Chapter 1 - The Boy in the Street
Chapter 1 - The Boy in the Street
Daniel Mercer saw the boy less than a second before the impact.
One moment, his SUV was rolling past a row of old brick storefronts on West 25th Street. The next, a child came off the sidewalk at a run.
Daniel hit the brake.
The boy swung something hard into the left headlight.
Crack.
Plastic shattered across the pavement.
Daniel's heart slammed against his ribs.
"What the hell?"
He pulled the SUV against the curb and threw open the door.
The boy was still there.
That surprised him more than anything.
He looked eleven, maybe twelve at most. Thin jacket. Worn sneakers. Dark hair falling into his eyes.
Daniel glanced at the broken headlight, then back at him.
"Why did you do that?"
The boy stepped backward, but he did not run.
Daniel moved quickly and positioned himself between the child and traffic.
"Stay out of the street."
The boy's hands were shaking.
His eyes filled with tears.
Daniel was still angry, but the anger had already begun to change. Kids who smashed cars for fun usually laughed, ran, or shouted something stupid.
This boy looked terrified.
"Why did you break my car?" Daniel asked again.
The boy tried to answer.
Nothing came out.
Then he pushed one hand beneath his jacket.
Daniel stiffened.
"Easy."
The boy pulled out a folded photograph.
He placed it in Daniel's hand.
It was old enough that the corners had gone soft.
Daniel looked down.
For a moment, the street seemed to disappear.
He recognized himself first.
He was younger in the picture. Much younger. Less gray in his hair, fewer lines around his eyes.
Beside him stood Laura Bennett.
She was smiling.
In her arms was a newborn baby wrapped in a pale blue blanket.
Daniel stared.
He had not seen that photograph in eleven years.
He had not seen Laura in almost twelve.
The boy swallowed.
"You knew my mom..."
Daniel slowly lifted his eyes.
"What did you say?"
The boy's voice broke.
"Mom told me to find you."
The anger was gone.
Daniel looked at the child's face properly for the first time.
Something about the eyes bothered him.
Not because they were familiar.
Because they were almost familiar.
Daniel looked back at the photograph.
He remembered the day it had been taken.
A charity picnic near Edgewater Park. Laura had shown up unexpectedly with a friend and a newborn she said she was helping care for.
Daniel had been in Cleveland for barely two days between business trips.
They had spoken for less than ten minutes.
Laura had seemed nervous.
He had assumed it was because of the way their relationship had ended.
Now, eleven years later, a frightened boy had just broken his headlight to give him that same photograph.
Daniel's mouth went dry.
"What's your name?"
"Evan."
"Evan what?"
"Bennett."
Daniel felt something tighten in his chest.
He forced himself to stay calm.
"Where's your mother, Evan?"
The boy looked toward the ground.
"Hospital."
Daniel stared at him.
"What happened?"
"Her car crashed."
"Is she awake?"
Evan shook his head.
Daniel looked around the street.
"Who are you here with?"
"No one."
"What do you mean, no one?"
"I left."
"Left where?"
"My uncle's."
Daniel rubbed a hand across his face.
"Which uncle?"
Evan hesitated.
"Ray."
Daniel froze.
There were names that faded with time.
Ray Bennett's had not.
Daniel crouched so he was closer to Evan's height.
"Listen to me. You can't just run around Cleveland by yourself. Especially not into traffic."
"I had to find you."
"You could've been killed."
"I waited outside your office."
Daniel blinked.
"My office?"
"Mom wrote down the address."
Daniel looked at the boy again.
"What else did she give you?"
Evan pointed to the photograph.
"That. Your name. Your license plate."
Daniel turned toward his SUV.
Then back to Evan.
"You knew that was my car?"
Evan nodded.
"You didn't hit the wrong vehicle?"
Another nod.
Daniel nearly laughed from disbelief.
"You broke my headlight on purpose."
"I called to you first."
"I was inside the car."
"You were driving away."
"So you smashed the headlight?"
Tears spilled down Evan's face.
"I didn't know how else to make you stop."
The words hit Daniel harder than the metal object had hit the SUV.
He stood.
"Okay."
Evan wiped his face with his sleeve.
"You're not calling Uncle Ray?"
Daniel looked at the photograph again.
Laura's smile.
The baby.
His younger self standing close beside them.
"First I'm calling the hospital."
Evan looked terrified.
"Don't tell Ray."
Daniel studied him.
"Why?"
The boy's next words were barely audible.
"Mom said if anything happened to her, I had to find you before I called Uncle Ray."
Daniel's stomach turned.
"Why would she say that?"
"I don't know."
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Daniel took out his phone.
For the first time since stepping from the SUV, he forgot about the broken headlight completely.
