Caged

by E. M. Leya

They slowly exited the car, and Danny was thankful that Marshall waited for him. It still wasn't fully dark out, and the glare of the sun setting made it hard to see. He shaded his eyes with his hands. "Are you just going to knock?"

  "Yep." Marshall gave his hand a squeeze. "You deserve more than anyone to know if there is something new going on." He led Danny to the front door.

  They didn't have time to knock as a burly officer exited the house as they approached.

  "I'm sorry, this is a crime scene." The officer hardly looked at them.

  "We're aware of that. Danny was one of the people who was held here. We saw the activity and wanted to make sure nothing's happened we need to be aware of," Marshal told the officer.

  That got the officer's attention. He paused, looking Danny over for a moment, then nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize who you were." He ran a hand over his bald head. "We had some information on some possible new evidence, but haven't been able to locate it."

  Danny frowned. "Evidence?"

  The officer sighed. "Let me grab my sergeant, and make sure I can discuss this with you." He turned and hurried back inside.

  "What could they have missed the first time?" Danny couldn't imagine anything that they wouldn't have found.

  "I'm not sure. They spent days going through the house." Marshall let go of his hand and wrapped an arm around his waist instead.

  The older officer and another younger one walked out. The younger glanced at Danny and smiled. "Mr. Gilbert." He offered his hand. "I'm Sergeant Gilroy."

  "Nice to meet you." Danny shook his hand. "Did Larry return to the house?" He hated the nervousness that filled his voice.

  "No, we've had no leads on his location. What we did have were several legal papers and journals that were found in a back room. We've had detectives reading over the journals and one of them found something today we thought we should check out. Perhaps you can help us since you lived in the home?"

  Danny took a step back. "Journals?" He'd never known Larry to keep journals, but then again, he never knew what went on in the back room. It was always locked. "How could I help?"

  Marshall moved to his side again, taking his hand, giving him the support he needed.

  "One of the journals talks about a hidden panel in the floorboard. It said that was where he kept what he needed if there was ever an emergency. We never found a loose floorboard, and looking tonight, we still can't locate it." The officer gestured to the home. "We assumed it would be in the back room where everything else was kept, but there was nothing. We looked around the rest of the house, but saw no signs of one."

  Danny nodded. He knew exactly what the officer was talking about. He'd seen Larry get into it several times when Larry had thought he was asleep. "It's in the bedroom. I can show you."

  "Please." The officer gestured them to go inside.

  Danny took a deep breath. He never thought he'd be entering the home again. He reminded himself that Marshall was with him, and there were two armed police officers by his side as well. He'd be okay. Larry was gone and couldn't hurt him anymore. He made his way into the house, swallowing hard as the stale smell caught him. He'd hated the way the house smelled. The windows were never open, the door was always locked, there was no escaping it. "This way." He hurried to the back bedroom where he'd been forced to sleep every night. Pausing in the doorway, he stared at the small crib mattress he's slept on every night. "He would think I was asleep." He pointed to the mattress. "He'd get up at night and get into the small hole under his nightstand." Danny stepped to it and went to move it.

  "We've got it." The older officer said as he used his gloved hands to move the nightstand to the side.

  It didn't appear that there was any opening there, but Danny knew better. He dropped to his knees and drew his finger around the outline of one of the floorboards. "It's this one."

  "If you'll step back," The sergeant said.

  He stood and found himself pulled tightly to Marshall's chest.

  "You okay?"

  Danny closed his eyes, inhaling Marshall's scent. "Yeah." He turned slightly to watch the officer struggle to get the board up. "Larry used a pocketknife to pry it up."

  The older officer handed the sergeant one from his pocket.

  After a minute of trying the board lifted. Danny leaned forward, wanting to see what was inside.

  The officer pulled items out one at a time. A notebook, two thumb drives, a stack of photographs, another notebook, an envelope that was sealed and looked thick with papers, and a cell phone. Then after a moment of feeling around, he brought out a bundle of money wrapped in elastic bands.

  "If this was for emergencies, why didn't he grab it before he left?" Danny asked.

