Chapter 17: Testing

Jonny was sitting on the couch, playing Civilization on the PlayStation. He was aiming towards winning by the space race route. When the door opened, he looked up to see who was coming in, expecting it to be Patricia.

Crandall entered, followed by Patricia and Chris. The game controller fell out of his hands. They brought the medic with them? That should save time, he thought, mild panic beginning to build. What did Dad do?

Patricia was carrying a box, but Jonny didn't really look at it. He just stood up, wincing, and waited for Crandall to say something.

"Good morning, Jonathon," he said. It wasn't a direct question, so Jonny didn't say anything. "You know, it's proper to say good morning in return," Crandall said after a moment.

Jonny nodded. "Yes, sir. Good morning."

"Ah, good. I'd been told you'd be a quick study." Jonny knit his brows. What did he want? He seemed almost friendly this morning. "It's time for you to take your aptitude test. Now, I understand that you're not feeling well, and if you do poorly, we'll re-administer the test at a later date. Still, it would be better if you did your best now."

Jonny nodded again. "Yes, sir," he said.

"Where do you want to set up, Patricia?" Crandall asked.

"Right here will be fine for the first part," she said, walking over to the chair next to the sofa. "Save your game, Jonny."

Jonny had trouble reaching for the controller on the floor, and Crandall walked over to pick it up for him. "Here you go," he said. Jonny took it, feeling as if he'd walked into some kind of alternate reality where Crandall was Mister Rogers. He saved his game and turned off the machine. Crandall sat in the other chair and Chris stood by the door. Jonny was glad it was Chris and not Marcus in here today. Bandit came running in, barking, and made for Crandall. Jonny jumped up, letting out a whimper, which he stifled as best he could.

"Let me put him in the kitchen," he said quickly.

"Of course," Crandall said affably.

Jonny got Bandit to go into the kitchen, and remembered his manners. "Can I get anyone something to drink?" he asked. They all said no, so Jonny walked slowly back over to the sofa. "What do I have to do?" he asked.

Patricia started explaining the first part of the test to him, and Jonny really tried to pay attention, but he couldn't concentrate. He kept glancing over at Crandall and Chris, wondering what they would do if he answered the questions wrong. When they'd been at it for about a half an hour, Patricia stopped and turned to Crandall.

"Sir, this isn't going to work." Jonny hunched, waiting for the blow to fall.

"Why not?" Crandall asked, his voice still amiable. Jonny wondered if Patricia had given him some kind of happy pill.

"He's having trouble concentrating. I think your presence is making him nervous." She smiled at Jonny who just sat, feeling miserable and stupid. "You have a great deal of power over him, sir, and naturally a man of your presence is a distraction."

"I suppose," Crandall said thoughtfully. "What solution do you suggest?"

"I could take him to his father's lab. Having Dr. Quest around would probably steady him, and I imagine he would be more comfortable in an unfamiliar place if his father was nearby."

Crandall seemed to think this over for a minute, and Jonny watched him, hoping that he wasn't just playing cat and mouse, just acting all friendly to get Jonny off his guard. "You could be right, Patricia. You do as you think best. I'll check on you in a few hours." He stood up. "Don't forget to stop for lunch."

Jonny watched him leave, then turned back to find Patricia gathering up the supplies to put them back in the box. He didn't say anything, because he wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to go and see his father, but Crandall's behavior was so unexpected that he wasn't sure what to think of it.

"Come on, Jonny," Patricia said, putting out a hand. Uncertain of how to react, he took it and walked with her out into the hallway. Chris followed behind him, and Jonny remembered her automatic, unthinking response that Chris wouldn't kill him, wondering why she was so sure.

It took about fifteen minutes to walk to where his father was working, and Jonny looked around, watching for landmarks so he could find his way back later if he had to. There was a different guard on the door, someone Jonny hadn't seen before, and he wondered where Marcus was. It made him nervous, not knowing where he was.

Patricia opened the door and ushered him in. His father was across the room, looking through a microscope. Jonny wanted to run over to him, but he hurt too much. He just said, "Dad?" and hobbled toward him.


Benton had expected to find Crandall in the lab when he arrived, but the lab was empty. He set right to work, determined to ask Crandall when he did arrive if he could have Jonny join him here. After yesterday, he didn't want Jonny out of his sight if he could help it.

He was further exploring the possibilities suggested by the work he'd done the night before when the door opened. He didn't immediately look up, but when he heard Jonny's voice he turned instantly.

"Dad?"

