Cage (The K9 Files #27)

Chapter 4

R isa was vibrating with rage by the time she pulled up to her mother’s house. Her mother had done well for herself. Surely because of the multiple husbands she had managed to snare and release, while keeping half of their assets each time. Risa stared up at her mother’s latest house, one that her mother fully planned on keeping but was now caught up in some litigation over the residence with her ex.

Oddly enough Risa had liked most of the men her mother had brought home. But one of the things she had never quite understood was why they all liked her mother. They should have been able to see through her, but they didn’t.

As Risa stormed up the front steps, the door locked right in front of her. She stared in disbelief. “Do you think that’ll stop me from coming inside?” Risa asked in a low tone.

“Sure, it will,” her mother declared. “You think I didn’t see you coming out of that vehicle in a rage? You think I’ll deal with that? Hell no. Take a hike, or I’ll call the cops.”

“You’ll call the cops on me?” Risa asked in disbelief.

“Yes. I refuse to deal with that temper of yours.”

“I don’t have a temper. You’re the one with the temper.”

“Well, it looks to me that right now you’re in a temper,” her mother stated, “and I will not talk to you, not like this. So go away, and you should know that I have my finger on 9-1-1 right now.”

Completely nonplussed, she stared at the peephole toward her mother. “So, you’ll get the locks changed at the same time?”

Silence came from the other side of the door. “Crap, I forgot you had a key.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a key all right, so go ahead.… Let’s bring the cops into this. I’m sure they would love to know all about the lies you told Cage while he was out of the country, fighting for us all, you included.”

“Oh God, is this about him?” she screeched, with a snort. “Grow up. He wouldn’t bring you anything but trouble.”

“And how would you know?”

“It’s not as if he had any money. He had nothing to bring to the table. He was just another broke boy, and those are a dime a dozen.”

“Really?” Risa pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know that’s how you treat the men in your world, but it’s not how I treat the men in mine.”

“Yes, it is.” She laughed loudly at that statement. “You just don’t admit it, which makes you the fool. I at least own who and what I am,” she declared. “You, on the other hand, just like to imagine you’re somebody special. Wake up, girl. You’re not special. You’ve never been special, and you’ll never be special.”

Risa’s jaw dropped as she listened to her mother. Most of the time her mother was at least halfway reasonable, but right now she was on a tirade that didn’t bode well for anybody. “I find it very odd that you would even talk to me that way,” Risa pointed out.

“Because you’re being a fool, and I have no time for fools. If you’ve got something to say, say it, and it damn-well better be nice. Otherwise I’ll kick you out of the family and disown you.”

“Disown me from what? As I understand it, you must be low on money, so you’re going back to court right now because you’ve lied and cheated your way out of another relationship. What the hell will you disown me for?”

“God, you’re so na?ve. That’s not how the world works. You have yet to learn the game.”

“That’s funny because you didn’t tell me how the world works. According to you, I’ve just been watching it from the sidelines, trying to figure it out.”

“Well, you didn’t figure it out, did you?” she snapped. “You’re still sitting there, playing the whining little bitch.” In exasperation, her mother opened the door and let her in. “If you weren’t such a stick in the mud, you would realize that everything I’ve done, I’ve done for you.”

“That’s a load of BS,” Risa declared, as she frowned at her mom.

Her mother rolled her eyes. “Good God, Risa, I don’t see how I possibly could have raised such a na?ve little girl.”

“It’s not that I’m na?ve,” she corrected. “I’m nice.”

“Same diff,” her mother snapped, glaring at her, “and don’t you dare say I’m not nice.”

She frowned at her. “Do you really think you’re a nice person?”

“Of course I am, and I treat my men very well. I don’t need you to tell me what I am and what I do.”

“Oh, you treat them well for a little while, before you divorce them, take everything they have from them and from their families.”

“Oh, pftt ,” her mother argued, making an odd sound. “Don’t even begin to think that way. These men know exactly what they’re getting into, and it’s a bargain. We talk about it ahead of time, and it’s good while it’s good. Then one day it’s not good anymore. That’s the problem with relationships. They’re only good for a little while, and then they’re not good anymore. I don’t intend to end up without any money or anything to show for all the husbands I’ve put up with.”

