{"id":12584,"date":"2016-02-15T08:58:30","date_gmt":"2016-02-15T13:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12584"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:10:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:10:22","slug":"in-the-childs-best-interest-by-missjudy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12584","title":{"rendered":"In the Child’s Best Interest (by MissJudy)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0 In this early prequel, Ben Cartwright and 4-year-old Adam stop in Cleveland where pay was good at the docks. Ben hopes to earn enough to start the final leg of their journey to Missouri, and a wagon train west. But a couple at their boarding house have plans for Adam that don’t include Ben. The story ends 26 years later as Ben helps Adam recall the ordeal and the outcome.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 K (27,135 words)<\/p>\n

In the Child\u2019s Best Interest<\/strong><\/p>\n

One<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting up, son,\u201d Ben told the little boy next to him as the he sat up in bed. \u201cYou can go back to sleep while I get ready,\u201d he added when he saw his son\u2019s eyelids remain closed even as he grunted his agreement with his father\u2019s plan. Ben leaned over to kiss the top of Adam\u2019s head. \u201cDid my snoring keep you awake again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnhuh.\u201d Adam yawned loudly as he stretched and then curled back up under the covers. \u201cBut I snored too. I was so loud, I woke myself up.\u201d A sly smile played at the corners of the child\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do love an honest man. And I did hear a lot of snuffly snoring coming from your side of the bed.\u201d He felt Adam\u2019s forehead for signs of fever, and gave a relieved sigh when he found none. \u201cDo you feel all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYup. I played in the field yesterday; that makes me snore just like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled. \u201cThen maybe you shouldn\u2019t play there.\u201d There was no answer. Adam had already drifted back to sleep, snoring softly, just as he\u2019d confessed to doing. The proud father raised his eyes heavenward as he sent a brief thanks to Elizabeth. \u201cHe is a little wonder isn\u2019t he?\u201d He smiled as he thought back to all they\u2019d been through on their amazing journey.<\/p>\n

The two Cartwrights, and the nanny Ben had hired to watch after his infant, had left Boston four years ago, heading west to find land and opportunity. Mrs. Callahan had been in her early 40s, and had recently lost a late-in-life baby and her husband to an outbreak of flu. She\u2019d agreed to leave her home for a new adventure because she\u2019d thought she\u2019d wanted a life unencumbered by the pain that haunted her. But her resolve to share in Ben\u2019s dream had weakened by the time the trio had reached Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Callahan had lost her immediate family, but she\u2019d left behind her parents, siblings, and a bevy of nieces and nephews, and her absence from them had weighed heavily in her heart. She\u2019d told Ben about the homesickness as soon as it had become a problem, and they\u2019d worked out an arrangement that had been the best for both families. The pending loss of his caregiver had been hard, but it hadn\u2019t been the first setback in his original plans. The journey had stalled several times already, and he\u2019d looked at it as just another turn in the road.<\/p>\n

His biggest problem from the beginning had been the lack of cash. He\u2019d misjudged the expense in traveling with a nanny and child, and his savings had depleted rapidly. Since his original timetable had become irrevocably lost, he\u2019d decided to figure out what skills he\u2019d need to begin a homestead and try to find jobs that would help prepare him. There would be no need for a sailor where he was headed, so he\u2019d figured out ways to provide a decent income that would sustain them financially until he\u2019d be able to find the fortune in their new land. The stark truth was that money would disappear as quickly where he was going as it did where he was, and his best option had shown itself to be in slowing his trip while he acquired skills and cash in an area of the country with more opportunities.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been comfortable with his decision, and he\u2019d worked while Mrs. Callahan had watched Adam the year she\u2019d been with them. He\u2019d learned a lot about caring for a child under her guidance, and as her time with them had waned, he\u2019d become confident he\u2019d manage alone. His initial experiences without her had made him certain that waiting a few years before taking to the Oregon Trail had been sound. He\u2019d handled men under his command, but his toddler hadn\u2019t responded well to orders, and Adam\u2019s natural curiosity had provided many breathless moments. The little boy could vanish faster than the cash in Ben\u2019s pocket, and he\u2019d realized that his parenting skills needed as much honing as the other aptitudes he\u2019d needed to develop.<\/p>\n

Traveling even short distances since Adella Callahan\u2019s departure had been as difficult as he\u2019d predicted. But it had always been an eye-opening and heart-swelling experience that had left him thankful for the opportunity to know his child so well.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been fortunate in finding boarding houses on their journey where the widow, as was usual in such establishments, had offered to watch Adam during the day so Ben could work. He\u2019d already learned how to run a trap line; manage forested land, and raise crops and animals. He\u2019d worked for a blacksmith and a tanner, and helped to build a house or two. But their money always went faster than the miles they put behind them.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d headed toward Cleveland after hearing there was good cash to be made at the docks for someone with experience. With what he was earning now, he expected that they\u2019d be able to head to his brother John\u2019s place in the fall; help him through the winter months, and then purchase a wagon and supplies to begin the final leg through Indiana and Illinois a year from now. In Ben\u2019s new timetable, they would start west by the time Adam was six. He was excited\u2026and impatient\u2026about the prospect of their wagon being in a line, ready to pull out of Missouri. But for now he knew to take each day as a blessing and enjoy them without souring on the journey.<\/p>\n

His musings ended when he heard Adam talking in his sleep. He grinned as he watched the small bump in the bed for another minute before he began washing up.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Ben returned to the room after going downstairs, and shook Adam\u2019s shoulder gently. \u201cI\u2019m heading for work now, and have to tell you about a few changes today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked up at his father and yawned. \u201cWhat do you mean, Papa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Winters will be watching you today instead of Mrs. Stauffer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The little boy\u2019s lips turned downward into a deep frown. \u201cWhy can\u2019t I be with Mrs. Stauffer? I like her better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you do, son, but Grace is sick, and Vera volunteered to help. She\u2019s trying to make breakfast for everyone so they can get off to work, but she\u2019s burning everything.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cI\u2019m going to leave now and stop at a caf\u00e9 by the docks. She said you should stay up here until she comes for you. That\u2019ll give her a chance to get things straightened out in the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Papa, she\u2019s mean!\u201d The half-moon pout continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never seen her be mean to you. It\u2019s not like you to make up stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam buried his head in his pillow, muffling his voice as he explained, \u201cNot mean to me, Papa. Mean to Mr. Winters. She hollers at him all day long, and\u2019s only nice when other people are here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben fought not to grin but lost the battle. \u201cYou\u2019ll be fine, young man. Don\u2019t go deciding things without giving her a chance. Sometimes husbands and wives can be a little cross with each other, but she\u2019s always seemed nice to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The frown had been replaced by resignation when Adam raised his head from the pillow. \u201cI guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2026is there anything you need before I go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled. \u201cWe have bedtime stories young man, not, staying in bed in the morning, stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you said any<\/em>thing\u2026and that\u2019s what I need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want to hear?\u201d Ben asked with a sigh, knowing he\u2019d been outsmarted by the sweet face and innocent eyes of this four-year-old, expert negotiator.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me about the Erie-Ohio canal and how you take care of the barges.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, but it has to be the short version.\u201d He sat next to Adam on the bed, pulled him closer and stroked the little boy\u2019s hair as he began. Moses Cleaveland and his party of men found a good place for a town on the shore of Lake Erie. But there was no way to get products to the lakeshore or inland, so it couldn\u2019t grow until the territory decided to build a canal from the lake to join the Ohio River. They said it had to be at least 40 feet wide and four feet deep so barges had enough draft when loaded. It stretches 37 miles from Lake Erie, south to Akron. I work as a harbor master to oversee the barges that come in filled with crops and goods from down-state. We unload them and send their things to town or the ships. Then I get the barges loaded for their trips home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sat up as he beamed. \u201cAnd nothin\u2019 gets off or on any a them boats lest you give the say so, right, Papa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Cleveland is spelled wrong, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do remember everything don\u2019t you?\u201d He tousled his son\u2019s hair as he stood. \u201cThe city was named for Moses, but when they tried to get his last name on a newspaper masthead, it was one letter too long to fit, so they dropped the first \u2018a\u2019, and that\u2019s how it\u2019s still spelled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you take me to the harbor before we go to Uncle John\u2019s? I wanna see the canal and the ships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI promise.\u201d He leaned to kiss the little boy\u2019s head again, and said goodbye. He knew how much his son wanted to see the ship basin, but it was a dangerous place. He\u2019d seen many accidents involving pedestrians hit by wagons on the packed streets, and he\u2019d witnessed more than a few men topple into the water from docks that were narrow and crowded. He didn\u2019t want Adam to get lost in the constant hurry of the place or injured when his fascination took his attention away from the danger around him. Yet he knew he\u2019d have to take him there before they continued on their trip. They often walked to a hill where they could see where the bay and the channel merged, but the boy had a real fascination for all that had gone into building the canal, and he wanted to go there<\/em>. Ben wasn\u2019t sure if his son\u2019s aptitude for this particular form of engineering would serve him later in life, but he figured it was possible. He and Abel had sailed the sea, but maybe Adam would learn how to make water cooperate with the land.*<\/p>\n

He stopped in the kitchen to check again with Vera before leaving. \u201cYou\u2019re sure Adam won\u2019t be a problem for you today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not, Mr. Cartwright. It\u2019s a shame that Grace is so ill. But I\u2019ll do what I can to help out. Everyone else will be gone, so it should be a very quiet day for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben offered his thanks, and said he\u2019d be back around six. He\u2019d seen Grace Stauffer in the kitchen on his first trip downstairs. Her color had been ashen, and she\u2019d said she hadn\u2019t slept a wink because of the pain and intestinal uncertainty she\u2019d experienced. Vera had sent her back to bed, and then taken over. He had to smile as he\u2019d thought about Adam\u2019s comment on the constant harping between Vera and Stanley Winters. He\u2019d heard her berating him many times as he\u2019d pass their room, although she was always pleasant toward her husband when others were around\u2014just as Adam had noticed. He supposed that she let her guard down when it was just a small boy within hearing distance.<\/p>\n

He wondered what had brought the Winters to Cleveland. They\u2019d always remained closed-lipped about any personal details. Vera said that Stanley was some sort of salesman, but she also said that he couldn\u2019t disclose his product. Most guests at the boarding house were willing and anxious to share their stories, including their successes and hardships. But the Winters always dodged any inquiries directed at them.<\/p>\n

Only Vera spoke at the table. Stanley kept his face a few inches above his plate, while she fielded questions. She would end most sentences with the phrase, \u201cIsn\u2019t that right, Stanley?\u201d Stanley would mumble his agreement or smile, and then go back to his previous posture. Vera had divulged that they had a home, and she said that she\u2019d decided to accompany her husband on one of his long trips to see a bit of the country. No details about where they\u2019d come from were given, and she never let herself be baited into giving information either. Ben chuckled as he thought about the many times Mrs. Stauffer had tried and failed. Grace would say something about the Winters, intentionally using wrong information, while hoping Vera would correct her. Ben didn\u2019t pry. He figured there was something behind all her concealment, but it wasn\u2019t his affair. The couple had money; that was obvious by their nice clothes and her jewelry. Ben thought they were probably traveling to get a good look at the country, just as Vera had said. But he also thought that they might have fabricated a more ordinary life so others wouldn\u2019t try to take advantage of their prosperity.<\/p>\n

His thoughts turned from home to work as he neared the harbor. One final thought raised the hair on the back of his neck as he wondered if Adam\u2019s stuffy nose might have indicated that he was coming down with a similar illness to Grace\u2019s. He considered a hasty trip to the dock to let them know he wouldn\u2019t be staying, before returning home, but he was able to shake off his unease when he remembered that Grace hadn\u2019t complained of any sniffles this morning or the night before, and Adam had been right; he did get congested when he played in the weeds and grass across the street.<\/p>\n

Two<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPlease hurry, Vera. I want to be far away before anyone realizes we\u2019re gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The middle-aged woman glanced over her shoulder, giving her husband a scathing look before turning back to stuff the last of the little boy\u2019s clothing into her basket. \u201cI\u2019m done,\u201d she sighed, and then spat, \u201cIt might have gone faster had you lent a hand, Stanley, instead of chiding me<\/em> about hurrying.\u201d Her tone calmed. \u201cThe poor child only has a few changes of clothing and a couple toys.\u201d Vera handed off the basket of clothes. \u201cTake this and the things from our room down to the wagon, and then get the boy from the yard. I\u2019ll go tell Grace that we\u2019re going out for a ride and a picnic, and then we\u2019ll get away from here\u2026\u201d An eerie smile turned her lips as she chuckled. \u201cWe\u2019ll have plenty of time to disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley Winters bowed at the shoulders and offered a quick apology for questioning her speed, before retrieving the satchels from their room and getting them secured to the buggy. He went around the back of house and squatted down next to the curly-haired, four-year-old who was digging in the soft dirt of the garden. \u201cWhat\u2019re ya making, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

The child looked up, his eyes blazing with colors as the sun illuminated patches of brown, sprinkled with varying shades of green and gold. \u201cIt\u2019s the canal. It has to be four feet deep, so the barges can get to the docks by my papa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d he replied, but he really didn\u2019t \u201csee.\u201d This child had always amazed and amused him. He was barely four, but he spoke fluidly, using words one wouldn\u2019t expect from one so young. But speaking was only part of his talent. The child could read\u2026and not just children\u2019s books. He could look at a newspaper and decipher most of the words in a paragraph. Stanley allowed himself a moment of peacockery as he imagined himself at the boy\u2019s side, taking great pride in having helped shape his genius when he was recognized for his scholastic achievement one day.<\/p>\n

The one thing that bothered Stanley was that he wasn\u2019t really sure what to do with this little one\u2019s intelligence. Neither he nor his wife was smart. They managed fine, but they rarely read anything more than a paper, and even that left him stymied at times. He also knew that they had no curiosity about how things were made or worked, like this youngster had. The child listened during mealtime discussions at the boarding house, and often politely asked others to explain if he didn\u2019t understand what they were talking about.<\/p>\n

He and Vera had married when they were 30. She\u2019d tended to her sick mother before then, and he\u2019d lived off an inheritance, and took sales jobs when he got too bored with his leisure. Vera had seemed a nice woman\u2026at first, but her mother had been in the throes of delirium by the time she\u2019d died at age 50, and as their marriage had gone on, he\u2019d sometimes wondered if Vera might be heading toward the same affliction. Then again, there was something else bothering his wife.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d wanted children, and Vera\u2019s desperation had grown as her years of waiting had multiplied. They were in their 40\u2019s now, and Vera\u2019s doctor had advised adopting a child many years ago.<\/p>\n

Stanley had liked the idea of picking out a baby boy they could raise as their own, but when he\u2019d suggested going to a local orphanage, she\u2019d hissed, \u201cThat won\u2019t do. You don\u2019t know what you\u2019re getting with an orphaned baby. They might be cute when they\u2019re little, but they may have had ugly parents\u2026or stupid ones\u2026and they will turn into homely, unintelligent children.\u201d As inconceivable as it had seemed, she\u2019d convinced him to close their house in Akron two years ago and leave on a trek to find the perfect child they could call their own. Stanley\u2019s money had ensured that they\u2019d been able to live comfortably as they\u2019d gone from town-to-town in Ohio, staying at different boarding houses for his \u201csales job\u201d\u2026while trying to find the right child in the right circumstance\u2026or more appropriately, the wrong circumstances.<\/p>\n

