“Mommy! Daddy!”
Everyone cried together. Mason felt his own breathing hitch a little as he fought back tears.
This was why he found missing children.
The Wheatleys cried and hugged for a few minutes. The psychiatrist finally had to interrupt them for an interview. The psychiatrist and the police both had a lot of questions. Mason knew there would be many interviews for the Wheatleys in the future, especially for Abigail, to judge her mental health after being away from home for six months.
He returned to his body and waited patiently.
The Wheatleys emerged from the police station another hour later. Mason calmly left his Jeep to approach them before they climbed in their car. Money collection was the last uncomfortable part of his job. He wished he could wait a few days and simply send a bill. But he wanted the parents to know him, see his face. Also, the longer he stayed away, the easier it was to forget to pay him his reward.
“Rachel?” he called as he crossed the street.
They stared at him as he approached.
“Hi. I'm Mason Thomas-”
Rachel embraced him before he could finish. He was stunned for a moment, his hands just floating in the air.
“I know who you are,” she said. “I Googled you after our phone call.”
He had a website he maintained, advertising his services. He didn't know people checked it out.
“Ah. Uh, okay.”
Mister Wheatley set Abigail on the ground so he could shake Mason's hand.
“The police told us they got a tip. I'm guessing that was you.”
Mason nodded. “Yes. Sorry I couldn't call you. Always have to call the police first.”
Mister Wheatley let out a huge laugh and gave Mason a hug as well. Abigail laughed at the awkward expression on her rescuer's face.
They exchanged small talk for a few more minutes before Rachel handed Mason a check. He didn't bother looking at it. He shook everyone's hand, including Abigail's, before returning to his Jeep.
Only after they drove away did he look at the check.
A few hours of work. About a month of guilt. A reunited family. And the full ten thousand dollars.
He took a deep breath and drove home.
Chapter 8
Mason stood in the kitchen making a few sandwiches. He leaned his head back to peer into the dining room. Seven-year-old Dani Lowdry sat at the table staring at her homework. He laughed as she moved her eraser furiously over her paper and started writing again.
“You okay in there, Dani?”
“I hate homework. Would you help me?”
“I'll try. I haven't done a lot of homework in my life.”
“Really? Did you do bad in school?”
He laughed. Lucy jumped on the table and sat opposite from her as he set down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They both laughed together when she dropped jelly on her homework.
Dani was the spitting image of her mother, with just a little of Brian's attitude tossed in for good measure. Lisa and Dani both had tan skin and beach blond hair, with blue eyes that looked like swimming pools.
“Can I watch a movie?” she asked. “Not the boring Discovery Channel.”
“Hey, what's wrong with the Discovery Channel?”
“Let's watch cartoons.”
“Finish your homework, then we'll put on something. I wouldn't mind a cartoon myself.”
She looked up from her homework. “Bad day?”
He smiled at her tone. “Actually, no, it was a good day.”
Mason would take a case like the Wheatleys any day of the week. No mind sliding to a dead body, or a teenager strung out on drugs, or domestic violence. The Wheatleys had a happy ending.
Not every case he worked on could say that.
“Did you find a girlfriend?”
The smile fell from his face. “What?”
“Daddy and Mommy are always saying you need a girlfriend.”
He laughed to himself. He hadn't dated anyone serious in three years. Half of the reason was opportunity. It wasn't like he had women beating down his door. The other half was self inflicted. He wanted to avoid the getting-to-know-you questions. What school did you go to? Do you have any family? What do you do for a living? Why are you afraid of storms?
He could do without that.
“Nope, didn't find one. That's my girlfriend, right there.”
He pointed at Lucy as she ran across the apartment.
“She's a ferret, Uncle Mason. You can't have a ferret for a girlfriend.”
He smiled and took a bite of his sandwich.
There was a knock at the door, then it opened a few inches. Mason turned to see a pretty blond head inside the living room.
“Is anyone home?” Lisa said.
“Mommy!” Dani shouted. “Mason is helping me with my homework.”
“That's a stretch,” he said, turning to face Lisa. “You're out early today.”
Lisa closed the door behind her and ran her hands down her knee length skirt. She worked as a property manager on the other side of town for an apartment complex.
“Yeah. I sneaked out a few minutes early. I want to get a head start on dinner. You coming over?”
“Oh, no thanks. Now I have extra time to go find me a girlfriend.”
Lisa stopped near the back of the couch as her face turned red. Mason gave her his best fake angry look. She looked at her daughter.
“You ratted us out.”
Dani laughed.
“Come on, Mason. Wouldn't it be fun to double date?”
“You're married. You don't date anymore.”
She held up her hands and smirked. “Hey, go ahead and be single. It just gives me a built-in babysitter on Friday night.” She looked at Dani. “Get your things, baby, so we can head home.”
Mason had the feeling he'd be dodging blind dates soon. Hopefully she didn't go overboard setting them up like she did last year.
He considered Brian his brother, Lisa his sister, and Dani his niece. If he had to put up with a blind date every now and then to call them his family, he would do that.
“So,” Lisa said. “Will we see you on the news tonight?”
