Page 7 of His Reluctant Savior

“What about school? Bobby’s mommy is bringing cake to school for his birthday tomorrow.”

When I’d pulled him out of school during lunch, I told the administration there’d been a sudden death in the family, and Owen would be back the following week. God, I hoped I’d have everything wrapped up by then, but I doubted it. The case was too huge.

I squatted in front of my sweet, intelligent son, combing back his reddish-blond bangs from his face. “Tell you what, we can get some cupcakes tomorrow and celebrate together, but you’ll be missing school for a few days, okay?”

I did my best not to show my apprehension, not wanting to make Owen nervous. Kids are highly sensitive and in tune with their parents' emotions.

“Yay!”

“Now, go grab your tablet and headphones. We need to bring those, too.”

After packing my suitcase full of clothes for Owen and myself, I made two separate copies of the evidence on my laptop before removing my hard drive and destroying it. I would dump the hard drive while on the road.

I could literally feel each second tick as I packed some food, water, and Owen’s tablet he’d just brought to me to keep him occupied. Last went my firearms. My Glock 23 went into the holster tucked under my arm, and I stashed my secondary Glock with extra ammo in a gun case Owen couldn’t get into.

I loaded up the car and got Owen buckled up in his car seat.

“Daddy, this is too tight and small. I want my booster.”

“It’s ah… broken. I’ll have to get you another. This will have to do for now.”

If we had to run or drive too fast, the booster wouldn’t hold him as well as his seat with the five-point harness could.

Owen was a good boy. He rarely complained and usually accepted my answers at face value, which was a huge relief and helped me keep my head clear.

I hopped into the car, buckled up, and drove out of my garage. When I pulled out onto the street, I stopped and looked back at the four-bedroom colonial brick home with black shutters that Matt and I had scrimped and saved for. Memories of gardening together, making meals together, planning our family and future, and making love lived in that home. My entire relationship and years of happiness with him were tied to that house.

My eyes watered as I drove off, hoping I’d see it again.

I didn’t drive too far, stopping byWalmartnear Leesburg to buy a couple of pre-paid phones, which I paid for in cash. I’d get more later if I needed them.

Owen and I needed a safe place to stay the night so I could make plans and calls. I cut down South toward Shenandoah National Park, which was a favorite place Matt and I used to love to hike at.

I stopped at a cheap motel off the highway, paying cash for a room to stay in overnight, which allowed me to think freely for a bit.

After unloading the car, I sat Owen at the small table and pulled out hisMcDonald’s Happy Mealto keep him busy as he ate and watched a movie on his tablet.

I paced the room, eating a hamburger and making a mental list of all I had to do. I couldn’t drive my car for much longer, so I would have to ditch it somewhere. Owen also needed a place to stay, because I was not about to haul him with me while I was running and finding ways to get my life back to normal.

A name suddenly popped into my mind. Savannah. She’d been my girlfriend during my freshman year while we attended the University of Virginia before I ever came out as gay. It had been a secret throughout high school. When I finally got the guts to open up, she kind of already knew, but she’d been so cool about it. We remained friends throughout the years, and she even attended my wedding to Matt. But Savannah and I had sort of drifted apart as we had separate lives and families to raise. The last time I’d seen her was at Matt’s funeral three years ago. We kept in touch here and there, but not enough to draw attention to anyone.

The most important thing was that I could trust her.

I used one of my pre-paid phones to call her, hoping she’d answer an unknown number. If not, I would leave a text message.

“Hello?” she answered. “This better not be a damn sales call.”

My heart rate calmed as relief settled deep within me.

“Hi, Savvy.”

“Dalt? Is that you?” she asked, her voice filled with warmth and kindness. “Did you lose your phone?”

“Hey, I’m sorry to bother you, but…”

“What’s wrong? You sound stressed.”

“I… I need help. I’m so damn sorry to be calling you out of the blue, but I’m desperate.”

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