"Jonny?" Benton walked over to greet him, then noticed Patricia standing by the door behind him, and Chris, shutting them in. "What's happened? Is something wrong?"

"No, Dr. Quest," Patricia said. "It's just time for Jonny's aptitude tests, and I thought he'd be more comfortable with you nearby.

Benton looked down at Jonny, who was looking pale and scared. "But nothing untoward has happened?"

"Nothing untoward," Patricia said. "Crandall and I went to see Jonny this morning, and since Jonny was having some trouble concentrating, we decided it might be better to give the tests here."

Benton nodded. "There's a table in the corner there you could use, though I think you might want to put Jonny's leg up."

"Yes, Dr. Quest," Patricia agreed. She walked over and got Jonny settled. A few moments later, she came back and stood by Benton. "Dr. Quest?" He looked down into her earnest face. "It's extremely important that Jonny do well on these tests," she said.

"Oh?"

"A higher score could give him some measure of protection," she said softly. "It's very important for his future, and in determining what he's suited for."

Benton nodded slowly. "I see." And indeed he did. If Jonny scored well on these tests, it would gain him status of his own within the corporation, and the attention it would bring could limit Crandall's abuses. He glanced over and saw that Jonny was sitting stiffly in the chair, looking out a window, his expression unusually solemn.

"Could you encourage him to try his best?"

Benton nodded and walked over to the table, pulled out a chair and sat down. Jonny looked over at him and grinned weakly. "What are you working on?" he asked, glancing over at the workstation Benton had just left.

"Night vision," Benton said. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "So, these aptitude tests." Jonny turned back, knitting his brows together. "I want you to give them all you've got." Jonny blinked perplexedly and started to speak. Benton shook his head and leaned closer. "Patricia says it could be really important and helpful." He placed a little extra emphasis on that last word.

Jonny nodded, though he still looked a little confused. "Okay, Dad, if you say so."

"I do." He stood up and put his hand on Jonny's head, gently tousling his hair.

Benton listened with half an ear to the quiet murmurs from the corner. Jonny calmed as they went through the various stages of testing, and Benton was glad to see him slowly relax and start to seem like himself.

At half past twelve, a man came in pushing a cart. Benton noticed Jonny looking over at it hopefully, but Patricia said, "Five minutes more, then we can take a break." Jonny sighed and nodded. Benton, smiling to himself at the appetite of the adolescent boy, waited to get his food until they took their break so as not to distract his son any further.

Patricia left the room altogether while they ate, and Jonny watched her go with a confused expression. "I don't get her," he said after she'd been gone a few minutes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how can she like the corporation?" Jonny asked. "How can she believe that they didn't kill her sister? She's not stupid."

Benton sighed. "Denial can be a very powerful thing, Jonny. When a person faced with unpleasant truths, sometimes it's just easier to pretend they do not exist."

"Do you think they told her that her sister was just sick?"

"Probably. She was very young, and they undoubtedly didn't want to frighten her."

"But, surely after all this time – "

Benton hook his head. "Jonny, she is trapped here, in the corporation. How could she face the notion that she's working for – and possibly with – the people who killed her sister? It's no doubt easier for her to simply accept the lie at face value than to examine it."

Jonny sighed. "I guess."

"People believe quite a lot of lies to make themselves feel more comfortable." Benton noticed that Jonny's eyes were getting that distant look that suggested that his father's lecture had gone on long enough. Benton changed the subject. "So, did you get a look at the garden?"

"No. I didn't feel like asking to have the door unlocked, so I just played a game." Translation, Benton thought, he hadn't wanted to annoy anyone, like Marcus. He resolved to address the issue with Crandall later. Jonny needed fresh air and sunshine. In the meantime, he was looking shuttered and withdrawn again.

Benton leaned back in his chair and stretched. "Which mind-numbing disc did you put in that little box?" he asked, earning a spark of amused ire from his son.

"Civilization, Dad," Jonny said, then added defensively, "and even you have to agree that's got some educational value."

Benton nodded judiciously. That particular game had more than one route to victory, and some were more educational than others to Benton's mind. "Yes, but which path were you taking to win?"

"I was shooting for the Mars colony, but I'm kind of mired down at the Industrial Revolution." Jonny took a bite of salad and then said wryly, "That game sure doesn't favor democracy. You can't get anywhere with that form of government. When I start up again I'm going to start a civil war and return to monarchy."

Benton raised an eyebrow. "Intriguing. I'm not sure how realistic that is."

Jonny grinned. "It's just hard to keep all those people happy."