“Husbands you have put up with?” Risa asked, staring at her.

“God, now you sound like an imbecile, repeating everything I say,” she snapped. “Just forget about it. It is absolutely none of your business.”

That was true in a sense, but something splintered inside her. “So, it was none of my business that Cage attempted to contact me multiple times while he was away, and you didn’t bother letting me know?”

“God, no, I told you before. The man is a loser.”

“Yet you never said anything to him when he was here.”

“Of course not,” she spat. “You were dating him. What would I say? Get lost? I should have. That would have made a whole lot more sense than watching you mope around after he left.”

“Yeah, part of the moping around was because I thought he didn’t care.”

“That is the truth. He didn’t care,” her mother declared, with a wave of her hand. “Surely you don’t believe any of his crap. I knew he wouldn’t stick around for long. If he hadn’t left, I would have said something. No way would I let such a loser get his hands on you.”

Risa wasn’t even sure what she was hearing from her mother right now. “I am absolutely stunned.”

“If you’re stunned, it’s your own fault,” her mother snapped. “I’ve always been this way.”

Her tone was so cross, probably because her daughter was questioning her. “Good God,” Risa muttered. “There’s absolutely no point in even talking to you.”

“No, and if that’s what you came to talk to me about, you can just get lost. I have no intention of apologizing or anything of that nature. He wasn’t good for you, and I definitely didn’t pass on the messages. Did you expect me to hide that? If I thought he would be any good for you, I would have been all over him.”

Risa winced. “ You would have been all over him? For yourself?”

“Well, I would have considered it, damn right. A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do, and there’s nothing wrong with having a nice healthy stud in the bedroom. Lord knows I need it more than you do.”

“Oh God,” Risa muttered.

Her mother laughed. “I don’t need your drama right now. If I’d only known I would end up with a prude for a daughter, maybe I could have fixed you early on.”

“Looks as if we’re both doomed to be disappointed,” Risa declared, staring at her mother. She turned and walked to the front door. “I think I need to go away and just think for a while.”

“Yeah or just go get laid. That will do great things for your psyche.”

“You think so?” she asked. “Somehow the thought of ending up like you stops me from going there.”

“That’s just foolish,” she said, with a chuckle. “If you think I’ll leave you any money to blow, you’re wrong. I fully intend to spend every penny I’ve got.”

“You do that,” Risa agreed. “It’s not as if you’ve ever been very generous with your money up until now anyway.”

“No, but my husbands have been there for you, haven’t they?”

“Have they?” Risa asked, turning to face her.

She snorted. “It’s not as if you needed it anyway.”

Almost defeated at a world that Risa suddenly didn’t recognize, she slowly headed back out to her car. As she got out to where she was parked, she stood and stared back at her mother’s place for a long moment.

How was it even possible that they were related?

She knew her mother was probably wondering the exact same thing right now, and God knows Risa didn’t have any answers for her. They were as opposite as chalk and cheese.

She opened up the driver’s side door, and, as she went to step in, a man hollered at her. She turned to see her ex-stepfather, the latest one in a long line of stepfathers, walking toward her. She smiled at him. “Hey, Graham. How are you doing?”

“I’m doing pretty well. How are you? Every time I ask your mother about you, she doesn’t tell me anything.”

“No, we’ve just determined that it would be best to stay to ourselves at the moment,” she muttered, staring back at the house, where her mom was even now peering out the window. “Are you still talking to her?”

He shrugged. “Well, my lawyers are, and every time I try to find out anything, she’s not exactly supportive.”

“Of course not. I’m pretty sure she’s only out to get everything she can.”

He winced. “I loved her, you know?”

She smiled at him. “That’s what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to go into a marriage with love,” she declared. “I’m not sure either one of us understands who my mother really is.”

“It was that kind of a talk today between you two, huh ?” he asked, looking at Risa worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she muttered. “Once again I’ve realized I don’t understand who she is, and, even the things I thought I knew, I didn’t know at all.”

“Well, give her a bit of a break,” Graham suggested. “She’s never been very secure with money.”

