AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey,” I say.
Garrison jumps slightly like the sound of me entering startled him and looks over his shoulder at me. He’s standing near the far wall with his back to the door. At first I think he’s looking out the window, but when I get closer I realize he’s staring at various drawings and sketches hung up on the wall.
“What are these?” Iask.
“Every year I run a safety day up at the elementary school for all the kids,” he tells me. “We talk about knowing your address and your parents’ names and phone number, but never telling it to strangers. How to dial 911 if there’s an emergency. What to do if you get lost or if someone you don’t know comes up to you while you’re away from your parents. All those basic things. We have activities and demonstrations and it’s always fun. I look forward to it every year.Last year, one of the teachers had all the kids draw me pictures and write thank you notes for coming to the school to do that for them. They made me happy when I saw them, so I put them up on the wall. I like being able to see them. I have a soft spot forchildren.”
“Do you have any of your own?” Iask.
He hesitates for a brief second, that kind of pause that makes you wish you didn’t ask a question because you can tell there’s an entire answer that exists in that silence. You’ll never hear it because the person you’re talking to will come up with something else they decide to make audible, but you’ll know there was something else first.
“No,” he says. He looks over at me with a tight smile. “I used to say ‘not yet’ when people asked me that, but I think I might be getting toward not being able to say thatanymore.”
I give him an incredulous look. “You’re not even forty. You still have plenty of time if you want children. And if you want them, you should havethem.”
“How about you, Agent Griffin?” he asks.
He has known Sam since well before this, so he knows full well we don’t have children. Which means he’s asking if we want them. I leave the answer in silence.
Instead, I point to one of the sketches on the wall. “This one doesn’t look like a child didit.”
“That’s because I did,” he admits with a laugh. “There was a picnic during the safety day that year and I was just spending some time with the kids. One of the teachers had set up a craft tent and one of the little girls asked me to come with her and do somecoloring.”
“There’s no resisting that,” Isay.
“Absolutely not. So, I went and we drew and colored. A couple of these drawings are actually from that event too. I just put them all up together and figured I needed to put mine up, too, because I was at the event,” hesays.
I laugh. “I think that’s definitely fair.” I glance at my watch. “I’ve got to get outside. Sam is supposed to come pick me up in a few minutes. I just wanted to let you know I’m leaving for the night. I’ll be back tomorrowmorning.”
“Okay. Get home safe. And do me a favor and tell your friend I’msorry.”
“Xavier?” Iask.
“The little weird dude,” he says.
“He’s not weird,” I tell him. “Justdifferent.”
“Alright. The little different dude. Tell him I didn’t mean to be an ass. I didn’t know what happened to him and I was defensive. I deserved him leaving, but I hope he won’t hold it against me,” he says.
I nod. “I’ll tell him. Thanks for saying that. I know it will mean a lot to him. And if it doesn’t, it means a lot tome.”
“If it doesn’t?” heasks.
“It’s Xavier,” I say with a hint of a smile. “He’sdifferent.”
“I’ll see you in the morning,” hesays.
“See you in the morning. I’ll let you know if I’ve heard anything from my cousin. I’m hoping at least tomorrow he’ll get back in touch with me with some information about this place for unwed mothers and what it has to do with who Anthony Pruett thought Mike is,” I say.
“Maybe he fathered a baby and its mother ended up in that place?” he asks.
There’s an almost hopeful note in his voice when he says it, like he thinks this possibility would be the least painful or embarrassing one that could exist.
“The article is from a lot longer ago than he would have been able to father a child,” I point out. “But it’s possible there wasn’t another article available and Anthony just wanted to get the point across toMike.”
“I guess we’ll findout.”
“I guess wewill.”