Vera had vowed that she would never take a child from a loving home, but she\u2019d had no trouble finding several she\u2019d decreed were \u201cstuck\u201d with bad parents who were struggling to meet their obligations and obviously didn\u2019t have their child\u2019s \u201cbest interests\u201d at heart. After several tries\u2026and even after observing their circumstances for a bit to make sure the parents were suitably good looking, had no deformity, and seemed intelligent, they had found nary a babe who maintained Vera\u2019s high standards once she\u2019d had them. He\u2019d finally convinced her to call off the search and head home when providence had stepped in.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d agreed to spend the winter at a boarding house in Cleveland for one last attempt to find a child in a bigger city. Stanley had one customer there he could call on, and as winter blew in, so did a widower and his young son. The child\u2019s father was a handsome, strong man who worked at the docks six-days-a-week, while leaving the boy in the care of the house proprietress. Vera had quickly focused on the smart, attractive, and mannerly son. She\u2019d soon begun to talk of \u201crescuing\u201d him from his lonely life and the certain neglect he\u2019d face should his father really take him on the long wagon trip to the western wilderness as he\u2019d talked about. She\u2019d decided that this was the \u201cright child,\u201d but she\u2019d shown great restraint in observing him until spring had colored in the drab grays and browns of winter with green before making plans to remove him from the care of his \u201cimpoverished, unloving, and careless father.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few days ago Vera had declared the timing was right to move ahead, and she\u2019d set things in motion last night at dinner. It was going so well that Stanley began to believe that they could accomplish this without anyone being aware of the loss until it was too late to act. He\u2019d even convinced himself that this boy was meant to be theirs. This gave him hope that Vera would finally find peace in this matter.<\/p>\n

But in the back of Stanley\u2019s mind hid the nagging suspicion that Vera would never be at peace about anything. She was always worried about what she didn\u2019t have instead of looking at all she possessed. His biggest fear was that even if she crossed a child off her list of \u201cmust haves,\u201d it wouldn\u2019t make her ledger page any shorter; it would simply give her room to add something new. He dreaded that this would be like the house and furnishings she\u2019d had to have; the dresses and finery she\u2019d spent a small fortune to possess, and the babies she\u2019d made him take because they were perfect, and then had immediately tired of once she\u2019d had them.<\/p>\n

He pushed his concerns aside, and said, \u201cC\u2019mon, son.\u201d Stanley took the boy\u2019s small hand and pulled him up. \u201cYour mother isn\u2019t going to be happy about you being dirty, but we\u2019ll draw a bucket of water and get you cleaned up. Then we\u2019ll go for a ride in the buggy to get out of the house for a while. You\u2019ll like that, won\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The little boy examined Stanley as his eyebrows rose in question, but he finally nodded. \u201cCan we go by the canal?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Stanley lied. \u201cMaybe we\u2019ll go down to the harbor too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adam remained quiet on the buggy ride through the streets. He and his father often took walks together in the evening and he recognized the first few blocks they passed. But the familiar had been left behind and they were heading into the country now. He pulled on Stanley\u2019s sleeve and pointed to his right. \u201cWe\u2019re going south, but the canal is that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s he talking about?\u201d Vera asked her husband.<\/p>\n

Stanley hunched his shoulders. \u201cI sort\u2019a told him we were going to take him to the canal for a picnic so he\u2019d come without a fuss.\u201d<\/p>\n

The look Vera sent Stanley should have burned a hole in his felt hat. \u201cWhy\u2019d you do a fool thing like that?\u201d she hissed. \u201cYou know we don\u2019t have time.\u201d Her tone softened as she turned to the little boy between them. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to the canal today, but our house is close to it, so you\u2019ll get to see it all the time now that you\u2019ll be living with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiving with you,\u201d Adam repeated with a nervous squeak. \u201cPapa didn\u2019t say we were moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vera reached over to grab the reins from her husband and stopped the horse. \u201cI\u2019d planned to say this later, but I think it\u2019s time.\u201d She pulled the child onto her lap, and clucked at him when he stiffened with her touch. \u201cRelax, darling, you\u2019ll have to get used to me holding you now that I\u2019m your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

The child\u2019s brows narrowed as his face puckered in a deep scowl. \u201cYou\u2019re not my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

She patted his knee. \u201cI\u2019m not your real mother, but your father asked me and Stanley to take care of you.\u201d She sighed and continued as Adam\u2019s head moved from side-to-side, and his face fused to a granite-like glare. \u201cYour father has been talking with us ever since you two moved into the boarding house, and today he said we should take you and leave. He doesn\u2019t have the time or money to care for you properly, and he felt that we would do a better job of giving you what a little boy needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was barely a whisper. \u201cI only need my Papa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou feel that way now, dear, but you\u2019ll change your mind when you see our nice house. You\u2019ll have your own room with lots of toys and new clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice was less timid. \u201cI don\u2019t want new clothes. I want my Papa!\u201d<\/p>\n

Vera grabbed his shoulders and held them firmly. \u201cYour father can\u2019t support you and doesn\u2019t want you anymore. You should thank the stars that Stanley and I took you instead of letting you go on living like a wharf-rat with that man who has nothing to offer you but dreams.\u201d She watched as the defiant look left, and was replaced briefly by a squint of confusion. She seized the moment. \u201cThere…I think you understand why you\u2019re here.\u201d She shot Adam a disdainful look of victory, and continued even as his face returned to its stone-like countenance. \u201cThere are a few more things you\u2019ll need to have straight before we get home tomorrow. Your name from now on is Junior. Your last name is Freemont. I know you think our name is Winters, but it\u2019s not.\u201d She cackled loudly before grabbing his chin and raising it so he was looking directly at her. \u201cWe just told people it was Winters so they wouldn\u2019t find us. So\u2026what\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam Cartwright. My papa is Ben Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

She squeezed his cheeks tightly, making his lips pucker. \u201cI know you\u2019re only four, but I also know you\u2019re a smart little boy, so I suggest you do as I say, or you won\u2019t like living with us very much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley had held his breath throughout his wife\u2019s explanation, hoping that the child would do as he was told. What he saw in this young boy\u2019s eyes made him shiver. He\u2019d seen the brief display of uncertainty and fear, but that was gone. Now there was defiance. Not the defiance of some kids who did things out of spite, but the kind that came from being pretty sure that someone was telling you a lie and you weren\u2019t going to accept it no matter how many times or ways it was told. Stanley knew this did not bode well. Vera didn\u2019t like anyone standing up to her, and she would cut this child down to size just as surely as she\u2019d done to him.<\/p>\n

A sad grin slipped across his lips when a recurring memory entered his thoughts. He\u2019d seen an old friend when he was out for a walk at the beginning of this odyssey with his wife. The friend had looked him over and said he\u2019d remembered Stanley as being taller. That had made him wonder, and when he\u2019d gotten home, he\u2019d stood behind Vera while she\u2019d been peering in a mirror. What he saw had confirmed the statement. At one time, the top of his wife\u2019s head had only come up to his shoulder. But their reflection had revealed that she now reached his ear. He\u2019d speculated that perhaps she cut him down with her sharp tongue so frequently that he was truly shorter. It was true in a way. With a closer look, he\u2019d realized he was stooping at the shoulders\u2026exhibiting the posture of a beaten man.<\/p>\n

Vera\u2019s father had been so deformed from stooping by the time he\u2019d died that they\u2019d had to turn him sideways in his coffin. Stanley had thought an illness had bowed the man\u2019s back, but now he wondered if the weight of his mother-in-law\u2019s constant harping had been too heavy to carry while standing erect. Mrs. Harper, Vera\u2019s mother, had been the original, but Vera was quickly becoming far more demanding, demeaning, and crazy than her mother had ever been, and her increasing dissatisfaction with everything was causing the same disfigurement in Stanley that he\u2019d seen in her father.<\/p>\n

Stanley shivered again, and sat just a bit straighter, deciding that if this child was to be his son, he was not going to pass this spinal deformity to another generation. He touched Adam\u2019s knee. \u201cI know this is a lot to take in today, but you need to trust us. We just want the best for you. How\u2019s about we just start calling you, son, for today, and let that settle a bit before we make any more changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vera smiled eerily at her husband. \u201cThat was sweet, Stanley, but we will <\/em>call him Junior starting right now. There\u2019s no sense in putting this off. And there\u2019s something else. He has to start calling us mother and father, so the neighbors don\u2019t wonder about him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley treaded into deeper water, knowing he risked drowning. \u201cWe have few neighbors, dear, and if anyone cares enough to ask, I think that maybe we\u2019d be best off saying that we\u2019re raising the boy for a widowed friend who was unable to care for him. They won\u2019t think twice about it if there\u2019s confusion in the names should\u2026Junior\u2026get it wrong. And they won\u2019t wonder what\u2019s going on\u2026if\u2026he should tell them about his \u2018real\u2019 father. I know you\u2019d like everyone to think the child is ours, but we\u2019ve only been gone two years, and they\u2019d gossip more about how we could have a four-year-old.\u201d He thought a moment and ended with something he knew would appeal to his wife\u2019s sensibilities. \u201cBesides, they will consider you a noble person for rescuing him from a tragic situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSince when do you \u2018think,\u2019 Stanley?\u201d she snapped at him.<\/p>\n

He looked again at Adam, and knew his assessment of this child\u2019s will was correct. He sat up straighter, looked Vera in the eyes, and spoke in as forceful a voice as he could muster. \u201cIf you wanted to change everything about the boy, then we should have taken a younger child. You didn\u2019t want a baby this time because they were too much work. But now you\u2019ve chosen a child who will<\/em> remember where he came from.\u201d He gave her a toady smile as his backbone weakened again, and his shoulders bowed further toward his feet while he tried to placate her. \u201cHe\u2019ll forget his past someday, but we have to understand that right now he\u2019s unhappy about it being taken from it. It will be best if we take small steps with\u2026recreating him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vera\u2019s chin rose as her posture stiffened. \u201cI\u2019ll school him at home, and never let him out alone\u2026and as far as the rest\u2026\u201d She thought about it. \u201cI think it might be best to say he\u2019s adopted from a terrible situation. That should stop people from asking questions, and if he says anything, they\u2019ll think the poor boy was lied to by his father.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley breathed a deep sigh of relief that was instantly shattered when Vera began speaking again.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I still want to change his name.\u201d Her eyes drifted dreamily as she smiled. \u201cI always wanted a little boy to name Junior, and now I have him.\u201d She kissed Adam\u2019s cheek, but he pulled away and scowled at her, causing Vera\u2019s moment of sweet motherhood to evaporate as quickly as the kiss on the little boy\u2019s face. \u201cYoung man, you will not be allowed out of the house until you learn to act respectfully toward us. Your ingratitude toward me\u2026us\u2026for saving you from the heartless man who was raising you, will stop this minute. If I have to remind you of it again, there will be serious consequences!\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley lifted Adam from his wife\u2019s lap and deposited him between them again. \u201cI\u2019ll have a talk with him later, but we need to get moving now. I\u2019d like to make it to that abandoned farm, and get us settled before dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben crossed the street and headed toward the back yard of the boarding house, hoping to sneak up and surprise Adam. Mrs. Stauffer had harvested an early crop of spinach from a corner of her garden patch, and she let Adam dig there to his heart\u2019s content. Most days Ben found him happily \u201cbuilding\u201d some sort of project. It was usually a canal, but sometimes there were roads, and houses made from stacked twigs. The proud father wondered what he\u2019d find today, and stopped short when he saw the empty yard.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d had misgivings about leaving him with Vera, but he\u2019d convinced himself that a day away from work would put less cash in their traveling fund. He\u2019d had to trust others to help him after Mrs. Callahan had gone back to Boston, and it had always gone well. Still, there was \u201csomething\u201d about Vera that had always seemed off, and he wondered if he should have followed his instincts.<\/p>\n

His shook off his concern, and redirected his walk to the kitchen door where he found Grace bustling around the kitchen. \u201cYou look a lot better than you did this morning,\u201d he said as he took a deep breath. \u201cSmells like stew for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right on both accounts,\u201d Grace laughed. \u201cI sure don\u2019t know what hit me, but it passed as suddenly as it came. And with Vera taking over, I got a good long rest this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re recovered,\u201d He gave her a quick hug as he asked, \u201cWhere\u2019s that boy of mine? I expected he\u2019d be out in the yard, covered in dirt and needing a bath like usual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grace stopped her dinner preparations. \u201cDid you get home early, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect it\u2019s the same time as always. Why do you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her smile was replaced by a worried frown as she glanced up at the clock. \u201cThe afternoon got away from me. Hmmm, I didn\u2019t realize it was this late.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her worried tone infected Ben. \u201cWhere is<\/em> Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her laugh was tinged with anxiety. \u201cVera came to my room late this morning and said she and Stanley had gotten their buggy from the livery so they could take Adam for a picnic. She said that way I would have peace and quiet to sleep.\u201d She looked down and picked at a dried spot of food on her apron. \u201cI\u2019m surprised they\u2019re not back yet.\u201d Grace hurried into the front room and checked the street for a buggy. When she turned to Ben her hands were fluttering around her face. \u201cI\u2019m sure everything is just fine. It\u2019s probably that your son was having such a good time\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid she mention where they were going?\u201d Ben tried to keep his tone calm even as his heart raced and his stomach turned with the certainty that something was wrong. \u201cPerhaps they had trouble with the rig, and I could head over that way and see if they need help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes dropped back to the spot on her apron as she scrubbed at it with her nail. \u201cUh, I was feeling so poorly at the time I didn\u2019t think to ask\u2026.\u201d The other boarders were starting to come down for supper, and Grace smiled weakly as she suggested that Ben go join them. \u201cBy the time you eat, everyone will be home, safe and sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five<\/strong><\/p>\n

They\u2019d seen the deserted homestead while planning their escape route for when they \u201crescued\u201d Adam. It had seemed a reasonable distance they could travel in a half-day, and far enough off the road that no one would notice their buggy once it was behind the house. Stanley\u2019s only fear was that someone else might be squatting there now. Abandoned farms were not unusual in the area, and people often took up residence wherever there was the opportunity to do so. Life was tough for those trying to scratch a living from the earth. There\u2019d been recent dry spells that had withered crops when they\u2019d been half grown, and most commerce had been done by bartering, so it had been nearly impossible for farmers to get cash to buy better equipment or invest in their land and buildings.<\/p>\n

The canal project had been funded a few years ago, and there\u2019d been real money offered for workers. The lure of cash had taken many from the fields. They\u2019d left their homes behind with hopes of returning one day with the resources to get them in working order again.<\/p>\n

Stanley left his wife and Adam in a grove of trees and snuck toward the house to observe. He breathed with relief as he saw that the house was still uninhabited. It was in disrepair while still being a sound enough structure to provide a comfortable shelter for the night. He had looked around during their previous stop, so he knew there was still some furniture inside to use. Vera didn\u2019t like to camp, but she didn\u2019t want to stop at an inn with the boy, just in case his father was lucky enough to start looking in the right direction. He headed back to get his family as he thought about how much work it would take to get the living space up to Vera\u2019s standards even for one night. But it was early enough that he felt he\u2019d have time to clear out a suitable nest.<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon, Junior.\u201d He lifted Adam from the wagon after they stopped in the yard. \u201cLet\u2019s see about getting this nag settled in the barn, and we\u2019ll go inside and see what we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the horse was tied in a stall, and they were out of earshot of the woman in the buggy, Adam pulled on Stanley\u2019s coat and whispered, \u201cMy name is Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley took the boy\u2019s hand and led him to the house, brushing away cobwebs as they walked inside. \u201cI know your name is Adam, son, but you\u2019ll be living with us now, and Vera would like to call you by a name that she chose.\u201d He looked around to make sure his wife hadn\u2019t followed them, although he knew it was unlikely that she\u2019d get her hands dirty helping. \u201cWhen Vera decides something, you\u2019re not going to change her mind, so your life will be easier if you go along with what she wants. I\u2019ll spend as much time as I can with you, and make sure you have some fun, but please be nice to Vera\u2026even if you have to pretend at first. You know what pretending is?<\/p>\n

