Abi reappeared.
“I didn’t,” Abi said with a grin. “I just said that.”
Laughing, she gave Blane a little wave and disappeared again.
“I’d better call Paddie’s mom,” Jill said.
She passed Bladen to Jacob and Tanner to Blane and left to make a private phone call.
~~~~~~~~
Monday afternoon — 3:40 p.m. ET
New York City, New York
Seth was sitting at a metal table in the middle of a grey cinderblock room. His hands were caught in handcuffs that were shackled to the table. The table was dusty and the floor dirty. He was staring into a mirrored window into another room.
Nothing stirred around him. Behind him, reflected in the window, a golden light appeared.
“Hedone,” Seth said under his breath.
“Where are we?” Heather, in her Hedone body, said.
“You look oddly . . . bright,” Seth said in the same low tone. “Voluptuous. Golden.”
“I’m a full goddess now,” Heather said. “Sandy didn’t tell you?”
“I’ve been a little busy,” Seth said.
“I see that,” Heather said.
Careful not to disturb anything, she walked around the table. There was a tiny camera up in the corner of the room. She floated up to look at it. She passed through the mirrored window into an empty room, and, behind it, a seriously misused room. She came back.
“This is cozy,” Heather said. “How’d you get here?”
She moved her fingers, and Seth’s handcuffs unlocked. Seth nodded in thanks. His eyes flicked to the camera.
“The camera doesn’t have a microphone,” Heather said. “I’m not sure it’s on.”
“Can you check?” Seth asked.
“Hmm,” Heather said.
She followed the lines back to a broken video screen. She looked around the box that the wires went into and ran her fingers over it. As far as she could tell, there was no electricity going into this box. She traced the wires back to the camera and appeared in the room again. Seth was still sitting at the table, staring at the window.
“Wi-Fi,” Heather said. “From the camera itself.”
She reached up and pressed a button.
“I’ve turned it off,” Heather said. “If someone is nearby, they should come in to check on you.”
At the ready, Heather stood behind Seth. They waited. One minute became five minutes. There was no sound and no movement. Ten minutes passed.
“I don’t think anyone is here,” Heather said.
Seth sighed and stood up. He stretched, jumped up and down, and paced around the room a few times while rubbing his arms.
“I don’t know how I got here,” Seth said. “I was at the airport dropping Ava off. Someone paged me at the airport. I’d left my cell phone in the car. I figured it was Claire asking for help cleaning up. She never wants to hire help.”
“She did, eventually,” Heather said.
“Good,” Seth said. He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I went to the phone, and that’s all I remember.”
Heather leaned toward him and sniffed.
“Some kind of sedative.” Heather sniffed again. “Maybe on the phone receiver.”
“Great,” Seth said. “I woke up here, like that. I figured they were watching me in the other room.”
“If they did, they’re invisible,” Heather said.
“Great, I was abducted by invisible men,” Seth said. “Does Ava know I’m missing?”
Heather nodded.
“Claire?” Seth asked.
Heather nodded and held up her hand.
“Ava called Sandy,” Heather said. “I was there, so I came to check on you.”
Seth nodded.
“This is not the worst place I’ve found you in,” Heather said.
“That’s the truth,” Seth said.
“Are you all right?” Heather asked.
“I won’t be if I don’t find a toilet,” Seth said.
“There’s one in the hall,” Heather said. “The water seems to be on — power, too — but no one is here.”
Heather opened the door to the hallway. She held up her hand to Seth and peered out. Nothing moved. They waited. After a few minutes, Heather nodded. She led him to the bathroom.
“Can you figure out where I am?” Seth asked at the doorway.
“I can try,” Heather said. “Call me if you need me. If I’m not back, go back to the room and wait.”
Seth nodded. Heather gave him a little wave. She waited until he’d checked and locked the bathroom door before trying to figure out where they were. She heard a noise and went up a few floors. They seemed to be under a subway station, which meant they were still in New York.
