B009QTK5QA EBOK (16 page)

“You need to sleep,” Isabel said. “Both of you. We can talk in the morning and figure out what you guys wanna do next.”

They both nodded, the weariness beginning to settle in over both of them.

“Come on,” Isabel said, grabbing the blankets. “We’ll get you both set up in the bedroom.”

Jessica stood and followed her to the bedroom.

Marc was slower to get up and I went over to give him a hand standing up. I steadied him with a hand under his elbow.

“I can make it,” he said. “I can see a little bit with the light in here. Hopefully the swelling will be gone soon. But thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

He took two tentative steps toward the hallway, then stopped. He turned back to me, the ugly purple orbs where his eyes should have been trained on me.

“I can’t promise you anything,” he said. “I’m not sure I can go see him.”

“I understand,” I said. “I hope you can figure it out. He’d like to see you.”

He nodded, then headed to the bedroom to find sleep.

THIRTY-FIVE

The fatigue wouldn’t let me sleep.

I tossed and turned in my bed. Night gave way to dawn and my muscles ached as the adrenaline of the night wore off. But I couldn’t get comfortable and the more I wished I could fall asleep, the more awake I felt.

Being in Laser’s place had set the wheels in my head in motion. Not the good ones. All I could picture was Elizabeth some place similar, feeling like there was no better place, like that was her best option. It physically pained me to think of her in that kind of situation. Those girls walked out of the rooms like zombies and it was impossible not to see Elizabeth’s face in theirs.

I threw back the sheets, irritated that I couldn’t sleep. I pulled on my clothes and boots and walked outside.

The snow had finally stopped and I shaded my eyes against the brilliant white blanket that coated the roads and sidewalks. The snow crystals sparkled like diamonds in the early morning sunlight and it was as if the snow had muted all of the sound in the world, everything having gone silent for the moment.

I took a deep breath, the cold air filling my lungs, biting, constricting.

A door creaked open and I glanced over to see Isabel stepping out of the office. She did the same thing I did, shading her eyes from the bright light. She saw me and trudged over, her boots sinking into the snow as she walked.

“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked.

“How’d you know?”

“I always have trouble sleeping after the really long nights,” she said. “Always.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“When we left you in there last night
…
”

I shook my head. “Nothing happened. I made some threats, made sure they’d be afraid. That was it. Nothing bad.”

She nodded, squinting into the sunlight. “You seemed capable of
…
a lot. In there last night.”

“I didn’t say anything I didn’t mean or wouldn’t have done,” I said. “If they’d put up any resistance, I would’ve hurt them.”

“I believe you,” she said. “I saw it in your eyes.”

“What they were doing to those girls was far worse than anything I could’ve done to them.”

“You could’ve killed them.”

“And if we hadn’t gotten to them last night, some of those girls might’ve wished they were dead,” I said. “I would’ve taken them out to help those girls. Not a hard choice for me.”

She pursed her lips and shrugged. “I guess. Regardless. Thank you. For all that you’ve done.”

“I didn’t do much.”

“You didn’t have to do anything. But you did. So, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So. now what?”

“I need coffee,” I said.

She laughed. “I meant, big picture.”

I sucked in another lungful of cold air. “I’m gonna go see Codaselli. Tell him Marc’s okay. Then I’m waiting for a call from Tim Barron.”

We stood there silent for a moment, listening to the quiet.

“It seems unfair,” she said.

“What does?”

“Life,” she answered. “You find all of these people. You get them home. Or get them safe. But you can’t get the one thing you really want.” She paused. “It’s not fair.”

I swallowed. “It’s not. But there’s nothing I can do about it. Other than keep going.”

“Tim will call,” she said. “As soon as he has something, he’ll call.”

Cars were now crawling down the street, negotiating around the sloppy piles of snow the plows had moved out of the way and shoved to the curb. Their tires hissed and crunched against the icy powder.

“
If
he has something,” I said to Isabel. “And I’m used to ifs turning into nothing.”

THIRTY-SIX

Peter Codaselli crossed his legs at the knees and folded his bony hands together. “My son is alright?”

I’d left Isabel in search of coffee and after I’d found some, I drove over to Codaselli’s building. I was taken to his office immediately and we were in the same seats as before, Anchor at his spot at the conference table.

“He’s a little roughed up, but he’ll be okay.”

“Roughed up?”

“He was trying to protect the girl,” I explained. “He was outnumbered and they went to work on him. But he’ll be fine.”

Codaselli nodded, coughing. He held a fist to his mouth until the spasms subsided. “But he’s not with you.”

“No. He’s not.”

“May I ask why?”

“He’s an adult,” I said. “I can’t force him to go anywhere. If I put him in a car and brought him here, he’d be within his rights to call the authorities.”

Codaselli turned his head, his eyes toward the window. “Right.”

“I encouraged him to come see you.”

“And?”

“And I don’t know what he’ll do.”

He blinked several times. “Did you tell him about
…
my condition?”

“No. That’s not my place.”

“Will you tell me where he is?”

“He’s safe,” I said. “He’s probably asleep at the moment. Needs a shower and some more rest. But he’s safe.”

A thin smile spread across his face. “So, you won’t tell me.”

“I don’t think it’s the best idea.”

“And you know what’s best? For myself and my son?”

Anchor shifted in his chair, his elbow now perched on the table top.

