Author's notes:
Hi! Thanks for waiting! I hope you're all doing okay.
The illustration for this chapter you can either find on my DoodleAddicts account (…/vincentthecat/) or on the story Rooftops of New York that I post on Archive Of Our Own (VincentTheCat).
Anyway, I'm very curious to know what you make of this chapter. :)
If all goes well, I will update the story on Sunday in three weeks (08.11).
Chapter 10 "Have You Seen Me"
"For what I feared overtakes me; what I dreaded comes upon me.
I have no peace nor ease; I have no rest, for trouble has come!"
Job 3:25-26 (NABRE)
Satchmo gets woken up by the distressed cry of his pup. He is on his paws in an instant. He rushes to meet the-missing-one with a wagging tail and happy barks. The pup only cries harder. He pushes Satchmo away, then thrusts a crumpled piece of paper at his snout. It smells funny.
"SEE?" the pup cries. "It's YOU," he whines. "It's not just Bella who's wanted. It's not just Lucky who's wanted. YOU'RE WANTED TOO! The adults are going to take you away too!"
It is all right. It is okay. I love you, Satchmo whines. You found he-who-smells-of-home once, we can find him again!
"THEY WANT YOU! The adults want everyone but the kids!" the pup whimpers. Oh, how much he wishes she-who-smells-of-home and he-who-smells-of-home were here. It is clear the pup is panicking over nothing. The pup should not panic when Satch is with him.
"At the vet's office there were tons of flyers like this one. Tons!" the-missing-one keeps barking, then suddenly – he stops. Something must have changed for the better because the pup stops crying. Drying his eyes the pup takes the two-leg-in-the-box thingamajig. There is a click, then silence and then… Satch cocks his head. Something about the voice of the two-leg imprisoned in the box sounds familiar. He does not know why.
/\_/\
='x'=
Holding the phone close to his ear, Neal hopes the number is wrong. Or that the person who answers does not like yellow dogs with happy eyes and disarming smiles. And then he hears her voice.
"Elizabeth Burke." Neal feels his throat tighten. Be mean, please be very mean, he silently begs the stranger. "May I ask who's calling, please?"
"Um…" Neal clears his throat. "Hi," he whispers.
"Hi," the woman says. He can hear a smile in her voice. The smile that she has especially reserved for Satchmo. He is reminded of Lucky and the lady who lost him, who was so happy when Neal brought the puppy back to her family yesterday. His vision becomes blurry again.
"I'm-m," he tries to say but the words get tangled.
"Sorry, sweetie? Could you repeat that? I couldn't quite hear you."
"S-Satchmo," Neal tries yet again. At first silence answers him. And then…
"Satchmo!" the woman exclaims. "You have some information about Satchmo? You saw the dog from the poster, please, could you give me some specifics? Is he still there? I can be on my way right now, just—"
Sobbing, Neal hangs up. He looks at the dog accusingly.
"Hear that? She says she's going to take you away!" Hugging his knees, he curls into a ball. Satchmo lies down next to him, but when the phone starts ringing again the dog raises his head and prickles his ears. Feeling miserable, Neal looks at the buzzing monstrosity.
"She says you never wanted me," he whispers to the dog. "She says you're leaving… She says you're leaving just like mum did."
/\_/\
='x'=
"HON! WAKE UP!"
Peter woke up with a startle. One second he was in his bed, deep asleep, the next - he jumped to his feet wide awake, his hand going for the gun in the nightstand drawer, only to… Freeze, when he realized that his wife, despite the bloodcurdling scream, was in one piece.
"Hon!" She rushed towards him and grabbed his arm. "Someone have found Satchmo!"
"…What?"
"A little boy, I think! He— I think I even heard a dog whine." Elle gestured to her phone. "But the boy disconnected and now he does not pick up!"
She showed him the screen of her phone. Peter numbly took the device from her hands. He stared at the unknown number for a longer moment, then looked back at Elizabeth. She was safe, he told himself. His heart, still hammering in his chest, seemed to disagree.
"What did he say?" he finally asked.
