“Say again?” Deck asked.
“Could see him getting beat because someone caught him stealing food or just plain stealing. That’d be jacked but the town is known to have a few mountain families who take care of their own business in an old world way. Those families live outside town, in the hills or up deep in the mountains. It’d be a surprise but I could see it happening. But Malachi is a smart kid, he’d learn not to get caught again and Faye says she’s seen him on numerous occasions with visible evidence of abuse. Personally, I’ve seen it twice. So that’s not it. Also could be he went back to someplace familiar to get food or clothes, got caught, got beat. Or it could be he went back to check on something he cared about, a brother, a sister, got caught, got beat. He wasn’t hiding that shed just from the general population of Carnal. He was hiding his tracks down from wherever he came. He was hiding from whoever’s at home. He’s hiding from everyone.”
“You need to get your boys to run the occupants of those residences,” Deck muttered.
“Yeah but I already checked Colorado Vital Records, Deck, kid doesn’t exist. Not local. Not in the entire state.”
Deck was silent.
Then he said out loud what Chace was thinking.
“This is dark brother.”
“Nope,” Chace returned, “black.”
“Pitch,” Deck whispered and Chace knew Deck was thinking what he was thinking.
Two scenarios.
One, serious hill country, jacked shit where a family existed somewhere in those hills, had minimal contact with the real world and this included procreating and not birthing their babies in a hospital that had records or sending their kids to school.
Two, Malachi and possibly one or more blood or practical siblings had been taken from their real families and were being raised on the quiet by some seriously hill country, jacked person or people who hid them from the real world for nefarious reasons and in order not to be exposed.
Chace had been in that town for thirteen years. Even if there was someone in the hills that lived quiet and eschewed society, they had to mix in some ways. If this escaped his notice, Frank had grown up in that town. He would know about them, he would talk about them, they’d be on cop radar or there would be talk in town. Chace could see people in Carnal letting folks live their life as they saw fit even if they didn’t agree or thought it was whacked. Half the residents were multi-generation hardcore bikers who had been attracted to that town pre-Arnold Fuller as a haven for those who sat a Harley and lived that way of life. So they appreciated this considering they’d chosen a way of life that wasn’t exactly mainstream. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t talk.
This left option two. Malachi had been snatched by someone not right in the head. This meant he could have come from anywhere. This meant he could have a family out there looking for him.
“I’ll eat, go back, comb those woods,” Deck offered, breaking into his thoughts.
“I’ll call the Station,” Chace replied.
Deck hesitated before he asked quietly, “How’s he doin’?”
“Hasn’t regained consciousness and they’re a little concerned because he should have by now. Even so, Faye’s been readin’ to him almost all day. Got her out twice to get a cup of coffee in her and so she could eat some food when her sister came by with lunch she made. Her Mom took over while she was gone. She’s back in.”
“What’re the doctors sayin’?”
“Can’t say, he’s not awake, not movin’. The update though is that the scare is over about him losin’ his hands and foot. Mobility is in question. Color’s better though.”
“Right.”
“I’ll let you know, anything happens.”
“’Preciate that.”
“Get lunch, Deck. Speak soon.”
“Later, man.”
“Later.”
Chace disconnected and shoved the phone in his pocket.
Then he tagged the elevator button to go up and check on Faye and Malachi.
*
It was time to go, visiting hours were over, the nurse told him. He appreciated her telling him so it would be him that would be the one to go in and tell Faye she had to give it up for the night.
He washed his hands and moved through the ward to the open door, hearing her voice coming soft. She didn’t read staccato, she put emotion into it like a true storyteller, or as best as she could while needing to be quiet in that ward.
He entered Malachi’s room on the thought that someday she’d read to their kids that way.
Therefore, he had a small smile on his face when he saw Sondra first, sitting in the corner and her eyes snapped to him as she raised her index finger and put it to her lips.
With this warning, Chace rounded the closed curtain slowly, silently and stopped dead.