This was better, Benton thought, smiling back. Jonny seemed more himself. They continued chatting about the game. One of the real problems with this situation was that it didn't leave them very many safe topics for talk. They managed, however, to skirt all the conversational pitfalls, and Jonny was laughing when the door opened and Patricia came back. He sobered as soon as he heard the sound of the door, but his face relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Have you finished your lunch?" she asked.

Benton nodded and stood up. "I'd better get back to work," he said.


Race and Diana pulled up outside 487 Maple Manor Lane. Clarksville was a small town that was in danger of being swallowed up by suburbs, and Maple Manor Lane was a street in a subdivision at the outskirts of that town. One day it might be shady, but for now all the trees were held erect by sticks.

The kids were not thrilled to have been left behind in Washington with Estella, but Race wasn't taking any chances with them. He got out of the car and walked around to join Diana. "What exactly are we going to say to this woman?" she asked.

"I plan to play it by ear," Race said, smiling at her. She gave him a dubious look, but followed him gamely up to the front door. He knocked on the door and waited.

The woman who came to the door strongly resembled the medical assistant he'd seen on the video footage. Her blond hair was shot through with gray, and her face was lined. She looked up at them, tilting her head curiously. "Are you Race Bannon?" she asked.

Race found himself gaping at her in shock. Before he regained his composure, Diana stepped forward. "Yes, he is, and I'm Diana McCormick. May we come in?"

"I think you'd better," she said, backing up. They walked in and she closed the door behind them. "I got a call from my daughter last night. She told me to pack and that someone would be coming to take me away." She looked up at Race. "Would you mind telling me what's going on? Please? Are you with the corporation?"

Race was still having trouble with vocalization. Diana threw him a puzzled glance, and answered Mrs. Miller's last question. "No, ma'am. I'm a police officer from Nova Scotia, and Mr. Bannon, well, he –" She broke off, looking at Race.

"Have you been watching the news?" he asked, and she nodded. "Then have you heard about the disappearance of the Quest family?"

"Dr. Benton Quest? Of course, I was –" She clapped her hand to her mouth. "My God, they didn't – they wouldn't!"

"They did," Race said sourly. "I'm Jonny's bodyguard. Patricia called me and asked me to come collect you."

She nodded. "Then we'd better get going, Mr. Bannon. Those bastards at the corporation need to be stopped once and for all."

"Yes, ma'am," Race said, stunned by her reaction. He exchanged a glance with Diana, whose expression mirrored his.

"My bags are in the hall," she said. "If you could –"

"Of course, ma'am." Race followed her and picked up her luggage. She had evidently taken Patricia at her word, for there were three suitcases and a large box. Race picked up the box and two suitcases, leaving Diana to get the other one and they went out to load up the car.


Patricia wrapped up the testing around three, and Benton wondered what that meant. Was she going to take Jonny back to their rooms now? Or could he stay? She sat talking with Jonny for a few minutes, and Benton glanced over. He was smiling, telling her some story, and she was laughing.

He was glad to see Jonny in good spirits despite his pain, and clearly developing a rapport with Patricia was proving beneficial to them. Benton watched them for a few moments, wishing that they were all back at the Quest compound in Maine, Patricia, included. He really believed the things he'd said to Jonny earlier. She was as much a victim as they were. A five-year-old child whose parents had been frightened into submission had no defense against what she was told, and survival instincts alone would have told her that arguing with her elders wasn't wise.

The door opened abruptly, and without turning to look, Benton felt sure he knew who had come in. Jonny's bruised face went blank and still, and all the life went out of his posture. Patricia looked up with a practiced smile. Benton turned. "Good afternoon, Mr. Crandall," he said.

Crandall ignored him completely, turning instead to Patricia. "Have you finished the tests?" he demanded irritably. Chris took a position next to the door, face blank as always.

Patricia stood quickly. "Yes, sir, just now."

"Well, then, shouldn't you be scoring the portions that are your responsibility?"

"Of course, sir." Patricia rapidly repacked the testing materials. "Do you wish me to take the boy back to his room, sir?" she asked as she prepared to leave.

"You've wasted enough time already," he snapped. "Get moving."

She left with understandable haste, and Benton started working again quickly before Crandall could take exception to his pause. The man walked over to him and watched him minutely for a few moments. "How is your work coming, Dr. Quest?" he asked.

"Fairly well," Benton said and showed him what he'd been working on and the notes he'd been making on what had worked and what hadn't.