“That’s for sure, though I’ve never really had anything to do with any money that came into the house,” she shared. “I’ve always made my own way, and I don’t know if that was her doing or not, but I guess I owe her for that.”

“When you say that you’ve always made your own way”—Graham paused to look at her—“does that mean you didn’t get the money I set aside for you?”

Risa frowned at him in astonishment. “I don’t even know what money you’re talking about.”

He shook his head. “I set aside money for you, for your future wedding and a down payment for a house.” When her jaw dropped, he winced. “I gather you didn’t get it.”

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t get anything like that.”

“What about student loans?”

“Well, I have them, and I’m paying them off,” she replied. “Why?”

“Because there was money for your education as well.” He turned and looked back up at the house. “Well,… shit’s about to hit the fan. I’m afraid that the battle she’s fighting is about to get a whole lot uglier.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on a minute.” Risa raised her hands. “I really don’t want to be a part of that.”

“No, of course not,” he replied, giving her a gentle smile. “You were always the best thing that came out of that relationship. I’m sorry I didn’t get to spend more time with you.”

“I wish that I had too,” she said. “Just everything always seems so chaotic, you know, with relationships and all.”

He nodded. “And it wasn’t meant to be either,” he noted gently, “and I can see how this has been a bit of a shock. Not to worry. I’ll see what we can do about it.”

“You don’t need to do anything about it,” Risa stated. “I never expected anything from anybody.”

He chuckled. “And that’s one of the reasons I’m more than happy to help out, but the money was given to Eleanor for you.”

“Well, I certainly didn’t see it,” she declared, “and, if you want to check on my student loans, I’m sure there’s a way for your lawyers to do that.”

“You know there might be,” Graham replied contemplatively, “and that was even something that Eleanor signed off on.”

Risa winced. “I really don’t want to get dragged into all that. It would just make everything else worse.”

Graham gave her an awkward hug, then added, “If you ever want to do coffee or dinner or something, I would be more than happy to see you.”

“I would love that,” Risa shared. “Honestly, it’s been such a tumultuous time that I haven’t really had a chance to figure out what happened between you two.”

“I think,” he began, then hesitated and continued, “I suspect it’s the same thing that’s happened every time. Either she got bored or she just wanted more.”

“Ah.” Risa nodded. “I hate to say you’re right, but you probably are.”

He chuckled. “I thought I understood who I was marrying, but I guess I didn’t.”

“I don’t think anybody ever really understands my mother, including me,” she shared, as she glanced back. “I just found out that somebody I cared about and encouraged to go into the military because it was something that he really needed to do for himself, called home several times to talk to me. She not only didn’t pass on the messages, but I suspect she even went so far as to give him an earful. And she’s never missed an opportunity to tell me what an awful loser he was and that I was better off to be rid of him. It’s as if she was playing a game.”

“I can see her doing just that,” Graham muttered. “What did she say to him?”

“He’s not letting on exactly all these years later. I thought that he didn’t care, only to find out that he was steered off by her.” She gave Graham a sad smile. “I just found out today that she had decided he wasn’t good enough for me, and, because he didn’t have money, he wasn’t the person she wanted in my life. He’s the only man I’ve ever loved too. I was devastated when I didn’t hear from him.”

“Oh no.” Graham stared at Risa in horror. “That’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not fair,” she agreed. “I’m still feeling numb from the shock of it, though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, and it just makes me mad at myself.”

“I am sorry to hear what she did. Remember though, your mother is damaged.”

“I’m sure she is,” Risa replied in fascination, as she stared at him, “and you appear to have come to terms with it.”

“No, I really haven’t,” he noted, shaking his head. “I have an awful lot of life still to come, but at one time I was prepared to do all kinds of things to make her life easier. Now I’m not interested.”

Risa smiled and nodded. “No, of course not, and it’s hard enough when you’ve been treated so badly. It’s unforgiveable, really.”

He handed her a business card and added, “You know where my office is. You’ve been there lots and are welcome anytime. Please don’t be a stranger.”

“Thank you,” she said, with a wave and a smile.

