CHAPTER 49

I never thought the world had been so wicked.

Martin Luther

“Gone?” Alan stared at Debbie Buffington.

“What do you mean, gone?”

Debbie’s eyes were rimmed with red. “Just what I said. The kid’s gone. He’s disappeared.” She was braiding Wanda’s hair, jerking it this way and that.

Alan strode past her into the room Charley shared with Wanda. His crib was empty. There was no small boy clambering over the railing. He went back to Debbie and shouted at her, “For Christ’s sake, tell me what happened.”

Debbie wrenched at Wanda’s hair, making the little girl cry. “Well, Jesus, I just got back. I had this, you know, doctor’s appointment. I was only gone half an hour. He’s right down the street.”

“You mean you left them alone?”

“Of course I left them alone. They were both sound asleep. Oh, shut up, Wanda.”

Alan couldn’t believe it. “You left two babies alone, all alone?”

Debbie let go of Wanda’s pigtail and began to sob. “You don’t know what it’s like. I had to get out. I just had to get away for a few minutes. This shitty apartment, nothing but kids all day, kids all night.”

“It wasn’t a doctor’s appointment, was it?” said Alan cruelly.

She sobbed and sobbed. His rage subsided. “Well, who could have taken him? Did you see anybody? How did they get in?”

“Oh, I always leave the door unlocked,” sniffled Debbie. “This neighbor downstairs, I knew she’d look in if they really screamed.”

“So you’ve done this before?” There were more sobs. “Well, listen, did the neighbor see anybody? Did she know anything had happened?”

“Oh, shit, she wasn’t home either.”

Alan gasped, and forbore to say, You mean you went out without checking whether or not she was home? “Well, look, have you told Mrs. Barker? Have you called the police?”

Debbie merely shook her head miserably, her eyes brimming with tears.

Alan stopped his furious inquisition. Putting an arm around her, he patted her shoulder. “Well, it’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t cry.”

Debbie responded violently. She threw her skinny arms around his neck and clung to him and kissed him wildly.

Alan took her wrists and thrust her from him. “No, Debbie. No, no.”

She stared at him with streaming eyes, her face patchy from crying. “Asshole,” she hissed. “You goddamned asshole.”