WHERE'S MY SON? (11 page)

“To make sure I was
n’t overreacting, I decided to call the attorney who set up Jack's adoption. The number is disconnected.”

Shirley didn't say anything
, her mind was scrambling, and she didn't like where this conversation was heading.

“So I went to the address on the lawyer's card. I
t’s downtown, and there’s a law office, but the name of the office didn't match the card.”

“Maybe they changed the name.”

“I thought the same thing, so I went inside. They've been there nearly twenty years, and no one has ever heard of Zebulin Johnson.” Wade stopped.

Shirley's brain
started trying to find some logical possibilities, but none came to mind, except for the one they were both afraid to say. “What about the name, did it show up in the phone book?”

“I did a search on my laptop and couldn't find a Zebulin Johnson anywhere in the country, as a lawyer or otherwise.”

Shirley sat quiet for a long time. Finally, she suggested the next step. “Maybe you should call the police.”

Wade had
apparently already considered that and ruled it out. “What would I tell them? I couldn't think of an explanation that would make sense. And then they'd likely have a bunch of questions I don't have answers for.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don't know yet, but until I do, not a word to Katie. I don't want her knowing about this until I can figure out how to handle it.”

“You know you can trust me. Let me know if I can help.”

“I will. I needed to talk to someone. Thanks.” He hung up.

Shirley laid the phone down and sat for what
felt like hours, repeatedly running through the possible scenarios in her head. She couldn't get any of them to come to a positive end. She hoped her son-in-law could think of something she hadn't.

Chapter 10

Detective Jason Strong had spent the last several days trying to find a connection between the victims. He wasn't having any luck.

He assumed Mich
ael had lost touch with reality and somehow held all of these people responsible for what had happened to his son.

Never mind there was nothing to suggest that
they even knew each other.

Sam Garner came into the conference room Jason was using as a makeshift office. He was w
aving a stack of papers. “Got something!”

“Really
? What?”

“Phone records
from Stan Turnbull's cell.” Sam handed them to Jason as he continued. “They show several calls were made recently to a number in Texas.”

“Did you get an I.D. on
the number?”

“
Yeah, it belongs to a Benny Carter in Hondo, Texas.”

Jason sat back in his chair and whistled. Sam stared at him.
“You know the name?”

“Yes. He was the torture-murder victim that led me to check out Michael Barton in the first place.”

It was Sam's turn to whistle. “No kidding? And Stan Turnbull was trying to reach him.”

“Yes. That makes the connection between Texas and Missouri
, but it doesn’t tell us why they were in contact.”

Sam was nodding.
“It seems to settle the question of whether or not we're on the right track.”

Jason tossed the phone records on
to the table. “I think so, but it still doesn't give us a next step. What do these people have to do with Michael Barton?”

Sam to
ok off his hat and wiped his brow. “Maybe he thinks they stole his son. You know, some type of conspiracy.”

“It's possible. To Michael it may seem undeniable, and if that's the case, it makes him a very dangerous man.”

If Sam was right, Jason realized he could be on the path to solving the biggest case of his life. The Barton kidnapping still haunted him. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have the answers after all these years.

He also realized Michael may just be a
lunatic, blaming innocent people for his pain, and making victims of people who had nothing to do with it.

*******

It was a few days before Katie allowed them to go to the ice cream truck, partly as punishment, and partly because of her own worries.

Jesse came up behind her.
“Mom, can we have our dollar today?”

“Okay
. First, tell me what the rule on strangers is.”

“Don't talk to anyone
who has never been to our house.” Jack intoned.

It
was the
new
rule. The revision had come from their dad when he found out what had happened. Dad had seemed even more upset than their mother had.

Jack and Jesse got on their bikes and headed down the road.
The ice cream truck was there, and they could see Tommy waiting for them. They rode up and got off, laying their bikes in the grass.

“Hi guys,
haven't seen you two in a few days.”

“We got in trouble
,” Jack explained.

“I figured it was something like that. The usual?”

“Nope. I want an ice cream sandwich, like Jack.”

Jack turned and lo
oked at his brother, then back at Tommy. “Okay. Make it two sandwiches, please.”

Jack paid and the boys said goodbye.
Tommy helped some other kids while the brothers settled on the grass to eat.

Jack
finished first, and got on his bike. “Come on, Jesse. Let's go.”

Jack started for home
, as Jesse seemed to be trying to decide whether to eat the remaining ice cream, or wear it. Wearing it finally won out when Jesse scrambled to catch up to his big brother.

Jack lo
oked over his shoulder and saw Jesse trying to catch up to him. He also saw a truck coming up from behind Jesse, and gaining fast. Before Jack could react, the truck had overtaken Jesse, and clipped his brother’s back tire.

Jesse catapulted into the air, his bike spinning out from under him. The truck sped away, barely missing Jack, as Jesse landed awkwardly on the sidewalk.

Jack screamed, dropped his bike, and ran back to his brother. Jesse's arm lay at a strange angle. Blood was coming from his knee and the back of his head. He wasn't moving.

“Jesse!
Jesse!”

His brother didn't answer.
Jack started to cry. He looked up and saw Tommy running toward him with his cell phone up to his ear. “Jack, go get your mother!”

Jack didn't move.

“Jack! Jack!” Tommy waited until Jack focused on him. “Go get your mother, now!”

Instantly, Jack was running. He r
an faster than he ever had.