Adam nodded. \u201cActing like something is true, when it really isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right. Maybe you can act like Vera\u2019s your mother. Then one day, you\u2019ll forget your pa and we\u2019ll really be your parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll never forget my papa\u2026\u201d Adam\u2019s voice trailed off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you miss your father, but he will have an easier time without you. A child should have a mother and a father. And you know how your pa had to leave you with Mrs. Stauffer all the time. Well, she was just a stranger, and you shouldn\u2019t have to be with a stranger all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam tipped his head as his eyes narrowed. \u201cYou\u2019re a stranger too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley was taken aback. \u201cWe won\u2019t be strangers for long. Pretty soon, you\u2019ll like being with us. Besides, your pa gave you away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man marveled that he was having a conversation with a four-year-old. He didn\u2019t know much about kids, but he thought that when they were this young they kept quiet and did what you told them. Yet, this one seemed to reason things out and make decisions. Stanley\u2019s worry began to percolate again. Vera had chosen this child because of his intelligence and grit, but Stanley was already wondering if she would be able to force her choice into submission. The burning in his gut continued as he wondered how long this adventure would last. If Adam didn\u2019t play along and do as she demanded, her interest in him would deplete as rapidly as it had with the crying babies that she\u2019d had no desire to tend to. He hoped he could help Adam understand and comply before it was too late.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou seem pretty sure of yourself,\u201d Stanley replied. \u201cWhat makes you think he didn\u2019t tell us to take you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause when I go to sleep he always says\u2026\u201d Adam looked away.<\/p>\n

He took the boy\u2019s shoulder gently and pulled him closer. \u201cWhat does he say? I\u2019d like to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He blinked several times, until he said softly, \u201cHe says, \u2018We\u2019ll be together,\u2019 and I say, \u2018forever.\u2019\u201d Then he says, \u2018That\u2019s right\u2026the Cartwright men will be together forever. Papa doesn\u2019t lie\u201d<\/p>\n

The man\u2019s heart twisted as he thought about what he and his wife had done. A remembrance of his own childhood flashed through his mind. He\u2019d been raised by an aunt after his own mother had died when he was twelve. His father had been a successful businessman, and they\u2019d been wealthy enough to have servants to do the household chores and see to his needs. It had been that way throughout his mother\u2019s long illness, so Stanley hadn\u2019t expected anything to change after her passing. But one day he\u2019d been taken to spend the \u201cweekend\u201d with his Aunt Wilma. His father had told him he needed to be out of town for an extended period, and he\u2019d come back for him as soon as he returned. The man had never come. He had written with promises that this was a \u201ctemporary solution,\u201d but as the months had turned to years, there had been no more pretense of him returning. The promises had changed to assurances that his father would come for Christmas or birthdays\u2026. Those days had also passed without Mordecai Freemot showing up. Stanley had snuck away from his aunt\u2019s when he was 15, and he\u2019d gone to his father\u2019s house. Mordecai had been there\u2026with his new wife and baby. He\u2019d known then that Mordecai Freemont had been a gutless man who hadn\u2019t wanted to be bothered with the child of a dead woman. The only thing Stanley\u2019s father had ever<\/em> done for him had been to leave him a hefty sum of cash in his will. He suspected it had been Mordecai\u2019s way of showing that he\u2019d had some regrets over his actions.<\/p>\n

Watching Ben and Adam together at the boarding house had touched his heart. Ben kept his son at his side despite lacking the resources that Mordecai had possessed. And Stanley knew the promise Ben had made to Adam about being \u201ctogether forever\u201d was going to be kept. Ben would keep looking until he found his son. Luckily it was a big country, and he figured Ben would have to be very lucky and do a lot of searching to find them before Adam was grown.<\/p>\n

Stanley had tried to dissuade Vera from taking Adam because of the devotion between father and son, but she had been convincing when she\u2019d assured him that Ben Cartwright was a fraud who liked the attention that Adam brought. She\u2019d said that one day he\u2019d tire of the charade and take off, leaving the little boy behind just like Stanley\u2019s father. Over time, her rationale had begun to seem reasonable, and he\u2019d let himself believe that Adam would be better off with them. He\u2019d truly liked the idea of having a chance to be a father. But now as Stanley saw the fierce belief in Adam\u2019s eyes, he knew that none of what Vera had said was true, and he had to decide what to do about it.<\/p>\n

Six<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben couldn\u2019t eat. He kept staring at the empty chair next to him, and worried even as others gave their encouragement that things were \u201cfine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grace tried to act unaffected by the extended absence, but she was a bundle of nerves. She\u2019d dropped things as she\u2019d brought the meal to the table, and was breathing so fast that she felt dizzy. She let out a shriek when she felt someone touch her shoulder, and turned to see Ben, whose face mirrored her own frazzled appearance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like you to come upstairs with me, so I can go through Vera and Stanley\u2019s things. Maybe there\u2019s a receipt from the livery they use, and I can go there and find out when they\u2019re expected back.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The two self-proclaimed detectives stared at each other and then back into the room after Grace opened the door. Drawers were open and emptied of their contents, and there were no personal items remaining on the dresser or wash stand. Ben hurried to his room and realized that Adam\u2019s few things were missing too. His knees buckled and he sat hard on his bed, covering his face with his hands as the seriousness of the situation sunk in. When he looked up again he said, \u201cWhy would they take my boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Grace shook her head. The paralysis that froze her with the understanding of what must have happened left her as she went to the grieving man\u2019s side and touched his shoulder. I\u2019ll send someone to the police station to get my son. He\u2019s working now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben relocated to the parlor while Grace sent a young boarder to get help. She returned with a glass of brown liquid. \u201cHere, drink this. You\u2019ve had a shock, and you\u2019re pale as a ghost.\u201d She waited for him to drink the whiskey and then moved a footstool over to sit in front of him. \u201cI know you want to go out looking for them, but they left by buggy hours ago, so they could be miles away by now. It\u2019s best to wait until we talk to Harry. He\u2019s as good a policeman as you\u2019ll find. They made him into something called an inspector, so we\u2019ll let him do his job. When he finds them, you can go beat the tar out of those two and bring Adam home.\u201d<\/p>\n

He managed a sad grin before returning to the haunted look that gave outward expression to his thoughts. He tried to recall any instances where the couple had given an indication that they were capable of kidnapping a child. He had no money, and since that was common knowledge at the boarding house, it couldn\u2019t be about ransom. The other possibilities left him sick. Ben pushed those thoughts from his mind and drained his glass. \u201cMaybe Harry will have heard something about a kidnapping ring or have an idea where they might be headed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do hope so.\u201d She twisted at her apron as she considered whether to confide something that had been lurking in the back of her mind since hearing of the delayed return. \u201cUh, Ben, maybe you should know this\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

He tipped his head as his brows neared. \u201cWhat\u2019s that, Grace?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you remember at last night\u2019s supper when Vera told me to rest while she got desert?\u201d He nodded. \u201cI thought it strange that after all the months they\u2019ve been here; she was suddenly concerned about me working too hard. Vera enjoyed being waited on hand and foot\u2026but I was<\/em> tired, and accepted her offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head. \u201cDoes this connect to her taking Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might. When Ginny Olsen got home today, she told me that she\u2019d gone through the kitchen to get to the privy last night while Vera was in there, and she saw her sprinkling something on one of the pie slices. She thought it was a little extra sugar for Stanley. But she doesn\u2019t like Vera and after I got so sick, she began to wonder if it wasn\u2019t something added to my pie that made me feel that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes opened wide as he considered this news. \u201cIt would explain why only you were ill. And it provided her with privacy to clear out today. It was the perfect plan, since no one here would be the wiser until they were long gone.\u201d Ben moaned as he closed his eyes. \u201cAnd I handed Adam to her, thinking she was being kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had no way of knowing what she was up to,\u201d Grace soothed. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t a likable person, but she didn\u2019t seem evil either. Then again, she never lent a hand, and she wasn\u2019t outgoing, so I should have guessed something was off when she was so unlike herself today.\u201d She shook her head. \u201cIsn\u2019t that the way with evil though\u2026 It looks pleasant and draws you in until its ugliness shows itself in a terrifying way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seven<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stanley looked around the space he\u2019d made in the ramshackle farmhouse, and patted Adam\u2019s shoulder. \u201cI think we\u2019ve done some good work here, Junior. It\u2019s not home, but it\u2019ll do for a night.\u201d He noted Adam cringe at the name, and he crouched to look the boy in the eyes. \u201cRemember how you agreed to pretend about things for now? If Vera\u2026your mother\u2026sees that face you just made when she calls you Junior, it won\u2019t go well for you. Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t sure that Adam did understand, but the child nodded, and he accepted that. The little boy had actually helped greatly in getting the house ready for occupancy. He\u2019d held the dust pan when Stanley swept, and he\u2019d pounded dust from the straw mattress and helped put on the sheets that Vera had taken from the boarding house, saying they\u2019d surely paid for them over the months they\u2019d stayed there. Stanley looked outside and saw Vera sitting in the buggy making notes on a small pad of paper she kept in her purse. She\u2019d directed their efforts from her perch, but hadn\u2019t lifted a finger to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cRun out and tell your mother that everything is ready inside. We\u2019ll have those sandwiches we brought along, and then turn in.\u201d He spotted Adam\u2019s dubious look, and encouraged him. \u201cIf you can\u2019t call her mother; say Ma\u2019am for now. I think she\u2019ll want to take your hand as she walks to the house, so don\u2019t make any faces when she does. Just keep pretending so we can have a pleasant evening.\u201d Stanley wanted to add that an \u201cunpleasant\u201d evening with Vera was something to be avoided at all costs. He gave Adam a push when he lingered at his side. \u201cGo on now. It\u2019ll be dark soon and I want to be well settled by then.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Stanley finished putting away the remainder of their dinner and swept the crumbs from the table, tossing them out the door. \u201cWe\u2019ll do our business outside as soon as I\u2019m done, Junior, and then you can change for bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere will I sleep?\u201d The voice was timid.<\/p>\n

Stanley pointed to a pile of blankets he\u2019d brought in and set near the bed. \u201cThat should be comfortable enough. The mattresses at Grace\u2019s boarding house weren\u2019t much softer than the floor anyway.\u201d The comment elicited a smile from the youngster\u2026the first such expression\u2026and Stanley wondered if maybe this could work after all.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout that\u2026.\u201d Vera had sat on the bed, and gave the small room a contemptuous once-over. \u201cThis cabin is pretty small. I\u2019ve had a taxing day, and I will need to rest thoroughly for tomorrow. I can\u2019t abide your snoring or Junior\u2019s sniveling, as I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll do as he tries to fall asleep, so I think it would be best if you two sleep in the barn tonight. I could see inside and there\u2019s plenty of hay. You can use those blankets to cover it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He kept his voice calm and bowed his head in a groveling gesture. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked hard to clean up in here, and it\u2019s too dark to see enough get a place ready for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vera\u2019s tone was withering. \u201cI know<\/em> you worked hard. I can smell the sweat and dust on the two of you from across the room. You know I am very sensitive to such odors, so you\u2019ll have to make do. The barn didn\u2019t look that dirty; just sleep in your clothes and wrap up in those covers. We\u2019ll get to our house tomorrow and you can both have a hot bath before you come inside.\u201d She rose and walked regally toward the door. \u201cI would like Junior to give me a kiss before he leaves. I\u2019m sure tomorrow will be much happier day.\u201d She put her arms out and waited for Adam to comply.<\/p>\n

Stanley could feel the tenseness in the boy\u2019s shoulder as he gave him a nudge forward. \u201cGo on, son. Kiss your mother goodnight.\u201d When Adam didn\u2019t move, he bent down and whispered, \u201cPretend, son, like we talked about.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the child still didn\u2019t move fast enough, Vera closed the distance and tugged him roughly toward her. \u201cYour former father used to take you to church and read the Bible to you, didn\u2019t he?\u201d Adam nodded. \u201cIsn\u2019t there a commandment about respecting your parents?\u201d She pinched his shoulder. \u201cIsn\u2019t it a sin when you don\u2019t obey your parents?\u201d Her pitch was rising as she insisted, \u201cIsn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked up and said, \u201cI obey my papa.\u201d He thought a moment and added, \u201cIt\u2019s also bad to steal or want what isn\u2019t yours. Papa told me those commandments too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vera removed her hand from his shoulder and raised her arm, preparing to deliver a blow that would have knocked Adam across the room. But as she began the downward arc, Stanley grabbed her arm and held it firmly. \u201cHe\u2019s a smart child, Vera. You liked that about him, so don\u2019t punish him for it. I\u2019m sure he\u2019s frightened and tired. Let him get some rest and we\u2019ll see what tomorrow brings.\u201d<\/p>\n

She tugged her dress back into place and smoothed back the hair that had fallen in her face. \u201cI suppose he will need some time. She bent down, bringing her cheek to Adam\u2019s level and pointed to it, \u201cYou can at least give me a kiss before you leave. I\u2019ve seen you kiss Grace many times, so I know you\u2019re capable of doing it.\u201d Adam gave her a quick peck, and then rubbed his sleeve across his lips. \u201cWas that so distasteful?\u201d she asked with a snarl. She grabbed his chin and pulled his face up so she could see his eyes. \u201cI\u2019m giving you some leeway tonight because of what Stanley said, but my<\/em> child will be obedient in all things. Starting tomorrow, you\u2019ll find out just what that means.\u201d She waved the two males away while yawning. \u201cGet going now. Oh, and Junior…\u201d she grabbed the back of his shirt and held him as he tried to walk away. \u201cDon\u2019t even think about running away or trying to get back to Cleveland. You have no idea where we are and you\u2019d be eaten by wild animals or picked up by criminals who\u2019d harm you if you\u2019re out there alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley took Adam\u2019s hand and got him out of the house. As they walked to barn, he couldn\u2019t help wondering if this boy might just find his way home. He had paid attention as they\u2019d driven, and there was just something about him that made him think he might know a lot more than they gave him credit for.<\/p>\n

Eight<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harry Stauffer was a large man with a ruddy complexion, a quick smile and an affable demeanor. He\u2019d listened to his mother\u2019s story of the absent boarders and the missing son while eating oatmeal cookies and washing them down with coffee. \u201cYou\u2019re sure they took him?\u201d he asked after she finished. \u201cMaybe the boy ran off or something happened to him while this Vera was watching him and she left, saying she was taking him out with her rather than staying to tell you what really happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben paled. \u201cThat\u2019s something I hadn\u2019t thought of, but your mother and I feel Vera was up to something today. She\u2019d always seemed overly interested in Adam, although she\u2019d never volunteered to care for him before. Then today she was almost giddy over the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean by \u2018interested,\u2019 Mr. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

He had to think about it. \u201cShe constantly asked questions about him and was very impressed with how young he was when he first walked and spoke. She\u2019d often ask him to read something for her; I think she wanted to be sure I wasn\u2019t exaggerating. He was a novelty for her. And lately, she corrected his table manners and gave me stern looks when he did something she didn\u2019t approve of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry asked his mother for a refill of his coffee. \u201cNone of that seems out of the ordinary, Mr. Cartwright. My mother has told me many a tale about your youngster since you moved in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed as he nodded. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t sound<\/em> odd when I say it. I think you\u2019d have had to be around her to know why it felt unnatural. Adam is a gifted and articulate child, and that does bring him a lot of attention.\u201d He thought again for a way to explain. \u201cAll of Grace\u2019s boarders are willing to share bits and pieces of their lives at the dinner table. Vera never shared anything and only asked questions of me. She had no interest in the others, and she would follow me into the parlor after dinner and continue the inquisition while ignoring everyone else. I frequently reminded her that there were others in the room, and then I\u2019d change the subject. She\u2019d go to her room as soon as the rest of us began talking.<\/p>\n

