Chapter 6

Day 4/5

Peter gingerly let his fingers skim the top of his nose. It was still a bit hard to breathe and even now, the coppery taste lingered as he snorted. It hurt but it cleared his nose somewhat so that he was a bit less nasally. His stomach used the opportunity to growl again. It was a gnawing ache that settled deep in his gut. Even when things had been really tight, his parents had always found some way to put food on the table. Even if the meal consisted of stale bread someone had thrown out and a fruit or two that were bruised. He had never gone more than a day without a meal before.

And now…it's been two days at least. He wasn't about to burden his mom with pesky things like that when his dad was literally hanging on by a thread. At least she was getting some food from the nurses. He knew because he had watched as one nurse had brought his mom a sandwich. He had been about to enter the room but had stood hidden in the doorway, just happy to see that she was eating. That for a moment her sadness had lifted at the generosity of another human being. When she had asked him, he had told her that he'd had eaten. He had felt bad about lying but the responsibility of the house now lay on his shoulders now that his dad was sick. That meant manning up and going hungry for a day or two, he'd do it to spare her the heartache.

He knew they had done it before. Had provided and made sure he ate while they went to bed without food. He wiped his eyes that suddenly burned as he thought again about his dad.

He wanted to make him proud. Make sure that he did the right thing, even if it is going to cost him. He couldn't forget the face of the man in the apartment. He looked scared too. Peter remembered the smell of vomit where the man had lain. Remembered the bruises he had seen. He lifted his own shirt. His stomach had now turned a shade of blue-black. It hurt but he'd seen worse on JJ, so he knew enough to know that it would pass. He pulled the blanket tighter around his body as he shivered.

After getting the money from JJ, and making a promise that he'd pay him back, he had brought a bus ticket to the Palisades Interstate Park. He had no idea where to start looking and even though he lived in New York, he had never visited the park before. It wasn't at all what he had imagined it to be. It was a lot greener, with shrubs and trees and pathways that went off in different directions. As he stood in front of the Fort Lee Visitor Centre, he felt completely overwhelmed. He wasn't sure how he was going to do this. Even where to start his search.

When he had heard Joe talk about the Palisades, he had Central Park in mind. He thought he'd be able to easily search for Mac Taylor. Maybe find him and then the city would be so grateful that they would pay for his dad's treatment. But now…now it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

He had spent an hour at the visitor centre and had finally fished out a park map that someone had dropped in one of the bins when he was sure no one was looking. His finger had traced over the lines of the different tracks. It was daunting. His toes still hurt and he was limping slightly by the time he had walked to the Ross Dock Picnic area. He had sat down on one of the benches and had looked out over the Hudson. The high-rises fill the sky across the river. It was beautiful in a sense, with the bridge over the water giving a sense that his home wasn't too far away. He wondered if one of those buildings that he was seeing was the hospital where his dad was at. He unconsciously gave a half wave, as if his parents would be able to see him before he realised what he was doing.

He waited as things quieted down and people left. He found a half-eaten hamburger in one of the bins at the back of the restrooms. He grimaced but closed his eyes and ate it as quickly as possible. It wasn't too bad considering where he got it from but it wasn't even close to enough for his starving body. Instead, he tried to fill his stomach with water. He hid away as the sun went down and crept back to the playground when everything was dark.

The residual light of the city filled the sky with an orange glow, the lights reflecting off the Hudson in a kaleidoscope of colours that turned the dark brown waters into a mirror of the rooms that towered over it. It was pretty as Peter settled underneath one of the playground towers. He pulled the blanket tight around him as he pulled his backpack closer. Inside had been the blanket that was now around his shoulders, a water bottle that he had filled up in the restroom, a flashlight and a small first aid kit he had taken from the bathroom cupboard. It was one that he had gotten at school when someone had come to teach them basic first aid. There wasn't much in it. A few plasters, one bandage roll, small scissors and an absorption pad. He wasn't sure what he'd be able to do with it but it might help to be prepared.

His mom always told him that common sense can get one out of a whole heap of hurt. It had come to him in good stead over the last few years, especially as he'd gotten taller and bigger than his peers as adolescence had started. He knew he was big for his age. It had the football coach drooling and his dad wanted him to play rugby.

But he wasn't interested. That wasn't what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to help others. Not pummel them into the ground. Maybe that is why he was decent with JJ. He knew the other boy struggled. Stole when he needed to in order to eat when his mom was strung out on her bed and there was no money. He had shared food with the boy. Just like the nurse did with his mom. Maybe that was why JJ had loaned him the money to buy a bus ticket. Kindness can go a long way. And that is why, he decided, he is doing this as a river boat clanged, the sound echoing across the river to his hidey hole. Peter shivered, his teeth clacking.

