by Diane Capri
She swung the ax again. There was a bang like a gunshot. A cloud of rust burst into the air. The door jolted. The frame cracked around the ax. Bolts and chunks of metal rattled from the lock.
The officers jumped from the stove.
She wrenched the door open. Inside the space so dark she could see nothing. She stepped into the blackness. “Steven?”
Someone groaned to her left.
Morris pushed through and shone a flashlight into the space.
Jess stood in a rough-hewn tunnel.
Ten feet from the door, a figure was curled in a ball on what looked like the remains of a table. “Peter!”
Jess dropped to her knees. He was wrapped in a thick parka, the hood pulled tight over his head, his hands rammed in his pockets. His eyes were closed.
She held her hand in front of his face. “He’s breathing.”
His whole body shook. “C…c, c, c…,”
She stepped back as the officers lifted Peter onto a stretcher.
They threw a thick blanket over him as they carried him out of the building.
Jess followed. The officers lifted the stretcher as they plowed through the undergrowth without stopping.
The rear of one of the Explorers was open. They slid the stretcher straight in and closed the rear door.
Jess dived into the rear seat. The Ford’s heaters were running full blast. An officer was setting up an IV.
Peter’s eyes were still closed.
The officer taped the tube into Peter’s hand and held up the bag of fluids. “Go!”
The Explorer took off, bumping and sliding its way down the trail. They turned for Gunnison, lights flashing and the driver pushing hard through the snow.
Morris followed in the Jeep.
Jess leaned over the seat and rested her hand on her son’s still trembling arm.
A group of doctors and nurses stood waiting at the emergency room. Peter was on a gurney within a minute. They cut off his wet clothes, wrapped him in dry, warm blankets, and worked on feeding him thin warm soup.
Jess stood back, letting the medical team work.
Morris arrived. He put his arm around Jess’s shoulder. They waited silently, watching the doctor and listening to the bleeps from the machines monitoring Peter’s vital signs.
Fernandez arrived, followed minutes later by Lynette Tierney.
Lynette sat by Peter. His eyes were open but staring blankly. He seemed to recognize her. They held hands.
Jess sat on a chair in the corner. Doctors and nurses came and went. Machines were adjusted, and the bag of fluids was changed.
Sometime later, Lynette approached Jess. “Let me introduce you.”
Jess looked at Peter. Wires and tubes snaked around him. He still lay on his side, but he was uncurling from the position he must have been in for a long time in the tunnel.
Jess shook her head. “There hasn’t been a day when I haven’t thought about finding him.” She pursed her lips. “But it was never about me.” She swallowed. “Right now, he needs his normal world for reassurance. He needs you.” It pained her to say it after thirteen years of hoping for that moment, but she knew she was right.
Lynette nodded. “He knows he’s adopted. So as soon as he’s better…”
Jess watched Peter pull the blankets closer around himself. “When he’s ready,” she said.
Ross arrived. He was torn between thanking Jess and checking on his son, so Jess and Morris left the Tierneys in the emergency room.
Fernandez was in the foyer, finishing up paperwork at the reception desk.
“Gotting planned to leave Peter to die,” she whispered.
Fernandez nodded. “I suspect so. He was very lucky.”
Jess nodded. “We all were.”
“There’s a ton of things still to do.” He glanced at Morris. “I could go get things sorted out if the Denver branch authorizes it.”
Morris held out his hand. “Consider it authorized.”
They shook hands. Fernandez signed the last piece of paper, wished Jess well, and left.
She sent an email to Stephenson that said, “Peter found, recovering.” He replied immediately saying he was thrilled and that he wanted to hear about it when she had a chance to take it all in. It left her wondering just how long that would be.
An hour later, Ross Tierney came out to find her. “He’s doing pretty well, Jess. Conscious, body temperature rising well, and he wants pizza, so he must be getting back to normal.”
