No Safe House

Two

“Reggie, Reggie, come in, come in.”

“Hi, Unk.”

“Did you find her?”

“Jeez, let me get my coat off.”

“I’m sorry. I just—”

“I didn’t. I didn’t find... her. Not yet. No money, either.”

“But I thought — You said you found the house and—”

“It didn’t work out. It was a false lead. Eli lied to us, Unk. And it’s not like we can go back and ask him again.”

“Oh. But you said—”

“I know what I said. I’m telling you, we struck out.”

“I’m sorry. I guess I got my hopes up. You seemed so sure last time I talked to you. I’m just disappointed is all. There’s coffee there if you want it.”

“Thanks.”

“I still appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”

“It’s okay, Unk.”

“I mean it. I know you get tired of my saying it, but I do. You’re all I got. You’re like the kid I never had, Reggie.”

“Not a kid anymore.”

“No, no — you’re all grown. You grew up fast, and early.”

“Didn’t have much choice. Coffee’s good.”

“I’m just sorry I wasn’t there for you sooner.”

“I’ve never blamed you. You know that. We don’t have to keep going over this. You see me obsessing about this? Huh? And I’m the one it all happened to. So if I can move on, you should be able to, too.”

“It’s hard for me.”

“You live in the past. That’s your problem, Unk. God, that’s what all this latest shit has been about. You have a hard time getting over things.”

“I... I was just hoping you’d found her.”

“I’m not giving up.”

“But I can see it in your face. You think this is all stupid. You think it doesn’t matter.”

“I didn’t say that. Not the last part. Look, I get why this is important to you, why she matters so much. And you’re important to me. You’re one of only two people I give a shit about, Unk.”

“You know what I can’t figure out about you?”

“What’s that?”

“You understand people, you get how they think and how they feel, you’ve got a real insight into them, yet you’ve got no... what’s the word?”

“Love?”

“No, that’s not what I was going to say.”

“Empathy?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s it.”

“Because I love you, Unk. Very much. But empathy? I suppose. I understand what makes people tick. I know what they’re feeling. I need to know what they’re feeling. I need to know when they’re afraid. I very much need to feel that they are afraid, but I don’t feel bad for them. Otherwise, I couldn’t get things done.”

“Yeah, well, I’d be better off if I was more like you. I guess it was empathy I felt for that damned Eli. He seemed like a lost kid — hell, he was no kid. He was twenty-one or — two. Something like that. I thought I was doing right by him, Reggie. I really did. And then the son of a bitch stabs me in the back.”

“I believe he approached the other interested party.”

“Shit, no.”

“It’s okay. Just an initial contact. He was holding back details until there was a face-to-face, which, of course, won’t be happening now. I think he told us the truth about what was done with her, but lied about where. And the teachers’ house was a nonstarter. Also, I’m starting to wonder about whether any of the people know. Whether they’ve given consent.”

“I don’t understand.”

“That’s okay. But what I was going to tell you is, I’m going to need more people, and it’s going to take a lot more up-front money.”

“Eli took all I’d set aside, Reggie.”

“That’s okay. I can put up money of my own. The tax refund thing’s going well. I’ve got reserves. And when this is over, I’ll not only get back my investment, and your money, but plenty of other money, too. There’s a silver lining to all this, as it turns out.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“That’s okay. You don’t have to. You just let me do what I do best.”

“I just can’t believe... after all these years, I finally win her back, and then I lose her again. Eli had no right, you know. He had no right to take her from me.”

“Trust me, Unk. We’ll get her back.”