Newborn

Chapter 45: The Lost Boy

Anne Halton

The entrance of the police station is crowded with dozens of reporters.  Jess drives around to the side of the building.  She doesn’t know what the cause of the swarm is, but she knows she wants to avoid it.

She slips in the side entrance.  For a moment, she wonders whether the leak could have snuck into the station through one of the other entrances, but you need a special pass card to enter and there are a dozen cameras on each doorway.

In contrast to the circus out front, inside the station everyone is quite.  Jess is greeted with short grunts and sallow faced nods.  Everyone looks exhausted.

Jess learns about the murder of Senator’s wife.  Officers spent the night searching the city for the Scarlet Lady and a possible ‘man in black’. 

One of her colleagues suggests that Jess check up on Simons, and she obliges.

Simons is sitting on a brown corduroy couch in the officer’s lounge. 

The orphaned boy is lying across the couch with his head in Simons’ lap.    

To the side, a social worker in a plum pantsuit is sitting, filling out forms.

Jess slips into the lounge and give Simons a silent wave.

“Hi,” Simons whispers.

The social worker offers to watch the boy for a couple minutes.

“I’ll be right out there in the hall if he wakes up,” Simons says.

The social worker nods.

As soon he’s clear of the doorway, Simons clings onto Jess.  She hugs him tight, trying to comfort him.  He doesn’t say anything, but she can feel his tears against her neck.

He hasn’t slept in over thirty six hours.  The boy didn’t want to leave him. 

The Scarlet Lady said that Simons would protect him, and now the boy doesn’t have anyone else.

“I’ve seen a lot of fucked up stuff,” Simons says at last, “but that doesn’t make it any less fucked up.  What he saw,” he can’t even say it.  “He’s just a kid.  Now, he wants me to protect him, but I can’t change anything.”

“It’s not our job to change the world.  We’ll catch who did this.  That’s all we can do now,” Jess says.

Simons pulls away.  He wipes his tears away, trying to regain his composure.  “There’s something you should know.”

“What?”

“They’re looking for the Scarlet Lady.  They think she’s the one who did it.”

“The acrobat?” Jess asks.

“She’s more than that.  I’ve never seen anyone move how she did.  But they think it’s her, and it’s not.  At least, I don’t think so.  The boy keeps saying that there was someone else there, a bad man.”

“Do you think it’s Legion?” Jess asks.

“No, I think it’s something worse.  It’s something dark.”

Jess has to stop him.  “I know you’re tired, and this has been a hard day, but when this is done, I think you need to talk to someone.”

“Jess,” he says, staring into her eyes.  “I know, and I will.  But right now, I’m worried you’re getting involved in something you don’t understand.  If you meet the Scarlet Lady, try to keep an open mind.”

Jess hesitates, afraid that she might be enabling her friend’s delusional state, but she has to ask, “Do you know something?”

“I don’t know what I know, but that kid in there is going to wake up soon and he wants me to be there.  Right now, that’s all I can do for him,” Simons says, retreating back into the lounge.