She walked into Peter’s room with Ross. When he stood aside, she moved closer to the bed. Peter reached for her hand and looked into her eyes. Through her own glassy tears she heard the words she had spent her life waiting for.
“Hello, Mom.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
Christmas Day
Colorado Springs, Colorado
The drive from Denver to Colorado Springs took a little over an hour in Jess’s Dodge Charger. The roads were clear, but a thick layer of snow blanketed the fields. Henry talked work all the way. She had the feeling it was going to take a few days of peace and quiet for him to completely switch off.
The Tierney house was decked out with lights. In the garden, an oversized Santa ornament looked very festive covered in white snow about a foot deep.
Jess parked in front of the garage. When they climbed out, Henry massaged his side where the bullet had hit. He was almost totally recovered, but the ride from Denver had his muscles kinked, he said. Carter Pierce had offered a private jet for the trip, but Jess said the pilot should be home with his family today, too.
The trunk was full of presents, all festively wrapped for the gift exchange. A couple of the labels had loosened during the drive. She worked to reattach them as Peter came down the walk from the front door in a T-shirt and no coat, despite the subzero cold. His eyes sparkled, and his blond curls bounced in the breeze, just as Henry said hers did.
Steven. Think of him as Peter if you must, but call him Steven now. She’d reminded herself many times in the past few weeks, but she hadn’t quite managed to make the switch.
Her son would always be Peter to her. But he’d never known himself by any other name. She didn’t want to upset or confuse him any more than the whole situation already had.
He looked fit and strong again, she was pleased to see. The doctors had kept him off football for a week but released him because he’d made a complete physical recovery. He’d been a minor celebrity at school when he returned, but he was quickly putting the whole affair behind him.
Jess had visited Colorado Springs every weekend. She tried not to monopolize his time, but she knew he looked forward to her visits because he could talk her into spending Sundays skiing. In all the years she had searched for him, she never considered what a pushover she’d become.
He gave her a big grin and an equally big hug.
Ross and Henry each carried a load of presents into the house. There were a few remaining.
“Shall I take those?” Peter said.
“Please do,” Jess smiled. He was still very formal around her, but he was softening.
He scooped up the presents. “I’ll put them under the tree,” he said with a huge grin that lit his face with delight. He carried the packages into the house, reading the labels along the way.
Lynette stood at the open front door. “Come on in where it’s warm. We’re all ready.”
Jess gave her a hug and walked inside. The house smelled like gingerbread and pine. Instrumental holiday music wafted from speakers in another room.
Behind Lynette was a red-haired girl with a fresh face and a touch of lipstick on her welcoming smile.
Jess held her arms out. “You must be Michelle.”
“And you’re Jess, of course.” Michelle’s voice was sweet and sincere as they hugged. “I’m just home for the week, then back to college. Everyone’s told me all about you.”
Lynette took the coats and gestured, “Have a seat in the living room.”
The room was filled with enough decorations to fill a retail store display. Lights and Christmas cards filled every flat surface. Peter knelt at the edge of a huge heavily decorated tree, arranging the presents.
“Here’s a little something to warm you up.” Ross brought two coffees with piles of whipped cream from the kitchen. He handed one to Morris and one to Jess.
Lynette offered a knowing smile. “He got one of those milk frothing things for Christmas. I suspect everything will have foam on top from now on.”
Morris took a sip and toasted Ross with his cup. “Beats office coffee any day.”
“Thanks, Ross.” Jess took the cup and looked at Peter. “What gifts did you get?”
He shrugged. “Bunch of things. Just…you know…”
“Show her the headset,” Michelle said.
Peter picked up what looked like a giant pair of sunglasses, but the front was solid black. “Xhead. It’s a virtual reality headset. Tracks where you look. Makes you feel like you’re in a car or a plane or a—”
“Made me fall over,” Lynette grinned.
Jess picked out a small present from the pile she had brought. “Better open this then.”
He peeled back the tape and unfolded the wrapping without tearing the paper. “Cool. A racing simulator.”
