Chapter 6 - The Crack in the Armor
The plan was set. Marcus drove to our family home in St. Joseph to deliver the medical files to Lauren. Meanwhile, I stayed at the cabin, trying to help Tyler and Leo heal.
It was heartbreaking to watch them. If I stood up too quickly, Leo would flinch and cover his head. Tyler refused to let me out of his sight; if I went to the bathroom, he would stand outside the door, waiting. They had been conditioned to believe that any sudden movement, any mistake, would result in punishment.
I spent the afternoon teaching them how to fish in the small creek behind the cabin. It was a slow, quiet process, but gradually, I saw the tension leave their shoulders. For a few hours, they weren't victims of a brutal reform camp. They were just two boys holding cane poles, waiting for a bite.
"Dad?" Leo asked, looking up at me. He had started calling me Dad, a habit he'd picked up from Tyler. I didn't correct him. "Are we ever going back to the dark room?"
"Never," I said, kneeling down to look him in the eyes. "I promise you, Leo. I will fight the whole world before I let anyone put you in a room like that again. You're safe here."
Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was Marcus.
"David, we have a development," Marcus said, his voice tense. "I went to the house. Lauren was there, but she wasn't alone. Garrett Voss was with her. He tried to block me from entering, but I showed my retired badge and handed the medical files directly to Lauren."
"And?" I asked, my heart pounding.
"She looked at the photos of Tyler. She started crying, David. Really crying. I could see the horror on her face. She had no idea it was that bad. She thought it was a luxury camp with horseback riding and group therapy. Voss tried to take the files from her, telling her it was 'staged' by you, but she pushed him away."
"Did she say anything?"
"She asked where Tyler was. I didn't tell her, of course. But she looked at Voss and asked him, 'How could you let this happen?' Voss got angry. He threatened her, David. He told her that if she backed out now, she’d be criminally liable for child neglect because she signed the paperwork."
"That bastard," I growled.
"Lauren is scared, David. Voss has her locked down. He’s controlling her phone and her communications. But she’s cracking. We need to get her away from him before he convinces her to stay silent."
"I'm going to the house," I said.
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"No, Eleanor says that’s a trap," Marcus warned. "Voss has security there. If you show up, they'll call the cops and have you arrested for violating a non-existent restraining order. We need to lure Lauren out. We need to meet her somewhere safe."
"I know where," I said. "Her sister’s house in Kansas City. Lauren always goes there when she’s desperate. I’ll call her sister, Sarah. She hates Voss. She’ll help us."