As she got back into her car, her mother called her. Risa looked down at the number and shook her head, put her cell on Silent and drove away. The last thing she needed was to be interrogated by her mother over what her ex-husband had just told Risa.

Now she had to deal with the fact that Eleanor had taken money intended for Risa’s own education and had squirreled it away for herself. When you talk about somebody having money issues, that’s one thing, but when you talk about somebody having money issues and stealing from their own child, that was a whole different story.

Whatever was between Graham and Eleanor, they could sort it out on their own, and Risa wouldn’t become a pawn, not after what her mother did to Cage.

Cage made several phone calls to set up the appointment to meet with Brian. Then Cage had to wait until after school was out. So, as he approached the foster home where Brian resided, Cage surveyed the neighborhood with a jaundiced eye. It was nice enough, but it felt almost too perfect. The house was too clean, with one of those spotless driveways, as if they cleaned, washed, and hosed it down daily, and in a way that was getting to him.

It wasn’t fair, and it certainly was a quick judgment, but Cage couldn’t stop from thinking this house was just an act, just a front, a facade. Maybe he was wrong, but there was no way to know that yet. As he walked up to the front door, he was greeted by a woman in full makeup and dressed to the nines. He introduced himself, but she remained silent. He hesitated, then asked, “I’m sorry. Are you on your way out?”

She frowned at him. “No. Is there a problem?”

He smiled and nodded, realizing he needed to get a grip on his attitude. “On no, thank you for seeing me.”

She inclined her head gracefully and said, “I still don’t quite understand what this is all about though.”

He nodded, having told her in detail just a couple of hours ago. “Is Brian here?”

She hesitated and then replied, “Not yet, but he will be momentarily. My husband, Jameson, and I will sit in on the conversation.” When Cage studied her steadily, she flushed. “I think it’s only appropriate. We don’t know who you are, and we don’t know anything about what you’re here for.”

“As I mentioned in my earlier phone call, I’m here regarding his dog,” he repeated carefully. “Surely that’s not taboo.”

“Well, of course it’s not taboo,” she huffed, staring at him intently, “but we don’t want him upset.”

“You mean, more upset than he already is?”

“Of course it’s a terrible situation,” she declared in exasperation.

“How long has he lived in your care?”

“It’s been close to a month now,” she replied.

“How is it working out?”

She stiffened and glared at him. “Are you from Child Services?”

“No, I’m not, but I will be headed there after this.”

“Why?” she asked, frowning at him.

“Because it’s part of my investigation, that’s why.” It was hard to keep the exasperation out of his tone. It was also hard to keep the judgment and the dislike out as well. He didn’t know this person, and he really had no reason to dislike her, but just something about her mannerisms already had his teeth on edge.

She motioned to another room and said, “You can sit in the drawing room. I’ll go make tea. Brian should be home anytime, and so will my husband,” she added, with a stern look in his direction.

He nodded. “That’s fine.”

At that, she seemed to relax somewhat and headed into the other room.

Cage was pretty sure that, if he moved, even the slightest, she would have been there in a heartbeat. Again he felt this total sense of wrongness, of being in a very strange space that he didn’t recognize as any home for a boy who lost his parents and his dog.

When a knock came on the door, it opened a few minutes later. Cage heard somebody talking in the other room. Brian was home. How many children moved so quietly and knocked when they got home? That thought alone unnerved him, and he frowned at that.

When the woman—her name was Dorothy—arrived a little bit later, she announced, “Brian is home now, but my husband is delayed.” Cage nodded and waited. She hesitated, standing there, cracking her knuckles.

“I just want to talk to him about his dog,” he repeated yet again. “You’re more than welcome to sit in.”

And, with a sense of relief on her face, she nodded. “I’ll go get him.”

When the boy rolled in a few minutes later, Cage noticed how comfortable he was in the wheelchair, and yet how tired he looked. “Hello, Brian,” he greeted him, standing up and walking closer, holding out his hand. “I’m Cage.” Brian shook his hand, staring up at him mutely. “Nice set of wheels,” Cage added. The boy looked down at the wheelchair and shrugged, still stoic and silent. “My brother has a similar model, but he’s got racing stripes down the sides.”

