Page 27 of Subtracting the Heart

Jax felt the bottom fall out of his stomach. There had been a rash of holiday-related carjackings in the city, and if Cade had gone to the store to get something for the boys and got caught up in a situation like that? God, he could be…

Chapter Twelve

Ford

Ford froze when he realized his car was in the police impound yard. He immediately called to investigate, giving them his information. “Yes, Mr. Thomas. Your car was used in a burglary earlier this evening. Could you come down to the station to identify your vehicle and answer some questions?” It was a cop.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Who should I ask for?”

“The case has been assigned to Detective Del Torro. Officer Dearborn was the arresting officer but ask for Del Torro. I’ll notify them that you’re on your way.”

Ford hung up the phone and looked at the faces in front of him. “Apparently, my car was stolen and used in a burglary. I have to go to the station and talk to the cops. You guys take care of Jax. Settle him on the sectional so he can keep his leg propped up. Get the pillows from our bed and make him comfortable. I don’t know if that lasagna is edible.”

“It’ll be fine. We just didn’t want to eat without you guys.” Ashton seemed to be the spokesperson for the group.

“Thanks, Ash. Go ahead and eat. Please make sure Jackson eats. He needs to take two more of these in an hour.” Ford handed over the bottle with the extra-strength Tylenol.

“Got it. You’ll call us when you know anything, right?” Ash’s question made him sound far older than his thirteen years.

Ford leaned forward and kissed the boy on the head. “As soon as I know anything.”

He quickly hurried out to the mudroom and pulled on his shoes and coat, grabbing Jax’s keys before he rushed to the garage for the Hummer. He started the massive vehicle and backed out, noticing snow had started falling harder.

Gingerly making his way around the circle drive and down to the street, Ford plugged in the address to the precinct. It was in Boystown, and his stomach was roiled. Parts of the neighborhood weren’t good, and that precinct was right in the middle of a bad part. That made him worry all the more.

After showing his driver’s license and filling out paperwork, Ford was sent to a waiting area in the lobby. He looked at the shitty holiday decorations and thought about how depressed he’d be working in that place. Based on the number of people sitting with him, he could tell the cops were operating on a holiday schedule, much like the train system. He supposed they didn’t have any sympathy for the people waiting in the lobby because they weren’t home with their families either.

“Branford Thomas.” He glanced over to see a handsome Hispanic man standing with a file in his hands.

Ford stood and raised his hand as though he was in the principal’s office as the man approached. “Ah, Mr. Thomas, I’m Detective Antonio Del Torro. I’m sorry to have to bring you out on a night like this, much less Christmas Eve, but we have the suspect in holding, and we need to transport him to the county jail for the weekend.”

“Where’s my boyfriend? He was using my car. Was he carjacked?” Ford dreaded the answer.

“Your boyfriend? Uh, what’s your boyfriend’s name, Mr. Thomas?”

“Kincade Hayes. He’s twenty-three, five-nine or so, dark brown hair, amber eyes.”

The detective flipped a photo to him. “Is this him?”

Ford scanned the photo feeling a sense of relief. There was his handsome boyfriend with swollen eyes holding a numbered plaque under his chin. He appeared so forlorn, Ford’s heart broke. “That’s him. Why do you have him locked up? He haspermission to use my car anytime he wants. He didn’t steal the fucking thing.”

“Sir, calm down. That’s good news. The bad news is Mr. Hayes broke into the Clark Street Shelter. He was caught red-handed hauling out contents from the building and loading them into your car. Officer Dearborn came upon him as he checked the property. Your boyfriend committed a common burglary.”

“No, no. You don’t understand. Cadeworksat Clark Street as a day counselor. Last night the police raided the place and closed it down, saying it was a brothel. They threw out all the boys living there. I’m sure Cade just went back… What did he take?” Ford was getting a much clearer picture of what his sweet boyfriend was doing.

“Um, contents were listed as clothing, blankets, food. He also broke a window to let himself inside.” The detective was holding up his fingers as he enumerated Cade’s transgressions.

“Of course, he did. We have the five young men who were living at the shelter at our home on North Wayne Avenue. They weren’t allowed to get their clothing when the police busted in last night. They didn’t even question anyone. They just threw them all out.

“The food is what Bev, the shelter cook, left for them while she was on vacation. I’m sure Cade was trying to keep it from going to waste, Detective Del Torro. Cade wasn’t stealing anything; he was just collecting the boys’ clothes and not wasting the food. Can I take him home, please?”

The cop looked contrite, but Ford could tell he wasn’t going to budge. “I’m afraid not, Mr. Thomas. Mr. Hayes isn’t the listed owner of the property, and as far as we’re concerned, he broke in and entered the property without the permission of the owner.

“Another possible charge is interfering in a police investigation or even tampering with evidence. The owner is Kenneth Shaw, doing business as Chicago Outreach Shelters.We’ve reached out to Mr. Shaw, but we’ve been unable to speak with him. The receptionist at his gallery told us he’s out of the country. Until we can find someone to corroborate Mr. Hayes’ story regarding his employment at the shelter and authority to enter the premises, he’s a suspect in a burglary. His bond won’t be set until court is back in session on Tuesday.”

“Can I see him, please?” Ford was working hard to control his temper.

The detective sighed. “Are you his lawyer?”

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