Crandall picked up the notes and fiddled with them for a few moments. Benton thought he seemed oddly fidgety. Dropping the papers back on the counter, he said, "I had hoped to see more progress by now." He glanced around the room, and Benton saw his eyes light on Jonny. "No doubt you've been distracted." Jonny was looking out the window, and didn't seem to have realized that Crandall's attention was on him.

"Not really," Benton started, trying to distract the man, but he stopped speaking when Crandall turned an irate glare in his direction.

"Are you contradicting me, Dr. Quest?" he demanded icily. Jonny froze at the tone of Crandall's voice and turned slowly to watch with wide eyes. Benton stood still, unable to think of a response to the sudden attack. Gazing over at the corner where Jonny was hunched miserably on his chair, Crandall went on in scathing tones. "It was necessary to bring your little boy here to give him any chance of scoring well on the aptitude tests." Benton saw Jonny wince at the phrase 'little boy.' His clenched hands rested on the table in front of him, and Benton could see that the knuckles were white.

"I haven't been distracted, really," Benton said quietly, striving to sound submissive even while telling the man he was wrong. "Truly, it would be more distracting to have him elsewhere."

"Well, I can see why he's such a pathetic specimen if you baby him like this all the time." Benton bit down on the angry retort that he wanted to make, praying that Jonny would understand that he had no choice. Crandall strolled over toward Jonny, who sat stiffly in his chair, staring straight ahead. "He needs discipline." He looked down at Jonny for a moment, then turned back to Benton with a malicious smile. "You both do. I'm going to take young Jonathon back to your rooms, now."

Benton stared at him, appalled, but unable to come up with a way out of this that wouldn't anger Crandall more and guarantee that Jonny would get hurt.

"Dr. Quest, I really believe that you should get back to work now," Crandall said, gesturing with his head toward Benton's workstation.

"It's okay, Dad," Jonny said suddenly, standing up. "I'll go with him." Benton looked worriedly at his son who gave him a weak smile. The cut on his lip was healing, and the bruises on his face had started to fade. He didn't want to give Crandall any reason to add new ones to Jonny's tally.

Crandall turned on Jonny, though, and put his hand on the back of his neck. "Did anyone ask you a question, young man?" he asked in deceptively mild tones.

"No, sir," Jonny said, his eyes wide with fear. "I'm sorry, sir." His son really wasn't small for his age, but Crandall dwarfed him.

The big man gave the boy a small shake, and Benton saw Jonny wince slightly. "Remember that, next time." Then he released him. "Come along, we'd better leave your father to his work."

Jonny threw him a look as he turned to go, and Benton gave him a quick smile, hoping Crandall wouldn't notice. Twenty minutes before, Jonny had been himself again, laughing and telling Patricia some story about him and Hadji. Benton's heart broke to see him so quiet and frightened. And he hated to see him go anywhere alone with that Crandall fellow.

Oh, wait, he wasn't alone, one of Crandall's goons was going, too. Swell. Benton turned back to his work, well aware that if he fell behind, Crandall would be all too eager to take it out on his son.


Jonny walked along with Crandall on his left side. He stiffened when the man laid his hand on the back of his neck again as they approached the stairs. "Is this where Marcus pushed you?" he asked.

Giving him a sidelong look, Jonny said, "Yes, sir."

"I see." They climbed the first few steps in silence. "That wasn't supposed to happen. Marcus shouldn't have hurt you." Jonny tried not to give the man an astonished look, figuring that he might be annoyed by that, but he was flabbergasted. "If Marcus ever does something like that again, hurts you when he's not supposed to, you must come and tell me." Jonny gulped, wondering how he was expected to tell when Marcus wasn't supposed to hurt him. "Well, Jonathon?"

Belatedly, Jonny realized that Crandall's instructions required a response. "Yes, sir," he said hastily.

"Good boy." Crandall walked him the rest of the way back to his quarters with his hand on the back of Jonny's neck, making Jonny very edgy. Chris opened the door for them, and Crandall guided Jonny in, letting the door fall shut behind them, leaving them alone together.

A brief pressure on Jonny's shoulder stopped him from walking any further, and, made nervous by Crandall's presence, he turned to look up into his face. Crandall was looking down at him with an odd expression. "What I don't understand, Jonathon, is why you didn't tell anyone that you'd been hurt," Crandall said in an aggrieved sort of tone. "That you didn't tell anyone that Marcus had hurt you when he shouldn't have."

Jonny gulped again. "I didn't know he shouldn't have," he said.