"Nothing, really. Just Satchmo's name. But he sounded so distressed! As if he was crying…" She furrowed her forehead. "Hon, why isn't he picking up?"
"I don't—" Bewildered, Peter shook his head. "I don't know," he said, giving back her phone. He watched Elle ran a hand over her face. There were tears glistening in her eyes.
"Come on," she whispered, dialling the number again.
Peter looked at the hour. It was 4AM. Just twenty hours left till the takedown of Keller's crew. He nodded to himself. "Elle, I'm going to work early."
She stared at him. "What?"
"I need to get the upper hand on this case, hon. There is too much at stake," Peter explained, opening the wardrobe. Elle followed him.
"But hon, what about Satchmo―"
Feeling frustrated, Peter looked back at Elizabeth. "Satchmo's just a dog, Elle. This is far more important!" The harsh words surprised him. "I mean, he's our dog, yes, but hon, this case―"
"Is more important, of course," she interrupted him. "I should have known by now. Your personal life has been competing with Keller for four years now so of course..."
Turning on her heel, she left him alone in the bedroom.
/\_/\
='x'=
Staring down at the phone in her hands Elle felt unnerved. It was the thirtieth time she called the number. And still, there was no answer.
"Why aren't you picking up…" she mumbled.
"After this is over, I promise to double my efforts to find Satch, ok?" Hearing her husband's voice, she looked up. He was already dressed in a suit, ready to go to work.
She offered him a cup of coffee and he took it, nodding his thanks.
"Not staying for breakfast?" she asked after a moment, rubbing her itching eyes.
"I…" Putting the mug on the table, Peter shook himself. "I'm sorry, hon. I can't. This is too important."
Dialling the number again, she did not answer. Usually, she could understand her husband quite well, but right that moment… Somehow, she just could not. It was Satch after all. The first sign of life in almost two months and… Peter what, did not even give a single thought to their boy?
"Look, honey. I'll try to explain more once it's over," her husband said. "But basically one of my subjects got away and it's really important for me to locate him before the heist. You understand?"
"…I'm trying to."
They kissed, murmuring the word 'hon' and then Peter, after saying one last apology, left. Sighing heavily, she locked the door after him.
On her way back to the kitchen, she thought one thing was certain, if Satchmo had not been missing, neither of them would have ever suspected how ill-tempered they could be with each other at times.
Taking a chair, Elle dialled the number again. Listening to the beeping of the unanswered call, she suddenly realized something else. Something that really made her angry at Peter.
If it was just the matter of Satchmo getting found, maybe she could understand. But she had told him it was a crying child who had answered the phone. Not an adult but a distressed little boy. And even that was not enough to get Peter out of his tunnel vision. No, because right that moment, all her husband could think about was the case he was working on. Nothing else mattered.
Dialling the number again, Elle sighed. She rubbed her temples. She could already feel the tension headache coming on. Come on little guy, she thought, pick up…
/\_/\
='x'=
"Who is a friend, you ask? It is someone who knows exactly how to break your heart," the-missing-one sobs yet again. Satchmo tries to kiss the pup's nose, but the pup turns his head away and does not let him. He tries again and the-missing-one pushes him away.
Confused, Satch meets the eyes of the-little-friend and whines softly. The purring gets louder but Satch is not sure what good it does. The reason the puppy is sad, most obviously, is because instead of playing like a normal puppy should, he is just lying there, playing dead.
Get up, pup! Let's run together, let's run! Satchmo barks.
The-missing-one remains motionless. Whining, Satchmo licks the pup on the ear, trying to comfort him. I love you!
"Leave me alone…" the pup whines, curling into a ball.
Distraught, Satchmo turns to look at the-little-friend again. The pup's sick, he tells him.
He watches the-little-friend pat the-missing-one on the head, then push his head against Satchmo's side, purring ever so loudly. Evidently, he does not know what to do either.
Resting his head on the top of the pup's head, Satch gazes at the two-leg-in-the-box thingamajig. He wishes it had already stopped making the beeping noises. He would not be surprised if it was that thingamajig that made the pup sick. His ears hurt.
