Chapter 16 #2
“I think we’ll have to,” Captain Robards said as he stepped back, looking upward.
“Let’s drive around the back and check out the house from the alley side.
” They returned to the car and drove around, but the house was totally quiet, with no activity inside or in the yard.
“You follow up tomorrow and keep trying to catch him at home. If we have to, we’ll stake the place out.
In the meantime, I’ll work on the warrant, and we’ll go in once we have it.
” He turned around. “Where’s the dog? I just noticed he isn’t here. ”
“At the park. I was having a picnic with my boyfriend and his foster son.”
Captain Robards nodded. “Yes. I heard that the man who helped us find those boys had taken one of them in. And you’re dating?” He seemed curious, and as Grant started the engine, he knew that Captain Robards had a number of questions, but was probably thinking twice before asking.
Grant figured he’d put him out of his wondering.
“He’s a smart guy, and I really like him and Cameron.
They make me happy. Anyway, Cameron has become attached to Dexter, and I think he’s good for him.
When we aren’t working, Dexter has a chance to be a real dog and play.
When I got the call, I didn’t think he would be needed. ”
The captain nodded. “I get it. Children work their way into your heart, and you’ll do just about anything for them.
It was how it was with my kids. As soon as I held then in my arms after they were born, they had me wrapped around their little finger.
Both of them. But,” he added as they headed back to the station, “Dexter is a police dog, and he’s important to the department. ”
“I’m well aware of that. But he is a dog as well.” Things had suddenly grown serious, and he was wondering if he was going to be reprimanded.
“I know it was your time off. Go be with them and follow up on Gunderson tomorrow. By then I should have the warrant.” Grant dropped the captain at the station and called Marty as he pulled away.
“Are you still at the park?” Grant asked when he answered.
“Yes. The kids are having a ball. The adults are sitting around getting toasty.” It was pretty clear that Marty had been imbibing. “We’ll be here for about another hour or so.”
“Then I’m going to get a little rest.”
“Go to my place if you want. You know where the spare key is. We’ll be home pretty soon.”
For some reason, Grant always slept better at Marty’s. When he was home alone, he spent a lot of time thinking and wondering about Marty and what he was doing. He had also come to see just how much time he spent alone.
At Marty’s, he let himself in and lay down on the sofa.
The house was quiet, but so familiar. The warm scent of whatever Marty had cooked last just hung in the air, and the cushions smelled a little like him.
Grant kicked off his shoes and rested his head on one of the sofa pillows. Then he closed his eyes.
The next thing he knew, Marty was gently kissing him awake. When he opened his eyes, Cameron stood next to Marty. “Is he sleeping?”
Grant sat up and grabbed Cameron, tickling him to peals of giggles. “Yes, I was sleeping,” he fake-growled and tickled him again. “Did you have fun at the park?” He set Cameron down.
“April and I played with all the other kids. It was fun, and the bad man wasn’t there at all.
” He ran to the bag of Legos and whoosh, they tumbled all over the floor.
Cameron sat down and began building while Grant got up and followed Marty into the kitchen to help him put things from the picnic away.
“It was a lot of fun. It would have been more if you hadn’t had to go.” Marty kept his back to him as he put the dishes in the sink.
“It’s my job and its important,” Grant said.
“I know. And so does Cameron.” He returned to the picnic basket and threw away the bits of trash before setting it aside.
“It just would have been more fun with you. But what you’re doing is helping everyone.
I miss you sometimes when you’re working, though.
” He leaned with his back to the counter.
“It would be nice if you had a normal job like most people, but then we never would have met.”
“I suppose.”
“Who would have thought that the scene of a kidnapping would be our meet-cute. Or that a second one would result in a family.” Marty sighed. “Don’t mind me. I think I’ve had too much to drink, and it always makes me maudlin.”
“But I don’t want you to be unhappy.”
Marty grinned. “I’m not, and you aren’t.
Everything is just fine. You have to do your job, and I’m proud of what you’re doing.
I do wish that you could have stayed. But I get it, I really do.
” Just then Marty’s phone chimed with a message.
“Sorry, but it’s my turn to get called away.
I shouldn’t be too long.” Marty kissed him and hurried to his office as he made a phone call.
Grant returned to the living room and sat down, watching Cameron as he played.
“You make something,” Cameron told him, so Grant joined Cameron on the floor.
“What do you want me to make?” he asked.
“A rocket,” Cameron told him.
Grant chuckled and did his best to build one, but his rocket looked more like a really tall, skinny house. Still, Cameron seemed pleased enough with it.
