“A what?” Heather asked.
Heather’s heart began to pound in her chest. She’d felt uneasy about Chet for the last week. She hadn’t wanted to say anything in case she was just being paranoid.
“That’s what I said,” Risa said. “So I went to his school. That’s where I am now.”
“And?” Heather asked.
“They withdrew him from school,” Risa said. “Transferred all of his paperwork to . . .”
There was a rustle of papers. Heather waited while Risa found the paperwork.
“Colorado Springs Christian Conversion,” Risa said.
“What is that?” Heather all but screamed into the phone.
“It’s a secure facility,” Risa said. “I called today, and I can’t get in. I can’t get inside. As far as the school is concerned, Chet will remain at their facility until he no longer shows the inclination to act out against God.”
“Gay conversion therapy,” Heather whispered.
“Do you know it?” Risa asked.
“I’ve heard about it,” Heather said. “I . . . I had no idea Chet was in this kind of danger. Can you get him out?”
“I don’t know,” Risa said. “I should be able to, because he’s a ward of the state. When I called, the facility said that they answer to a higher calling, not the State of Colorado.”
“Oh, no,” Heather whispered. “Is there anything we can do?”
“I’m meeting the Sheriff there,” Risa said. “I called my supervisor when I first heard. She pulled the accreditation for the family Chet had been placed with. They have three other foster kids; as far as I know, they take exclusively gay and lesbian foster children. They’ve adopted two others. My supervisor called while I was in the school. She has custody of all five children. Picked them up at school. They are telling her unbelievable stories. Unbelievable.”
Heather cursed the modern culture that oversexualized everything while destroying those who don’t things exactly the way they do. Damned Revelationists. She was so angry that she pulled the van over to the curb. She didn’t want to risk injuring herself or someone else because she was angry. She leaned her head against the steering wheel and tried to calm down.
“You still there?” Risa asked.
“Furious,” Heather said. “What can we do?”
“If we’re able to get Chet out of this place — and, sadly, that’s a big ‘if,’” Risa sighed. “We need a place to put him — hide him, really. My supervisor said that they’ve rescued a few kids from this place. A week later, the facility came in the middle of the night with big bruisers to take them back.”
“We’ll hide him,” Heather said.
“You can do that?” Risa asked.
“Oh, you’d be surprised at what I can do,” Heather said softly.
Risa laughed.
“I want you to know that I had no idea this was going on,” Risa said. “Hell, I had no idea this place existed. They are a state-accredited school, even. Well, not after today, they aren’t.”
Heather didn’t know what to say. She tried to take some deep breaths to calm down.
“I promise you this,” Risa said. “I will move heaven and hell to get this boy out of there.”
“Not before I do,” Heather said softly.
“What was that?” Risa asked. “I didn’t hear you.”
“Nothing,” Heather said. “I’ll talk to Blane. We’ll both be available by cell. Call us as soon as you know anything.”
“Try not to panic,” Risa said. “I know it seems bad. Who am I kidding? It is bad. But you have no idea the resources I have at my disposal. We will get Chet back and free any other kids there. Keep your phones charged. I’ll be in touch as soon as I know anything.”
Risa hung up. Heather sat in the van for a long moment. She went through the list of who could help her. In Denver, Sandy was off today. Jill was working at the Castle. Tanesha was in New York. The fairies were there, but their power combined was nothing compared to what she could do now.
Abi. Abi would help. She hated this whole modern religion based in the belief of an impending apocalypse as much as Heather did.
Heather cursed.
She wasn’t Chet’s biological relative. She wouldn’t be able to assist him without the biological connection. It was possible that Abi was related, but unlikely because she’d had only two children. Gilfand wasn’t related to Tink, so he wasn’t related to Chet.
Blane would never let her involve Tink.
Who was she kidding? She would never involve Tink.
Unable to come up with a plan, her rage turned to despair. She started the car and drove home.
“Blane?” Heather asked at the door.
“What is it?” Blane asked. “What’s happened?”
“Chet’s being held hostage by a conversion-therapy facility,” Heather said.
“Over my dead body,” Blane said. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know,” Heather said. “If we get him back, we have to hide him. I guess this so-called ‘school’ kidnaps kids in the middle of the night.”
“I’ll call Jake,” Blane said. “I’m sure that he, Jill, and even Sandy will come right over. We can do this.”
Blane smiled.
“Is Risa on the case?” Blane asked.
“That’s who called,” Heather said.
“Then we’re halfway there,” Blane said. “Get some coffee. I’ll call Jake.”
Heather nodded. She went to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee. She took a seat on the couch and tried to focus. Her mind flooded with despair. There wasn’t anything she could do. She couldn’t magically make it all work out. She would have to do what she’d always loathed doing — rely on other people.
“They’ll be right here,” Blane said. “Abi’s coming from New York. I guess she heard you. Anyway, Fin’s still in New York.”
He sat down on the couch and put his arm around her.
“We can do this,” Blane said.
“I don’t know how,” Heather said.
“I don’t, either,” Blane said. “That doesn’t mean we won’t save the day, like we always do. This is nothing compared to all of the horrors we’ve faced.”