He hadn't expected it to be this cold but he couldn't move from his spot. He was afraid he'd be found if he did by park rangers. And if that happened, he wouldn't be able to help Mac. Sleep was hard, but he did slip fitfully into one sometime during that long night. He woke early in the morning as the sun was rising, colouring the sky into pink and light blue. He was stiff and the gnawing ache in his stomach had now deepened. He ignored it as best as he could while he folded the blanket and returned it to his pack. He was a bit stiff but he walked it off as he made his way back to the restrooms. They were still locked but he found an open window at the back of the building and slipped through. It was a tight fit but he managed in the end without scraping too much skin from his one hip when he got stuck. He cleaned up as best he could, using the water basin as he quickly undressed so that he was left standing only in his underwear.

His mom called it top n tail. He used the soap dispenser and some of the paper towels to dry himself off before he got dressed. He was more careful when he exited the building, again via the window. He felt a bit more human as he set off again, following the path marked with aqua paint against trees. It took half the morning but he made it all the way to the Englewood Picnic area. He filled up his empty water bottle as he sat down on the grass and watched the river. He felt a bit dizzy as he sat there. He had taken his jumper off during the walk and had stuck it into his backpack. He felt tired, sweaty and dirty but most of all, he felt hungry. Tears were close and he swallowed them with difficulty.

Men didn't cry. And he was a man now.

Still…he felt overwhelmed, sad and angry all at the same time. But he had a purpose. He had studied the map before he had left. Had prayed as his fingers had gone over the different tracks and he tried his best to remember if the man had said anything else about where he was taking Mac. The Greenbrook sanctuary looked more than likely than any place along the map. It was kinda out of the way and there were lots of spaces that had now obvious tracks on the map.

"Hey kid."

He looked up. A man was standing off to the side. He was a tall man, clad in hiking clothes and boots with a beard that was black against his brown skin. Brown eyes crinkled as he studied Peter, hands on his hips.

"I don't know you." Peter said politely as he slowly stood up.

"You have a parent with you?" The man asked instead.

Peter didn't trust the other man. He looked around the park, noticing that it was still fairly empty of people. He took a step back as he swung his backpack onto his back. The man held up his hands.

"Hey, it's all good, man. Look, I've got some food left over and wondered if you'd like the rest."

Peter stared at the man suspiciously. He wasn't an idiot but this man also didn't look like a pervert either. He'd seen enough of those around where he lives to smell them out. He and JJ made sure to steer clear of those men, who promised money and clothes for some personal attention. The man walked away to one of the picnic tables and then came back with a bag. He put it down on the grass.

"If you're in trouble…uh, I mean like running away or something…there is a place I know where you can go. Get some food. A place to sleep. It's a charity okay."

The man took out what looked like a flyer and stuck it in the bag. "Here, in case you're interested. They're good people, okay. Just think about it okay."

He stayed where he was and watched as the other man walked away before he stepped closer to the bag. Inside was an unopened bottle of orange juice, a sealed breakfast burrito and a packet of Lays Chips. He glanced up but he was once again alone.

He put the chips in his backpack as he opened the orange juice and took a sip. It was sweet and tangy and oh, so good. He drank half the bottle before he started on the burrito. He was licking his fingers, suddenly grateful for the kindness of strangers. He felt energised as he started on the Long Trail afterwards.

It took him the rest of the morning and a bit into the afternoon before he finally reached Greenbrook turn off. It didn't look that busy but the pathway also had signs on that talked about it being a member's area. He wasn't sure what that meant. He drank the rest of his orange juice and opened the packet of lays as he sat down at the crossroads as it were, deciding how he was going to tackle the next little bit.

It didn't take him long to finish the chips. He crumbled the packet and stuck it into his backpack before he slipped into the woods. The map had a little section that said that it was a 165-acre woodland forest, mainly consisting of oak trees. Peter wasn't sure what oak trees looked like but what he saw was pretty tall. He circumvented the main area and joined up with a smaller track. After about thirty minutes, he stopped and sat down, taking out the map. He traced the path he was on, guessing where he was approximately on the map. Not far away was the Greenbrook pond and on the side between the pond and the Hudson there was an area that looked a bit more remote. If he was the bad guy, he guessed that could be where he would take someone.

The unlikelihood of finding one hurt man never came up in Peter's mind. Nor the fact that he was mostly guessing and going off a map that he found in a bin. All Peter was thinking at this point was that if he found Mac Taylor, it would make the feeling of guilt go away and just maybe, make his dad better because he did a good thing. That God will see him and what he is doing and a miracle will happen.

So, he set off resolutely, orientating himself when he found the pond to the area where he wanted to go. He stepped behind a tree a short time later to water the garden as he dad sometimes would say, when he heard a familiar voice. It was gravelly and angry and clearly thought he was alone.