The little boy’s face lit up with some interest, but then it dove back down again fairly quickly. “Mrs. Mickey said you wanted to talk to me,” he finally said, glancing over at her.

She nodded. “Yes, and, if you don’t want to talk to him, that’s fine too, and I’ll ask him to leave.”

Brian just shrugged.

It was almost as if everything was too much effort, or he just didn’t care enough about anything, including being questioned. Cage’s heart sank as he realized just how much the boy was struggling with his life right now. “I understand that you had a dog you cared about a lot.”

His face beamed. “Scotty,” he exclaimed. “I used to call him Scotty, after Star Trek ,” he muttered, and then his smile fell. He looked at Cage and asked, “Did you find him?”

“I haven’t found him, but I am looking for him,” he shared.

The little boy’s eyes widened. “Are you? Because everybody I talked to told me that they hadn’t seen him.”

“I heard that too,” Cage confirmed, “but he’s a War Dog, which I’m sure you already know.”

Brian nodded proudly. “My parents were really happy when we got him, and super happy we were such great buds.” He beamed. “I really loved him.” At that, his face twisted up with tears.

Dorothy barreled over quickly. “No baby tears. We don’t cry in this house.”

Brian took several shuddering sobs and looked down at the floor, as he worked to control himself. Finally he took a deep breath and looked back at Cage. “I would really appreciate it if you could let me know if he’s okay,” he stated formally.

Cage glanced back at Mrs. Mickey. “I don’t know if you understand how close Brian and Scotty were.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she stated. “It’s a dog, and we don’t have room here for a dog, not in this house.”

Again the boy’s face churned with emotion, and, for Cage, it was heartbreaking. “So that is your decision?” he asked, not expecting any answer. Cage looked to Brian. “You ever play any basketball?”

“Well, of course he hasn’t,” Dorothy interrupted, with a hard glare in his direction. “I mean, he’s in a wheelchair obviously.”

“I can see that, ma’am, but my brother is also in a wheelchair, and he plays a crazy game of basketball. He’s played for some time and, in fact, is away at a basketball try-out camp right now.”

Brian’s face lit up. “Is it really possible to do that?” he asked, looking at his chair and then looking around.

“It absolutely is possible,” Cage declared, “and, for somebody in a wheelchair, I’m sure there are all kinds of extra funding available to get you into something like that.”

Immediately Dorothy glared at him. “That won’t be necessary. We will look after him just fine.”

Cage turned to face her. “So, of course you’re doing adaptive training for Brian, with extra physical work to keep his upper body in line with everything else he’s going through? And you’re making sure he’s in sports that are particularly suited for a wheelchair, correct?” She stiffened and grimaced now. Undeterred, Cage added, “I’m just checking in to confirm he’s getting everything that he needs.”

She threw her hair back. “This is a trial period for all of us to see if it’ll work out,” she declared. “No one has made a decision on how that’ll be, but you can bet that we do not have time or interest in having him go into sports only to be disappointed.”

“Disappointed how?” Cage asked, staring at her.

“It’s not as if he’ll get very far, will he? He’s handicapped,” she stated with emphasis, “and adjustments must be made.”

Cage stared at her for a long moment. “Brian certainly has challenges, but, given the right support, he can explore all kinds of opportunities and can find out more about what he is interested in pursuing. A smart, strong boy like Brian can excel in whatever he sets his mind to.”

She glared at him. “I think it’s time you left.”

“Almost,” he said casually. He looked back down at Brian. “Do you have any idea what happened to Scotty or when you last saw Scotty?”

He shrugged. “I was at home when they came to tell me about my parents,” he began, his voice thickening. “I didn’t even get a chance to pack my bags or anything. I was carted off without having any say in any of it,” he murmured. “I kept calling for Scotty, but they kept saying that I couldn’t take him where I was going and that he would be fine. They told me that somebody would look after him, but, every time I asked about him, nobody told me anything.”

“And was it Child Services that took you away?”

Brian nodded. “They’d heard about the accident and came to pick me up,” he replied, his bottom lip trembling.

“Where did you go from there?”

He shrugged. “To a place where other kids in wheelchairs were, but I didn’t like it.”