“We always save the day?” Heather asked with a grin.
“We do,” Blane said.
Leaning into him and his confidence, Heather drank her coffee in silence.
~~~~~~~~
Monday afternoon — 3:12 p.m.
New York City, New York
Claire heard her cell phone ringing but wasn’t sure where she’d left it. She’d spent the entire day attempting to get cleaned up after the dinner party, the visit from Bernice’s grandchildren and children, and the busy weekend. She’d finally given up and done what Seth had told her to do. She called a service. They were happy for the work, and she was happy for the rest. Of course, she had to pay extra for the short notice, but she knew that Seth wouldn’t care. She’d let them into the building, pointed them in the direction of the mess, and was just sitting down for a cup of tea when her cell phone rang.
She searched her living room for the phone. It stopped ringing by the time she’d found it, sitting right next to her on the couch. She was reaching for her glasses when the phone rang again.
“Hello?” Claire asked.
“Claire?” Ava asked into her cell phone. “It’s Ava.”
“Ava!” Claire said. “It was such a joy to see you this weekend. Thank you for coming and being so lovely.”
“Oh, Claire,” Ava said. “It’s really me that should be thanking you. I can’t think of one thing that was out of place. You made such a lovely weekend. Thank you.”
Blushing, Claire fell silent.
“Did you make it home okay?” Claire asked.
“I’m on my way to work,” Ava said. “There was a weather delay with my flight. I made it just in time to get to work.”
“Yuck,” Claire said.
“It’s okay,” Ava said. “I sl
ept on the plane.”
Ava yawned.
“I might just close my door and nap for a while,” Ava said.
Claire laughed.
“What can I do for you, my dear?” Claire asked.
“Have you seen O’Malley?” Ava asked.
“This morning,” Claire said. “With you.”
“Yeah,” Ava said quietly.
“I’m sure he’s with the orchestra,” Claire said.
“That’s the thing,” Ava said. “When I landed, I had a message from the orchestra saying he hadn’t arrived. Did they call you?”
“You know what?” Claire asked. “They probably did. I’ve been running around like a chicken with its tail cut off trying to get everything cleaned up.”
“Oh, Claire, call a service,” Ava said.
“I did,” Claire said. “Finally. They are here now. Three ladies. They said it might be a few days.”
“It’s too much for anyone,” Ava said. “Leave it to the professionals.”
“I had to pay extra to get them here so fast,” Claire said.
“I’ll tell Sandy,” Ava said. “She won’t care.”
“Sandy’s such a dear,” Claire said. “I know you’re right.”
The women fell silent for a moment.
“So you don’t know where Seth is?” Claire asked.
“I don’t,” Ava said. “He took me to the airport. He used that military ID he has to walk me to the gate. He waited until I was on the plane. He said he was going to work. On the symphonies.”
“That’s worrisome,” Claire said.
“I’m sure he’ll show up,” Ava said.
Claire had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was the same feeling she had every time Seth was in trouble.
“He’s in trouble, isn’t he?” Ava asked.
“Feels that way,” Claire said. “I’ll call the hospitals. My daughter should be home in a half hour. She’ll get more results as a doctor.”
“Good idea,” Ava said. “Listen, I have to work.”
In the background, Ava’s car phone dinged as she turned off the vehicle.
“I’ll call O’Malley’s police buddies here to see if they can find him through the police networks,” Ava said. “But with Seth, you never know.”
“I’ll call Maresol,” Claire said. “She and Bernie know all kinds of people from all levels of the government. If they’ve taken him . . .”
“Again,” Ava said.
“Again,” Claire said. “They’ll find him.”
Ava’s car door slammed.
“We’ll find him, Ava,” Claire said.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Ava said.
“No you’re not,” Claire said. “You’ll call me if you find out anything?”
“I’ll call you,” Ava said. “You’ll call me?”
“The moment I know anything,” Claire said. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Ava said something like “mmm,” and the line went dead. Claire looked at the phone. Focusing on the feeling in her stomach, she tried to send a message to Seth. He would call her right away if he was able to. As the moments dragged on, Claire knew that Seth was somewhere that he couldn’t be reached.
She picked up her cellphone and started calling hospitals.
Chapter Four Hundred and Fifty-seven
Monday afternoon — 1:30 p.m. MT
Denver, Colorado
Heather was angry. Her anger hung over the little yellow house like thunderstorms. She had yet to come up with a way that she could help Chet that didn’t involve putting Tink right in the middle of it. Heather wouldn’t have minded endangering Tink’s ridiculous biological mother, but she was pregnant with another “dream” baby. As much as she loathed Tink’s mother, Heather would never put an unborn fetus in the middle of this debacle. Heather squinted. Sitting across from her on a comfortable armchair, Jill raised her hands as if Heather had a gun. Heather grinned. Jill put a hand on Tanner and another on Bladen, who were sleeping in her lap. Abi walked back and forth, trying to comfort a fussy Zaidy, with Zoe sleeping on her back.
A half hour ago, Risa had called to say that Chet was no longer at this facility.
