Блейк Пирс - Once Buried

“No, it’s perfect,” Riley’s fifteen-year-old daughter, April, said.

“The best ever,” said Jilly, the thirteen-year-old girl that Riley was in the process of adopting.

“Just amazing,” said Crystal, April’s best friend.

Crystal’s father, Blaine Hildreth, didn’t say anything right away. But Riley could tell by his expression that he was enchanted by the dish. She also knew that Blaine’s appreciation was partly professional. Blaine owned an upscale but casual restaurant here in Fredericksburg.

“How do you do it, Gabriela?” he asked after a few bites.

“Es un secreto,” Gabriela said with a mischievous grin.

“A secret, eh?” Blaine said. “What kind of cheese did you use? I can’t place it. I can tell it’s not Monterey Jack or Chihuahua. Manchego, maybe?”

Gabriela shook her head.

“I will never tell,” she said with a chuckle.

As Blaine and Gabriela continued to banter about the recipe, partly in English and partly in Spanish, Riley caught herself wondering if she and Blaine might…

She blushed a little at the idea.

No, not going to happen tonight.

There could hardly be any graceful, discreet segue with everybody here.

Not that there was anything wrong with things as they were.

Being surrounded by people she cared deeply about was pleasure enough for this particular evening. But as she watched her family and friends enjoying themselves, a new concern began to tug at Riley’s mind.

One person at the table had barely said a word so far. That was Liam, the newcomer to Riley’s household. Liam was April’s age, and the two teenagers had been dating at one time. Riley had rescued the tall, gangly kid from an abusive, drunken father. He’d needed a place to live and right now that meant sleeping on the sofa bed in Riley’s family room.

Liam was normally talkative and outgoing. But something seemed to be troubling him tonight.

Riley asked, “Is anything wrong, Liam?”

The boy didn’t seem to even hear her.

Riley spoke just a little louder.

“Liam.”

Liam looked up from his meal, which he had barely touched so far.

“Huh?” he said.

“Is anything wrong?”

“No. Why?”

Riley squinted uneasily. Something was wrong, all right. Liam was seldom monosyllabic like this.

“I just wondered,” she said.

She made a mental note to talk to Liam alone later on.

Gabriela capped off the meal with a delicious dessert of flan. Riley and Blaine enjoyed after-dinner drinks while the four kids entertained themselves in the family room, and finally Blaine and his daughter went on home.

Riley waited until April and Jilly went to their rooms for the night. Then she went alone to the family room. Liam was sitting quietly on the still-closed sofa, staring off into space.

“Liam, I can tell something’s wrong. I wish you’d tell me about it.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Liam said.

Riley crossed her arms and said nothing. She knew from dealing with the girls that it was sometimes best to wait kids out.

Then Liam said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Riley was startled. She was used to adolescent moodiness from April and Jilly, at least from time to time. But it wasn’t typical of Liam at all. He was always agreeable and obliging. He was also a dedicated student, and Riley appreciated his influence on April.

Riley continued to wait in silence.

Finally Liam said, “I got a call from Dad today.”

Riley felt a sinking in the pit of her stomach.

She couldn’t help remembering that terrible day when she’d rushed over to Liam’s house to save him from being badly beaten by his father.

She knew she shouldn’t be surprised. But she didn’t know what to say.

Liam said, “He says he’s sorry about everything. He says he misses me.”

Riley’s worry deepened. She had no legal custody over Liam. Right now, she was acting as a sort of impromptu foster parent, and she had no idea exactly what her future role in his life would be.

“Does he want you to come back home?” Riley asked.

Liam nodded.

Riley couldn’t bring herself to ask the obvious question…

“What do you want?”

What would she do – what could she do – if Liam said he wanted to go back?

Riley knew that Liam was a gentle, forgiving boy. Like many abuse victims, he was also prone to deep denial.

Riley sat down beside him.

She asked, “Have you been happy here?”

Liam made a small choking sound. For the first time, Riley realized that he was near tears.

“Oh, yes,” he said. “This has been… I’ve just been… so happy.”

Riley felt her own throat catch a little. She wanted to tell him he could stay here for as long as he wished. But what could she do if his father demanded that he come back? She’d be powerless to stop it from happening.

A tear trickled down Liam’s cheek.

“It’s just that… since Mom went away… I’m all Dad’s got. Or at least I was until I left. Now he’s all alone. He says he’s stopped drinking. He says he won’t hurt me anymore.”

Riley almost blurted out…

“Don’t believe him. Don’t ever believe him when he says that.”

Instead, she said, “Liam, you must know that your dad is very ill.”

“I know,” Liam said.

“It’s up to him to get the help he needs. But until he does… well, it’s going to be very hard for him to change.”

Riley fell silent for a moment.

Then she added, “Just always remember that it’s not your fault. You know that, don’t you?”

Liam gulped down a sob and nodded.

“Have you ever gone back to see him?” Riley asked.

Liam shook his head silently.

Riley patted his hand.

“I just want you to promise me one thing. If you do go to see him, don’t go by yourself. I want to be there with you. Do you promise?”

“I promise,” Liam said.

Riley reached for a nearby box of tissues and offered one to Liam, who wiped his eyes and blew his nose. Then the two of them sat in silence for a few long moments.

Finally Riley said, “Do you need me for anything else?”

“No. I’m OK now. Thank you for… well, you know.”

He smiled at her weakly.

“Pretty much everything,” he added.

“You’re very welcome,” Riley said, returning his smile.

She left the family room, walked to the living room, and sat alone on the couch.

Suddenly, a sob rose up in her own throat, and she started to cry. She was startled to realize how shaken she’d been by her conversation with Liam.

But when she thought about it, it was easy enough to understand why.

I’m so out of my depth, she thought.

After all, she was still trying to get Jilly’s adoption settled. She’d rescued the poor girl from her own share of horrors. When Riley had found her, Jilly had been trying to sell her body out of sheer desperation.

So what did Riley think she was doing, bringing another teenager into the house?

She suddenly wished Blaine was still here to talk to.

Blaine always seemed to know what to say.

She had enjoyed the lull between cases for a while, but little by little, worries had started to creep in – worries especially about her family, and today about Bill.

It hardly felt like any kind of vacation.

Riley couldn’t help but wonder…

Is something wrong with me?

Was she somehow just incapable of enjoying a quiet life?

Anyway, she knew she could be sure of one thing.

This lull wouldn’t last. Somewhere, some monster was committing some heinous deed – and it would be up to her to stop him.