“Of course not,” Dorothy stated. “It was an awful place. This is a much better home for him.”

Brian looked as if he wanted to say something to that but clearly wasn’t free to do so.

“Do you get to go out and to do all kinds of events here? Do you have friends to socialize with? Are you in a regular school?”

Brian nodded. “I’m in a regular school, and I have a school bus that takes me back and forth,” he replied, red in his face. “But I do miss my friends, and I miss the people where I used to live. They all knew me, and it felt…” He hesitated, quickly glanced over at Dorothy. “Well, it felt like home.”

“Of course it did, dear,” Dorothy said. “That’s what home is supposed to feel like.”

Brian just nodded and didn’t say anything more, but it’s obvious that, for him, his world had changed in ways that he had no idea how to fix.

“I’m sorry,” Cage told Brian. “That’s a lot to deal with. Are you okay if I come back and talk to you again?”

His face lit up. “Yes, please, particularly if you can find out something about Scotty.”

“That may take some time, but I needed to have some idea of where you last saw him. Then we could put some ideas together as to what happened to him. But I will definitely follow up and get answers one way or another.”

At that, Brian’s face fell. “Do you think he’s dead?”

“No, I don’t think he’s dead at all,” Cage declared, with a smile. “But that doesn’t mean life is always sunshine and roses, or that we get the answers that we want,” he added.

“No, we don’t,” Brian muttered. “I’ve already learned that. I wish more than anything that my parents could come home, but I guess that can’t happen now.”

“No, I’m sorry, Brian,” Cage replied, “but that doesn’t mean that life won’t go on or that you can’t carve yourself out a rewarding future still. I know it’s hard to see that sometimes, particularly now,” he explained gently, “but there are bigger and brighter days ahead for you.”

The boy just nodded, but he didn’t believe it, glancing back at the woman who was assigned to look after him.

Not everybody was prepared to deal with somebody in a wheelchair, and Cage hated to say it, but this woman acted as if this trial probably wouldn’t end well.

Cage handed Brian a card and said, “Hang on to that, and, if you ever need me or need anything, you just give me a shout.”

Brian looked over at Dorothy, who was staring at him, frowning.

“Obviously he won’t need anything,” she declared, “and you shouldn’t be doing things like that with a child.”

“If you say so,” Cage quipped, putting a smile on his face. He stood up, smiled down at Brian, and knowing full well that life would send him more difficult events, Cage whispered, “Remember what I said.” As he walked to the front door, he added, “I’ll follow up on Scotty, honest. As soon as I find out something, I’ll let you know.”

Brian’s face lit up again.

“It doesn’t matter either way,” Dorothy snapped. “He won’t be allowed to have the dog, so it won’t matter.”

Cage stared directly at Dorothy. “I think everybody wants to know that their best friend when they were a child is now safe in some other place. It will probably help Brian adapt to being here a whole lot easier, if he knows that Scotty is safe.”

Immediately Brian nodded. “I really want to know that Scotty’s okay,” he whispered.

Cage could hear the worry in his tone and the pain in his heart. He smiled at the boy, then nodded. “I’ll let you know.” And, with that, he let himself out. Without looking back, he headed to his vehicle. Only when he got into his vehicle and was out of sight did he realize how hard he was struggling to hold back the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks and the sobs choking his throat.

This wouldn’t be easy. Brian was a fish out of water in that home, and that woman, for all her God-saving spirit and righteousness, simply was not a good fit for that boy. If they had no intention of showing Brian what a full life in a wheelchair could be like, he would stagnate and would never begin to access his full potential, not until he had a chance to leave that smothering atmosphere in that home.

Even then, a positive mind-set was so important when it came to adapting to and accepting his injury. Even though Cage didn’t know what all Brian’s disability required to give him a full life, Cage knew Brian needed someone who would help him far more than that Dorothy woman ever could.

Brian was in a wheelchair, and that wheelchair was an extension of himself. It was hard enough for the boy to have lived through everything he had endured so far, and, while he certainly wasn’t alone in being dealt hardship after hardship, there also had to be good things in Brian’s life, and it would be hard to find them in a house like that.