Grace returned, carefully balancing a full cup of coffee as she walked. \u201cThat\u2019s true, Harry. I noticed the same thing as soon as Ben and Adam moved in. It wasn\u2019t as bad at first, but she kept repeating her questions over time, almost as if she was expecting that Ben had lied about some of his son\u2019s accomplishments and she was waiting for him to slip up. Lately,\u201d Grace nodded toward Ben as she positioned herself behind her son and leaned on the back of the sofa, \u201cher conversations had moved toward Ben\u2019s long hours at work and his plans to head west toward the wilderness with Adam. I remember her mouth pinching together when she\u2019d mention that it was a shame that Adam had to be \u2018alone\u2019 all day\u2026like I wasn\u2019t watching him.\u201d She drew her shoulders back as she harrumphed. \u201cI even corrected her once when she said that, telling her that I made sure the boy was well cared for, so there was no need for her to worry about him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry sipped his coffee while eying Ben over the edge of the cup. \u201cIs it possible that she thought you weren\u2019t being a good father? Did you holler at your son, spank him, or neglect his needs in a way that would make her think it was in his best interest to take him?\u201d He never saw the slap coming from behind, but his mother\u2019s swat was hard enough to make his ear pop, and his coffee slosh into the saucer. \u201cWhy\u2019d you do that, Ma?\u201d he whined.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always cuffed you one when you were out of line, and I\u2019m not gonna stop because you\u2019re grown up.\u201d She kissed the top of his head as she cooed over him, and smiled at Ben whose look of outrage at the question had softened with her action. \u201cBen Cartwright is the best parent I\u2019ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. He spends as much time with Adam as he can, and even though the boy is naturally smart, someone had to teach him the things he knows. It kills Ben to leave him every morning, but he works so he can provide for the child and give them a future.\u201d She wiped a stray tear from her cheek with her apron. \u201cThat little boy adores his father and when Ben gets home, the two of them are inseparable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mr. Cartwright. I have to explore all possibilities, but you have a strong ally in my mother, so I\u2019ll take her word that you are a good parent.\u201d He tapped his foot. \u201cStill you are gone many hours every day, and perhaps this woman convinced herself that was enough to make you a bad father. I\u2019m leaning toward her thinking she was doing a kindness for a child with an absent parent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grace sat next to her son. \u201cYou\u2019re forgetting that I was \u2018absent,\u2019 as you put it, when you were growing up. Your pa had died, and I worked for others until I could afford to turn this house into a rooming place. And I don\u2019t think I gave you half the attention Ben gives Adam when I finally got home. You turned out just fine staying with your grandma and neighbors, and I love Adam like my own, so I know he\u2019s happy and doing fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben had finally calmed his anger enough to comment. \u201cThank you Grace, I know you love my son and he feels the same about you. We both appreciate all that you do for us.\u201d He turned his attention to the inspector. \u201cAnd what you said may have some merit, Harry. Vera and Stanley might have \u2018thought\u2019 they were doing me or Adam a favor. But if they thought I wasn\u2019t a good parent, they should have talked to me about it, or alerted the authorities\u2014not run off with him. There\u2019s something wrong here that goes far beyond what it may \u2018seem\u2019 to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree.\u201d Harry took a pad of paper from his pocket and began to make notes as he asked Ben and Grace go over the events of the day again. \u201cDo you really think she poisoned you, Ma?\u201d he asked when she repeated her suspicions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do, son.\u201d She took a sudden breath and blanched. \u201cRemember how I just said that I told her that I took good care of the boy\u2026well, I suppose she figured she had to get me out of the way to be able to do her dirty deed. That sickness laid me out good, and I\u2019m just glad she didn\u2019t give me too much or I wouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben had begun pacing with the recap. \u201cHave there been kidnappings like this before?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of kids go missing, Mr. Cartwright. Sometimes they just wander off or run away and we find them a few blocks away, tired, hungry and scared. Then there are reports of kidnapping that are given after someone notices that a child is absent from a family. Those usually turn out to be cases where a youngster was sent away to work for someone at a young age and the family receives money for them or at least ends up with one less mouth to feed. And finally there are the children who are taken for sinister purposes. We usually don\u2019t find those kids unless their bodies turn up somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben gasped while Grace slumped back on the couch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry to be so indelicate, but if this wasn\u2019t a kidnapping by someone who wanted a child, then I need to warn you that it isn\u2019t likely to be a happy outcome. But at least we have something to go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do we do now?\u201d Ben stopped pacing long enough to wait for an answer.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019We<\/em>\u2019 don\u2019t do anything, Mr. Cartwright. I\u2019ll go over this with my commander. We\u2019ll get men out asking questions.\u201d He sighed. \u201cYou\u2019re sure they never let slip where they were from?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben answered. \u201cNever. Your mother did a good job trying to pry it from them, but Stanley never spoke without his wife\u2019s approval, and Vera dodged questions like a boxer dodges punches.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI admit I\u2019m beginning to agree that there\u2019s a lot of oddness going on. People who are so secretive usually have something to hide. If that\u2019s true, I wonder if they even used their real names.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grace drew another sharp breath. \u201cI think their first names were right, but when they first got here, I called her Mrs. Winters and it always took a while before she\u2019d respond. It was like she didn\u2019t realize I was talking to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben groaned at this new information. \u201cWhat can I do, Harry?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou and Ma should keep going over everything you can remember about the pair and let me know if you recall more. Go through their room again and see if anything might have gotten wedged behind a drawer, fallen out of a pocket or kicked under the bed. You don\u2019t see everything the first time through. I\u2019d help with that but I want to head back and get started. Question the other boarders too; maybe they\u2019ll have overheard her saying something to her husband that could be a clue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d Ben frowned. \u201cI\u2019d like to help search.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know where to look yet, so you\u2019ll be best here, Ben.\u201d He smiled up at his mother\u2019s boarder. \u201cMay I call you Ben?\u201d Receiving a nod, he continued, \u201cI\u2019ll keep you informed of anything we find, and when we have something, you can come with us. Go to work tomorrow. Tell them what\u2019s happened; talk to the barge and ship captains, and ask that they do a little searching for you when they get back home. You never know where the important clue will come from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nine<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adam waited until they were away from the house, and then stopped. His eyes were wide as he confided, \u201cI saw rats in that barn when we put the horse in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley smiled down at the youngster, marveling that after all that had happened to him today, rats in the barn were the thing bringing the boy to the brink of tears. \u201cI was thinking the same thing. Maybe we should sleep under that big tree in the yard instead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill Ma\u2019am mind?\u201d Adam\u2019s voice quivered a bit with the threatening tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cVera won\u2019t care where we are as long as we\u2019re not inside.\u201d Stanley found a patch of grass at the base of the tree, and quickly assembled a jumble of blankets to sleep on while he sent Adam to the shadows to relieve himself. \u201cThat\u2019s not too bad,\u201d he remarked after they\u2019d hunkered into the bedding. \u201cIt\u2019s a warm night and I don\u2019t see any clouds, so we should have a good sleep.\u201d He tucked the top blanket around Adam\u2019s shoulders. \u201cAre you comfortable?\u201d He smiled in the dark, noting how the child was curled up as far away from him as possible while still remaining on the blanket. \u201cYou can snuggle in a little closer, son. I won\u2019t bite, and I\u2019ll feel better if I know you\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stayed put\u2026until an owl screeched overhead as it flew into a neighboring tree. He inched backwards with every noise that broke the stillness, until he was closer. Stanley found his heart moved again by the innocence of this child curled up next to him. He wished Vera had been able to have a baby; maybe things would have been different then. She\u2019d always been picky and demanding, but she\u2019d never displayed the evil he saw in her the last few years. What they\u2019d done again today was wrong. Yet living with the increasingly volatile woman had dulled his conscience to right and wrong, and somewhere over time he\u2019d decided it was easier to let her have her way than to stand tall and fight back. But today they\u2019d crossed that line once more, and this time there was no turning back. They\u2019d stolen an older child, and Vera had constructed a new lie she thought should cover the sin. He thought again about his reflection and decided he\u2019d lost a lot more than a few inches of height. He\u2019d lost his way, and in giving in to her, he was equally culpable for the damage they\u2019d done. This little boy next to him had managed to ignite an ember of goodness remaining in Stanley\u2019s soul, and in his moment of self-confession, he felt his spine stiffen as it had in the buggy. He liked the way if felt. It brought strength to muscles and feelings he thought were long atrophied.<\/p>\n

Some minutes had passed, but Stanley knew Adam was still awake because the boy kept wiggling. \u201cSince you\u2019re not sleeping yet, son, I\u2019d like you to ask you something I\u2019ve wondered about all afternoon. How did you know we were going south? We\u2019d gone through several streets and crossed the bridge out of the city by that time. I knew the route we had to take, but I never thought about what direction I was heading.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa taught me.\u201d The small voice was proud. \u201cHe was a sailor, and he said that where we live in \u2018Merica, when you feel the sun full on your face, you\u2019re going south. If you\u2019re going north it\u2019s behind you. Once you know north and south, you can tell east and west. You have to watch for other things too or you can get turned \u2018round. I can tell best when it\u2019s lunch time. Pa can always tell…even when it\u2019s cloudy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley laughed quietly. \u201cAre you sure you\u2019re only four? Grown men can\u2019t explain what you just did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rolled onto his back and held up four fingers. \u201cI\u2019m this old.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou try to sleep now. Morning will come too soon.\u201d Stanley grinned as he got settled. One minute this youngster was explaining how to navigate, and the next he was holding up fingers for his age like any little one would do. It all seemed to fit this particular child though. He was a quick study who could understand what he heard, and repeat it correctly. There was more too. This little boy saw the truth with clarity. He\u2019d seen this part of Adam in the response he\u2019d given Vera about the Commandments. Adam knew exactly what this couple had done: coveted him and stolen him, and Stanley cringed at the truth that wedged its way into his soul.<\/p>\n

The long, hard day seemed to be winding down easily with them both being tired and ready for sleep. That ended when Stanley saw Adam\u2019s shoulders moving jerkily, and he knew that his young charge was crying quietly. For a moment he thought he should comfort him, but he knew this child could only be comforted by one person\u2026and he<\/em> wasn\u2019t that person. He kept watch in case the crying got worse, but he let the moment pass without comment, hoping it would stop once the boy\u2019s grief was released or he was too tired to continue. His instincts proved right, and the boy\u2019s chest was soon moving with the steady rhythm of sleep.<\/p>\n

Ten<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben did as Harry had suggested and spread the news of Adam\u2019s disappearance at the docks. Most of the barge and boat captains wrote Vera and Stanley\u2019s names in their logs along with a description to alert all who handled the boats. These men worked on the water, but they had families in their home ports. They\u2019d promised to have their wives and mothers spread the word for Ben, and he had no doubt that his son\u2019s predicament would soon be common news in any areas where these vessels were headed.<\/p>\n

He continued to work during the day and haunt the precinct house at night to find out what Harry had learned. The young inspector had had immediately sent officers around the boarding house neighborhood. Those inquiries had confirmed that a little boy had been seen with the couple as they had driven down the street in the late morning. Unfortunately, eyewitness accounts ended on the main streets.<\/p>\n

Harry had also sent letters to nearby communities inquiring about missing children, and his men had checked with innkeepers along the main roads leading from Cleveland. None of the establishments had served the \u201cfamily\u201d they were searching for.<\/p>\n

It had been four days since the abduction, and Ben was sitting in the chair across from Harry\u2019s desk sipping coffee while Harry downed one of the sandwiches his mother had sent over for the two of them. \u201cYou\u2019re sure you\u2019re not hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t say I\u2019ve had much of an appetite since this started.\u201d Ben sighed deeply. \u201cI keep picturing Adam, hoping that Vera is treating him well, but fearing that she isn\u2019t. It makes my stomach turn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes you think she won\u2019t be good to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a feeling. Or maybe it\u2019s the way she treated Stanley.\u201d He grinned at the man across the desk. \u201cHe was a very obedient man.\u201d The grin faded. \u201cI suspect Vera expects people to act as she wants<\/em> them to, and while my son is<\/em> an obedient child, he also has a granite-hard Boston stubbornness\u2026\u201d the grin played again at the right corner of his lips\u2026\u201cfrom his mother\u2019s side of the family, mind you. He\u2019ll think through a situation, and he won\u2019t do something unless he understands exactly why he\u2019s being asked to do it. He\u2019ll want to know her reasoning, and then discuss the options.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow old\u2019s your son?\u201d Harry asked, chuckling.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the problem. He\u2019s a little boy in every way except that he truly wants to understand. He isn\u2019t being \u2018willful\u2019; it\u2019s just his way. He\u2019ll accept me saying, \u2018Because I\u2019m telling you to do it this way,\u2019 as a \u2018reasonable explanation\u2019 when he isn\u2019t able to wrap his mind around my reckoning\u2026or he senses that I\u2019m getting unhappy about his continued questioning. But I can see his disappointment in not being able to figure everything out yet. We\u2019ve had a number of conversations about his need to trust my judgment until he gets a little older.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he\u2019ll be too afraid to question Vera and Stanley.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed. \u201cFearlessness is part of that granite-like will of his, and while he\u2019ll be afraid, I don\u2019t think it will stifle his resolve to know why he\u2019s supposed to do something.\u201d A cloud of darkness descended over the worried father\u2019s face as his stomach lurched. \u201cAnd if she\u2019s able to make him too afraid to be the child he is, then\u2026\u201d He stood abruptly and paced the room before returning to the Harry\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n

The precinct captain walked toward them carrying a folder and asked Ben to sit as he began paging through the papers inside. \u201cI\u2019ve been working with Inspector Stauffer on your case, Mr. Cartwright, and it is a puzzling one.\u201d He sat on the corner of the desk, tapping the folder on his knee. \u201cWe don\u2019t get many instances of actual kidnapping, so I\u2019d like you to tell us what really happened to your son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s cheeks blazed red, while his fists contracted menacingly. \u201cTwo people, who lived at the boarding house with us, took him. That\u2019s what really<\/em> happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou reported that this woman never did anything objectionable to your boy. You imply that she was nosy and overly interested, but when I read this, I\u2019d say it seems more like she was curious about him. My wife acts the same way when she meets a bright child, but she isn\u2019t looking to kidnap them. Isn\u2019t it more probable that you gave this couple an indication that your life would be easier without your son? Perhaps you even brokered a deal on the sly. Or maybe they took him because they thought it was in the child\u2019s best interest to get him away from you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben slammed his fist on the desk so hard that the papers and blotter atop it bounced. \u201cIf that\u2019s what you think happened, then you are of no help to me, and I will find my son on my own. If,\u201d he sputtered, \u201cif I had decided I couldn\u2019t raise my child alone, I could have sent him to relatives who would have taken him in. My brother offered to take Adam while I got back on my feet after his mother died. And Adam has a grandfather who would take him if I needed help. I wouldn\u2019t have to ask strangers to poison my landlady and take him away without a word.\u201d<\/p>\n

The captain\u2019s face was unreadable as he spoke again. \u201cAnd\u2026perhaps your pride is too strong to admit to your family that you couldn\u2019t handle being a widower and a father, so you \u2018arranged\u2019 a kidnapping to let you look innocent of parental neglect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry had been watching Ben\u2019s eye\u2019s\u2026and fists\u2026and he knew this scene wasn\u2019t going to end well. He rose while the captain was delivering his rebuttal, and wedged himself between the two men in time to grab Ben\u2019s arm before his fist connected with the captain\u2019s cheek. \u201cSit down, Ben,\u201d he suggested calmly as he strong-armed him down into his chair again.<\/p>\n