Desperate to silence the thingamajig, he gets up and picks it up. It tastes funny.
He brings it to the pup. Maybe he could do something about the noises. Or maybe…
Let's play, Satch whines and drops the two-leg-in-the-box thingamajig in front of the two-leg's face. But as the thingamajig hits the floor, something changes. The ear-hurting noises stop.
"Hello?! Sweetie, are you there?!" comes the voice of the imprisoned in the box two-leg. Satchmo cocks his head. The sounds are eerily familiar.
The pup grabs the thingamajig and stares at it, he is shaking. Satchmo likes this less and less. The-missing-one is frightened. He barks. He wants the pup to know that he is there for him.
/\_/\
='x'=
Staring down at the phone, Neal is horrified. He does not dare to hang up, but he does not say a word either. Satchmo has chosen. He has just made his choice. He has chosen the lady who harassed them with the phone-calls over Neal. His friend wants to leave.
"Sweetie, hello? Look, I'm not sure what the situation you are in is, but I just want to tell you, it is all right to talk to me. Just speak a word, sweetie, please. I am sure we can work something out."
Confused, Neal blinks.
"…What?" he mumbles.
"Sweetie! I'm so glad I can hear you! Listen, sweetie, are you alright?"
Neal wipes his nose on his sleeve and scrubs his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears.
"W-why do you ask?" he finally whispers.
"I was worried," the woman tells him. "You haven't been picking up."
"I…" Neal takes a deep breath, then pauses. "I…" He blinks furiously trying to get rid of the tears gathering in his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"No, that's okay. Everything's ok, sweetie, I—"
No, it's not! Because you want to take Satch away! Neal hears Vincent's accusation against the woman. Neal himself stays silent. Or at least he thinks he does.
"I want to take Satch away?" He hears the woman echo the words of the cat back at him. She sounds uncertain. Neal looks at Vincent. The cat should have stayed silent. "Sweetie, what do you mean? Is Satch with you?"
Hugging his knees, Neal holds out his hand to rest it on the top of the dog's head.
"…Yeah," he whispers. Seized by a desperate idea, he painfully clenches his hand on the phone. She has to understand. Satchmo has to stay. "I don't think he wants to come back, ma'm! He's happy where he is now!"
/\_/\
='x'=
Hearing the desperation in the child's voice, Elle was at a loss on how to respond.
"I understand you've grown quite fond of Satch," she said after a moment of hesitation.
"We're best friends," came the quick and proud answer.
Elle rubbed her forehead. "I understand," she repeated. "How old are you, sweetie?"
"And he doesn't want to come back," the boy said, ignoring her question. "In fact, he hates you for leaving him."
"He told you that?" she asked, feeling amused despite the situation.
"He—" There was a pause. "I know dogs can't talk."
"I see…" Elle paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "Are you alone sweetie? Or is there someone adult I could talk to?"
/\_/\
='x'=
Hearing the question, Neal frowns. Why would the lady want to speak to someone adult?
"…You can talk to me," he decides to say after a moment.
"Are you alone?"
Looking at Vincent and Satch, Neal frowns. "No, I'm not." Then, remembering why he has called the woman in the first place, Neal grits his teeth. "But you want me to be alone!"
"No, I—" the lady pauses. "You mean… If Satchmo leaves, you will be alone?"
/\_/\
='x'=
"I won't be, but Vincent will!"
Vincent. Elle frowned. Another child? "…Your brother?" she guessed.
"Yeah," the boy answered.
"What about your parents, sweetie? Will they miss Satch?"
"…Yeah."
Okay. One thing at a time. So there were parents and they knew of Satchmo. "Did they tell you to call me, sweetie?"
/\_/\
='x'=
This is not the best of his cons, Neal thinks grimly, staring straight ahead at his latest painting. The paint on it is still wet and the deadline that Mister Keller set is five days from now. He still has time. Glancing sideways at Satchmo, he feels the prickle of tears in his eyes. Satchmo does not. Satchmo's time is over.
"Sweetheart? Could you please answer me?" the lady asks.
Not remembering what the question was, Neal shakes his head.