“No, I don’t,” I said. “But I can tell you that I think if you give him some space, he’ll come. I think if you rush him, you’ll make it worse.”

He turned his eyes back to me. “Interesting. And would you do the same if you knew where your daughter was right this second?”

“Different set of circumstances.”

He shrugged his bony shoulders. “Perhaps. Unless I were to die this afternoon and he was still making up his mind. Then it would be slightly tragic, I think.”

He had a point. But I truly thought that having Anchor go pick him up would be a mistake. It would create hostility, more fighting, and he might not get the opportunity to tell his son anything.

“I think you should trust your son,” I said.

“Trust him?”

“To make the right decision,” I said. “He seems bright to me. I explained to him that the deal you two struck was no longer binding. That his debt was paid off. That having him come see you was not about those things. I think if you trust him, he’ll do the right thing.”

He stared at the window again. Anchor was taking a look at his phone, thumbing away at the screen. I sat and waited.

“I won’t wait long,” Codaselli finally said. “I’ll give him a day. Maybe two.”

“And then?”

“And then I’ll come find you if I need to,” he said. “Or, I’ll find those two young men who now work for me. I think they might be a better choice. Perhaps easier to convince than you.”

“Maybe.”

“Nonetheless, I’m grateful that you found him,” he said. “Thank you.”

“Wasn’t just me,” I responded. “But you’re welcome. I’m glad he’s alright.” I paused. “But I have a question.”

He raised an eyebrow, waiting.

“You told Stevie to tell me he had knowledge of my daughter,” I said. “So I’d help.”

Codaselli tilted his head in Anchor’s direction. “John?”

“Yes, sir,” Anchor said. “I did suggest that he use any tactic necessary to engage Mr. Tyler’s services and that was one I thought might work.”

Codaselli looked at me, as if that explained it all.

“Do you?” I asked. “Know anything about her?”

Codaselli again deferred to Anchor.

“I don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “And given that you were able to find Mr. Codaselli’s son, if I had any information, I would share it with you immediately.”

It was my turn to stare out the window. When Stevie told me that he was lying, I’d been angry. But I’d also managed to create in my head the idea that maybe Codaselli and Anchor had learned something that I hadn’t been able to find out about Elizabeth. That, maybe they did have a piece of information that would help.

Another if that had turned into nothing.

I stood. “Okay.”

Codaselli pushed himself out of his chair and Anchor rose at the conference table behind him.

Codaselli studied me for a moment. “You really believe that if I wait, he’ll come?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. I do.”

He stuck his hands on his hips. “I don’t trust many people, Mr. Tyler. But I’m inclined to trust you. I’m irritated that you didn’t bring my son to me, but I also appreciate that you’re looking out for him. That you really believe this is in his best interest.” He paused. “It may not make me happy right at this moment, but I respect that.” He held out his hand. “Thank you.”

We shook hands.

“John will see you out,” he said, sinking back down to his chair and fixing his eyes again on the window.

Anchor nodded at me and we exited the office.

We reached the office lobby.

“Do you mind if I walk out with you?” Anchor asked.

I shook my head and we stepped into the elevator together. He pressed the button for the main floor.

“He doesn’t have many days left,” he said, staring up at the panel of numbers. “He’s in a great deal of pain. He’s trying to ignore it.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

Anchor nodded. “Me, too. In his own way, he’s a good man.”

I didn’t think I was in any position to judge who was good and who was not. That line had been blurred for me for a long time. Just because Peter Codaselli was one thing didn’t mean he couldn’t be another.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. We stepped out into the main area of the building.

“Mr. Codaselli has asked me to tell you that he appreciates your help,” Anchor said. “If you are ever in need in a way that we might be able to repay the favor, please don’t hesitate to contact me.” He handed me a plain white business card with a phone number on it. “And please understand. This offer will stand even in the unfortunate event that Mr. Codaselli passes away. Call me. If I’m able to help, I will.”

I stuck the card in my pocket. “Thank you.”

He adjusted his glasses and held out his hand. “Thank you.”

We shook and then his face took on an odd expression, something I couldn’t read.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

“Not at all,” he said, then nodded at the doors behind me.

I turned to look.

Marc and Jessica were on the other side of the glass doors. She had him by the arm and they were making their way up the walk. The swelling had subsided around Marc’s eyes and I could see that his eyes were brown, like his father’s.

They stood on the other side of the door, unsure as to what to do. They exchanged a few words and then Jessica held the door open for him. They stepped into the foyer, stomping their feet to shake the snow loose.

“Guess you were persuasive,” Anchor said.

Jessica and Marc saw us, hesitated, then came toward us.

“Isabel said we might see you,” Marc said. He looked at Anchor. “Hey, John.”

“It’s good to see you,” John said, smiling. He held out his hand to Jessica. “I’m John.”

Jessica took his hand. “Hi.”

Marc turned to me. “We borrowed Isabel’s car.”

“Good,” I said.

“Is he upstairs? My dad?”

Both Anchor and I nodded.

He looked anxiously at Jessica. She just smiled and nodded at him.

Marc looked at Anchor. “Is it okay if we go up?”

“Of course,” Anchor said.

Marc squinted at me through his swollen eyelids. “I thought about what you said. That’s why I’m here.”

I nodded.

“Thanks,” he said. “Really.”