  "Fear. He didn't have time. He knew I was calling the police and just ran. His fear of getting caught was stronger than his need for whatever was in there," Marshall said softly.

  The officer bagged the items and stood, turning to Danny. "Thank you. I don't think we'd have ever found it. Since you're here, is there anything else you think we might have missed?"

  Danny nodded. "In the closet." He pointed to a small closet door to the side of the room. "In there is another panel in the back wall that comes off. It's not very big, and I never saw what he would put in there."

  The older officer went over and knelt inside the closet. He moved some shoes out of the way, then tapped on the wall with his flashlight. "Ah, sneaky." He glanced over his shoulder before looking back at the wall. A moment later there was the jingle of keys. He straightened, holding up a large keyring with several keys on it. "Any ideas what these would go to?"

  Danny shook his head.

  "Looks like house keys." Sargent Gilbert shrugged. "I'll have to look at the evidence list again, but I don't recall anything else with locks on them."

  Marshall kissed Danny's forehead. "Anything else?"

  "No." Danny mentally walked the house, trying to think of anything else that was hidden. "That's all I ever saw, but it doesn't mean there aren't more in other rooms."

  "We'll double-check everything," the officer assured him. "Thank you for your help."

  "Glad I could give it." Danny leaned against Marshall, suddenly tired and not feeling as strong as he had when he'd come into the house.

  "We're going to go, but we're right next door if you have any questions," Marshall told them, gesturing toward his house. "Come on, let's get you out of here." He turned Danny to go out first.

  Danny didn't look back as they walked away. He went with Marshall into the house and it wasn't until he was safe on the couch that he dared breathe deeply. "Thanks for getting me out of there."

  "That place is something else. I don't know how you survived. It just feels ominous." Marshall sat down beside him.

  "Yeah, and the smell. I'd try to clean enough to make it smell better but never could get the musty odor to leave. I loved it when Larry would hold the front door open for a minute to do something and I could get a little fresh air." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I want to know what the journals they found say."

  "So do I." Marshall rubbed a hand down Danny's back. "Maybe if it goes to court, we'll hear something."

  Danny wasn't sure if that was what he wanted or not. The thought of sitting in court, telling everyone what had been done to him caused his chest to tighten. Still, if it kept Larry from hurting others, he'd do it. "I hadn't even thought about the hole in the floor. He'd only gotten in it twice and both times I had to fake being asleep. I thought he kept a weapon there or something, but I was never left alone long enough to look."

  "I saw some of the pictures. They were of the boys," Marshall told him.

  "Probably some of me too." Danny sighed. "I hate that anyone will look at that stuff."

  "So do I, but it's evidence. That's the kind of stuff that will make sure Larry never sees freedom once they catch him."

  "It's so hard knowing he's still out there and probably hurting other kids. Have you heard of any kidnap
pings in the area?"

  "No, and I've looked. There's nothing. Maybe Larry got smart and is laying low for now. Don't give up hope the cops will get him."

  Danny leaned back, comforted by Marshall's arm around him. "I know I said I wanted to talk tonight, but now, I'm not much in the mood. Can we just do the movie and relax?"

  "Anything you want, love." Marshall kissed the top of his head.

  Love? What did that mean? Danny wanted to ask, but he wasn't sure he wanted the answer. Marshall was probably just comforting him.

  "Why don't you go change clothes. I'm going to grab the stuff we bought from the trunk of the car, then I'll change too. I'll meet you in the kitchen and we can make hot chocolate together."

  Danny nodded. "Sounds good." He turned to Marshall. "Even though it ended oddly, thank you for a fantastic day. It was the best day of my life, honestly. I loved the game and spending all that time out with you."

  "I had a great time too." Marshall smiled. "We'll do it often. Come on, let's get comfortable and put tonight out of our minds."

  Danny accepted the quick kiss and hurried to his bedroom. Going back into that house had stirred up emotions he'd forced back for the last few weeks. The memories had hit him like a sucker punch, forcing him to relive some of the worst moments of his life in his mind. Thank God he hadn't gone downstairs where even worse memories lurked.