"I told you. He's dead…"

Peter shifted softly, crouching down and leaning around the tree, peering through a bush as one of the men that had been in the apartment walked past him. It was the man that had spoken about knowing a place in the palisades.

"…No…"

He stalked down the path, looking around until he came to what looked like a small cross carved into a tree. Even from where Peter was hiding, he could see the two slashes in the trunk. It was old and gnarly, dark with age but still discernible against the bark of the tree.

"Look, are you sure you don't see the key in the car?" The man half turned, so he stood sideways to Peter, eyeing the woods before him. "Only, it's a bit of a walk."

"Right…"

He wiped a hand across his head and then dropping his hand to his trousers, he tapped his fingers rapidly against his leg. Peter was silent as he watched.

"What?"

The man took a deep breath. "You sure?"

Whatever the other man said, must've been what the man wanted to hear. "Great. I walked out here for nothing…"

"Fine. It'll take me an hour. I'll see you at the station."

Peter watched as the man walked past him, back along the trail. He waited until the man disappeared around the bend before he furtively walked to the tree with the marker. He looked upwards and then closing his eyes briefly, he thanked God. He also prayed that his dad would be okay and silently apologised to his mom that he wasn't there at the hospital like he promised before he stepped into the forest.

"Anything?"

Stella looked up as Danny stepped into the lab. She patted Adam on his shoulder and rose to meet the other man. It had taken the better part of yesterday afternoon to get the warrant, so that they could get the video footage from the Port Authority. It had taken time and she had chafed at the bureaucracy of it all. It hadn't helped that her frustration had boiled over, alienating a judge to her cause. Mac was so much better at managing this than she was. She knew her Italian roots sometimes led to passion that didn't always sit well with the dourer crowds. Over the years, it had ended with more than one failed relationship or upset work colleagues that took offence. She couldn't be responsible anymore for hurt feelings.

She needed to find Mac. It burned in her.

"The video isn't that great to run facial rec but Adam is cleaning it up. We're eyeballing it at the moment."

"What can I do to help?" Danny asked as he stepped closer.

"Uh…you finished processing the apartment where Mac was kept?"

"Yeah, Lindsey is closing up the last bits and signing them into the logs. We also went over the bank evidence again. Dotted our I's and t's." Danny said, blue eyes meeting Stella's with confidence in the knowledge of a job well done.

"Okay." Stella pulled a chair closer to one of the monitors that stood on the table where Adam was busy. Switching it on, she indicated to Danny to take a seat.

"There's three cameras that cover the general area in front of the ticket offices. If we each take one, it'll go faster."

She watched as Danny sat down with a nod. She sat down between Adam and Danny and focused on her own screen. Stopping and starting the video that had been setup for her by Adam, she played through the footage.

It took them an hour before Danny gave a small shout. "Hey, I think I've got him."

Both she and Adam looked up from their screens and then crowded around Danny. Stella squinted. The video was grainy but it definitely looks like the boy. And the time was about right, in the zone they had estimated from what JJ had told Flack, when Peter would've bought a ticket. Stella was on the phone with the Port Authority shortly after, giving them the time and the ticket booth.

It wasn't long before they came back with the result.

Peter had brought a ticket to the Palisades Interstate Park. The bus stopped at Bridge Plaza, not too far from the Fort Lee Historic Park. Armed with that knowledge, she sent Danny with Flack and a unit to go check it out while she tried to get hold of the Park Commission.

"Uh, I didn't think anyone was going to come out here. It's not like they stole anything."

Danny blinked behind his glasses as he eyed the nervous looking man in front of him. Dave Mitchell wasn't the most confident of men out there, and that was being kind. But he clearly knew the park and its history. When he and Flack and the unis had arrived at the visitor centre at Fort Lee, Dave had been surprised and then had asked them if they were here about the break in.

Danny wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, per say. It might be related to Peter and Mac and he wasn't about to discount anything at this point, even though Flack had rolled his eyes and had told Danny in private that it was a fool's quest. But Danny felt it in his gut that this was something to do with Peter, so he had played along and had asked Dave where the break-in had happened.

Dave had directed them and they had driven to the Ross Dock Picnic area. Danny had taken his bag and it hadn't taken him long to take a sample of the blood and fingerprint the window. Eyeballing the prints with what he had of Peter, he could see that it was a match. At least the boy had been here this morning, which was a good thing. It gave them a bit of a timeline.

He had asked Dave where a good place would be to stash a body. Dave had gone white, sputtering his way to silence as Flack stared at him, like he'd gone insane. Danny packed up his tools, letting Flack deal with Dave, who seemed to hyperventilate his way towards an answer, his hands making nervous little gestures as he indicated points on the map that were out of the way.

Looking at the map, Danny knew it wasn't going to be easy.

With Mac, he decided – when is it ever?