anger and kicked the bucket of nails on his way over to the hammer. He was without control. Standing up, I approached him and took the hammer from his hands. Leading Peter over to the steps off the back porch, I had him sit down on the steps.

  I bent down and looked him squarely in the eyes. "You need to control yourself, Peter. It's just a hammer and some nails. You can't act like that."

  His eyebrows furrowed and his gaze looked past me. "Where's my mom?"

  Nodding, I stood upright and glanced toward the side of the house that led out to my driveway. "I don't know, Peter." Peering back at him, I offered my hand. "Let's go try that nail again."

  "I don't want to hammer again. I want my mom." Folding his arms together, his eyebrows edged up and under his hat.

  "Cool off and come back over when you're ready to hammer again. I can't make your mom show up, but I'd love your help with the dog house." Taking my leave, I went back over to the dog house frame and started on the next slat of flooring.

  It wasn't more than a couple of minutes until Peter found his way to my side. All frustration and fury out of him, he allowed me to help him try with the nailing again.

  **

  She never showed.

  As we were finishing our dinner, I set my fork down and looked across the table at Peter. “Do you know where your old house is?”

  He shook his head, dipping his chin. “I just know it’s a big house.”

  “That’s good.” Rubbing my chin, I asked, “What’s the name of your school?”

  “My mom homeschools me.”

  My cellphone rang, interrupting us. It was Forbes down at the precinct. Standing up, I went a few steps from the table and spoke with him. There was a bad wreck in town at the Main Street intersection and they were short a cop to direct traffic around the carnage—I had to go. Forbes was tied up with youth group, or else he would have been there. Knowing Dylan and Charlotte had jetted to the city for a family outing earlier that day, I was desperate. Recalling the pretty nurse down at the doctor's office, I called her.

  "Hello?" she answered, uncertainty looming in her voice.

  "Hey. It's me, Brody."

  "Oh. What's up?"

  Glancing over at Peter as he shoveled a bite of Spaghetti into his mouth, I said, "I need a favor."

  Esther came over right away. In tow, she had brought along her two kids, a boy and a girl. Kissing Peter's forehead as I was about to leave, I got down on my knees and looked at him. "Miss Hines and her kids are going to stay with you until I get back."

  "What about my mom?" he asked, a worried look glistening in his eyes.

  My gut told me she wasn't coming back, at least not today, but I couldn't break Peter's hope. "Well, you're at our house and she knows I live here. Miss Hines will let you go with her if she shows up. Okay?"

  Nodding, he seemed content with the notion. Standing up, I looked Esther in the eyes. "Thanks for watching him on such short notice." Tensing my shoulders, I brought them up and tilted my head. "You know, down at the precinct, we're just so shorthanded lately and—"

  Pressing a hand gently against my chest, she shook her head. "You don't have to explain, Brody. We'll be fine, and I'm happy you called me."

  Thankfulness for her being able to come over washed over me and left me feeling better about the situation.

  Arriving down to the corner of Main Street and Hamilton, I got busy directing traffic around the wreckage. It wasn't often that a wreck happened in our little town, but just like the first sign of snowflakes falling from the sky, it meant the citizens were up in a panic. Going through the motions, I worked for hours with the other officers who had responded. We talked and interviewed all the townsfolk who had witnessed the incident, and even some who didn’t and just wanted to know what was going on. Being a police officer is often a thankless job, but in a small town like Newport, and even in the neighborhoods of a big city, a lot of people learn who you are and trust is built.

  When we finally finished clearing the road and filling out all the paperwork at ten minutes to nine o'clock, I dragged my weary bones to my police cruiser. Sitting in the driver’s seat, I discovered my cellphone had been dead. I buckled my seatbelt and wondered how long it had been without a charge.

  Pulling into the driveway, I saw Esther sitting on the front porch wringing her hands. Her head was shaking as she stood up. Tears rolled down her cheeks as our eyes connected. "I'm so sorry, Brody."

  "What happened?" I asked, fearing his mother had shown.

  "It's Peter."

  "She took him?" A worried feeling edged at the corners of my heart, threatening to yank it out.

  "No." She looked confused. Glancing to the road, she said, "He ran off."

  "What? When? Where?"

  "Up Heister Street." Her finger pointed to the road that led further out into the country. It was the same one we had gone on yesterday. "It was about ten minutes ago. I called you, but—"

  Turning around, I went and jumped in my cruiser. Peeling backward out of the driveway, I started down the road. Turning on my brights and the spotlight, I scanned the grassy ditch on both sides of the road. Anxiety swelled inside my chest and my throat tightened. Getting on the interc
om of the car, I called out to him. "Peter . . ."

