Chapter Forty-Three

Anna slumped with fatigue when Vince stopped the car in front of the Bennett's house. They had both searched hours for Jason. How could a seven-year-old boy disappear from his own home? Where could he hide?

Anna could think of a million places he hadn't hidden. She, Vince, and others had poked into them tonight.

She heard Vince exhale a weary sigh as he walked her into the house. He needed something warm in his stomach before he went to his apartment. She offered coffee and scrambled eggs.

Vince collapsed into the nearest lounge chair. "Well, we know he must be all right. Tommy found his back pack with some cookies and a soft drink."

"Vince, I'm still worried. He wouldn't have left the backpack there unless something frightened him. He wouldn't have left at all unless he was terribly scared."

Anna went straight to the bathroom to clean up. Twigs stuck in her hair from combing the woods near the Dixon home and streaks of dirt decorated her clothes.

This weekend had started so nice. Now it had turned into a nightmare. First that cop Link disappeared, then that Dallas detective Mick Dixon showed up. Worst of all, poor little Jason had run away. What catastrophe could happen next?

Maybe Link had taken his son with him. She doubted that could have happened. She and Vince and the Dixon family had gone over a dozen possibilities, including the possibility that the slimy sheriff held the boy in exchange for his father.

When she came back through, she said, “I almost fainted when Mick Dixon showed up. All the college chancellor needs is to hear about our past and my job will be history. Plus, who knows what Kathy and her family will think?”

“Yeah, when he followed us to the car, I figured he would accuse us of being mixed up in his nephew’s disappearance.”

“He scared me, asking us how we were connected to all this. I mean, Kathy’s father had already told him.”

“He figured we had something else to do with it, though. I hope he’s satisfied we’re innocent bystanders here.”

Anna hugged her arms. “Do you think he’ll tell the Dixons or the press?”

Vince shrugged. “If he were going to say anything to them, I think he would have by now. Supposed to be a good detective, but I never came across him in court. Wouldn’t that have been odd if I had?”

“Kathy said he’s been retired several years. Probably he retired while you were in law school. Either way, there’s nothing we can do about it and I’m too upset about Jason to even worry about anything else right now.”

She headed for the kitchen. Something different on the porch caught her eye. The blanket--it was all bunched up and the pillows had been moved. She walked closer to the sliding glass door and looked in astonishment.

"Vince, here he is!"

Her loud cry and the opening of the door awakened Jason. She rushed to his side and bent over him. "Oh, Jason, honey. We've been so worried."

He leaned into her open arms, bursting into tears. Poor kid must have been near exhaustion with fatigue and worry these past twenty-four hours.

The relief she experienced when she saw Jason staggered her. He was safe. She carried him into the kitchen and closed the door.

When his sobbing quelled, he gulped out, "I was real scared. I didn't know where to go."

She asked, "Why didn't you tell someone--Maggie or your grandparents or aunts?"

"I was afraid no one would believe me." He brushed the tears from his eyes and stood. "I have my dad's note, see? Maggie called the sheriff, but that wasn't right. Dad said to call another man."

Vince held out his hand. "Let's see the note, son. We'll call the man your dad asked you to call."

Anna knew Jason hadn’t met Vince. She smiled at Jason as she brushed the hair from his eyes and her fingers rubbed away his tears.

"This is my brother, Vince. You remember me telling you about him. He's friends with your father."

He searched her face as if for reassurance. She nodded.

“Well...if you say it’s okay, Anna, I guess it is.” Hesitantly, Jason dug the crumpled note from his pocket. He unfolded it and smoothed it onto the kitchen table, then moved a tiny shred to a corner like a puzzle piece. "This tore off, but it has the phone number to call. See?"

Vince patted his head. "You did a good job, Jason. Your dad will be real proud of you."

Jason looked reassured, so Vince continued, "Remember Eddy Wells, the man who works with your father?”

Jason nodded.

“He and I tried to call the DEA last night. There was some sort of electronic failure with the phone system. We left a voice mail but we don't know if this man has our message or not. Now that we have his direct number, why don’t you help me call him?"