Mom can fix it,
she has to
.

He nearly tripped coming through the door.
“Mom! Mom!” He was screaming and crying all at the same time.

His mom was
upstairs putting away laundry and he didn't hear her coming flying down the stairs.

“Jack!
Jack, what is it?”

Jack
, in the kitchen looking for her, came back into the living room when he heard her voice.

Jack
ran at her, and when she went to hug him, he ducked her arms. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come on! Jesse got hit by a truck!”

Katie stopped so suddenly
that she nearly jerked her oldest son off his feet. “What?”

Jack was still pulling at his mother's hand.
“Down the street. Come on, Mom!”

A
siren in the distance seemed to jolt his mother to action. She picked up Jack and ran.

*******

Michael had barely missed Jack in the effort to get away, so he couldn't tell how badly Jesse was hurt. He knew he had clipped his bike, and he had seen the boy fly up in the air.

He was still shaking from nearly hitting Jack.
Tammy would not have liked how close he had come to their son.

He drove several blocks before pulling around the corner and into a parking lot behind an apartment building.
Stepping out of the truck, he wiped the steering wheel down, and strode over to his car.

Heading back to the motel, he cruised past the accident scene.
An ambulance was there, along with two police cars. The officers were talking to the ice cream truck driver, while the ambulance workers loaded a gurney into the back of the vehicle.

The little body on it wasn't moving.
He saw Katie Duncan standing with Jack, and Michael smiled to himself.

“How does it feel?” he said aloud
. “How does it feel?”

As he drove off, Michael decided he deser
ved a nice dinner and a glass of wine. He was in a very good mood.

*******

Katie reached Wade at the office and told him what happened. He was on his way to the hospital before he hung up. She had not given him much detail, but she'd said that Jesse was unconscious when he was loaded into the ambulance. Wade arrived at the hospital, parked as quickly as he could, and dashed for the ER doors.

Out of breath, he came through the doors
to find his mother-in-law walking toward him. He stopped. “How is he?”

“They're doing a CT scan to check for brain damage.
He has a broken arm and they put stitches in his knee. They're mainly worried about the blow to his head when he landed. He has a concussion, but hopefully no worse.”

Wade
was looking past her, down the hall. “Where are Katie and Jack?”

“In the
waiting room. Wade, before we go in there, I have to ask. Is it possible this could be connected to the ‘situation’ we were talking about?”

“What makes you say that?”

“The officer at the scene told me they found the truck that hit Jesse.”

“And?
Did they catch the guy?”

“No, in fact, he said the truck was reported stolen.”

“Stolen?” Wade hadn't considered the possibility that the accident wasn't an accident. The thought chilled him. “I don't know. Right now, I just want to see Katie.”

“
Okay, she's in here.”

They went into the
waiting room where they found Katie, her eyes red from crying, with Jack. He was sitting on the floor in front of her and she was whispering something to him. When she saw Wade, she got up, hugged him, and started to cry all over again.

“Our baby. You should have seen him, it was awful.”

“It's okay, Babe. He's in good hands now.” He looked over at Jack. “Hey Sport, how ya doing?”

Jack got up and came over to his dad.
“It's my fault, Dad. I didn't wait for him.”

Wade picked his son up and held him.
“It's not your fault. It's the fault of the man who hit him.”

Jack was sobbing now.
“But what if he dies?”

Wade put his son down and crouched so that they were eye
to eye. “Jack, look at me. The doctors are going to take good care of your brother. I don't want you thinking things like that, okay?”

Jack nodded.

Wade walked Jack over to a chair, sat him down, and took the seat next to his son. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Jack replayed the events for his father. Wade's heart br
oke when he pictured Jack bending over Jesse, screaming his brother's name.

“Did you recognize the man who drove the truck?”

Jack shook his head. “The policeman asked me the same thing, but it all happened too fast.”

Wade saw the doctor coming into the room.
“Mr. and Mrs. Duncan?”

“Yes?”

“We have the results of the CT scan. It appears you have a very lucky little boy. He has a concussion, but nothing worse.”

At
the same time, Wade, Katie, and Shirley all let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Is he
okay?” It was Jack.

Shirley hugged her grandson.
“Yes, thank the Lord. He's going to be alright.”

It was Jack's turn to smile.
“Can I see him?”

The doctor smiled down at Jack.
“Sure, room two-nineteen. He's still very groggy, but you can go up and see him.”

The doctor
turned to Wade. “We'll need to keep him for a couple days for observation.”

“A couple days?”

“Yes. With young children, and this kind of trauma, we would prefer to watch him for two nights, at least.”

Wade sp
oke for all of them as he shook the doctor’s hand. “Thanks, Doc. Thank you very much!”

*******

Jesse was starting to come around when they got to his room. Hugs from everyone were showered on Jesse and Jack took up a position right next to his brother. Wade smiled down at his youngest son. “So Jess, how ya feeling?”

“
Okay, but my head hurts.” He tried to lift his arm to touch his head and realized that he was using the arm with the cast on it. Jesse looked confused, and his face caused everyone to break into laughter.

Just then
, he acted as if something important had occurred to him. “Am I going to miss Jack's birthday party?”

Even Katie appeared surprised. The next day was Jack's tenth birthday
, and they had a party planned. “Well, I don't know.”

“Can we have it here?”
Jack asked.

I
t only took Wade a minute to decide. “I don't see why not, if the hospital gives the okay.”