After her first call, the school had moved him through their clandestine network of houses, schools, and quasi-medical facilities. They had watched a surveillance video which showed Chet — bound at the wrists and ankles with plastic zip-ties — being thrown into the back of a white van. Risa had issued an Amber Alert, but she hadn’t given them much hope that it would work. Risa’s supervisor had told them that there was very little chance that they would ever see Chet again, as this group would rather kill the child than have him “commit sins against God.”
Under hooded eyes, Heather watched everyone as they talked through pointless problem after useless plan. The fairies were of no help. Abi had great ideas, but they were more like military assaults than finding a lost boy. Sissy, who had arrived with everyone else, had left to use her new driver’s license to get lunch.
And then Ava called Sandy.
“Hello?” Sandy asked. Sandy fell silent while she was listening to Ava. “No. I haven’t heard from him. Did you ask Cl . . .”
Sandy fell silent for a moment.
“I see,” Sandy said. “Okay, I’ll let you know if I learn anything.”
Heather squinted at Sandy.
“Seth’s missing,” Sandy said in her direction.
“Now that’s something I can do!” Heather beamed. She hopped to her feet.
The dense air of the house cleared. Everyone turned to look at Heather.
“I’d appreciate it if . . .” Sandy said.
“My pleasure to be able to do something,” Heather asked.
“Why can you do something for Seth when you can’t help Chet?” Jacob asked.
“We’re related,” Heather said. “My father’s cousin’s child is his ancestor’s mother.”
“What?” Jill asked.
“Yours, too,” Heather said. “On your father’s side. That’s why I can meddle in your and Sandy’s life so freely.”
“Thank you?” Jill looked up at Heather, and Heather smiled.
“Whaaa . . .?” Jacob started.
“Don’t ask,” Blane said in a loud whisper. “You’re dealing with the family genealogy of Olympia.”
Chuckling, Jacob gave a little nod.
“Heather’s been nice enough to find Seth when he’s disappeared before,” Sandy said. “The many times he’s disappeared.”
“This happens often?” Abi asked.
“Sort of,” Sandy said. “The worrisome times are when Claire can’t find him. He and Claire are mentally linked. She usually gets a sense of where he is. Then, a couple times a year, even Claire can’t find him.”
“He has his hands in a lot of pies,” Jill said.
“Who would take Seth?” Abi asked.
“Government, usually,” Sandy said. “Spies, people he’s put in prison, mobsters, stuff like that. One time, a mobster’s wife was killed. The mobster was hiding out from the law. His henchmen picked up Seth to get Seth to figure out who killed her before the mobster turned himself in.”
“Did he figure it out?” Abi asked.
Jill and Sandy nodded. Heather gave Wyn to Blane and went upstairs.
“What’s she doing?” Jacob asked.
“She’s laying her human body down,” Blane said.
Jacob gave a vague nod.
“Anyone notice that Sissy’s been gone a long time?” Sandy asked.
They turned to look at the door. Sandy pushed some buttons on her phone.
“How much did she hear?” Sandy asked.
“Everything,” Blane said.
“Oh,” Sandy said, as she peered into her cell phone. “That’s not good.”
“What happened?” Jill asked.
Jill moved Sandy’s hands aside to see her phone.
“We installed a tracker on Sissy’s phone,” Sandy said. “I say ‘we,�
� but it was Aden. He was uncomfortable leaving Sissy alone in New York.”
“Where is she?” Blane asked.
“Marlowe School,” Sandy said. “She’s been there for 15 minutes.”
“She’s told Tink,” Abi said with a nod.
“That’s not good,” Blane said. “Tink can’t fix this.”
Jill squinted her eyes and picked up her phone. She called the school. After a short conversation, she hung up.
“Okay, thanks,” Jill said.
“What was that?” Jacob asked.
“Katy and Paddie are at a doctor’s appointment,” Jill said.
“They are?” Jacob asked.
“With you,” Jill said.
“Oh,” Jacob said. “That’s not good.”
Abi shook her head and looked at Sandy.
“What does this mean?” Abi asked.
“They’re on another adventure,” Sandy said. “Probably to save Chet.”
Abi laughed while the other adults gawked at her.
“Oh, come on,” Abi said. “Just because you’re their parents doesn’t mean you can’t admire their amazing spirit.”
Jill and Jacob gave a vague nod while Blane smiled.
“They really are amazing,” Sandy said.
Jill’s and Jacob’s heads went up and down in a slow nod.
“Can you watch my babies?” Abi asked.
“Sure,” Blane said. “But where are you going?”
“To keep an eye on these renegade children,” Abi said. “They’ve let me watch and help before.”
“You’ve helped them?” Jill asked, her voice rising with indignation.
“They were stuck in a wall, after all,” Abi said.
“Oh, that’s right,” Jill said. “I just . . .”
“Worry. I know. That’s why I’m going,” Abi said. “The girls will sleep until I get back.”
“Oh?” Blane asked. “How will you make that happen?”
“I will put a spell on them,” Abi said.
Laughing at the idea, Blane nodded to Abi. She set Zaidi in Blane’s arms and unhooked Zoe. Abi had disappeared before Blane realized that she was serious.
“You don’t have to . . .” Blane said to the air where Abi had been.
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