"…What?" he asks weakly.
"Did your parents tell you to call my number?"
"They—" Neal pauses. What is he saying? He does not have parents. "Um."
"Did they see the Lost Dog flyer and told you to call the number?"
This, he thinks, he can answer. "My uncle's friend told me that."
/\_/\
='x'=
Okay. So there was a brother named Victor, parents, uncle and uncle's friend. Elle rubbed her forehead.
"He told you to call this number?" she asked just to make sure.
"He told me that the collar means Satch's wanted," the child answered.
"Wanted?" Elle echoed.
"That the adults have not abandoned him and that—" The boy's voice cracked. "T-that you will want to have him back," he sobbed.
That uncle's friend did not sound very responsible. How could he leave the child alone with the task of calling her. Listening to the child's sobs, it was most hard for Elle to gather her thoughts.
Okay, first things first, she thought.
"Sweetie, you're not hurt, are you?"
/\_/\
='x'=
Hearing the question, Neal blinks. "N-no," he says quietly.
"Or in danger?"
He shakes his head.
"Sweetheart? Are you in danger?"
"No!" Why is the lady asking him this?
"Okay," he hears her breathe. "Okay. But you're alone, with your brother, at your home."
"I don't have a bro—" he starts to answer only to pause. "…Oh." He looks at Vincent. "I forgot."
"…What did you forget?"
Scrubbing his eyes, Neal yawns. He buries his face in Satch's fur, lies on the floor and hugs his soon-to-leave friend.
"Something about your brother?" the lady asks again.
"…I don't know," he mumbles.
/\_/\
='x'=
The boy claimed he was neither hurt nor in danger. But that conversation… It just felt wrong. Suddenly overcome with anxiety, Elle gripped the phone tightly.
"Sweetheart, please talk to me," she said. "Why weren't you picking up earlier? Did you hear the phone ringing?"
There was silence. Then, after what felt like ages, Elle heard the boy make a small acknowledgement.
"Yeah."
"Okay. So you heard."
"Yeah."
"Then why didn't you pick up?"
"…Because, um… Because…" the boy sighed. "…I'm sorry. I don't really know, ma'm," he mumbled.
"No, that's okay," Elle shook her head. "That's okay…"
"…It was really tiring though. You've been calling non-stop…" the child sighed again. Something cold clenched in her stomach. The boy was right. She had been calling him for ten hours. Everyone in their right mind would have either blocked the number or picked up after a couple of signals. But something about the boy was clearly not right. That entire conversation was not right.
"I've been calling for ten hours," she quietly confirmed. "Sweetie, were you alone all that time?" she asked, then shook her head, remembering the non-answer she previously received to a similar question. "I mean," she cleared her throat. "Where was everyone?"
"Everyone?" the child echoed.
"Your uncle's friend for example," Elle quickly clarified.
"I dunno…" the boy mumbled after a moment, then sighed. "It's not like I really know him."
Elle did not realize the exact moment she got up and started to pace around the kitchen. "Okay," she said. "And your uncle?"
/\_/\
='x'=
What is it with all those questions?Running a hand over his face, Neal sighs heavily.
"I don't understand," he mutters.
"Do you know where he lives?" the lady asks.
"N-no," Neal says and then, immediately, he shuts his mouth. Mister Keller, he suddenly realizes, would not be happy to hear this conversation. He really should not talk more than necessary or…
"What about your parents?"
"I DON'T HAVE PARENTS!" He does not mean to say those words. But they burst out and suddenly Neal is sobbing again. Now it is not just Mister Keller that would be angry with him, now he has made mum angry as well. She must be, because…
/\_/\
='x'=
Elle did not know when she decided to leave. She only knew that one moment she was in the kitchen, the next… She was out, turning the key in the lock.
She might have been overreacting, maybe nothing bad was happening to the child, maybe the boy was just angry with his parents for telling him to return the found dog, but… She did not care.
"Sweetie, could you tell me your address? Because I really feel you should not be alone right now."
/\_/\
='x'=
The question makes all Neal's thoughts come to a halt.
"W-what?" he asks blankly.