“Maybe you’ll be as good at driving as Jess one of these days,” Ross said kindly.
Peter turned it over and read the details on the back. “Oh, wait. It’s for an Xhead.” He frowned at Jess. “You knew?”
She winked. “Can’t keep much secret between parents.”
Michelle laughed. “Oh, yes you can.” She pointed her brother to the presents by the tree. “Give Jess hers.”
He picked up a small box.
Michelle rolled her eyes. “Not the pen.”
“Oh, way to go on the surprise front.”
“You got me a pen?” Jess grinned. Everything about Peter was endearing to her. Even spats with his sister.
Michelle pointed to the presents again. “Give her the other one.”
Peter picked up a present that looked suspiciously like a board game. His cheeks reddened as he sheepishly handed it to Jess.
Lynette sat on the couch beside Jess. She directed Peter to sit on Jess’s other side.
Michelle perched on the arm of the couch.
Jess peeled back the wrapping paper. Inside was a blue photo album with the words “For Mom, with love, Peter” written in neat cursive that she recognized by now.
Her boy had never given her a present before. Jess sniffled and her eyes filled. She took a deep breath and turned to the first page.
A happy, healthy toddler dressed in a one-piece pajama with a tiny rocket applique looked up. He was strapped snuggly into a new car seat. Wispy blond hair curled beguilingly around big eyes and a mischievous smile.
“That was the day we picked him up,” Lynette said proudly. “Wasn’t he gorgeous?”
“The most beautiful little boy ever,” Jess said softly as she ran her finger over the picture, tracing around the edge of Peter’s face.
Emotion welled up and thickened her tongue. She blinked hard, fighting back tears. But her eyes only grew wetter, making it harder to see his bubbly smile. “Exactly as I remembered him.”
Morris leaned over and pushed a box of tissues into her lap. She took one and wiped her eyes. “I bought that outfit. It was what he was wearing…”
“Oh no,” Lynette said, wrapping her arm around Jess as tears welled up in her eyes, too.
Jess lost herself to her emotions. For a moment, the room was silent while the two women regained composure.
Morris put his hand on Jess’s shoulder.
“We thought you’d like it.” Peter’s face crunched into dismay. “We didn’t mean to upset you.”
Jess squeezed his hand. “You didn’t. Not at all. I love it. This might be the best Christmas gift I’ve ever received.”
“We searched through all the pictures we could find,” Michelle said.
Jess flipped on through the book. Lynette pointed out pictures, providing a running commentary on the events surrounding each one. Peter holding Lynette’s hand outside a brick building on his first day of kindergarten. Peter in a ski suit and helmet on tiny skis. Peter with a lunch box, standing by another brick school building.
“The first day of real school,” Lynette smiled. “Didn’t want to hold my hand that day.”
“Mooooooom,” he protested.
Jess laughed.
“Show her the video,” Michelle said.
Lynette flipped to the back of the book and took a memory stick from a little pocket. Peter plugged it into the TV.
Jess didn’t trust herself to speak. She took a deep breath and braced herself.
Excited baby sounds filled the room as Peter walked on the screen holding onto Michelle’s fingers in his tiny fists. The pair playing in the snow. A birthday party with a big number six on the cake in front of Peter. A group of boys playing soccer in a backyard. Scenes from school, including one where Peter played a set of tympani drums in an orchestra on stage at a concert. It was a great piece of music, with lots of applause from the audience afterward.
“You’re really good,” Jess said.
“Dad says I could get to be as good as Stewart Copeland. You know, the drummer from his favorite band, The Police?” Peter glanced at Ross, who smiled. “We’re hoping to go to state finals next year.”
The video ended with a freeze frame of Peter gazing into the camera. Jess turned to look at him. He wore the same expression now. Head slightly tilted and that big, joyful smile.
After a moment, the screen went blank, and Peter put the memory stick back in the book. He closed the book, patted the cover, and handed it back to her.