The man seized Jonny's chin in a painfully tight grip. "Don't lie to me, boy!" he said fiercely, leaning close to Jonny's face. "And don't try to put the blame off onto somebody else!" he added, shaking Jonny's head.

It was suddenly too much, and Jonny panicked. Up till now, he'd been suppressing the reactions that Race had trained into him because it wasn't safe to attack men who had guns aimed at his father. But his father wasn't here, and Crandall was so close and so angry that Jonny lost his head.

Use your opponent's weight against him. Using moves that had been drilled into him until they were almost instinctive, Jonny shifted and heaved, and Crandall flew across the room into the table that stood behind the sofa. The table collapsed and the sofa was shoved forward a few feet.

Jonny stared at him in horror, wondering what Crandall would do to him for something like this. The big man sat up shaking his head, then turned a glare on Jonny that made him want to run and duck for cover. But there was nowhere to run. None of the doors inside the suite locked, and Jonny couldn't get through the doors that did lock.

Slowly, the man got to his feet, gazing malevolently at him. When he started toward him, Jonny backed up until he hit the wall beside the door, then slid down the wall. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" he said, staring hopelessly up at the angry man. "I didn't mean to. I didn't think."

Crandall stopped and looked down at him, eyes narrowed. "Don't you ever do that again, Jonathon Quest!"

"I won't, I'm sorry."

There was a knocking at the door that distracted Crandall. "Yes?" he said.

Chris opened the door. "The plane is here, sir." Crandall glared at him. "You asked to be informed, Mr. Crandall."

"Thank you," Crandall snapped. Chris shut the door again, and Crandall looked down at Jonny. Reaching down, he grabbed him around the upper arm and yanked him to his feet. Pain lanced through his ribcage, and Jonny gasped. He stood, struggling for breath, which only made the pain worse. Crandall gave him a shove on the back, which sent another shaft of pain through him. "Clean up this mess!" he commanded, pointing toward the broken table and its scattered contents. Then he flung the door open and left.

Jonny stared at the splinters of wood on the floor. He couldn't. He just couldn't bend down and pick those up right now.

Before Patricia had left this morning, after taping his ribs, she'd told him to call her if he got hurt again, however it happened. That it was her job to see to it that he wasn't in any more pain than could be helped. His ribs hurt again, more than they had since she taped them. He walked slowly over to the phone and picked it up.

The phone on the other end rang twice, and then the familiar voice said, "Infirmary."

"Patricia?" he said, trying to sound normal.

He must have failed, because her voice got very worried. "Jonny, what's wrong?"

"Nothing too bad," Jonny said. "Mr. Crandall yanked on my arm, and my ribs hurt more than they did."

"I'll be there shortly, Jonny. Just sit down quietly and don't try to do too much, okay?"

Jonny hung up and sat down in the chair by the phone. When he felt tears start streaming down his face, he just let them. Crandall was going to kill him now for sure. How could he have been so stupid?

A few minutes later, the door opened and Patricia came in. She looked in wide-eyed astonishment at the broken table, then ran to Jonny's side. "What did he do? Where are you hurt?"

"I told you," Jonny said. "He yanked on my arm."

"What broke the table?" she asked.

He just shook his head. "My ribs hurt."

The door opened again and Jonny started to his feet, expecting Crandall. His father came running in, looking panicked. When he saw the debris from the table and the way the sofa had been moved, his face went pale. "Jonny?" he exclaimed, running over. "What did that bastard do to you?"

Much to his humiliation, Jonny started crying again and couldn't manage to speak. Patricia gently pushed his father away, then peeled his shirt off him and looked him over, running her fingers over his ribs. "I don't find any further damage, nothing out of alignment." Jonny was still gasping with sobs, pain surging with every inhalation, and couldn't speak. He hugged his father. Crandall was right, he was pathetic.

The door opened again, sending Jonny's heart racing, but the man who entered wasn't familiar. He was shorter than Crandall, and not as heavily built. His hair was brown shot through with silver, and his eyes were blue. Chris followed him in. Jonny made an effort to control himself, but he couldn't do it. He just buried his face in his father's chest.

"My God, what's been happening here?" the man exclaimed, looking at the wreckage.

Patricia looked up and said, "Crandall seems set on beating this boy to death." Her voice was angry, and Jonny moved closer to his father, wondering what was going to happen next.

"Will somebody please give me specifics about what took place?" the man said slowly, a slight edge to his voice that made Jonny very nervous.

"I don't know exactly," Patricia said. "Jonny hasn't told us."

The man was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Dr. Quest?"

"I wasn't here, either," he said, shaking his head.