The police captain grinned, and patted Ben on the shoulder. \u201cI am sorry, Mr. Cartwright. My harsh accusations usually break the families who\u2019ve done what I suggested, and the truth comes pouring out. I hate having to push anyone like that, but these are desperate times for many families, and they do desperate things.\u201d He nodded at the young inspector. \u201cHarry has said that he doesn\u2019t doubt your story, and I don\u2019t either\u2026now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it was a test?\u201d Ben\u2019s heart was pounding as his complexion returned to its natural shade.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid so. We\u2019ve gotten very good at picking up false blustering as opposed to real pain and fear. You have the right answers, and your outrage was sincere. Again, I offer my apologies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked from one policeman to the other. \u201cSo now what?\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry spoke. \u201cI know you want answers, Ben, but this takes time. We\u2019ve done what we can for now. Once we get a lead, we\u2019ll make inquiries, and I\u2019ll invite you to accompany us. But until then, we wait and go about our daily work. Let\u2019s just hope they live in a city, because if they don\u2019t\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d Ben sighed. \u201cIf they\u2019re in an isolated place, there\u2019s less chance of finding them.\u201d He looked down at the hardened callouses on his hands from working the ropes of the vessels he oversaw, and a thought hit him. \u201cTheir hands! They aren\u2019t country people. People who do physical work have hands like this!\u201d He held his own up for emphasis. \u201cThe scars of hard work always remain. But I shook Stanley\u2019s hand when we first met, and remember thinking that he couldn\u2019t have ever done manual labor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry looked at the captain and smiled. \u201cThen I think we\u2019re on the right track.\u201d He nodded to Ben \u201cYou look tired. You\u2019ve gotten the message out at the docks, and we\u2019ll continue to send letters to cities in a widening radius from Cleveland, so go get a good night\u2019s sleep. A clue is bound to come in soon.\u201d As Ben turned to leave, Harry grasped his shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. \u201cWe\u2019ll find him.\u201d<\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Part Two<\/strong><\/p>\n

One<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stanley was heading home after being out the entire day. He\u2019d left Vera alone with Adam early that morning while he\u2019d gone to see his lawyer and accountant, and resign from his job. Stanley worked as a salesman for a women\u2019s hosiery company, and he sold just enough of the thick cotton or woolen stockings to keep the position. He felt some satisfaction in that he\u2019d managed to sell a few pairs of the plain, utilitarian product to stores in every city where they\u2019d stayed in the past two years. His father\u2019s money ensured a life where he didn\u2019t have to hold a job, but when he\u2019d get tired with the charade of being a salesman, he\u2019d remind himself that there was a benefit to working. It had given him an excuse to get out of the boarding houses\u2014and away from Vera\u2014during the time they\u2019d been searching for \u201ctheir child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vera forbade him to speak of what he did, and when questions were asked at the boarding house dinner tables, she would mention that Stanley \u201cwas in sales.\u201d Any further questions were deflected by her saying that he couldn\u2019t speak of his job. He assumed those who\u2019d heard that explanation thought he sold things to the government or he had products that couldn\u2019t be divulged because of some special agreement. He only needed a minimal sampling of his stockings, and they fit inside a small folder he tucked in his jacket pocket. He\u2019d often checked behind him when he\u2019d left the boarding houses, wondering if anyone would follow, trying to figure out what he was really up to. No one ever did. No one cared enough to put out that much effort, and he\u2019d assumed they\u2019d all thought it was a lie anyway; something the couple told to make themselves seem more mysterious than they really were. But he bet that right about now, Ben Cartwright wished he\u2019d done just that.<\/p>\n

Adam had been with them for two weeks already, and at times their new family ran smoothly. Yet he could sense Vera\u2019s increasing irritation with their latest choice, and as he\u2019d spent more time with Adam, he\u2019d become certain that this<\/em> child had been in need of nothing they could give him. They\u2019d ripped him away from a loving parent, not some derelict, and \u201cJunior\u201d wasn\u2019t responding to Vera\u2019s wheedling promises or her threats. She\u2019d been left speechless and sputtering many times when the little boy had questioned her about what she was telling him, or thanked her for everything she offered, but then said he\u2019d prefer to return to his father.<\/p>\n

Stanley\u2019s strengthening spine had another amazing effect. It had increased his moral eyesight, and he now knew that Vera had lied about the others they\u2019d taken too. She had seen peril where none existed, and wove a story around her lies that let her take them without a thought of the pain she\u2019d caused.<\/p>\n

On their second day on the trip back to Akron, she\u2019d decided that Junior was going to be a genius, so she\u2019d made plans to start teaching him. She\u2019d turned their dining room into a classroom and held lessons for the entire day since they\u2019d gotten home. That had proved frustrating rather than producing stellar intelligence. She had become increasing upset that he couldn\u2019t sound out all the words or decipher the difficult passages from books written for adults who were far smarter than Vera, nor could he figure the arithmetic from a secondary text she\u2019d found at the store.<\/p>\n

He shook his head in disgust as he considered that Vera didn\u2019t understand these things either. There were times when Stanley had heard Adam give a reasonable and thoughtful assessment of what he\u2019d managed to read, but Vera wasn\u2019t smart enough to see that he was right. In fact she needed the \u201cteacher\u2019s key\u201d to the arithmetic problems to know the answers, and couldn\u2019t begin to explain<\/em> how to solve them. Yet she\u2019d become livid when a four-year-old couldn\u2019t work them. Knowing he\u2019d have to be gone most of this day, he\u2019d taken steps to help the lessons run more smoothly in his absence.<\/p>\n

Stanley had always stayed nearby during the previous fruitless \u201cteaching\u201d sessions, listening for the tone of Vera\u2019s voice to rise to dangerous levels of volume and pitch. When he sensed there would be some serious consequence to Adam for his lack of \u201ccooperation,\u201d he\u2019d step in and calm his wife, telling her that she was exhausting herself. He\u2019d made her rest and brought her tea before he\u2019d taken Adam outside to play or walk to the canal where the boy\u2019s amazement with the waterway had remained constant. He suspected it was probably not the water that was the lure for the child, but rather the fact that it flowed to Lake Erie, where Ben Cartwright held sway over the harbor. The canal was the child\u2019s connection to his father, and he\u2019d gaze northward with a longing look that touched Stanley\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n

He knew that Adam was in jeopardy because of Vera\u2019s unrealistic expectations. She\u2019d told Stanley that Adam was a \u201cdifficult child,\u201d although he\u2019d gotten her to admit that Adam tried very hard to do the lessons. Her biggest concern was, \u201cHe asks questions about everything. The only time he stops is when I threaten to rap him one with the ruler, like my mother used to do to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley knew from experience how his wife would rid herself of this irritation. The difficulty was that \u201cdisposing\u201d of a child<\/em> wouldn\u2019t be as easy as it had been with the babies they\u2019d taken.<\/p>\n

Hoping to ease the conflict between student and teacher, he and Adam had stopped at a store while on their walk the day before. He\u2019d purchased a number of primers that Adam had been able to read. He\u2019d also gotten a book of easy arithmetic that would be simpler for both Vera and her pupil. Adam had an aptitude for adding and subtracting and this text would build on that instead of jumping ahead to difficult problems he was far too young to understand.<\/p>\n

Stanley squared his shoulders as he inhaled deeply and smiled. Something remarkable was happening to him that had started since Adam had been with them. He\u2019d watched this little boy stand up to his wife. He wasn\u2019t rude or unruly; he just asked her to explain herself. Adam always tried, even when Vera changed the rules so often the child became confused over what it was she wanted. He wouldn\u2019t call her mother, but he was always polite, calling her, \u201cMa\u2019am,\u201d and he always said please and thank you even when Vera\u2019s behavior was more childlike than Adam\u2019s. And the thing that impressed Stanley the most was that while the child flinched when threatened, he looked Vera in the eyes during her tirades. Watching Adam stand tall in the face of all that was happening to him had promoted the healing of Stanley\u2019s backbone too.<\/p>\n

When he saw any evidence of the little boy wavering in his attempt to pretend that this was normal, Stanley would take him aside and promise him that he was working on a plan to get him home. He figured that Adam would have run away if there\u2019d been a chance to do so. But Vera had put a lot of forethought into this before they\u2019d ever set out to find a child, and she had decorative wrought iron attached to the windows and doors of the house. The back yard was walled-in by a high picket fence with pointed iron finials attached atop each board, making it nearly impossible to cross over even if someone could scale it. Adam was a prisoner. His cell was a comfortable house, but the warden was crazy.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d made up his mind that he would get this child back where he belonged, and he knew he\u2019d have to be ready to move soon. There would come a moment when Vera would demand that she be relieved of the burden of raising this uncooperative child, and expect that he act immediately. She thought he\u2019d \u201ctaken care\u201d of the others, and he had\u2014but in a humane way. He was guilty of being a kidnapper and a coward, but he wasn\u2019t a murderer.<\/p>\n

What made this so mystifying to him was that in the recesses of his wife\u2019s mind, she\u2019d believed she\u2019d done the right thing by \u201crescuing\u201d these children. But when they weren\u2019t all that she\u2019d expected, the only reasonable conclusion she could conceive of was to relieve them of their earthly bonds. She was insane\u2026and he had become the ultimate weakling: too afraid of his wife to stand up to her, yet too afraid to do what she wanted. So he\u2019d saved the little ones and reunited them with their parents, while allowing Vera to think he\u2019d actually done as she\u2019d asked.<\/p>\n

It was reckoning time. Adam was old enough\u2026and smart enough\u2026that he would tell the sordid tale of his abductors, and then Stanley and Vera would face prosecution. Knowing this had actually eased even more pressure from Stanley\u2019s aching back. He knew it was time to end this, and Adam was the catalyst for him to begin making amends. It wasn\u2019t going to be easy, but he\u2019d already stood up to Vera several times in the last two weeks. He\u2019d cloaked several suggestions about how she might better get along with the four-year-old using his most flattering words and submissive posture. Each piece of advice had brought a severe reaction, followed by her acceptance as she adopted the idea as her own. However, his increasing height was making her wary of him, and he had the feeling she was going to demand evidence that he\u2019d killed the child this time.<\/p>\n

Stanley knew the only way Adam would get away was for him to help the child escape when the moment of truth arrived. To that end, he\u2019d begun to work through a plan. He\u2019d convinced Vera that Junior needed exercise at least twice a day to help him stay interested during the teaching sessions. He\u2019d suggested that supervised walks would be the most calming. They\u2019d followed the same route to the canal at least two times each day, and he\u2019d made sure Adam was mapping the route in his mind. It had gone well. The previous day, Adam had led the way and gotten them there without a misstep.<\/p>\n

He breathed in relief as he rounded the final corner toward his house, knowing that Adam\u2019s surety about his escape route had come none too soon. Last night Vera had begun her rant of dissatisfaction with the words, \u201cMaybe it\u2019s time to start looking again. This boy isn\u2019t going to work out. He isn\u2019t smart enough and he won\u2019t ever love me like I want him to.\u201d The decree had been issued, and unless Adam made some miraculous turn-around and became a cuddly, fully submissive child in the next 24-hours, Vera would demand his immediate \u201cremoval.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Stanley was ready, and he smiled broadly as he thought about his newly-found strength. He couldn\u2019t believe that he\u2019d found healing through the actions of a child. The smile widened as he thought about coming up behind Vera that morning as she\u2019d checked her hair in the mirror. He\u2019d been amazed to see that their heights had readjusted to the proper ratios. He knew he could stand up to her now, and the smile faded as he felt remorse about not having grown a backbone the first time she\u2019d proposed kidnapping as a way to get a child. Better late than not at all<\/em>, he thought as he slid open the outer lock on the back gate and entered.<\/p>\n

Evening was cloaking the yard with ominous looking shadows, but his eyes were drawn to one particular dark outline that looked like a pile of clothing on the back stoop. His heart seized as he got closer and he made out Adam\u2019s wavy mop of hair resting on the wooden porch slats. It was a chilly evening, so he wasn\u2019t sure if the coolness of the boy\u2019s cheek was due to that or something far worse. He ran his finger along the curve of the quiet child\u2019s chin and said, \u201cAdam?\u201d A heart-deep moan escaped Stanley\u2019s lips when his action brought no response. He did a quick run-through of what might have happened during the hours he\u2019d been away. He\u2019d been certain that the simpler materials he\u2019d bought would have provided a satisfactory day for teacher and child, but as he bent down further he noted that Adam\u2019s clothing had a distinctive odor.<\/p>\n

Stanley sank onto the porch next to the lifeless form and grieved his stupidity in leaving Adam unprotected. He\u2019d used his time away wisely as he\u2019d done the legal work to bring these last two years to a permanent end, but he hadn\u2019t considered that his wife would have added one of her mother\u2019s favorite games to the simple day he\u2019d imagined. But then nothing could ever be simple with her. With the teaching going better, he should have predicted that she would try other ways to find fault and rid herself of this responsibility.<\/p>\n

Vera had endured the same sort of treatment from her mother, who had been a master at causing humiliation. One of the older woman\u2019s \u201ctests of character\u201d had to do with forbidding Vera to relieve herself. Doris had been adamant that a person could control such functions and the failure to do so for long hours\u2014even after being made to drink large quantities of liquid\u2014was a flaw. When Vera\u2019s body did what it had to do to relieve the pressure, her mother had beaten her and then sent her to a shed outside where she\u2019d gone without food and water until Doris had remembered she was out there.<\/p>\n

The evidence on Adam\u2019s clothing suggested that perhaps Vera had put the boy through the same proving process, and he\u2019d failed\u2026just as she had. Stanley imagined that her rage at Adam soiling one of her fancy covered chairs had sent Vera into a storm that she hadn\u2019t been able to control. His shoulders hung forward as his grief left his body in a sob, knowing that he\u2019d allowed this to happen.<\/p>\n

Two<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s legs felt anchored to the ground as he made his way home from work. It seemed so incongruous that he would continue his daily routines while his son remained missing, yet it made the most sense. He\u2019d spread the word about Adam\u2019s abduction, and it was important to be at the docks to keep talking with people. Harry and the Cleveland police had continued to make inquiries and send letters to every town in Ohio and bordering states. All they could do was wait for something\u2026anything to give them a direction. He did wonder if the police would have been so diligent had Harry Stauffer not been Grace\u2019s son. It didn\u2019t matter, he was just grateful for the efforts.<\/p>\n

He looked up as he heard his name being shouted in the distance and waved as Harry ran toward him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad I found you!\u201d the young man said as came to a halt and grabbed Ben\u2019s shoulders. \u201cThere\u2019s news!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s head swam. \u201cYou\u2019ve found Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet, but other children have gone missing. Come back to the station and I\u2019ll show you. You don\u2019t get the impact until you view it all on a map.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The captain motioned the two men into his office when they got to the precinct house, and laid a map of Ohio on his desk. \u201cI\u2019ll let the inspector explain, since he\u2019s the reason we have this.\u201d he told Ben as he handed Harry a pencil.<\/p>\n

Harry\u2019s chest puffed out as he began. \u201cYou\u2019ll remember that I sent couriers in a 20-mile radius of the city right after Adam disappeared. They delivered a letter of inquiry to whatever law enforcement was in these towns, or to the owner of the largest business if there was no police. Today I received five responses that are relevant\u2026and nearly identical.\u201d He laid the five notes on the desk. \u201cThey came from Salem, Ashtabula, Streetsboro, Willowick and North Olmsted.\u201d He drew a dot on the map each time he mentioned a city and then connected the dots to form an arc around the outskirts of Cleveland.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop building the suspense, Harry,\u201d Ben scolded. \u201cWhat information did they give you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEach of those towns had a report of a missing child within the last two years. Of course there\u2019s no way to gather this kind of information unless someone asks about it. For them, it was a local incident, nothing more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWere these children like Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

