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“Dad?”
His dear voice was the sweetest sound she’d ever heard.
“You’re safe now, sport. Thank God.”
Claire saw Jeremy throw his arms around Vic’s neck. They hugged each other so hard, she didn’t know how either of them could breathe. “I knew you’d come, Dad,” Jeremy said. Then he broke down sobbing.
“You’ve been so brave, Jeremy. Do you have any idea how proud I am of you? How much I’ve missed you?”
“I missed you, too. Did you find my magnet? I dropped it in the bucket before the janitor put something over my nose. It smelled awful and I fainted.”
Tears rolled down Claire’s cheeks as she listened.
“Was he waiting for you after class?”
“Yes. Right by the door. He grabbed my arm before I could get away from him and dragged me into the closet before anyone saw him. I screamed but he put a rag in my mouth. I don’t remember anything else until I woke up in that room where you found me.”
“Did that lady take care of you?”
“Yeah. She gave me some drinks and peanut butter sandwiches, and she let me go to the bathroom. But then she would put that scarf around my mouth and tie up my ankles.”
“Are you hurt anywhere? Do you feel sick?”
“No. I just want to go home and see Claire.” Jeremy sobbed again.
“Guess what, sport? She’s driving our car.”
“Claire is?”
“I’m right here, honey,” she said over her shoulder. “I’m so happy your father found you, I could
croak. Should we stop and get you a frosted root beer on the way home?”
“Can we?”
“Of course. This is a celebration!”
Jeremy had grown animated. “I bet Comet has missed me.”
“We’ve taken him for walks, but I can tell he’s been looking for you.”
“Does Nate know what happened?”
“He knows you didn’t make it home from school. And he told us that last week the janitor tried to show you his tattoos.”
“I wish he never worked at my school.”
“I wish he never did either, but now he’s in jail,” Vic said, reassuring his son. “After he’s found guilty in court, he’ll be sent to prison for life, and you’ll never see him again.”
“Good.”
“How did you get so smart to put that magnet in the bucket? If I hadn’t found it, I wouldn’t have known what the janitor did to you.”
“You’ve always said that if I’m ever in trouble, I should leave clues.”
“Well, that was a big one. When I asked Claire if any of your magnets were missing, she looked and told me two were gone. Sabretooth and Wolverine. I didn’t know the two of you had a secret word.”
“Yeah. We like to play spy.”