"What? That makes no sense." Jonny sneaked a peek at the man and saw that he was glaring at his father. Jonny felt a rush of anger that he quickly suppressed.

"No, I must say, the brutal beating of a twelve-year-old boy makes no sense whatsoever to me," his father said.

Patricia put a restraining hand on his father's arm, and said, "I'm afraid that Mr. Crandall has not been following the rules very closely, sir."

"Who are you?" Jonny's father asked.

The man blinked in surprise. "I am sorry. I should have introduced myself immediately." He took a deep breath and said, "My name is Oscar Morgan. Mr. Crandall has been recalled to headquarters, and I am replacing him here for the time being."

"Crandall's gone?" his father asked, and Jonny felt his heart quicken.

"The plane left ten minutes ago."

"I see." His father's hug tightened, and Jonny let out an involuntary whimper. "Oh, Jonny, I'm sorry."

Jonny didn't want his dad to pull away, but he did. Patricia guided him to sit down and gave him some pills with a cup of water. "Take these. They should lessen the pain for you."

He did as he was told, looking dubiously up at Mr. Morgan. He looked like somebody's grandfather, not like a replacement for Crandall.

"Dr. Quest, why don't you take Jonny into one of the private rooms and get him cleaned up and calmed down a little. We'll get the room out here straightened up, and we can have a little talk later."

"All right," his father said slowly. "Come on, Jonny." He helped him to his feet and, putting an arm around Jonny's shoulders, he led him back into the master bedroom of the suite, sitting him down on a stool in the bathroom. Jonny looked at the mess his face was in and sniffled. The swelling of his eye and cheek had mostly gone down, but now they were turning a shade of yellowy green that was kind of nauseating.

Wetting a washcloth and kneeling down in front of him, his father started gently washing his face. "Can you tell me what happened, Jonny?" he asked softly. "I really need to know."


Benton looked earnestly into his son's face. "Please tell me," he said.

Jonny sighed and looked, of all things, embarrassed. "He got mad because I didn't tell anyone that Marcus pushed me, but then he grabbed my face and I got scared."

"You got scared?" Benton stroked Jonny's hair, wishing he could take all this pain and fear away. "What happened?"

"I threw him," Jonny said, looking down at his feet. Benton's jaw dropped, but he caught himself and closed it again. That hadn't been what he had expected. "I didn't mean to," Jonny went on. "I just panicked. He was really angry, but before he did anything, Chris came in and told him that the plane had landed."

"Then what happened?"

"He yanked me up off the floor, and –"

"How did you wind up on the floor?"

Jonny flushed and looked away. "I sort of slid down the wall. He was so angry, and I knew I couldn't do anything to defend myself because he'd just be angrier, so I just kind of –" Jonny shrugged, his eyes on his feet.

Benton put his hand very gently under Jonny's chin, making him look up. "There is nothing wrong with you, Jonny. Don't let anything Crandall said get to you." Jonny's eyes were tearing up again. "No matter what he said, you are not pathetic. You've stood up against Zin and dozens of other villains."

"Yeah, but I never –" Jonny stopped, seeming to be at a loss for words.

"We've never been in this bad a spot before, Jonny. Race has always found us pretty quickly." He gazed deeply into Jonny's eyes, willing him to believe what he was saying. "Being scared is normal in a situation like this."

"You're not, are you?"

Benton tried never to lie to his sons, no matter how awful the truth might be. "Yes, Jonny, I am." Jonny gulped. "I've been scared plenty of times, though. There's nothing wrong with being scared."

"I bet Race doesn't get scared."

"Not so, Jonny. We all get scared from time to time. It's normal to be frightened in a fearful situation." Benton wished he could use Crandall for a punching bag. He was normally not a violent man, but Crandall had aroused an enormous amount of animosity in him.

"Well, that's all that happened, except that he told me to clean up the mess."

Benton finished wiping away Jonny's tears and gave him a hug. A very gentle hug. "I love you, Jonny."

"I love you, too," Jonny said, hugging back. Then he sighed. "I miss Hadji. He always knows what to say. It's easier to cope with being scared if there's someone doing it with you."

Benton hugged his younger son. Jonny and Hadji had been close ever since the day, years ago, when Hadji had saved Benton's life in Calcutta. They were not only brothers, but they were best friends, having been through thick and thin together. Over the years, things had changed a bit between them, especially as they entered their teen years. Hadji was nearly two years older than Jonny, but the essential closeness had never wavered.

Squeezing Jonny very gently, he said, "I know what you mean."