The captain spoke up. \u201cNo, they were babies or young toddlers, Mr. Cartwright. As we place dates to the events along that line on the map, it seems that the first child to disappear was the youngest at eight months, and the last one was about 15 months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid to ask; were these children found?\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry smiled. \u201cThey were\u2026returned. The first three were found sleeping in boxes outside their homes early in the morning, one was left at a church and the oldest was found outside the police station after a loud knock. No one saw who\u2019d brought them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long were they gone, and were they hurt in any way?\u201d Ben\u2019s face was a mask of hope mixed with fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of them were gone more than a few days, and they were unharmed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The captain smiled broadly. \u201cAnd here\u2019s the best part, Mr. Cartwright. The owners of the boarding house in these towns each reports having had a salesman and his wife with them for a few weeks, and one for several months last winter. The dates seem to correspond to the times the babies went missing, but they were taken from their homes while the parents were outside doing chores and the baby slept in the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid the landlords have names for the couple?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVera and Stanley.\u201d The captain laughed \u201cThe last names varied, but apparently Vera and Stanley couldn\u2019t manage having aliases for their first names.\u201d He became thoughtful. \u201cAssuming that Vera and Stanley were the ones who abducted the little ones, it would seem they spent time in the area beforehand to observe the families and watch for the right opportunity, just as they did with your son.\u201d Captain Jones\u2019s tone turned apologetic. \u201cAll five families were scraping by, and I\u2019m wondering if their reports weren\u2019t taken quite as seriously as they should have been because of that. One of those responses even says that the town constable figured the folks had given the child for adoption and then had a change of heart, accounting for the \u2018return.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose they were suspected of abandoning their children just as you did of me at first. But it turned out well for them, and I\u2019m thankful.\u201d Ben slumped back in his chair and sighed. \u201cAdam\u2019s been gone two weeks already. That doesn\u2019t fit the pattern.\u201d He looked directly at Harry and shook his head. \u201cWhat do you think they\u2019re up to this time?\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry blushed. \u201cI hope you don\u2019t mind, but Ma was here earlier when we were working on all of this. I think she had a pretty accurate idea about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI trust Grace\u2019s intuition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMa said that when anyone asked the Winters about having children, Vera always said that she wasn\u2019t blessed to \u2018raise\u2019 one of her own. Ma said it always rang a little odd in her ear, and she now thinks that Vera was intent on getting one that she could raise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded. \u201cI heard her say that too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Ma thinks that Vera used those other missing children as stepping stones to deciding what would make the perfect child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s nod became vigorous. \u201cI get what Grace is thinking. Vera probably thought she wanted a baby and started there. But babies are a lot of work, and Vera never impressed me as someone with patience. From what the captain said about the parents\u2019 situations, she probably felt that the children she took were in need of something only she could offer. Her comments about me not being around much and the unsuitability of taking a child on a trek west were undoubtedly her excuse for taking Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly!\u201d Harry walked the room\u2019s perimeter as he continued. \u201cMa thinks that when Vera saw Adam, she decided he was perfect. He was older; a sweet natured child who was intelligent and polite, but still young enough to control.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo maybe it\u2019s going better this time\u2026,\u201d Ben pondered aloud. \u201cBut if she didn\u2019t like the younger children for the amount of work they were, she\u2019s not going to find life a lot easier with Adam. He can take care of himself in some ways, but he will never accept whatever explanation they\u2019re giving him for why I would abandon him.\u201d He paled and shuddered as he thought of how Vera cowed her husband, and imagined what her methods might be for bringing a child into line. The fear was replaced by resolve as he looked up at the two men. \u201cSo how do we find them? They must live close if they were able to return those babies so quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot necessarily,\u201d the captain interjected. \u201cThere are lots of small burgs near the route that connects those missing babes. Harry\u2019s letter only asked about missing children. He didn\u2019t inquire about strangers with a baby that might have stayed there. They had to move on after taking the children, but I\u2019m thinking they may have never gone \u2018home.\u2019 Maybe they had a place near there where they went to avoid detection, but something happened right away, and they returned the child and moved a little farther down the road. And if they lived close by, they could have done their searches without staying in a boarding house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry added, \u201cTheir \u2018hunting grounds\u2019 were all small towns, but I think they finally decided to try a bigger city where there\u2019d be more options.\u201d He nodded toward Ben. \u201cYou and Adam walked right into their web. I assume that they finally did go home with Adam. But I\u2019d bet that home is a ways from here so there\u2019d be no chance of someone recognizing him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Captain Jones laid a hand on Ben\u2019s shoulder. \u201cI have to warn you of one thing, Mr. Cartwright. They may have simply returned home to lay low after things went badly this time. Those babies couldn\u2019t give evidence against them, but Adam could. If this couple is as crazy or desperate as they seem, then\u2026your son might not\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

The silence in the room gave credence to the captain\u2019s unfinished thought. Ben shook off his fear. \u201cI think Adam is alive and doing the best he can. I haven\u2019t hidden my struggles from my son. I don\u2019t tell him the worst of it, but I\u2019ve always taught him how we use our minds and skills to keep going through the toughest of times. He may not understand this completely, but he\u2019ll be strong and hold on until we can find him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMa said the same thing.\u201d Harry smiled at Ben. \u201cYou said your son is hard-headed, and she confirmed that. But she thought the difference between Adam and other children\u2026including me when I was young,\u201d he said chuckling, \u201cis that once she told him how things were going to be, he didn\u2019t spend any time fretting about it. He did what she asked of him\u2014no tears, no talking back, no tantrums. She laughed when she said he probably checked her logic with you later, but he did the best he could until then.\u201d Harry looked to both men and clapped his hands together. \u201cHow do we narrow down the places they might have gone, and get this boy home?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of us paid any mind to what those two said because we assumed it was all fabrication.\u201d Ben looked at Harry and smiled as an idea began to form. \u201cYour mother said Stanley left the house some days and would be gone for several hours. She thought he just needed to get away from Vera for a time and maybe he walked or sat in a park or tavern before heading back. But\u2026what if he really did make business calls in Cleveland and in all those other places too. He could have been an account auditor or sold something that required infrequent service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry nodded. \u201cMa was sure it was a story to make them seem more mysterious\u2026a salesman who couldn\u2019t talk about his wares! But it\u2019s worth a shot! Everything\u2019s closed now, but I\u2019ll send men out in the morning to ask around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll report to the dock tomorrow, but then I\u2019ll help in town. An extra body will cover more ground.\u201d Ben sighed deeply. \u201cIf we can find where he stopped here, then we can find out who he works for and follow that back to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stanley pulled Adam\u2019s cold, limp body onto his lap and then yelped in joy as the little boy began to wiggle and push away. Adam\u2019s large, dark eyes met Stanley\u2019s as he registered who was holding him, and snuggled into the warmth of the man\u2019s coat. \u201cYou all right?\u201d he asked the child and received a nod as he opened the buttons and wrapped the sides of his jacket around the shivering boy.<\/p>\n

Adam pulled back. \u201cDon\u2019t. You\u2019ll get dirty. Ma\u2019am won\u2019t like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care what she doesn\u2019t like, son. We\u2019re going to warm you up a little and then get a nice hot bath and some food.\u201d He felt Adam relax against him again. \u201cI\u2019m thinking Vera wouldn\u2019t let you use the privy and then got mad when you wet yourself?\u201d Another nod. \u201cDid she hurt you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The child\u2019s head moved side to side. \u201cShe said I was a pig, and pigs don\u2019t come in the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley shook his head and bit his lip as he tried to understand how anyone who\u2019d been mistreated in their childhood could repeat that humiliation on another. \u201cShe\u2019s not very nice to you, is she?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sat back and grinned sadly. \u201cShe\u2019s not very nice to you either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo she isn\u2019t, and I think it\u2019s time to change that.\u201d Stanley removed his coat and tucked Adam inside it before setting him on the porch step. He angled himself to see Adam\u2019s face so he\u2019d be sure the child understood what he was about to say. \u201cIt\u2019s time for you to go home, son.\u201d He saw the look of pure hope wash across Adam\u2019s face. \u201cIt won\u2019t be tonight, but you\u2019ll have to be ready to go when I say. You know the way to the docks now, so when I tell you to run, you go there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. You\u2019ll have to go alone because I\u2019ll need to take care of things here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do I do there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFind someone on the first barge you see. Tell him who you are and that you need to get to Ben Cartwright in Cleveland. I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll have heard about you being missing, and they\u2019ll help you. Once I\u2019m done with Vera, I\u2019ll come to the docks too and go along to explain things to your pa.\u201d He gave Adam a minute to mull over the directions. \u201cI didn\u2019t lock the back gate, so you\u2019ll be able to get out. Do you think you can do this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam gave a weak nod, followed by a stronger one.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you afraid?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll do fine, son. You\u2019ve always wanted to ride on one of those barges. And that water goes straight to your pa.\u201d Adam\u2019s look of fear was overtaken by a smile and look of determination. \u201cC\u2019mon now.\u201d Stanley stood and lifted Adam to his hip as he started to the house. \u201cYou can bathe while I fix Vera a special supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Vera refused to let Adam eat after he\u2019d gotten cleaned up, and insisted that he sleep on a pad on the kitchen floor, declaring him likely to soil their expensive bed and furnishings. She stood over him with her finger wagging in his face, pronouncing that he would continue to sleep there until he was able to control himself like civilized people.<\/p>\n

Stanley might have fought against her ranting had he not been moving forward on his plan. He\u2019d given his nods and bowed his head when she\u2019d asked him to confirm her conclusions as he\u2019d cooked her favorite meal. He\u2019d pulled Adam aside when she\u2019d left the room and reminded him that he would soon be on his way home. The house quieted when Vera declared her exhaustion and headed for bed. Stanley took her a \u201cspecial\u201d cup of tea, and returned to the kitchen to feed Adam and do another walk through of the plans for the next day.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Stanley stood next to the bed as sunlight sent its first bright tentacles through the porous shade in their bedroom, patting Vera\u2019s hair as she slumped over the chamber pot, heaving and moaning. When she could raise her head, she howled, \u201cThat food you made was bad! How could you be so stupid as to cook spoiled meat?\u201d<\/p>\n

He held her hair back as the vomited again, and soothed, \u201cIf that was true, I would be sick as well.\u201d He dabbed her chin dry as she slumped back against her pillow. \u201cI think it\u2019s more likely that you have made yourself ill in trying so hard with the child. You know you become ill when you exhaust yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re probably right, dear.\u201d She nodded as she got comfortable. \u201cI will need a doctor, Stanley. But we can\u2019t bring anyone here who might believe the lies that little urchin would tell about us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley grinned as he turned away. \u201cI could lock him in his room or out in the shed while Doctor Lemke is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

She rolled her head side-to-side on the pillow. \u201cThat would work for now, but I\u2019m much too ill to continue schooling him or making efforts to correct his appalling behavior. It\u2019s time he leaves us and goes to a better life than anyone on earth can give him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand, dear; it\u2019s the best solution. I\u2019ll take care of him, and then get the doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vera reached for her husband\u2019s hand. \u201cYou\u2019re good to me\u2026most times. Maybe the next child we find will love and appreciate us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stanley heard Vera retching again as he closed the door and headed to the kitchen. \u201cThere will be no next time,\u201d he muttered under his breath. \u201cAnd I\u2019m glad you\u2019re finally experiencing what you put Grace through the day we took Adam.\u201d He grinned wickedly. \u201cI think it\u2019s time for a little more tea with your own special sweetener.\u201d<\/p>\n

After brewing a cup of tea laced with an emetic and taking it to his \u201cailing\u201d wife, Stanley returned to help Adam get dressed and eat a quick breakfast. With those tasks completed, he squatted next to the boy and took his hand. \u201cIt\u2019s time to go. You get to the docks as fast as you can. I need to finish with Vera and then I\u2019ll find you. But don\u2019t worry if I don\u2019t get there before the boat has to leave. You just go.\u201d He lifted Adam\u2019s chin. \u201cCan you do this?\u201d<\/p>\n

A firm nod indicated he could, and Stanley handed him a cloth bag containing the few new clothes and toys that had been purchased for the child Vera had wanted so badly. Yet she\u2019d never let this child touch any of them for fear of breaking or soiling them. Stanley figured Adam had earned the right to take it all and do whatever he pleased with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He heard Vera hollering for him as he watched Adam leave the yard on his own. Instead of rushing upstairs, he watched as the child trotted down the street and turned the corner toward the canal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat dear?\u201d he asked as he entered their room again. Their room<\/em>, he thought angrily. They\u2019d had to share a room at the boarding houses where they\u2019d stayed, but at home he slept on a cot in the cold room at the back corner of the house. Vera always had an excuse for why he couldn\u2019t stay with her, and frankly, as time had gone on he\u2019d become grateful for the peace his little cell had afforded. In fact it proved most helpful in the last few days, as he\u2019d written out the letters he\u2019d taken to his lawyer. Vera never entered his room, so he\u2019d known his secret would remain safe until the sky was falling in on her.<\/p>\n

The haggard-looking woman gazed at him from glassy eyes, and whined, \u201cIt\u2019s getting worse again. Did you take care of the brat so you can get the doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Vera. He\u2019s gone, and help will be here soon.\u201d What he didn\u2019t say was that he\u2019d made arrangements yesterday for his lawyer to drop off a letter with the Akron police first thing this morning. In it he\u2019d told the whole sordid story of their last few years. He hadn\u2019t tried to exonerate himself in the matter. He\u2019d confessed to it all, and he planned to plead guilty to whatever charges were brought against him so Adam wouldn\u2019t have to go through a trial.<\/p>\n

He thought he probably should have waited for the police to take Adam home, but he\u2019d decided to get him on his way before they arrived. Stanley had suspected that the scene would get ugly as Vera realized she was being betrayed, and he\u2019d worried that if she got an inkling of what he was doing, she might go after Adam herself. In the end, he\u2019d decided to use the same method to keep her indisposed as Vera had used on Grace Stauffer. Everything was working well\u2026so far\u2026and he hoped that the police would bring a doctor as he\u2019d asked for in the letter.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d come to realize that his wife would need to be confined to a mental institution where she couldn\u2019t hurt anyone else. He, on the other hand, was guilty of criminal actions, and with his newly healed backbone guiding his actions, he intended to pay for the hell they\u2019d caused the families of their victims. To atone for that in a more helpful way, he\u2019d had his lawyer set up funds for each of the children they\u2019d taken, including Adam Cartwright. Stanley doubted Ben would take the money, so he set that payment up as an investment maturing when Adam turned 30. The little boy would be a man by then, and he could use the money as he saw fit.<\/p>\n

He thought back to the previous day\u2019s meeting with his lawyer. The attorney had no idea what was written in the letter he was asked to deliver, but he\u2019d been so happy for the commission the transferring of Stanley\u2019s fund would produce, that he hadn\u2019t asked questions. The man\u2019s wary expression as they\u2019d shaken hands at the end of the day, had spoken of his concern for his long-time client. He\u2019d finally asked if everything was all right in the Freemont home, and Stanley had responded that things were fine for the first time in a long while.<\/p>\n

He was still deep in thought while Vera whimpered and complained in the background, but a pounding on the front door brought him back to the present. He excused himself as he headed to the bedroom door. \u201cHelp is here now, dear. It\u2019ll all be over soon.\u201d He stood straight, squared his shoulders and then hurried down the steps to end his two-year odyssey.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Stanley was running. He was feeling free for the first time in so long that he stopped a moment and gave a shout of thanks, before taking off again toward the harbor.<\/p>\n

The police had questioned him for over an hour while an officer and the doctor they\u2019d brought, tried to talk to Vera. They\u2019d gone over his letter, and he\u2019d re-told the details of the abductions and their reasoning. He ended the story by saying he\u2019d gotten five of them home safely, but Adam had managed to run away that morning, and he had no idea where he\u2019d gone. He\u2019d mentioned a park where Adam liked to play, and the stores they\u2019d visited. His hope was that Adam would be safely on his way to Cleveland by the time the police could begin searching for him. Stanley had no desire to delay the reunion between Ben and Adam any longer, and he knew that once the Cartwrights were together, it would take a mighty force to separate them. Ben would help Adam give his statement in Cleveland and make sure his son never had to set foot in Akron or see Vera again.<\/p>\n

