Page 38 of I Will Find You

“His kid?”

“Yeah, he’s a cop.”

“He brought his kid today?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know?”

“I don’t get it. The warden gets a call one of his correctional officers was nearly killed by a prisoner—and he decides it’s Bring Your Son to Work Day?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Gruff Voice says, “Think we should sound the alarm?”

“For what? We don’t even know if Burroughs is missing. Let’s call your cell block and solitary. See if he’s there first.”

“And if he’s not?”

“Then we sound the alarm.”

There was a short pause. Then Gruff Voice said, “Yeah, all right. Let’s make the call.”

“We can use my phone. It’s next door.”

Adam heard the two men leave. He stood. The closet was suddenly stifling. Adam felt trapped, claustrophobic. He tried the knob. Locked. Of course. His father had locked him in to make it all look good.

Christ, so now what?

Things were unraveling fast. It wouldn’t be long now. They’d make the call. They’d find out there was no David. The alarm would sound. Damn. He tried the knob again, turning it harder. No go.

No choice now.

He had to break down the door. The shoulder wouldn’t work as well. Trying to break a door down with your shoulder only leads to dislocation. With his back pressed against the back of the closet, Adam lifted his foot. He checked to see which way the hinges were facing. If the door opens toward you, there is little chance for success. But that wasn’t the case here. Very few closets open to the inside. Not enough space. Second thing, you always kick to the side where the lock is mounted. That’s the weakest part. Using the back of the closet as leverage, Adam drove his heel hard into the area just below the knob. It took three tries, but eventually the door gave way. Adam blinked into the light and stumbled toward his father’s desk.

He picked up the landline. It took him a few seconds to remember his father’s number—like most people, Adam hadn’t seen a need to memorize it—but it came to him.

Adam dialed and heard the phone ring.

***

When Philip’s car glides to a stop behind a large white truck, a guard comes toward us with a handheld device.

“Just keep your brim down,” Philip says.

The guard circles the car, staring at the device in his hand. He pauses by the trunk before continuing his sweep.

“What is that?” I ask.

“A heartbeat monitor,” Philip replies. “It can actually sense a beating heart through walls.”

“So if anybody is hiding in the back or in the trunk…”

Philip nods. “We find them.”

“Thorough,” I say.

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