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“It’s a precaution.” Ally explained. “In case the person that did this to you tries to do it again.”
Tate searched his mother’s face. She gave him a soft smile. “Nothing will happen to you, Tate. They’re there to keep you safe, and the detectives are here to catch the person that did this to you.”
“Do you remember what happened after you left work?” Ally asked.
Tate picked at the sheet over his legs again. “It’s a blur…”
“What were you doing behind The Desperado?”
“I was walking to my car…about to drive home.”
“The street behind isn’t wide enough for any vehicles,” Josh said. “It’s not a road.”
Tate squeezed his eyes shut. “It’s not a road, but you can cut through the streets until you get to them. I park a few streets away to save money. It’s a residential area, and often packed, but I usually find a space within walking distance.”
“Which street did you park on tonight?” Chad asked.
“Bridge Street. Ten-minute walk. I’d just finished my shift, and I was heading to my car, and then…”
“Then?” Ally pressed.
Tate shook his head.
“Come on, Tate. Talk to us.”
“You wouldn’t believe me.”
Chad shared a glance with Ally. “Try us.”
“I heard someone behind me. Their footsteps.”
“Did you see the person?” Ally asked.
Tate pulled his eyebrows together. He rubbed his folded brow. “You won’t believe—”
“We will.” Chad promised.
Tate lowered his hand back to the bed. “I turned around, and the person following me was wearing a mask.”
“A Halloween mask?”
“No, it was one of those old gas masks with the circular black eyes.”
Eleanor leaned forward. “Like the creepy one grandad kept?”
Tate nodded. “What I remember next doesn’t make any sense,” he huffed, “It’s more of a sensation than a memory.”
“Can you describe it to us?” Ally asked.
“I felt dizzy, the dizziest I’ve ever felt, and sick, and I must’ve shut my eyes because when I opened them again I wasn’t on the street anymore, everything was spinning, and my fingers.” Tate lifted them off the bed. “Were tingling, and my body felt heavy, and my throat hurt.”
He dropped his hand back to the bed. “There was a light, a square light above my head, and I remember the noise.” Tate snatched his oxygen mask and pressed it to his face. He took a deep breath, then dropped it. “Like that. It was coming from the gas mask. The person wearing it was above me.”
“Do you remember what happened next?” Chad asked.
“Another blink, and then I was on the road again.”
Chad edged forward. “This is really important, Tate. Did the person in the mask let you out of the car, or did you escape?”