  He wondered how the boys were doing, wishing he had a way to contact them or their parents. After caring for them for two years, he missed them. Maybe they blamed him, thought he was part of Larry's disgusting agenda. He hoped that wasn't true. He never wanted anyone to think he was anything like Larry.

  He sank down on the bed, needing a moment to collect himself. He'd thought he'd gotten over the fear and worry that Larry would come back for him, but somehow, going back into that house had made him realize that Larry was really still out there, and he could come after him at any time. He could have watched them today while they were at the game or out shopping. He'd been so distracted by having fun with Marshall, he hadn't paid any attention.

  A knock on the door had him looking up. "Yeah?"

  Marshall pushed the door open. "You okay?"

  "Yeah, was just about to change." He took a deep breath, trying to get his thoughts back to a positive place.

  "You sure, because you've been in here for thirty minutes?" Marshall walked over and sat down beside him.

  "I have?" He glanced up, wondering how he'd gotten so lost in the memories that he'd lost track of time.

  "Yep. How about we forget the movie? Change for bed and let me hold you. We don't have to talk or anything if you don't want to. Just let me hold you close."

  Danny nodded and stood. "Sorry, I don't know what got into me."

  "It's okay." Marshall smiled. "Want me to leave while you change?"

  Danny shook his head. "We staying in here?"

  "Is that okay?"

  "Yeah." He wasn't sure he had the energy to walk across the hall to Marshall's room. Quickly changing into a pair of sweatpants, he told himself it was nothing more than a long day, but that wasn't true. Larry still haunted him. He could deny it, but it was true. Larry was never far, and at the moment, Danny wasn't sure he ever would be.

  He found Marshall already in bed when he turned around. He gave him a small smile as he turned off the light, then joined him in bed. He relaxed as he curled up next to him, welcoming the strong arms around him. "Thanks," he whispered.

  Marshall kissed his neck. "You'll make it through this. We'll do it together."

  Closing his eyes, he nodded, hoping that somehow, they could make those words come true.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Marshall stretched, trying to ease the muscles in his shoulders. He'd been in front of the computer for hours, but he wasn't about to quit. He wanted information and he wasn't stopping until he got it. He'd hacked into the police department records, looking for any information on what was found on the thumb drives they'd taken from the house, but so far, there was no information. It had only been two days, so maybe they hadn't gotten to them yet, but that was bullshit. This case should have been at the top of the list for police.

  Danny had tossed and turned the last two nights, sleeping little, which meant Marshall didn't sleep much either. He blinked, trying to push the sleepiness from his eyes. He had to find a lead. With the police department looking like a dead end, he focused on Lamp Light and the ranch in Colorado Springs. It wasn't hard to find the internet provider, and from there, it was just a matter of hacking more information to get himself inside the computer system. There wasn't much there. One email account, one Facebook account. Both held nothing of importance other than a new name to investigate. Both accounts belonged to Dale. Most of the emails were spam or from work. There was nothing to lead them to other family or friends. The Facebook account hadn't been touched in three years, and from the computer's files, it looked like it was only used for keeping track of finances and looking up a few unimportant things online.

  "Fuck." Marshall stood, walking to the window across the room and looking out. He probably should head home soon, it was starting to get dark outside, but he didn't want to give up. There was something going on there, he just needed to find it. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to think what he was missing.

  He'd taken down predators who tried to hide stuff all the time. He knew what to look for, where they hid things. He was a good hacker, able to get into almost any system. Why was he coming up blank now on the one case that was personal for him?

  He paced a moment before going back to the computer. He quickly hacked into Dale's work computers, hoping that possibly the creep was dumb enough to keep stuff there, but again, all he found were work-related files.

  If Dale and Larry were living in the ranch house and doing anything criminal, they were hiding it well. His gut said there was more to this, and the feeling was strong enough, he was almost tempted to drive down to Colorado Springs and do some surveillance, but that wouldn't go well with the team, and honestly could fuck things up if anything went wrong. The last thing they needed was Larry running if it really was him there.

  Frustrated, he shut off the computer and headed out to the living room, surprised to see Rani sitting on the couch. "You're off work?"