"I really feel we should meet, sweetie," the woman repeats. "Clearly, something is wrong and—"
"YOU WANT TO TAKE SATCHMO AWAY! THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG!"
/\_/\
='x'=
Hearing the helpless cry, Elle quickened her pace. She got into the car.
"I won't take Satchmo away if you don't let me," she said. She doubted very much that the dog the child had found was Satch, anyway, and frankly, right that moment... It hardly seemed to matter. From the child's erratic behaviour towards her, the stranger, she inferred that either he was physically hurt or that something else just as bad was going on. She had to help him.
/\_/\
='x'=
"You won't take Satch away?" he echoes the words in disbelief.
"I won't," the lady says. "I promise, I won't."
Suddenly feeling hopeful again, Neal smiles. "So I was right all along! You don't want him, not really!"
"No, I want—" the woman pauses. "Sweetie. No, I do have a missing dog, sweetie, and I do want to find him. But right now I don't think it matters much. Right now I need to meet with you and make sure you're okay."
Neal does not answer and the woman sighs.
"…Okay, I think we should start again. My name is Elle. Nice to meet you—"
"—It's Neal," he fills in before he can think better of it.
"Neal! What a wonderful name," the woman says. "Listen, Neal. I have a very important question for you. Do you think you can go outside?"
He does not like this question. "I can do whatever I want!"
"Oh, okay," the woman says. "So how about this. How about you take Satchmo for a walk and meet me somewhere in your neighbourhood? I'm in a car right now, I can drive to your address."
/\_/\
='x'=
Saying the words, Elle prayed hard to hear the child answer 'I need to ask my parents first' or 'parents told me not to trust strangers' or...
"My uncle would not like that," she heard the boy say instead. Which, she guessed, was something, only…
"When is your uncle coming home?" she asked and cringed inside, hearing the immediate answer.
"I don't think uncle has a home."
"Okay," she nodded. "But he lives with you?"
"He—" the child hesitated. "No. Not really," he said in a small voice. Elle felt furious.
"Okay, sweetie," she said. "Then who lives with you?"
The boy did not answer.
"Do your parents live with you?"
Silence.
"Does your uncle's friend live with you?"
Again, more silence.
"Victor. Does Victor live with you?"
"Vincent!" the child quickly corrected. "Yeah, he does but—" the boy paused. "…But sometimes he does not," he quietly said. "…Sometimes he just disappears…"
Elle clenched and unclenched her fists. "I understand," she said slowly. "Do you know where he goes?"
"No," the boy said. "…Not at all," he sobbed.
"So it's just you, Vincent and Satchmo? The three of you live alone?"
/\_/\
='x'=
Neal knows the question is a trap. He knows it is designed so that the kids like him could easily fall into the hands of mean social workers and even meaner adoptive parents. Mum has taught him all about how to answer such questions. But the lady…
But what if the lady really meant it when she said she wouldn't take Satch away? What if he could make her understand that Satchmo was better off with him than…
"Yes, we do!" he says. His throat feels tight. "So you see, this is why you can't take Satch away! He's the only one that I know will always be waiting for me! …Vincent," Neal breaths heavily. "Vincent's not like that…"
/\_/\
='x'=
Hearing the quiet, sad words Elle's heart sank. But then, she remembered something the boy said earlier about that Vincent person and so, she took a deep breath and ordered her voice to stay even despite the bile forming in her throat.
"He's with you now, though?" she asked.
"…Mhm."
"Do you think I could talk to him?"
The chance that the child's brother was older than him was slim, but still…
"He can't really talk," the boy stated.
"He's a baby?!" Elle did not mean to raise her voice. Somehow, however, she did and… She froze, hearing the child chuckle.
"She called you a baby," she then heard him say to someone. Vincent, possibly…?
"Neal…" Elle shook her head. Clearly, that Vincent, whoever he was, did leave from time to time so he could not be a baby. On the other hand, she no longer knew what to believe. The child's answers were contradictory.