That was good. She looked at the signs, but they had been so graffitied over, she couldn’t read them. She went up to the street. They seemed to be under Thomas Paine Park. She looked out at the street signs — Lexington and Worth. Nodding to herself, she went to find Seth again. He was sitting at the table.
“We’re under some subway station,” Heather said. “It seems to be closed. I couldn’t tell which one, but we’re definitely in New York. I went to the street. We’re under a park, Thomas Paine Park.”
“Worth Street Station,” Seth said with a nod. He got up to walk around. “You didn’t see anyone?”
“No one,” Heather said.
“There are police interview rooms in all of these subway stations,” Seth said. “That explains this room.”
Heather looked at the room and then back at Seth.
“They don’t have these mirrored windows anymore,” Seth said. “Too many people break them.”
Heather nodded.
“It’s all done by electronics now,” Seth said.
“Any idea who picked you up?” Heather asked.
Seth shook his head.
“I can get you out of here, but since we don’t know why you’re here . . .” Heather said.
“I’ll get picked up again,” Seth said with a nod.
“Ava was calling your police buddies,” Heather said. “Why don’t we let them come to get you?”
“What if they’re the ones who picked me up?” Seth asked. “We don’t know if I was taken to save me or injure me.”
Seth nodded.
“Hmm,” Heather said. “I’m kind of new to the whole goddess thing, but why don’t you let me see if I can try?”
Seth nodded.
“Can I bring you anything?” Heather asked.
“Sandwich, something to drink,” Seth said.
Heather disappeared and returned a moment later with a deli bag.
“That was fast,” Seth said.
“Benefits of being a goddess,” Heather said. “I’ve fixed the door so they can’t come in here easily. I should be back before they get here.”
Seth nodded. He sat back down at the place where he’d been held. Opening the bag, he saw his favorite sandwich and a large cup of coffee. He ate his lunch and settled in for a long nap.
~~~~~~~~
Monday afternoon — 3:40 p.m. MT
Burlington, Colorado
“Are you sure?” Sissy asked.
She looked at Katy in the rearview mirror.
“I know I just went,” Katy said. “I just really have to go again.”
Paddie turned to look at Katy.
“Are you okay?” Paddie asked. “You don’t usually have to potty so much.”
Katy gave Paddie a sincere nod.
“I might have an accident,” Katy said.
“Poor Katy,” Paddie said. He patted her hand. “Hang on.”
They were sitting in the middle seats of Jill’s enormous SUV. Katy was small, so she still needed a booster. Paddie was strapped in beside her. Charlie was sitting beside Katy, next to the window. Tink was sitting in the passenger seat, while Wanda and Ivy were sitting in the farthest back seat.
Sissy turned on her blinker and pulled the SUV off I-70 at Burling
ton, Colorado. Seeing a chain diner, Sissy pulled into the parking lot. Sissy found a spot near the front door and parked the behemoth.
“They’re here,” Ivy said in a whisper.
She pointed to the white van in the parking lot. The children looked at the van in horror.
“Then it’s a good thing we stopped,” Sissy said with a nod.
“Let’s go in a couple at a time,” Charlie said. “Tink and I will take Paddie and Katy. We’ll get a table in the back and you can meet us there.”
“Won’t they be hiding in the back?” Sissy asked.
Charlie pointed. Through the front window, they saw two burly men and a skinny boy eating a meal at a corner booth. The boy’s head was hanging about five inches from his food.
“That’s them!” Tink said. “That’s my brother.”
She moved to get out of the SUV. From the seat behind, Charlie held her in place.
“We have to be cool,” Charlie said. “Or we’ll miss our chance.”
“I have to get him!” Tink shook her head.
“Katy has to go potty,” Charlie said. “Can you take her?”
Tink turned around to look at the little girl’s desperate face.
“We can’t just run in there,” Charlie said. “We have to be smarter than that. We need to slip past them and then get Chet away.”
Realizing he was right, Tink gave a resigned nod. Charlie let go of her, and Tink hugged Sissy.
