Page 19 of For the Love of a Boy

Chapter Six

Malcolm clutched the steering wheel of his SUV in an iron grip as he drove to Nate’s office. Two detectives—one from Boise and one from Twin Falls—would be waiting there to get more information about Seth’s former church and the conversion camp he’d escaped from. He’d received a call the day before from Nate, advising him the officers wanted to speak with Seth and that they’d requested Malcolm’s contact info.

Malcolm still wasn’t keen on having Seth get involved, to maybe have to testify and face his father or any of the other church members. The thought of that alone almost gave him a panic attack. Seth’s reaction hadn’t been much better. Nate had cautioned Malcolm that the investigators would insist on Seth’s involvement and that his statement would be the best chance they had at stopping those monsters.

He knew Nate was right. That didn’t mean he had to like it.

However, he had insisted on two conditions. He didn’t want the detectives at the house—that was Seth’s sanctuary. And for the first interview, he would meet with them alone. Malcolm needed to get a feel for what they already knew and how much Seth would likely have to be involved. If necessary, he would arrange for Dr. Clay to be available to do a phone session. Nate had been kind enough to offer up the conference room at his firm for them to use.

Malcolm turned into the lot of Nate’s law practice. His office was located in a quieter area of Eugene, and not on a main thoroughfare. As soon as Malcolm shut off the engine, he texted Seth that he’d arrived. He’d promised to stay in regular contact all day, with updates whenever he had any.

Because the discovery that he’d have to speak against the church had left Seth quite rattled, before leaving the house Malcolm had left a list of specific tasks he expected to be completed before he returned. Seth had to do one assignment in his online math block that counted toward his GED, launder all the towels and sheets and chop up the vegetables for the stir fry Malcolm would be making for dinner.

He waited for Seth to acknowledge his text, smiling when he received a message back right away. He wrote he was doing fine and couldn’t wait to have Malcolm’s stir fry. Malcolm could tell how brave his boy was trying to be.

After locking up his vehicle, Malcolm crossed the short distance of the lot to the front of the two-story building. Nate’s firm wasn’t large, but his friend had built up a solid practice over the years. He yanked open one of the heavy dark wood panels, then approached reception.

“Hi Mr. Nash. Nate said to tell you he’d be waiting for you in the conference room.”

“Hi Lucy.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Are those detectives here yet?”

She smirked. “Yes. They showed up almost thirty minutes ago. I guess they flew in to PDX and weren’t sure how long it would take to drive down here.”

Malcolm surveyed the room but didn’t see anyone he thought might be the investigators. “Did they take off, or…?”

Lucy shook her head. “No. Nate’s been playing charming host. He led them straight to the conference room where he’s plying them with all the snacks and drinks he ordered from the deli this morning. He’s holding court right now.”

Malcolm chuckled. “Too bad he’s not plying them with booze. I guess I’ll go take them off his hands.”

She smiled. “You know where the conference room’s located, right?”

He nodded. “I’ve got it. Thanks.”

Malcolm made his way down a long hall at the right of the reception area that was located in the middle of the rectangular structure. A set of stairs with a landing halfway up and a single elevator were located directly behind Lucy’s large desk. When Malcolm reached the end of the hall where the conference room was located, he rapped his knuckles on the door before entering.

“Ah! There he is. The guest of honor.”

Nate jumped to his feet from where he’d been reclining at the far end of the conference table. Two men who’d been seated to his right also rose. The man closest to Nate appeared to be in his fifties. He had almost solid gray, closely cropped hair, and was of a medium build and height. His partner was on the shorter side with dark hair and eyes and was closer to Malcolm in age.

“Hello.” Malcolm wasn’t accustomed to being nervous. Nate’s suggestion they meet at his firm had been heartily welcomed by him. The familiar territory helped. “Sorry you had to wait.”

The gray-haired man spoke, gesturing for Malcolm to sit to Nate’s left as they all took their seats again. “Nate’s been keeping us entertained. And anyway, we were early.”

Malcolm darted his gaze to Nate, hoping he was projecting a silent thanks. He also hoped Nate planned on sticking around. He might not be prone to nerves, but he was so wound up on Seth’s behalf, he could use the support of his friend.

Malcolm gave them a tight smile and a nod. “Well, as I’m sure you realize, I’m Malcolm Nash, Seth’s partner.”

He took a deep breath, determined to remember the men were there to help, that they could be the ones who struck down Seth’s father and the church. They weren’t the enemy. However, if they pressured Seth and upset him, then he might need to reassess his opinion.

The gray-haired man nodded. “Nice to meet you. I’m Detective Garrett Smith, and this is my colleague from Twin Falls, Detective Arthur Lopez.”

They completed the social ritual of acknowledging each other and shaking hands. Malcolm pressed his lips together as he regarded them both. All he wanted at that point was to get on with it.

The two men shuffled through papers that were piled in a few open files. They pointed and commented, and Malcolm exchanged glances with Nate. He gave Malcolm a slight shrug. Malcolm knew Nate well enough to know his friend would’ve tried to pry as much info from the detectives as he could. It appeared he hadn’t had much luck.

Detective Lopez regarded him. “I take it you concluded that Seth wouldn’t be joining us today, after all. And what was the reason for that again?”

Malcolm crossed his arms and leaned back in the cushy office chair that matched the other nine that surrounded the long table. He’d made himself quite clear already, but he imagined the detectives were still trying to get a handle on the full picture. Perhaps they thought he was as oppressive as Seth’s father had been, that Seth had jumped from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak.

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