Vera\u2019s reaction to his treachery had born out as he\u2019d predicted. She\u2019d gone wild, and he figured her caterwauling had been heard for blocks. The doctor agreed that she was mentally unstable and arranged for her transport to an institution rather than jail. Stanley\u2019s money would come in handy there too. He\u2019d set aside a fund to pay for a \u201cnicer\u201d place where his wife could spend her days once her legal proceedings were completed. Stanley had waited impatiently through all the foofaraw, and had seen his chance to escape when all police personnel were called upstairs to subdue Vera enough to get her out to the ambulance.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d never felt so free or hopeful in his life as he ran to the docks. He knew he still had to pay society for his crimes, but he hoped he\u2019d arrive in time to accompany Adam back to Cleveland so he could make his confession directly to Ben before turning himself in. He headed to the nearest dock still berthing a barge, and approached a group of deck hands working on the pier ropes. \u201dHave you seen a small boy this morning?\u201d he asked, as he panted to catch his breath. \u201cI sent him here and told him I\u2019d meet him later.\u201d<\/p>\n

The captain of the boat walked to the edge of his vessel, and looked warily at the inquirer. He nodded toward Stanley. \u201cYou say you\u2019re lookin\u2019 for a child?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes!\u201d Stanley shouted. \u201cHave you seen him? I told him to speak to any of the barge hands; I knew he\u2019d be safe here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The captain looked downward and shook his head. \u201cWould this have been a curly-haired, cute little tyke?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Stanley cried again. \u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat relation is he to you?\u201d one of the mates asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was my ward for a few weeks. Please tell me where he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The captain gave his deck hands a knowing look, and then shook his head. \u201cThere was a small boy here earlier. He wore a brown coat, and a blue hat.\u201d He nodded toward his men. \u201cHe were carryin\u2019 a sack of things too, weren\u2019t he?\u201d The men agreed that he had been. \u201cDoes that sound like the boy you lookin\u2019 for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s him! Where is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe tried to get aboard one of the rafts, but slipped on the gangway and fell in. Poor kid didn\u2019t know how to swim and was quickly taken under.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me he was rescued,\u201d Stanley pled of the men who were closing ranks around him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry to give you the bad news, but the child\u2019s body was pulled from the canal and taken to the police station. You should go there. No one knew who he was.\u201d As Stanley bent over in a moan, the captain motioned for his men to move in.<\/p>\n

Stanley panicked when he glanced up and realized what was happening. These men clearly knew that he had some hand in whatever had happened, and were bent on taking him to the authorities. His eyes darted around the group until he saw the smallest man. He rushed at him, knocking him down, and broke through the human barricade. He glanced over his shoulder as he ran away and saw that he was being followed. But Stanley knew these streets well, and he weaved through the alleys until he lost his pursuers. He didn\u2019t stop running until he reached the livery where he contracted for a good horse to get him to Cleveland.<\/p>\n

His escape hadn\u2019t been motivated by fear for himself. It had been fueled by the certainty that he owed Ben Cartwright an explanation about what had happened to Adam. He\u2019d surrender once that was done, and face charges for a kidnapping that led to a child\u2019s death. Life in prison didn\u2019t bother him as much as facing Ben, but he wanted to do it. He needed to tell him that his son had made a difference in the world during the short time he\u2019d lived.<\/p>\n

Four<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben and a few officers had spent a good part of the day inquiring about Stanley at stores and businesses near enough the boarding house to be reached on foot. The illusive salesman had never used a buggy, so it made sense to start the search close to home. They planned to widen the scope if today\u2019s efforts failed, and so far they had. Many people could remember seeing someone matching Stanley\u2019s description, but knew nothing of him, and figured he\u2019d only been a customer, not someone with a product to sell.<\/p>\n

The weary man\u2019s disappointment exited in a sigh as he looked over the bay and prayed for some sign to help them find Adam. He was nearing his frustration point, and had decided that if this canvas gave them nothing more to go on, he\u2019d head out on his own and search through every town in Ohio and beyond until he found his son. In fact he had a sick feeling that he\u2019d have been further ahead if he\u2019d done that from the very beginning instead of allowing himself to be convinced that patience would win out.<\/p>\n

It was late-afternoon and many offices had already closed for the day. Shops were still open, but they\u2019d managed to ask questions and leave information at those establishments, so the search had been suspended. Ben\u2019s view of the harbor allowed him to see that the outbound barges had been loaded and were pulling out for their trips home, while a line of arriving boats waited to dock and get paperwork for their turn-around in the morning. He shook his head to clear his aching mind, and muttered, \u201cMight as well go help out,\u201d as he headed down a street that led to the dock offices. He knew Harry would find him he if had news.<\/p>\n

He stopped in mid stride and turned when he heard shouting, and saw Harry standing up the street next to one of the men from a store he\u2019d stopped at earlier. Ben broke into a trot until he reached the pair.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou talked to Zeke earlier.\u201d Harry nodded toward the shopkeeper. \u201cHe has news, and came to the precinct to find you.\u201d He winked. \u201cHe found me instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zeke\u2019s cheeks grew pink as he bounced from foot-to-foot. \u201cI told you I\u2019d not ever seen the man you were looking for, Mr. Cartwright, but a little later, Mrs. Jackson came to work and I told her about your questions. She orders the women\u2019s clothes and she knew right off the person you want. He\u2019s Stanley Freemont and he works for a stocking company out of Akron.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s knees felt like rubber. \u201cWe need to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry gripped Ben\u2019s shoulder. \u201cI already went back to the store with Zeke and talked to Mrs. Jackson. She said that Stanley came to Weibolts last fall, and told her such a sad story of his life that she ordered a few sizes of his hosiery out of pity. He\u2019d been so grateful that he\u2019d come round every few weeks since then just to talk to her. She remembered him telling her that he had a house in Akron, but that he and his wife had been traveling for over a year. When he was in the last time, he said they had tired of living out of a satchel, and had decided to head home soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Ben breathed as he shook Zeke\u2019s hand. He looked at Harry and smiled. \u201cObviously Stanley isn\u2019t as discreet when he\u2019s out on his own.\u201d The grin faded to determination. \u201cWhen do we leave?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll get two horses from the police livery and go as soon as we can. I think it\u2019s a full moon tonight, but those roads aren\u2019t in great shape, so we can stop for the night if we have to.\u201d He tipped his head as he saw Ben grimace. \u201cCan you ride?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot as well as I\u2019d like,\u201d Ben chuckled. \u201cI\u2019ve ridden on farm horses, but life on the sea doesn\u2019t usually require equestrian skills. It doesn\u2019t matter. You can tie me in the saddle if you need to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stanley had ridden his horse to exhaustion, but they\u2019d made the 30 miles trek from Akron to Cleveland in four hours. He was a poor rider and he\u2019d held on for dear life, but the animal was in good shape, and had been smarter than Stanley, pacing itself on the trip. After dropping the tired, sweating horse at the livery where he\u2019d kept his buggy, he headed out on foot.<\/p>\n

It was late afternoon and he wasn\u2019t sure where to find Ben, but the docks seemed the logical place to start. He assumed Ben continued to work after Adam went missing. It made sense for him to do that until he had some solid information, and the shipmates could have helped Ben spread the word of his dilemma far and wide. It was the reason Stanley had felt so sure that the barge hands would know about Adam and be anxious to take him home.<\/p>\n

Stanley spent a minute wondering how much Ben might have discovered about him. Vera had never given clues about anything in their life, yet Ben was a smart man and he might have picked up on something they\u2019d said or done. He hadn\u2019t been as secretive as Vera, but he\u2019d only spoken with one old woman at a department store where he\u2019d sold his stockings. Since no one really knew whether he truly sold anything, he assumed Ben wouldn\u2019t have found that one needle in the haystack without a lot of luck.<\/p>\n

He turned the corner onto the street leading to the harbor and stopped when he saw a familiar silhouette talking with another man a few blocks ahead of him. Before he could close the gap between them, the pair started walking away, and he hurried to catch up. Traffic was heavy as laden supply wagons left the harbor warehouses with their bounties from the barges and ships, but Harry didn\u2019t care about anything except getting to his confessional. He was a half block back and hollering Ben\u2019s name as he stepped in front of a lorry as it entered the intersection. The driver tried to stop\u2026.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Harry and Ben had sent the store clerk on his way and then continued to make plans for their departure to Akron. They were only a block from the docks, so Harry decided he\u2019d accompany Ben there to let them know he\u2019d be away for a few days, and then they\u2019d head out together. They\u2019d just begun walking when they heard a collision behind them. There\u2019d been shouts, the scream of horses being reined sharply, the eerie sound of breaking wheels skidding across stone, and finally the solid thud of a wagon hitting something. They looked at each other and diverted their journey back to the scene of the accident to lend a hand.<\/p>\n

The two men were the first to arrive, and they knelt by the victim. He was alive, but the odd angles of his body and limbs suggested he\u2019d been mortally injured. Ben gasped as they rolled the person onto his back, and he recognized the dying man. The heavy front wheel had rolled across Stanley, breaking several bones. The fact that he was still breathing indicated that the wheel had crossed lower on his torso, and Ben suspected that Stanley\u2019s insides were as broken as his limbs.<\/p>\n

Stanley looked up through a pain-clouded haze and whispered, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was moved with compassion over the situation, but he had unfinished business with this man and he needed to get answers. \u201cWhere\u2019s Adam. He was with you, wasn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

A weak nod. \u201cHe was a good boy. I\u2026loved him.\u201d His words were uttered between gasps of pain. \u201cHad to find you. Letter in pocket explains, except\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcept what?\u201d Ben wanted to shake him, but he knew it wouldn\u2019t help. The man was an inch from death.<\/p>\n

\u201cSent Adam to barges today\u2026\u201d He smiled crookedly. \u201cHelped him escape Vera. But\u2026.\u201d The smile turned to a grimace, as tears filled the dying man\u2019s eyes. \u201cSlipped\u2026drowned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s face paled. \u201cAre you telling me that Adam is\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another week nod. \u201cGone. He was so\u2026good\u2026.\u201d Stanley Freemont choked on his own blood as he exhaled for the last time.<\/p>\n

Ben felt the world collapse around him, and he slumped forward while Harry dug in Stanley\u2019s pocket to find the letter. He read it through and showed Ben the sheet of paper. \u201cHe confirms everything we suspected. They live in Akron, and he wrote that Vera had decided they would find a perfect child. He admitted that he was a coward against her insanity, but that he grew a backbone while watching Adam deal with what was happening to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam could do that: make you a better person, I mean.\u201d Ben sniffed. \u201cHaving him made me a better man.\u201d He shook his head as he looked at Harry. \u201cHow could this happen? Adam didn\u2019t deserve this. He was just a little boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry had no answers for the grieving father and allowed Ben a moment to grieve the loss before he pointed to another part of the letter. \u201cStanley wrote that he practiced with Adam so he could get away and make it to the docks safely. He presumed you\u2019d spread the word about your son being missing, and someone there would take Adam home.\u201d Harry ran his sleeve across his cheeks to wipe away the sadness that had escaped with a few tears. \u201cSomething must have gone wrong when Adam got there. I think Stanley was trying to say that the little guy made to the docks, but fell in the water and\u2026.\u201d He couldn\u2019t finish the sentence. They both knew the outcome. He cleared his throat while giving his cheeks another pass. \u201cWe\u2019ll still go to Akron to see what they know and bring Adam home.\u201d He wrapped an arm around Ben\u2019s shoulder. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry it ended this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men sat in silence as the weight of Adam\u2019s passing saturated them, but their reflection ended as a man approached, talking a mile-a-minute.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw what happened,\u201d the excited newcomer said while waving his arms, trying to indicate how the man and vehicle had met. \u201cThat man stepped in front of the wagon. Twern\u2019t the driver\u2019s fault a\u2019tall,\u201d he indicated the man still trying to settle the skittish horses while letting others tend to the victim. \u201cI suppose he\u2019s dead, ain\u2019t he? He took the full weight of that wheel.\u201d He stopped chattering as he took a good look at the men who were kneeling by the body. \u201cOh! Mr. Cartwright,\u201d he said as his voice took on a lighter tone. \u201cIt was you I was comin\u2019 to find.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben pulled himself from his grief enough to look up, and recognized the man as one of his dock hands. \u201cWhy were you looking for me, Mike?\u201d<\/p>\n

A broad smile cracked his sun-weathered skin as Mike explained. \u201cWe have a situation on one of the incoming barges we need to have you check on. There\u2019s a stowaway on board, and the captain wants you to take him into custody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry stood and pulled Mike away enough to speak privately. \u201cMr. Cartwright just received some serious news, and I don\u2019t think he\u2019s up to coming with you right now. Perhaps you can tell them that he\u2019ll be out until further notice. We need to get to Akron to identify his son. It seems he drowned there this morning.\u201d He thought a moment. \u201cAre any of the barge people talking about a boy drowning today?\u201d<\/p>\n

A knowing look added to Mike\u2019s smile. \u201cYep, they are, but not in the way you think. We gotta get Ben to the docks right now, and I\u2019ll let them men explain what\u2019s goin\u2019 on.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

It hadn\u2019t been easy to convince Ben to make an extra stop before they headed to Akron, but Harry had finally made progress by saying, \u201cMike thinks some of the men saw what happened this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Captain Nichols ran to meet the three men as they neared the dock office, and escorted them to his vessel. \u201cI want you to see what we brought with us from Akron,\u201d the man offered with a large smile as he led Ben to a sheltered area on the barge created by packing crates, and pointed to their extra passenger.<\/p>\n

Ben caught his breath as he saw the stowaway, curled up and sleeping in a spot still warmed by the afternoon sun. \u201cWhat\u2026how?\u201d He took a deep breath and tried to shove one of the heavy crates out of the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t we wait a minute before you wake him,\u201d the captain advised as he took Ben\u2019s arm. \u201cHe just fell asleep while we were looking for you, and I can tell you he\u2019s tired. He stayed awake the whole trip here, and asked a million questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would.\u201d The worried lines in Ben\u2019s face changed directions as his heart filled with joy. \u201cI\u2019m so thankful to you, but I\u2019m confused. The man who kidnapped him just told me that Adam drowned.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group milling around the barge moved so as not to disturb the sleeping youngster. The captain walked with Ben and chuckled once they were far enough removed to speak at a normal volume. \u201cYour boy came up to my barge this morning, and asked to speak to me. He stood tall, and said he was Adam Cartwright and he needed to get to Cleveland to find you. I was flabbergasted. I remembered you telling us all about him being kidnapped, and I wondered how he\u2019d managed to get to us. From what the boy said, I think the man holding him had practiced with him so he could find his way. We should have gone to the police right away, but all any of could think about was getting your boy home to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate that,\u201d Ben offered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam had also told us that this guy might come looking for him, and we wanted to make sure he didn\u2019t find him. So I went to every barge and told them what was going on and to say that they\u2019d seen a boy drown if anyone but you or the police came around. They all agreed and promised they\u2019d get the guy to the authorities. I\u2019m assuming he did show up and was fed the wrong information, but he must have gotten away, since he made it here with that story. What a rotting piece of buzzard meat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry bit his lip as he listened, and he thought back to Stanley\u2019s last words. \u201cI know this man did awful things, but I don\u2019t think he was trying to run away. I think he came to Cleveland to tell Ben the truth\u2014or what he thought was the truth. He had a letter that said he\u2019d been a coward, but he wasn\u2019t anymore and wanted to confess to all of it. He died trying to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded. \u201cI agree, and I\u2019m sorry that he died without knowing Adam was safe. But\u2026that is all the pity I can give him right now.\u201d He made his way through the group of dock and deck hands that had gathered when news of the miraculous reunion had circulated through the harbor. He shook hands while thanking everyone for their efforts to bring his son home. \u201cHarry and I always thought that our clue would come from you men, and we were right. Adam couldn\u2019t have been any safer than in your care. Thank you!\u201d He continued to look back over his shoulder as he finished his round of thanks, making sure that Adam hadn\u2019t awakened. The last thing he wanted now was for the little guy to accidentally fall into the water while getting off the barge.<\/p>\n