A cat meowed. Elle by now was quite used to hearing the soft whines that reminded her a bit of Satchmo and confirmed that the boy did indeed have a dog, but it was the first time she heard that meowing and as she put two and two together…
"He's a cat," she said, suddenly filled with certainty that was not there before.
The child seemed to think it was funny. "Mhm," he laughed.
Elle felt her blood run cold. "Okay," she nodded, trying to sound light. "So Vincent, you and Satchmo. You three live alone?"
"And that's why you can't separate us," the boy stated. "That's why you can't take Satchmo away."
"Because then it would be just the two of you?" Elle asked.
"Mhm," the boy mumbled. "Please understand—"
"I do, I do understand," she said. "What about your uncle though?"
"He's not going to harm them!" the child exclaimed angrily and Elle winced.
Dear. God.
"But he did harm them before…" she quietly said, begging the boy to disagree. He did not.
"But never again!" the boy cried. "I'm smarter now, you don't have to worry about Satchmo, and Mister K—" the boy stumbled on the words. "—He does not know a thing, Elle! I swear he does not. We really are okay together. And Satchmo does not want to return to you anyway, he says you've left him and he does not want to leave me and…" the child paused. "Please. You said you wouldn't take him away."
Elle's heart was hammering. She shook her head. She had to focus. She had to locate the boy, call Peter, find out more about the situation, maybe try to check the child's story with his uncle, inform the children's services…
"Listen, Neal." Elle felt surprised by how calm her voice sounded when she spoke. It was as if she was listening to someone else, some other woman's voice. "Sweetie. Yes, if you don't want me to, I won't take Satchmo away. But I really need to meet you two first. Three," she corrected, just in case it turned out Vincent was not a cat after all. "Do you know a place where we could meet?"
/\_/\
='x'=
Hearing the question, Neal wraps his arms more tightly around Satch. He swallows the bile in his throat.
"You're not going to take him away?"
"No," the lady says. "No, if you don't want me to, I won't."
"I don't! I don't want you to!"
"Then, I won't," the lady states.
Snuggling his face into Satchmo's fur, Neal breaths out slowly.
"She won't take you away…" he tells his friend.
"No, I won't," the lady repeats. "I won't, sweetie, but I would really like to meet you. Do you know a place where we could meet?"
Neal frowns. Why?
"It's really important to me that we meet," the lady says yet again.
There is a pause.
"Neal, are you there?"
He stays silent.
"It's important to me, sweetheart, that we meet because I don't think that things at home—" the lady pauses, then clears her throat. "Look, Neal. I really do miss Satchmo. I promise not to take him away, but I would really like to see him. You can understand that, right? You love Satch too."
Blinking away the tears, Neal shakes his head. "But you're going to—"
The lady interrupts him. "No, Neal. I'm not going to separate you two."
"You are not?"
"No," she confirms. "I just want to see him."
"Um…" Neal lets out a sigh. "Um, okay then…" he whispers. "Okay…" he chuckles.
"Do you know where we could meet?" the lady asks and Neal rubs his eyes. In his head he runs through the places that are the easiest to observe while unseen. The flyer said Satchmo got lost in Brooklyn…
"Prospect Park," he mumbles.
/\_/\
='x'=
Hearing the name, Elle frowned. Prospect Park was twenty minutes' walk from her home. Did the boy live nearby?
"Okay," she said. "What's your favourite spot there?"
"Brooklyn Museum?" the child asked.
"Okay," Elle nodded, letting out a small sigh of relief. "So, we'll meet in front of the Brooklyn Museum. How much time do you need to get there?"
"A-an hour," came the uncertain answer. Elle nodded.
"Okay," she said. "We do not have to hang up, you know. We can talk on the way."
"…That would be silly," the boy chuckled. Elle took a deep breath, then forced herself to relax again.
"But you're going to pick up the phone, right?"
"Right," the child said and, before she could once again confirm the hour of the meeting, hang up.
Elle shuddered. She pursed her lips, then looked at the screen of the phone. It was most hard not to press CALL again.
Instead, with a small sigh, she changed the name of the contact to Neal. Then she scrolled to another number on the list.
…
Peter picked up almost right away.
Next (08.11): The Found One