Like Brian, Lisa knew his past, what he was capable of, what he did for a living.
“No, no press there this time. But we did have a happy ending.”
“That's good.” She put a hand on his shoulder as Dani stood next to her mother, still eating her sandwich. “You know you do a good thing, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks. Get out of here and smack Brian for me.”
They laughed. Dani gave Mason a hug before they left.
He turned the volume up on the television so he could learn more about life in the Amazon while he made dinner. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich didn't do a good job of filling him up.
Water was starting to boil for spaghetti when there was a knock at the door. He looked at the dining room table for Lisa's purse. She was notorious for forgetting it, but he didn't see it.
He opened the door. His jaw dropped and he gripped the knob a little tighter.
Doctor Albert Rierson stood in the hallway, a small smile on his face.
“Hi, Mason.”
Mason said nothing. He hadn't seen or heard from Doc since the day of his eighteenth birthday, when Brian picked him up at Yingling. No letters. No phone calls. No emails. No smoke signals. Nothing.
Now here he was.
Doc looked like he did seven years ago, only a few more gray hairs. He dressed casual, just jeans and a shirt, with a light coat on. Not a look Mason was used to seeing.
“You mind if I come in?”
Mason hesitated before stepping back and letting Doc inside. Lucy sat on top of her cage, staring at the stranger. Mason had mixed feelings as Doc removed his coat and studied his former subject's apartment.
Doc tried to look out for him more than anyone else in that lab. He was simply the subject to everyone. But to Doc, he was Mason. Doc would inten
tionally go slow on some of the harder experiments, and give Mason an extra day or two to rest.
But Mason couldn't forget being forced to mind slide in a tub of ice, or with pins sticking out all over this body, or while given electroshocks.
The jerk never even found the picture of Mason's parents, like he said he would.
Doc smiled as he looked over the apartment. A classical music CD collection, simple couch and small chair, television, a dining room table with only two chairs.
His eyes fell on the educational DVDs from the History and Discovery Channel on a bookshelf. A poor substitute for an education from a school.
“I like it,” Doc said, his eyes falling on Lucy's cage. “This suits you.”
“Thanks. I couldn't fit the big metal table through the door.”
Doc sighed, some tension in his brow.
“So, how have you been?” Doc asked. “It's been a long time.”
“I can honestly say I've never been better. But I've only had my life to myself for the past five years. Not much to compare it to, really. You want some spaghetti?”
“Oh, no, thank you. I have a dinner date tonight.”
“Ah, who's the lucky lady?” Mason asked as he went back to the kitchen. He gestured for Doc to have a seat at the dining room table. “You seeing anyone since your play-with-the-lab-rat days are over?”
Mason saw the look on Doc's face. He was uncomfortable. Mason had to keep his tongue in check.
“Well, you know,” Doc said, putting on his best smile. “I was always good with the ladies.”
“How's Kelly doing?”
Doc hesitated just a moment too long, telling Mason a lie was coming.
“Oh, we talk to each other a few times a week. She's doing fine.”
Mason nodded. “Good to hear.” He didn't want to be rude, but he had to ask. “So, why are you here?”
Doc shrugged and looked hurt. “I just wanted to see how you were doing. Seriously. I have no motive for being here. I'm not here to kidnap you and drag you anywhere.”
Lucy jumped on the table. Doc jumped with surprise.
“Good,” Mason said. “Or Lucy would put her teeth in your neck.”
They both lightened up over the next hour as they talked at the dining room table. Mason talked about his surrogate family, and his job finding children, which Doc knew all about. The doctor kept track of him over the years. Every time a child was found in the area, he had a guess who was responsible.
Doc spoke no further about his daughter.
As the night went on, Mason found himself laughing a few times. He wasn't sure if he ever laughed in the company of Doc.
True to his word, Doc didn't bring up any past experiments, or anything about Mason's time in Yingling. He was truly interested in Mason, how he had been doing the past five years.
It pained Mason to admit that for many years, Doc was the closest thing he had to family. He knew Doc well, and couldn't shake the feeling that something was on Doc's mind, something important.
They were on their third glass of iced tea when Doc looked at his watch and stood from the table.
“I'd better get going,” he said. “I need to go home and take a shower and everything.”
Mason stood with him. “Okay, Doc. You know, you're not such a bad guy without the lab coat on.”
Doc laughed. “Thank you. You take care of yourself.”
“I will. Hey, whenever you're in the neighborhood again, drop on by. I'll call Brian over.”
He nodded. “Maybe I'll do that.”
Mason walked Doc to the door. Mason held out his hand. Doc looked at it, then stepped forward and hugged Mason.
“Whoa, Doc,” Mason said. He didn't return the hug. He wasn't very good at hugs. “Everything okay there?”
“Of course. Just, you know, haven't seen you in a while.”
“Don't be a stranger then.” Mason put his head down for a moment. “I've always hated what you all did to me at the nuthouse. And I won't lie, I'm still bitter. But the truth is, you pretty much raised me. I know you looked out for me.”
Doc looked like he was trying to hold in tears.
