Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83244 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83244 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“Go get our house!”
“You’ve got it.”
“Love you!”
“Love you, too.” He eased the door open and said, “I’ll call you when I know something.”
“You better.” I kissed him once more. “Be careful.”
“Always.”
Half an hour later, Anslee and I were in my SUV, packed and on our way to daycare. Drop-off went by in a blur, and before I knew it, I was sitting at my desk, sipping on my cup of coffee. It felt different sitting there without the weight of dread resting on my shoulders. I looked down at Dylan’s file, and a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I picked it up.
It wasn’t all that long ago that I was worried that I might never get him to a place where he felt safe enough to tell me or anyone the truth about what was going on with him. Now, he was safe and sound with his family, getting the counseling and support they all needed.
It wasn’t some fairy tale ending. Those rarely happened for anyone, but Dylan was okay. And sometimes, that was enough. I opened the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet and slid his folder into the section marked Closed Cases. As I closed it, I muttered, “One family down, a hundred more to go.”
I reached for the next file marked James “Jimmy” Carter and flipped it open. I made a note to schedule another follow-up visit with the school. Before I could add it to my planner, there was a knock on my cubicle wall. I glanced up and found Daniel looking down at me.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” He stepped in and sighed. “I was able to track down Jimmy’s mother.”
“And?”
“You were right.” He leaned against the doorframe. “She left because Raymond was an abusive alcoholic.”
“Oh, poor Jimmy… and her, of course.”
“Yeah, the way she described him, he was pretty rough… Like this guy was into some pretty crazy stuff.”
Jimmy’s threats were suddenly making much more sense. Concerned that we needed to make a move sooner rather than later, I told him, “I was going to contact the school this morning, and…”
“About that… I had a message from the counselor at Jimmy’s school.”
“And?”
“He said Jimmy told him it’s been days since he’s seen Raymond.”
“That’s not good.”
It took me a second, but then it hit me.
It had only been a few days since I had shown Brayden’s brothers the pictures I found at Jimmy’s house. I couldn’t help but wonder if they had anything to do with his disappearance. Brayden had told me they had taken care of it, but that’s all I got.
I might’ve been more concerned if Daniel hadn’t said, “Jimmy didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed pretty relieved.”
“I’m sure he is, but he’s still a juvenile. Someone should be watching over him.”
“Exactly, which is why his mother is coming.”
“What do you mean?”
“She wants him. She’s always wanted him, but Raymond wouldn’t allow it.”
“Really?”
“Really. She’s just waiting for us to give her the okay to come pick him up.”
I leaned back in my chair, feeling some of the tension I’d carried for the past few days start to fade. “But we don’t know anything about her.”
“I looked into her.” He flipped open his notebook and turned it toward me. “She rents an apartment downtown. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s better than where he’s living now. And she’s got a steady job at a local diner, and there’s no history of drug use.”
“Any previous visits from us?”
“Nothing that I could find.”
“So, you think she’s okay?”
“I think she loves her son and wants a chance to make things right. I don’t think we can get much better than that.”
“You’re right. It sounds like this could be the best possible outcome for Jimmy and his mom.”
“I think so, too.”
After everything they’d been through, maybe this was a chance for both of them to leave the fear and hurt behind. And Jimmy could stop wondering what version of his father was about to walk through the door, and he could finally be just a regular teenager. Daniel leaned forward and picked up Jimmy’s file from my desk. “I’ll get the paperwork started.”
“Thanks, Daniel.”
“You bet.”
He disappeared down the hallway, leaving me feeling hopeful in a way I didn’t expect. Maybe, just maybe, Dylan wasn’t going to be the only one to get his happy ending today.
21
SMITTY
A WEEK LATER
It was official.
We had a house, and what a house it was. The place was incredible. Prez had given us a hell of a deal on it, and as I stood in the doorway, just staring at everything, I feared that if I blinked, I might find that this was all just a dream.
The place was bigger than I’d thought and even more beautiful. And it made my chest ache in a way it never had before. We didn’t have nearly enough furniture to fill the place, but we were working on it. Honestly, I didn’t mind the emptiness. It felt full of possibilities instead of missing pieces.