Charlie helped Katy out of her booster. He got out of the SUV and opened Tink’s door. Charlie took Paddie’s hand, and Tink took Katy’s. They walked into the diner together.
“We’ll wait for you right here,” Charlie said.
Tink took Katy to the bathroom. When they returned to the front, Charlie had an amused look on his face. He nodded to a large table, where Jacob and Blane were sitting. Jacob stood up and waved them over.
“Why, Tink!” Jacob said. “How nice of you to finally get here!”
“Daddy, did you make me have to go potty?” Katy asked.
Jacob winked at her. She ran to him to give him a hug. He pulled her onto his lap and made room for Paddie, who’d arrived just behind Katy. Tink scowled at Blane. He pulled out a chair for her.
“Please,” Blane said to Tink. “Have a seat.”
In the corner booth, Chet’s eyes flicked in their direction. His face instinctively flushed when he saw Tink. The men he was sitting with looked over at them.
“How’s it goin’?” Jacob asked the men in a congenial way. “My husband and I are meeting our kids here. I hope we don’t bother you.”
Blane gave the men a little effeminate wave. The burly men grunted. They sneered and said something in a grunting voice to Chet. The boy looked back down at his food. Under the table, Chet put his thumb up.
Sissy, Ivy, and Wanda came in. They watched Jacob put his arm around Blane. Sissy grabbed Wanda’s hand, and they cozily walked to the table. Ivy skipped her way to the table.
“Hi, Uncle Jacob and Uncle Blane,” Ivy said loudly.
Ivy hugged and kissed Blane and then Jacob before sitting down next to Charlie. Sissy pulled out a chair for Wanda, and Wanda sat down. Sissy sat down next to Tink. The waitress showed up at that moment, and, at Jacob’s insistence, the children ordered food.
“What are we going to do?” Tink asked out of the corner of her mouth.
“It’s already done,” Blane said.
“But . . .” Tink started.
Frustrated, she looked at Blane and then at Katy. The little girl nodded to Tink.
“But . . .” Tink started again.
“I guess the easiest way to explain it is that you are not alone,” Jacob said. “You don’t have to fix this or any other situation with your brother by yourself.”
“You have a family,” Blane said. “We can help.”
“But . . .” Tink said.
Her eyes scanned Blane’s and Jacob’s faces. She looked at Charlie.
“Did you tell them?” Tink asked.
“When would I have had time to do that?” Charlie asked.
“We found out this morning from Risa,” Blane said. “Sissy found out from us.”
Tink’s eyes jerked to Sissy, and Sissy nodded.
“But . . .” Tink said.
“Why don’t we eat some pancakes?” Jacob asked. “Give it some time so that we old farts can take care of a few things.”
“But . . .” Tink said.
Wanda put her hand over Tink’s and squeezed. Wanda hung on until the waitress returned with plates of pancakes, waffles, and French Fries. Sissy had a salad with no dressing. Katy and Paddie maintained their perch on Jacob’s lap. Blane chatted with Sissy and Charlie. They were halfway through their meal when the burly men in the corner stood up. One of them threw money on the table while the other one grabbed Chet. The children stared. Blane had to hold Tink back to keep her from running after her brother.
They watched the burly men pay for their meal and walk out of the restaurant.
“You’re letting them go!” Tink said. “We have to do something!”
Blane looked at Jacob, and Jacob nodded. Neither one moved from their seats. Like a silent play, Tink panicked while everyone else at their table slowly ate their food.
Chapter Four Hundred and Fifty-eight
Freaked out
Monday afternoon — 5:10 p.m. MT
Burlington, Colorado
Jacob and Blane were frustratingly, infuriatingly, “I’m going to scream” slow in wrapping up their meal. Tink glared at the men through the entire process.
Of course, having these annoying little kids around didn’t help move things along. Paddie had to go potty after eating all the French Fries. Blane had just returned with the boy when Katy had to go. Of course, Sissy and Wanda were annoying as well.