Her heart almost burst. She wanted to tell him that she had thought about him every day, that she had worried every night when she went to sleep, and that she’d hoped more than anything that he was happy. But she didn’t say any of that.
Because Peter was happy. He’d grown up a normal boy in a loving family. None of what had happened was his fault, and she would never be the one to cause him pain.
She turned to Morris. “You want to tell them?”
He shook his head.
“What?” Lynette’s eyebrows raised.
Jess said, “Fernandez called yesterday. They reunited the last family. Fifty-six children.”
The sheer number was hard to comprehend. That Gotting, Norell, and Belk had managed to keep their scheme hidden for so long was equally difficult to believe.
Lynette clapped her hands together. “That’s marvelous.”
Ross nodded. “Amazing. And the Norells?”
“The trial starts next month.”
“So much heartache they caused. They should never get out of prison,” Ross said.
“They won’t,” Morris replied. “We have a ton of evidence. After we figured out the logistics of the whole scheme, we were able to trace all of the families. Fifty-six cases of kidnapping and extortion will keep them locked up forever.”
“How did they deal with the birth certificates? That’s the part that’s still puzzling me,” Ross said.
“They forged all of the necessary documents, including the birth certificates and all the consent forms. Then they legally amended the forged birth certificates to show the new names of the adoptive parents and children,” Henry explained. “Which means all of the adoptions are illegal.”
Lynette’s eyes widened, and she glanced nervously at her children. “That doesn’t mean the adoptions can be undone, does it?”
“It could in some cases, I guess,” Henry said. “Only lawyers with a solid understanding of the law would have been able to pull this off. It’s going to take a while to get it all figured out.”
Jess remained quiet. She’d consulted with lawyers in Denver. They’d told her that Peter’s adoption was illegal. Since she’d never consented to the adoption, her parental rights remained in
place. She’d spent many sleepless nights during the past few weeks over this issue. Should she take Peter back? Remove him from the only life he’d ever known? The questions gnawed the lining of her stomach raw.
After a moment, Ross noticed his wife’s anxiety and changed the subject. “What’s going on with Anna? Are we all set for next weekend?”
Jess cleared her throat and replied, “We are. She’ll fly in from Florida on Thursday. She’s really excited to meet you all in person.”
Peter nodded enthusiastically. “I can’t wait to meet her. It’s been amazing for me to find out about you. But a half-sister, too? How cool is that?!”
“You sure you can cope with all of us?” Lynette asked. “We booked a hotel room, but still. This is a big crowd for your apartment.”
“It’ll be a squeeze, but we’ll manage for couple days,” Jess said.
“And we’re all going skiing, right?” Peter said.
Jess nodded. “We’ll fly out to Vail on Saturday and stay overnight. It’s all arranged. Carter Pierce insisted on picking up the tab.”
“That’s not necessary, Jess,” Ross said, a little stiffly. “We can pay our own way.”
Henry squeezed Jess’s shoulder and replied quietly, “He wants to do it, Ross. Sometimes the best thing we can do is accept gifts given freely from the heart.”
Ross frowned, but he nodded and said no more.
A buzzer sounded. Lynette rushed off to the kitchen to finish making dinner. Jess followed, glad for the distraction. They cut and peeled vegetables while Peter and Michelle set the table with Christmas china and festive napkins.
Jess overheard Ross and Henry talking in the living room about justice for kidnappers and how the reunited families were coping before they switched to football.
Another hour later the meal was ready. Henry said grace. They passed dishes as they talked. Ross poured glasses of hearty red wine for the adults and sparkling water for Peter and Michelle.
After dinner and cleanup, Ross made more coffee with whipped foam. Everyone filtered into the living room. Jess and Lynette sat on the couch, sipping coffee and flipping through the picture album one more time. Henry fell asleep in front of the television. Michelle took selfies with every new piece of clothing she’d unwrapped. Peter raced his way through the afternoon with his virtual reality headset.