The Stolen - Jason Pinter [14]
As Talbot led me across the lawn, I could hear groans
of protest as his bodyguards held the throng of reporters
back. When we were out of earshot, Talbot took his arm
from my shoulder and said, "I'm glad Wallace chose you
to report on Daniel. Shelly and Randy think they can trust
you. I'm inclined to believe them."
"Then can trust me, sir, I promise that."
"Good." Talbot turned slightly as the angry catcalls
grew louder. "Ignore the parasites," he said. "They're
jealous, that's all. Any one of them would trade their press
badge to be where you are and do what you've done in
such a short amount of time."
I felt a tingle down my side where a bullet had shattered
my rib and punctured my lung just a few years ago, and
wondered if that was really true.
"You know I used to live in a place just like this," Talbot
said, his eyes searching the tree line as though looking for
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Jason Pinter
a familiar sign. "Not like it is now, the way it was back
when Daniel disappeared. The kind of town where you
woke up every day assuming a crash position, trying just
to hold on to a sliver of hope. My biggest dream growing
up was to just get the hell out and make something of
myself before the evil swallowed me whole. The strongest
men and women aren't the ones born with everything,
Henry, they're the ones who are born with nothing but fight
like hell to get it. I know how hard you've fought. And I
know you'll understand what this family has gone through.
To lose a child? To assume your child is dead, that you've
outlived your firstborn? I can't even imagine it. So be respectful. Daniel will never get back those years, and his
parents will never fully repair that hole in their hearts. If
their boy's story is given the respect and honesty it
deserves, well, that might go a little way toward helping.
I know you have a responsibility to your job. But your job
is also to mend fences when you can. This is not a tabloid
story. This is not a family to be exploited. So don't you
dare treat them like one."
"I wouldn't dare," I said.
"I know that, Henry." Talbot stopped, turned around,
made a brief gesture, and the bodyguards began walking
over. A limousine pulled up, a chauffeur getting out to
open the door for the senator. He shook my hand one last
time, then said, "You're a fine young man and a terrific
reporter. Hopefully Daniel Linwood will have the chance
to grow up and find his calling just the same."
Then he got in and was gone.
I turned back to the house, tried to figure out what to
make of the encounter. Gray Talbot was known to be a
humanitarian, and his troubled background only solidified
his resolve to help those in need. The Linwoods obviously
The Stolen
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fit that bill, and he was more than happy to put more
weight on my story. To make sure I didn't color outside
the lines. Not that I planned to, but there's a difference
between moral obligation and having a politician flat-out
tell you.
I walked back to the Linwoods' house. This time the
other reporters were silent. I rang the doorbell, and barely
a moment passed before it opened to reveal a woman
wearing an apron. She had curly brown hair pulled back
in a ponytail, a look of both joy and exhaustion in her face.
The apron was covered with stains of various colors. She
smiled. Her eyes were bloodshot and weary, but happy.
"Henry, right?"
"That's right. Mrs. Linwood?"
"Please, call me Shelly. Come in. Daniel will be so
happy to meet you. From what Senator Talbot told me, you
two actually have a lot in common."
4
Shelly led me through the foyer and into what looked like
their family room. A thirty-eight-inch television sat on a
wooden stand; toys and video-game cartridges were
spread about haphazardly. The couches and chairs were all
dark fabric and wood, the kind you buy when you expect
stains to make regular appearances.
"I was going to clean up for the senator, but...you
know..." Shelly said, slightly embarrassed at the mess.
"You want Daniel to get used to living in a normal