Wanda was all “I’m having a big day tomorrow.”
Tink wanted to scream: “I’m having a big day today!”
She glared at Wanda, who just grinned at Tink. They all acted like they knew something that she didn’t. She crossed her arms and slunk down in her seat. Even Charlie seemed unusually cheerful.
She wanted to punch him.
The only thing that kept her from completely losing it was that Jacob kept checking his phone. Blane tried to make light of it, but she knew Blane well enough to know that he was waiting for something.
Then, finally, after Tink was sure she’d evolved into a new species, Jacob looked at his phone and said, “Time to go.”
“It’s about fucking time!” Tink said.
Of course, her voice came out unnaturally loud, and the entire restaurant turned to look at her. She felt immediately stupid. Her face flushed red. She felt a well of self-loathing rise up from inside, and her horrible voice began to rage at her. She wanted to run out of the restaurant or get hit by a car or maybe stab herself. She shifted toward the table to grab an implement but ran into Jacob instead.
He grabbed her forearms and looked into her eyes.
“Stop,” Jacob said.
“But I just . . .” Tink’s eyes welled with tears. She was too irritated to finish the sentence, so she bounced on one foot.
“You’re excited and worried,” Jacob said. “It’s understandable. But you must know on some level . . .”
“What?” Tink asked.
“We’ve got this covered,” Jacob said.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned. Blane hugged her tight.
“If we didn’t have it covered, we wouldn’t be sitting here,” Blane said.
Tink started to cry. Blane shifted over to give his spot to Charlie. Tink and Charlie talked and hugged. After a few minutes, Tink seemed to be feeling better. The group went out to the vehicles. Jacob took over driving from Sissy. Blane had driven Heather’s Subaru. Charlie, Tink, and Ivy went with Blane while Sissy, Wanda, Paddie, and Katy went with Jacob. The gigantic SUV, with Jacob at the wheel, drove out of the parking lot and turned left onto the frontage road that ran
alongside I-70. To everyone’s surprise, they were now heading away from Denver, toward Kansas. Blane followed close behind.
“Look!” Sissy pointed to the highway where two Colorado State Police cars were sitting behind the white van.
“Kansas Police, too!” Wanda said.
The children turned in their seats to watch the action. Behind them, Tink, Charlie, and Ivy watched the police with similar interest. Jacob pulled into the parking lot of an old, rundown business. Blane pulled in behind them. The children jumped out of the vehicles the moment they stopped.
“What’s going on?” Tink asked.
Charlie grabbed onto Tink to keep her from running across the span of dead grass that separated the frontage road from the highway. Ivy took Tink’s hand to keep her in place.
“Let’s just listen to what they have to say,” Ivy said. “Before we freak out.”
“I’m already freaked out!” Tink said.
Jacob waited for Blane, and the men joined the children in a group.
“It’s one thing to take a child in the state of Colorado,” Blane said. “It’s another to cross the state line.”
Blane pointed to where Risa, the social worker, was guiding Chet out of the back of the van. The police technician cut Chet’s plastic restraints and placed them into evidence bags. Chet rubbed his arms. Risa said something that caused Chet to lean down to listen to her. Risa pointed to them. Chet’s head popped up with surprise. He looked over at them.
Tink cheered and waved and screamed and generally made a scene for her brother. Chet waved his arm over his head at them.
“What happens now?” Charlie asked Jacob.
“He has to be processed,” Jacob said. “Pictures of his injuries, give his statement, stuff like that, but he’ll be at the Castle tonight.”
“He will?” Tink asked.
“Risa told Heather that this group likes to ‘retrieve’ kids after they’ve gotten free of them,” Jacob said. “We’re going to hide him at the Castle until the state is sure that the group has been disbanded.”
“Can you keep him safe?” Tink asked.
“I respect you too much to lie,” Blane said. “There’s never a guarantee that he’ll be safe.”
“But we’ll do our damndest to make it so,” Jacob said.
Idaho Springs, Denver Cereal V16 Page 22