“Where’s…?” Cameron stopped and looked at the closed office door. He bit his lower lip and then went back to playing. “You’re a policeman, so you always tell the truth.”
“I try.”
Cameron looked so serious. “Do you think my real mommy and daddy would be mad with me if I called Mr. Marty Daddy? Because that’s what I want, and maybe if he’s Daddy, then he’ll keep me and not send me back to the home.”
Grant tugged Cameron onto his lap. “First thing, Marty is not going to send you back. He loves you and wants you to stay here forever, for always. I know that because he told me. And your real mommy and daddy loved you too, and they want you to be happy. I like to think of them as being with the angels, and they’re watching over you.
So if you want to call Marty Daddy, then that’s okay.
” Grant paused and looked into Cameron’s big blue eyes.
“But you don’t have to do that until you’re ready.
It isn’t going to make a difference to how Marty or I feel about you.
Okay?” The fact that a six-year-old was thinking that far ahead was both inspiring and indicative of how smart Cameron was, and frightening, because no child should have to worry about things like that.
“Really?” Cameron asked. He always seemed to need that kind of reassurance when something good was going to happen, like he wouldn’t let himself believe it.
“Yes. Really. So you can just be you. Your mommy and daddy are watching you from heaven, and they are happy.”
“How do you know?” he asked. “Can you see them?”
“No. I can’t see them, but I know they are. They see you here with Marty and with me and they hear you laughing, and that makes them happy.”
Cameron’s expression clouded. “What about the bad man? Does he know what Mommy and Daddy want too?”
There were times when this kid put things together in a way that blew his mind.
“No. He doesn’t because he’s bad. Your mommy and daddy only let good people in, because they want you to be happy.” He tickled Cameron again and got him to giggle like crazy. Hopefully he could forget about the bad man for a while.
“What are you talking about with all the giggles?” Marty asked as he joined them.
“My angel mommy and daddy,” Cameron said and giggled a little more. “I’m hungry.”
“But you just had cake and ice cream and cookies and lots of other stuff. Aren’t you full up to here?” He put his hand by Cameron’s nose.
“Nope. I’m only full to here,” he countered and pushed Marty’s hand lower.
“Okay. I’ll get you some crackers and cheese.” Marty left the room and came back with a piece of string cheese and a few crackers on a paper towel. Cameron ate them and went back to his Legos.
“So, how did things go?” Marty asked.
Grant lowered his voice. “Other than the person we’re after being dead for the last two years?
” He rolled his eyes. “Carter is looking into it to see what could have happened. We might have an imposter, or someone who faked their own demise. We aren’t quite sure yet.
But we do have a face, and I suspect that once we’ve figured this out, we will be releasing it to the media.
If this man has managed to fake his own death or has taken someone else’s identity, then he’s going to be quite good at hiding. ”
“I’d agree with that.” Marty leaned against him and after about thirty seconds began to laugh. “I keep thinking of the shock, to find out you’ve been chasing a dead guy.”
Grant growled.
“Oh, come on. This is funny. You’ve been chasing a ghost.”
“Where’s the ghost?” Cameron ran over and climbed between them. “I don’t want no ghosties to get me.”
“There’s no ghost. I was just teasing Grant.” Who snarled at him playfully and then made ghost noises before tickling Cameron again.
“Yeah, he was just playing. There aren’t any ghosts, so you don’t have to worry.” He hugged Cameron to him. “Now go back and play for a while, because I suspect that after dinner, you’ll need to get ready for bed because you have to go to school tomorrow.”
“Do I have to?” Cameron whined.
“Yes. This is the last week of school, and then you’ll be out all summer,” Marty told him. “So you need to go to bed and get up for school. Thursday is your last day, so I think the next day that Grant has off, we’ll find something fun for all of us to do. That is, if he wants to.”
“Please, Officer Grant,” Cameron said.
“I don’t even know what you hooligans have in mind. But my next day off is Friday. So you two think of what you’d like to do for fun. Maybe we could go to Hershey Park for the day.”
Cameron jumped to his feet, doing his little butt-wiggling happy dance. “I’m gonna eat some chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate,” he sang over and over.
“Okay, you little chocolate monster. I’m going to get some taquitos for dinner, and then you need to go upstairs and have a bath before bed. Then I’ll read you a story.”
“What about Dexter? Can he sleep in my room?”
“Dexter and I have to go home in a little while. I need to be at the station really early, and I don’t want to wake up all of you when I go. But I’ll bring Dexter in so he can say good night to you. Okay?”
Cameron sighed as though the world just wasn’t fair.