  Seeing him up the road a little further, walking alongside where the gravel met the grass, I pulled up alongside him and rolled down my passenger side window. His head was hung and his shoulders slouched. "What are you doing, Peter?"

  He didn't look over, just lifted his head to see further down the road. "Walking."

  "Get in the car."

  "Why?" he asked, turning his head to look at me. Catching his eyes, I could see he had been crying. They were pink and swollen.

  "You need to come home."

  "That isn't my home." Turning abruptly, he dropped into the ditch and vanished into the woods. Anger boiled inside me as I pulled off the road.

  "Who does this kid think he is?" I asked out loud as I turned off the cruiser and got out. Quick steps took me down and up through the ditch, following after him. The sun was mostly gone for the day, but there was still enough to illuminate part of the woods casting shadows across the forest floor. The sound of birds and critters filled my ears as I crossed through the woods. "Peter. Let's talk."

  No response.

  Rubbing my forehead, I started to worry about the coyotes that frequented the area. They'd rip him apart if they found him without me there to scare them off. "Peter. C'mon. Please." Rounding a large bush, I caught sight of him sitting on the bench I showed him the day prior. He was pouting and holding his knees up to his chest, the brim of the hat sitting on his kneecaps. He turned away to face the opposite direction of me as I approached. Relieved to have found him, I sat down on the bench, though I didn't say a word.

  "Why didn't my mom come get me? Does she not want me anymore? I can be a good boy."

  My heart panged at his words. It wasn't right what he did running down the road away from the house and Esther, but it also wasn't right for a kid to go through what this little boy was going through right now. "Peter . . . I'm sure she loves you and misses you."

  He turned and peered into my eyes, into my soul. "I don't want to hurt anymore."

  "I know. We'll find her, Peter. Why'd you run?"

  He shrugged.

  "Look. I don't know what the future looks like, but I know running when you're scared isn't the answer."

  "You're big. You don't get scared," he said, trying to deflect.

  "Everyone gets scared sometimes." Shaking my head, my eyes traced up a pine tree and to the faint sight of the clouds above. "I was scared to death to find out I had a seven-year-old son, but I learned something along the years that helps me whenever I'm scared."

  Peter raised his eyes and his look urged me to continue.

  "It's praying. God can help when we come across things that scare us."

  Peter nodded and dipped his head. "Can we pray?"

  His request brought a comfort to my soul that was not of this world. He was learning my ways, and more importantly, the ways of the Lord. I nodded and took his hand in mine, leading him in a short prayer.

  Afterward, I opened my eyes and caught Peter's. He was crying, and I put an arm around his shoulder. "Let's go home."

  Chapter 8

  AFTER HIS MOTHER NEVER SHOWED and the conversation I had with Peter last night at the old playground in the woods, I decided to go down to the courthouse and file for a temporary guardianship custody order. It'd take no more than three days to meet with the judge, and then he and I both could get a little peace of mind. As I walked out of the court house, I caught sight of Eric Fisher getting out of his car a few yards away in the parking lot. His wave and smile made me suspect his son had never filled him in on the visit Ponce and I had with him at the high school. Knowing it was better if he heard it from us, I approached him.

  "Chief Jenkins, how are you?" he asked, pulling his briefcase out from the backseat.

  "Good. I take it Jeremy never shared with you our little visit to the high school?"

  Closing the door, he turned and nodded. "Oh, he did. I appreciate the concern, Chief, but I know my boy didn't do anything wrong. He's a good kid. It sounded like you were pretty short with him. I'm sure you guys were just following your usual protocol."

  "We were, yes, but his truck being seen is a bit problematic."

  "But you have no evidence other than an elderly woman seeing a truck." He shook his head, smiling as he continued. "You know, Chief, I talked to Jeremy. We figured out he was helping his friend Kyle move that weekend. That's probably why your witness, if she really saw his truck, saw him with a big object in the bed of the truck covered with a blanket—it was to keep the stuff in the truck. He even said Kyle's parents can account for it, so there’s their alibi. They didn't take the bell. Open and closed case for ya." He patted my shoulder and headed through the grass.

  Not turning around right away, I said, "I never told your son about the bell." Turning around, I saw Eric look back at me.

  He checked his wristwatch and said, "That's strange. I have to get to court. I'll see you around, Chief." Shuffling his feet quickly, Eric made his way up the sidewalk and to the courthouse. I watched him as he shuffled frantically up to the doors. Then he flashed a look of fear as he glanced back at me before opening the large doors that led inside to the courthouse. What's he hiding? He'd lose his license to practice law for an incident like this being found out. Why risk it?

