Buried in Secrets (Carly Moore #4) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,116
and a short-sleeved button-down shirt. He was jittery as we got out of the car and met Marco in the parking lot.
“Hi, Thad,” Marco said. “I’m Deputy Roland, and I’m goin’ to help you see your mom.”
Marco held out his hand, and Thad reluctantly shook it.
“Your mother’s attorney called and asked that you be allowed in to see her, which is circumventing typical procedure, but the deputy on duty is willing to permit it.”
I wondered what strings Marco had needed to pull to make that happen.
“What does that mean?” Thad asked me.
I gave him a tight smile. “It means that your mother’s lawyer said you need to see her. And Deputy Roland talked to the people in charge of visitation, and they agreed.”
He leaned closer to me. “Is he comin’ in?”
I shot a glance to Marco, and he shook his head. “No,” I said, “he’s not. But if you want to tell Deputy Roland what happened, it might help with your mother’s case.”
Thad linked his hands behind his neck and tilted his head forward as he released a heavy sigh.
“Thad,” Marco said, and the boy looked up. “The only thing you need to worry about right now is talkin’ to your mom. We’ll sort everything else out later.”
He paused then nodded, and glanced over at me. “Can I see her now?”
“Yeah,” I said. “You can.”
We followed Marco inside and through security, then headed down the hall. Marco took charge at the front desk, and after he got Thad logged in, he pulled us aside. “You can go in alone, Thad, or have someone go in with you. She’ll be behind glass with a deputy in the corner, so you won’t have total privacy, but you can likely have a private conversation.”
“I want to go in alone.”
Marco nodded, then shifted his gaze to me. “You wait here. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Okay.”
Thad glanced back at me, and my heart broke for him. The tough act had completely faded away, and he looked every bit a scared little boy. “Just talk to her,” I said. “Tell her how you feel.”
“Okay,” he whispered, sounding close to tears.
I almost reached out to take his hand, but he’d been violated in the worst possible way, and I wouldn’t touch him unless he initiated it.
Then he and Marco walked through the heavy metal door and disappeared from view.
I felt conspicuous in the hall next to the sign-in counter, so I moved down a few feet, surprised when I saw Deputy Taggert, the deputy I’d run into on my last visit.
“Well, Carly Moore,” he said with a grin. “If I didn’t know better, I’d guess that you’re stalkin’ your boyfriend.”
I released a chuckle and hoped it didn’t sound forced. “Actually, I brought a friend here.”
“Pam Crimshaw’s daughter?”
I lifted my shoulder into a noncommittal shrug. “You got big plans for the weekend?” I asked. “I hear there’s a lake nearby with great fishing. Are you an angler?”
He studied me and then laughed. “I see what you did there. I like you, and Marco’s happier than I’ve ever seen him. I hope you stick around.” Then he gave me a two-finger salute and turned and walked away.
Marco came out of the back a couple of minutes later and reached out his arms as he walked toward me.
I closed the distance between us, and he held me close, one of his hands cradling the back of my head.
We stood like that for several long seconds before he kissed my forehead and leaned back. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you safe and sound.”
“Me too, but I’m so worried about Thad.” Fresh tears filled my eyes. “It’s bad, Marco. So bad.”
He stared into my face.
“I’m not sure that he wants to tell anyone else what happened,” I whispered. “His father definitely won’t want it to come out. The perpetrator is now dead”—Marco’s eyes flew wide—“but I was mandated to report abuse.”
“You’re not a teacher anymore.”
“So that absolves me? I feel a responsibility to help him, Marco. That didn’t go away because I’ve changed my profession.”
“Maybe his mother will convince him to tell someone in authority, and if he decides he wants to tell his story, I can take his statement or get Marta to do it. If he’s been taken advantage of by a man, he might feel more comfortable with a woman.”
I nodded.
We waited in the hall for another twenty minutes before Thad came out, his nose and eyes red.