  "I worked a double yesterday. I'm free until seven in the morning, but too tired to do anything but sit here." He reached for the remote and shut off the TV. "What are you doing here so late in the day? Don't you have a man at home now to spend time with?"

  "Jessica is there with him teaching him how to make something with turkey. He's excited and says he's inviting everyone over for Thanksgiving in a few months if it's any good." Marshall was proud of Danny's enthusiasm. He really thought Danny should go into culinary school with the passion he was showing for cooking.

  "I'm in," Rani said. "If I'm off work. I did manage to get the night off for his birthday party. I'll be there to help you celebrate. I thought I'd get him cooking classes at The Seasoned Chef, but I wanted you to okay it first since you'll probably have to get him there. I was also worried he'd be nervous taking the class on his own."

  Marshall shrugged. "I love the idea and I'll get him there, but I'm not sure how he'll do alone. A week ago, I'd have said he'd be fine, now, it could go either way."

  "He having a hard week?" Rani sat forward, concern etching his eyes.

  "Yeah, we went with the police into Larry's house the other night to help them locate something. We were only there maybe twenty minutes, but it messed with him. He's quiet, withdrawn. I'm hoping the afternoon with Jessica will help him. I don't know what to do. I can't force him to talk to me, and he says he just needs to work through it. He has counseling tomorrow again. I'm tempted to call Gary and give him a heads up, but not sure if that will piss Danny off if I do."

  "Tough call. I think I'd stay out of it and let things play out. If it gets worse, you can call before his next appointment. Maybe I'll hold off on the cooki
ng class and get him some online course or cooking program for the computer." Rani reached for a beer that sat on the table in front of him.

  "He'll love it. He hasn't celebrated a birthday in so many years, I'm sure he'll love anything. He hasn't even mentioned his birthday is coming up. It makes me wonder if he even knows or understands that it should be celebrated."

  "We'll make it one he won't forget." Rani smiled. "It's been a long time since I've been excited about a birthday party."

  "Me too. They kind of lose their excitement the older you get, but this one will be special. He'll be twenty. It's a good year to have a big party. I'm trying to show him how great a normal life can be, but it's not easy when his past seems to haunt him so badly. I wish I could just erase it from his mind."

  "If only it was that easy." Rani sat back. "Give him time. He's come a long way already for what he's gone through. It's because of you he's adapting so well. Imagine if he was going at this on his own in some halfway house."

  A shiver went through Marshall's body at the thought. "He'd never make it."

  "I'm sure many don't. He's been through a lot. It's a ton to work through. Even with the counseling, it's going to take time."

  Marshall sighed. "I'm falling for him."

  "I know." Rani smiled. "I've never seen you happier."

  "Or more stressed. I want to get Larry. I want him locked up so Danny knows he's safe from him." He ran his hand through his hair. "Do you think I'm making this worse on Danny, pushing a relationship on him this soon after he's found his freedom?"

  "Is that what you're doing, pushing it on him?" Rani asked.

  "I don't know. Sometimes I feel like it is. I mean, what man in his right mind would jump into something so soon after escaping a pedophile and years of captivity? I really like Danny, and maybe in my longing for him, I've pushed him to do something he's not ready for. What if he's doing it because he thinks he has to or because he thinks he needs to make me happy so he can stay with me?"

  "I can't answer any of that, but I know you pretty well, and I don't see you being pushy. If Danny didn't want to be with you, I don't think he would be. He's a strong enough person, even after all he's been through, to tell you no. I think he likes the closeness, the tenderness that you give him. It's something he hasn't ever had. I also know that you won't push him into more than he can handle. If he didn't want sex for five years, you'd probably be okay with that because you care about him and that's the kind of man you are. You might not be happy that way, but if you cared enough about him, you'd do what you had to so he was happy. Talk to Danny and tell him what you're feeling. Let him know this relationship means something to you and that you want a future. Assure him you'll go at his pace. See what he says. I don't know how serious this has gotten between you yet, but you're both smart. You'll figure it out if you just keep those lines of communication open." Rani gripped Marshall's shoulder. "You're not forcing him into anything. It sounds like whatever is happening is mutual. Stop overthinking things before you ruin them."