  "Thanks for coming down yesterday," Officer Forbes said as he shut my office door at the station. "I was tied up at the church or you know I would have shown."

  Nodding, I leaned back in my seat and put my hands behind my head. "I do miss the mundane routines of being an officer at times." Forbes took a seat across from me.

  "How's it going without the kid around? Kind of strange having the house empty again?"

  My smile fell away and I dropped my arms to my side. "Still have him. The mother never showed."

  "Oh . . . wow. What now?"

  A breath of uncertainty escaped my lips as I shrugged. "Went to the courthouse and filed for temporary custody. A hearing is slated in a couple of days. Other than that, I guess I need to get him enrolled into school and just start figuring out what to do as if she isn't coming back." Staring at my desk, I traced a circle with my index finger and raised my eyebrows. "She's lucky I didn't do it day one."

  Forbes nodded. "Exactly. You've been nice, Jenkins. Don't beat yourself up about it. I tell you one thing, you've been a whole lot nicer than I would have been." Forbes leaned forward and brought his hands together on his side of the desk. "You hear about Marcos?"

  Officer Marcos had worked out in Newport for nearly a decade before he transferred to Spokane Police Department in the hopes of a promotion down the line, promises of a greater opportunity and the ability to rank up. "No. What?"

  "He's been suspended."

  "For what?"

  Forbes leaned back, letting a big breath of air rush out of him. "Excessive force. I swear, things are getting too crazy out there these days." Wiping his face with the palm of his hand, Forbes shook his head and pointed to the wall. "We're out there working on holidays and weekends trying to keep people safe, and everyone hates us."

  "Not everyone, Forbes. Plus, it's a thankless job most days. You know that."

  "I know . . ." Forbes's face relaxed and he turned to look toward the wall that held a photo of the annual Newport Fair. "At least out here, people know who we are and respect us to some degree. I can't imagine being stuck in Spokane or some big city. It'd probably drive me to hang up the cuffs."

  Wanting to shift to a lighter topic, I asked, "How was your Youth Group last night?"

  His shoulders relaxed and a smile came onto his face. He shook a finger at me. "I know what you're doing, Jenkins." Laughing, he continued. "It was good though. Went and played our last softball game of the season. That new kid, Andrews, has such a stellar arm. I know he's going to get a scholarship from Washington State if he buckles down and bulks up in the weight room this winter. He's an awesome athlete." Pausing, he looked at me. "You should bring Peter by sometime."

  Sh
aking my head, I said, "He's not youth group age. He's seven."

  "So what? We have kids as young as six putting around at the church. They just split off the little tikes. C'mon, he'd love it."

  "Maybe I will." His comment made me think about school again. "This kid needs to get enrolled into school."

  "Yeah, man. You are slacking at this dad thing." He laughed. "Let me ask you something. Have you taken him anywhere?"

  "What?"

  "Like taken him to Silverwood or to Riverfront Park?" Forbes shrugged his shoulders, letting his palms fall open. "Something fun, ya know, for kids?"

  Shaking my head, I said, "No. I did take him shopping for some clothes and that was somewhat fun. He just showed up in my life a few days ago, and I have a town to keep safe."

  "Newport isn't going anywhere. You’ve gotta take the kid out to have some fun. Let him be a child. All of this real-life stuff for adults is depressing on a little man like that. Let him smile as he plows through a mountain of cotton candy."

  Henry's words swung right through the layers of stress and shattered my heart. The deep conversations and the depressing fact that his mother didn't show, it was all too heavy. He needed to get out of town and really let loose a bit. I'd enroll him in school and get everything straightened out in that regard, but today, I decided he needed something fun, something different.

  **

  Taking off early for the day, I went over to Esther’s house to pick up Peter. He had requested to be taken there if she was available instead of Charlotte’s. It so happened that Esther wasn’t working today, and she gave the kids a day off from homeschooling over at Esther’s mom’s house.

  When I pulled up to Esther’s, I saw Peter outside in the grass. He was staring up at the clouds. He was alone. Checking my watch, I saw it was twelve thirty.

  "Hey, Peter. Where's Shawn?"

  "He's inside playing a game I didn't want to play." His eyes stayed stuck in the clouds.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Looking for dogs in the clouds." He sat up, holding himself up with his hands firmly rooted in the green grass behind him. "I found two so far." He glanced past me, catching sight of my Toyota Corolla. "Where's your cop car?" His eyes looked me up and down. "And uniform?"