Divine Return by Jeff Walton

Author:Jeff Walton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JTW Development Group DBA Sunbrook Publishing
Published: 2020-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Staring into the Abyss

Dan maneuvered into the St. Augustine diner’s compact booth and laid his ball cap on the thickly upholstered vinyl bench seat. He was pleased Ben had requested a booth at the far end of the diner, away from prying ears. Ben was already seated, with a glass of ice water in his hand, and looking eager to talk. The chatter from the mostly middle-aged lunch crowd provided a steady din of background noise in the tube-shaped stainless steel–clad structure. A complex aroma of cooked food drifted through the air.

“Glad to see you made it back safe and sound,” Ben said with an expression of concern. He hesitated for a moment and continued. “I wasn’t able to sleep last night. When you told me you didn’t want to discuss what you’d discovered in Portland over the phone, you got me real concerned.” Ben paused, staring straight at Dan. “So how did it go?”

“It took longer than I expected, but the trip was very enlightening. Got a chance to see some old buddies on the West Coast and catch up.” Dan stopped when the waitress came and took their orders.

“You said you may have some answers about what happened to my son. I’m all ears,” Ben said.

“Yeah, I didn’t locate him, but I think I know why he left Nicole’s aunt and uncle and went out on his own. It took me a lot of digging before I got anything solid. This case has been a real education for me. If I hadn’t had some NCIS friends who knew the area, I wouldn’t have been able to make the connections I needed. I struck gold when I was introduced to a retired detective who has a case file on your son’s adoptive parents. He’s keeping his notes in case some solid evidence surfaces that could lead to a prosecutable case.”

Ben opened his mouth and stared at Dan. “Are you kidding me?”

Dan shook his head, leaned forward, and spoke in a quiet monotone. “When we finish our lunch, we need to take a walk down to the plaza so we can have more privacy. What I’m going to tell you isn’t pretty.”

Ben froze momentarily, his glass in midair, and kept staring. “It’s that bad?” He placed the glass down.

Dan looked around and noted no one was seated near their booth. After his visual sweep, he got down to business. “I don’t know how to break this to you, Ben, but I think Nicole’s uncle Klaus and aunt Helga abused your son.”

Ben closed his eyes and swung his head back until he faced the patterned aluminum ceiling. He remained motionless, with his eyes squinted shut. After nearly a minute, he leveled his head and opened his eyes. “I don’t know if I can take this, but I have no choice,” Ben said breathlessly. “I have to know the truth if I’m ever going to be able to help him.” He paused and stared at the table. “Go ahead.”

“Your information about Nicole’s aunt and uncle was accurate,” Dan said.

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