“None of that should have happened. I'm sorry for all of it.”
Mason smiled. “Hey. Whatever doesn't kill me, makes me stronger. Right?”
Doc laughed. “You have a good night, Mason.”
“You too, Doc.”
Doc cried as he drove away.
Chapter 9
Kelly maneuvered in between people and tables as she made her way back to the register. She stole a quick glance at her cell phone to see it was nearly midnight. The restaurant would be closing soon, and still was packed. She hated working at Friday's on a Saturday night. The truth was she hated working at Friday's on any night.
“Kelly,” her manager said. “I think table fifteen is ready to leave.”
“Yeah, yeah. I'm heading over now.”
She dabbed at her pants from where Tony had spilled soda on her earlier. The clumsy kid had tried to carry one soda too many on his tray, and Kelly had to pay the price. He spilled one all over her when turning around from the soda machine. Her black slacks took most of it.
The soda was sticky on her leg, making her uncomfortable. She had traded one terrible uniform early in life for another one in her early twenties. The black slacks weren't uncomfortable, but they hugged every curve from the waist down, and she felt far too exposed wearing them. There were far prettier women that worked at Friday's besides her, so she didn't have to worry too much about men staring at her. Still, she hated her uniform. The obnoxious yellow shirt was an eyesore as well. But it was a job, and it helped pay the bills.
She couldn't wait to go home and tear off her clothes. She also couldn't wait for the day when she could burn them.
She waited patiently near the front door when it was time to leave, and triple checked her purse to make sure her pepper spray was still inside. She left with a crowd of people and crossed the parking lot to her car. Creepy George invited her to yet another party, which she turned down. He would get the hint one day to leave her alone.
As soon as she stepped foot in her apartment she stripped down to her panties and bra and tossed her clothes in the hamper in the closet. She caught a glimpse of her scarred foot and looked away, a reminder of a night that would stay with her the rest of her life. She made sure to lock the door behind her. One of the bonuses of her roommate leaving her high and dry was being able to walk around the house completely naked if she wanted to.
There was a stack of bills on the coffee table. That was one of the drawbacks.
She freed her red hair from her ponytail and sat on the couch with a glass of water, still not bothering to get dressed. The apartment was quiet. The only thing she heard was the couple that lived next to her having sex on their couch, and that only lasted a few minutes. After working eight hours in a busy restaurant, quiet was what she needed.
She was alone at one in the morning on a Saturday. Work was an easy target to blame, but knew even if she didn't work nights she'd still be alone.
It was a good idea she'd sworn off dating for a while. Her last date was nearly a year ago.
It was a disaster.
The guy seemed nice enough. They met while she was working one night, and decided to have dinner. He kept giving her a strange look, then decided to yell in the middle of their meal, for the entire restaurant to hear.
“Hey! You're the one who got kidnapped a few years back!”
Kelly's pale skin had never been more red.
Whenever she felt sad at her lack of a love life, she remembered that moment.
Countless hours in therapy could barely set her straight after that horrible night. She still woke up screaming, and didn't need a man to complicate matters.
The phone rang as she channel surfed. She gave the phone an odd look, knowing it couldn't be for her. She didn't have any friends. It was probably for her old roommate. Not everyone realized she had moved.
She double checked the caller ID to make sure it wasn't her father, saying how much he missed her. Their relationship hadn't improved at all over the years. He still was never there when he needed her. She went through the entire aftermath of her kidnapping alone. After her kidnapping, it seemed like he spent even more time in the nuthouse with that boy Mason.
He called often now, though. She avoided him as much as possible. Was he trying to make amends for twenty-three years of neglect?
She didn't care. It was too late now.
She was relieved when she saw it wasn't him calling.
“Hello?”
“Is this Kelly Rierson?”
She tensed up. “Yeah it is. A little late for a phone call, isn't it?”
“I'm Officer Tate-”
She stood up from the couch and paced. “Are you serious? Look, my roommate just moved out. I know I'm a month behind on rent. But I picked up an extra shift, and I'm making better tips than ever. I'll catch up.”
“Miss Rierson, I'm not calling about your rent. I'm calling about your father-”
“Dad? I haven't talked to him in a long time. Is he okay?”
There was a long pause. “No, Miss Rierson. I'm afraid not.”
*****
Kelly had never set foot in a funeral home. She had to drive past two on the way to work, and the thought of a building dedicated to mourning, to sadness, was enough to bring a tear to her eye.
She would look at the people gathered in the parking lot, and knew they were in the middle of a dark point in their lives.
Now she was one of those people.
The funeral home was unsettling. Dark, somber colors. A family cried in a room to her left. Flowers and chairs lined the halls. A nicely dressed man guided people to which room they had to go to.
It felt like a dream. One moment in Kelly's life, her biggest concern was the rent.
Now she had to bury her father.
She felt strangely numb as people she didn't know constantly walked up to her during her father's wake and offered their condolences. They introduced themselves as doctors, fellow colleagues, even friends. None of them stayed long, and for that Kelly was thankful. She was happy with the moments in between visitors when it was just her and her father.
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