Harry helped disburse the gathering and finally grabbed Ben\u2019s shirtsleeve. \u201cC\u2019mon, let\u2019s go get that son of yours and make a quick stop at the boarding house before heading to the station. Ma has been grieving powerfully over what happened and she needs to know it\u2019s over too.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Ben hadn\u2019t been able to see inside the nest where Adam was resting when he was on shore, and was surprised to find a young barge-hand sitting sentinel next to the little boy. \u201cHas he awakened with all the fuss?\u201d Ben asked in a quiet voice.<\/p>\n

The young man stopped working on a small wooden boat he was whittling, and smiled. \u201cNo sir. He\u2019s still snorin\u2019. I got to thinking he might wake up and be a little scared with no one around, so I came back to watch him.\u201d He raised his artwork to show Ben. \u201cI been carvin\u2019 this for a little bit now, and I finished it so the boy can take it along to play with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d Ben reached over a box to touch the boy\u2019s shoulder. \u201cThank you for both gifts: watching over Adam, and offering him your carving.\u201d He watched the rhythmic fall of his son\u2019s chest just as he had the last morning he\u2019d seen him, and raised his eyes and thoughts in thanks. \u201cHow about you roust him now, and let him know his trip is over.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man jiggled Adam\u2019s shoulder, and after the little boy gave him an angry pout, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and asked, \u201cIs my papa coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook behind you,\u201d the young man said as a grin spread across his face.<\/p>\n

Adam turned until he saw his father. He scrabbled from his makeshift cot, climbed atop the box separating them, and threw himself into Ben\u2019s open arms. \u201cI rode the canal, Pa!\u201d he said proudly. He spent the next minutes recounting the journey until he seemed to run out of words. When there was no more to tell, his bottom lip began to tremble, and he wrapped his arms around his father\u2019s shoulders, and buried his head in the curve of his neck as he sighed, \u201cOh, Papa.\u201d The tears he\u2019d held back through his two week ordeal began to flow as he held on tight.<\/p>\n

Ben sat on the box his son had just scaled and cradled him while the child cried out his fear, frustration and relief. \u201cIt\u2019s all right, son; you\u2019re safe now,\u201d he repeated in a litany as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dried the boy\u2019s wet cheeks. Ben finally looked up when Adam\u2019s tears slowed, and was reminded once more of the consideration of his harbor family. Work on the barges had stopped, and while the men were curious about the reunion, they were gathered at a distance in respect of his privacy. Even the young man who\u2019d been keeping watch had quietly disappeared. He moved Adam to his hip and walked down the gangplank. Cheers erupted as he did, prompting him to wave and call out a final thanks as he and Harry headed towards a quick reunion with Grace and then to the precinct to give their statements.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

It was late in the evening before the Cartwrights were able to return to the boarding house. Harry had accepted the letter from Stanley as his death-bead confession, and had asked Adam a few questions based on its contents. The little boy had verified what Stanley said Vera had done, as well as the fact that Stanley had protected him from the woman\u2019s tirades. Those present at the station had laughed when Adam had told of liking \u201csome\u201d of the lessons Vera had done with him, and how he\u2019d pretended to like her\u2026but that he\u2019d really had to pretend hard some times.<\/p>\n

Ben kept a watchful eye over his son during the questioning and helped explain things when Adam had trouble understanding. As the inquiry came to a close, Ben gave his son a squeeze and told him what a good job he\u2019d done with everything that had happened to him. When Harry took Adam to show him around the jail, Ben read Staley\u2019s letter over a final time. Confronting what his son had endured made him shudder, but he wanted to face it and commit it to memory, just in case Adam had questions later. But in this reading, he also saw that things would have been far worse if Stanley hadn\u2019t grown a spine during Adam\u2019s time with them. He shuddered again as he wondered what damage Vera would have done if Stanley had remained weak. He was angry about what he and his son had been through, but he was left thankful that no greater harm had come.<\/p>\n

Stanley Freemont had been like other men Ben had known in the past; men who were so cowed by a domineering parent or spouse that they couldn\u2019t think for themselves. Recollections of Stanley mumbling, \u201cYes, dear,\u201d at the supper table confirmed what the man had written about his subservience. But he\u2019d also written that he\u2019d changed by observing Adam\u2019s strength in facing his wife. Ben found it amazing and heartwarming that Adam could have made such an impact, but even scripture talked of accepting God with the surety and faith of a child. Stanley had professed that Adam had never wavered from what he believed. He knew his father would never send him away, and that he\u2019d be found. Ben shook his head and smiled as he wondered what his boy would accomplish in life. This singular focus on truth would serve Adam well\u2026and probably get him into a lot of uncomfortable situations in the years to come.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Grace had kept their dinners warm, and cooed over her youngest border as she served him his favorite things. Adam gave his father a furtive glance after another of the older lady\u2019s barrage of kisses that had been given each time she\u2019d brought something to the table.<\/p>\n

Ben wrapped him in a one-armed hug and whispered. \u201cShe\u2019s so happy to see you.\u201d He winked. \u201cI\u2019d like to be doing the same thing to you, but I\u2019ll hold back until we get to our room. Then I\u2019m gonna hug the stuffing outta you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam giggled, before turning serious. \u201cPa, will Ma\u2019am and Stanley ever come here again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, son. Vera will live in a hospital, and Stanley\u2026well, I think you heard us say that he died.\u201d A shake of the curly head confirmed that. \u201cWhat he did was wrong, but that letter he wrote said that you helped him find his way home too. Do you understand what he meant by that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so, Pa. He said I had to pretend to like Ma\u2019am\u2026like he did, until we could both run away. Is he happy now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so, son. He\u2019s in a better place, and he managed to make things right before he died. You helped him with that. Most people go through life without making much of a difference, but you\u2019ve already done something remarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben waited while Grace brought their dessert and returned to the kitchen before asking, \u201cWhat\u2019s with you calling me, Pa? What happened to Papa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa is for little kids. I\u2019m older now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He chuckled, and then tipped Adam\u2019s chin to look into his eyes. \u201cYou were only gone two weeks, son. That hardly makes you\u2026.\u201d He stopped as he realized that Adam was right. He had grown up a lot in the time he\u2019d been gone, and it grieved his heart to think that his son\u2019s precious childhood had been shortened even more than it had been already because of the nomadic life they led. \u201cI guess maybe you are older now. But I won\u2019t tease you if every now and then you forget that, and sneak in a Papa or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Epilogue \u2013 26 Years Later<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben looked over the letter he\u2019d brought back from town that was addressed to Ben and Adam Cartwright. He thought he should wait until Adam returned with his brothers from branding calves, but his curiosity won out and he slipped the blade of his pocket knife into the corner of the envelope bearing the name of an investment company in Akron Ohio. He and Adam had spent a summer in Cleveland 26 years ago, and he wondered if there was any connection to that time.<\/p>\n

He skimmed the first paragraphs as his mouth gaped in realization that it did indeed refer back to that incident. The letter told of a trust that had been set up in Adam\u2019s name by the man who\u2019d taken his son for two weeks. The broker wrote that it had reached maturity on Adam\u2019s 30th<\/sup> birthday. He also conveyed his apology for the delay and explained that it had taken a few months to find them. The original investor had left scant information about the recipient of the funds, noting only that Adam had been born in Boston; the date he\u2019d thought was his birthday, and that the Cartwrights had been on their way west to settle.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head as he continued reading. He was amazed at how much information could be gleaned on any person as long as some sort of record existed for them. The firm had sent a researcher to Boston, where their man had found a census record from 1828 listing Ben and Elizabeth Cartwright living with Abel Stoddard. That had led to a marriage record, and finally a record of birth for Adam Cartwright that matched the date they had. Their search had come to fruition when they\u2019d gone to the address listed in the census and had spoken with \u201cMr. Stoddard.\u201d The person who\u2019d penned the letter wrote that, \u201cthe older gentleman,\u201d had been able to verify that his son-in-law and grandson had lived in Cleveland, and after much reassurance that this endowment was legitimate; he\u2019d given them a current address. The letter concluded by asking that the Cartwrights send any particulars of their association with the donor that might match the few other details Mr. Freemont had left with them.<\/p>\n

He managed to pull his mouth back to its normal position to read the second page giving the details of the trust, and the third page\u2014a letter to Adam from Stanley Freemont\u2014telling of why he\u2019d made this generous gift. Ben paused in reading, and grinned as he wondered why the \u201colder gentleman\u201d from Boston hadn\u2019t written about the inquiry. Yet it seemed like this letter had been posted as soon as they\u2019d gotten the information, and Abel\u2019s monthly correspondence wasn\u2019t due in for a few days. He was sure there would be detailed information\u2026and questions\u2026in it.<\/p>\n

Stanley Freemont: Ben hadn\u2019t thought about him for many years, but he still remembered everything about what had happened. On the other hand, he was quite sure that Adam remembered nothing about the dark incident connected to that name. His protective nature whispered that he should leave things as they were, and send a response saying they weren\u2019t interested in anything connected to Stanley Freemont. The more rational part of his mind told him that that his son had the right to know about the large endowment, and the story behind it.<\/p>\n

He blew out a deep sigh as he looked over the letter written in Stanley\u2019s own hand, and he knew with certainty that his son needed to see all of this, and then make his own decision. Adam had been only four at the time, but he\u2019d made a deep impact on another person\u2019s life. His decision to show his son the correspondence solidified just as he heard his boys entering the yard, arguing and laughing as they usually did when the work was done and they could finally think about a hot meal and an hour or two to indulge in their own activities before calling it a night. Ben pulled back the curtains and opened the window near his desk enough to hear what they were discussing so loudly. He hated eavesdropping, but he absolved himself from guilt by reasoning that he needed to know if they were truly upset or just having fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure got a particular distaste for anyone naming their kid after the father, Adam.\u201d Hoss laughed and shook his head as he dismounted. \u201cYou always been that way near as I can remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that a man might want to name his son after himself. What bothers me is when the parents forget he has a name and they call him Junior. Mike and Harriet didn\u2019t even bother giving their son a name. They\u2019re just calling him \u2018Junior.\u2019 A sour look bathed Adam\u2019s face as he shuddered. \u201cJunior is not a name; it\u2019s a suffix.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe giggled. \u201cI can see your point, brother, but I doubt Mike and Harriet would be too happy to hear you say that. Best keep that opinion to yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I plan to, Joe. They can name their child whatever they want, but I will never name my son that<\/em>\u2026and I\u2019m glad Pa never inflicted it on us either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben had a moment to think back as his sons led their horses to the barn, and he found an insight into his eldest\u2019s problem with that name. Hoss was right. Adam always had the same sour look he\u2019d shown today when he\u2019d heard someone call for a child named Junior. It struck him as coincidental that the discussion about the \u201csuffix,\u201d as Adam had put it, was happening today.<\/p>\n

Ben had enough time to think back to their last months in Cleveland. Adam had seemed so unaffected by his time with the Freemonts that Ben had thought there\u2019d been no lasting scars. The conversation he\u2019d just overheard belied that, and he wondered if there were other demons that could be traced back to those two weeks.<\/p>\n

That summer had passed quickly after Adam had come home. His little boy had been a little shyer around new people and a little more wary when someone approached him that he didn\u2019t know. But he\u2019d never exhibited any signs of \u201cfear.\u201d He\u2019d slept soundly, played hard, and had continued to question the other boarding house residents just as he always had. Ben had suspected that the aftermath would have been far different if Stanley had remained a weak accomplice. The truth was that he had done all he could to shelter and protect Adam. His biggest failure had been in not standing up to his wife when she\u2019d first proposed taking a child.<\/p>\n

He heard his sons talking again as they exited the barn, and he went to wait for them by the door. His eyes locked on Adam as his memories moved forward from Cleveland. He\u2019d been amazed at Adam\u2019s ability to weather a bad situation and even cause another person to heal their spirit. Back then he had wondered how his son\u2019s singular belief in the truth, and his ability to adjust to extreme changes would serve him. He now realized that he\u2019d observed Adam act in the same way many times since then. And as he\u2019d prophesied, it had often put Adam at odds with those who didn\u2019t value the truth or thought he was simply being stubborn or inflexible. All three of his sons had experienced sorrow and challenges, but Adam had faced the most in life, and he was still the person he\u2019d always been\u2026even at age four. \u201cThey\u2019re all remarkable,\u201d he said under his breath as he moved to the porch as the three young men hurried to greet him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I gather from your conversation that the Humphreys had their baby?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grabbed Adam around the shoulders and looked at his father. \u201cYeah. They had a boy, but my older brother has a dislike for the baby\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet your brother be, Hoss,\u201d Ben teased. \u201cWhen you have children of your own, you can name them whatever you like\u2026and if I know you and Little Joe, you\u2019ll each name one Junior just to torment their uncle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019re right about that.\u201d Adam laughed. \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll do the same thing so that when Pa calls, \u2018Junior,\u2019 half the family will come running.\u201d He grinned. \u201cIn fact, I\u2019m surprised Pa didn\u2019t go with that when we were kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve forgotten that it was your mothers who picked your names, or I might have done just that.\u201d The Cartwright sons entered the house ahead of their father and headed for the steps. Ben walked toward his desk. \u201cI\u2019d like to speak to you privately, Adam,\u201d he said loudly enough to break through his sons\u2019 chatter as they started upstairs.<\/p>\n

Hoss and Joe gave their brother a quizzical look before Hoss said, \u201cSounds like you done something wrong, Adam. We\u2019ll go on up, and let you to your necessary talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe added, \u201cYou better go over what it was you might have done while you make your way over to Pa\u2019s desk, and be prepared to confess to your sins, or to spin a really good story to cover them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sunk into a chair in front of the desk and wondered at his father\u2019s concerned expression. \u201cIs <\/em>something wrong, Pa? You look perplexed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes the name Stanley Winters\u2026or Stanley Freemont sound familiar?\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought about it. \u201cNo, not that I can place. Should it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were only four when we met him and his wife, Vera. They stayed at the same boarding house as we did in Cleveland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bits and pieces flashed through Adam\u2019s mind as he tried to remember. \u201cI recall Cleveland. There was the canal there and I think you worked at the harbor?\u201d Ben nodded. \u201cAnd I remember an older woman. She let me play in her garden. But that\u2019s about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was Grace Stauffer. She took care of you while I worked.\u201d He paused. \u201cYou don\u2019t recall Stanley and Vera?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam Shrugged. \u201cThere\u2019s something there, but can\u2019t pull it in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey, um, \u2018borrowed\u2019 you for a couple of weeks\u2026without telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re saying I was kidnapped?\u201d His laugh at this conclusion ended abruptly as old memories began to crowd into the present. \u201cI\u2019d forgotten that, but now I have a few images of a woman towering over me with her finger in my face.\u201d He tipped his head as he squinted. \u201cWhy are you bringing this up now, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben pushed the envelope from the investment house across his desk. \u201cThis came today. Take a look, and then we\u2019ll talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWow,\u201d he said after finishing the first page. \u201cWhy would he leave me this money?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a letter from Stanley at the end.\u201d While Adam continued to peruse the contents, Ben walked around his desk and perched on the edge in front of his son.<\/p>\n

Adam had to read Stanley\u2019s page twice before he could put all the pieces together. He finally looked up and met his father\u2019s gaze. \u201cI don\u2019t understand how I could have had that much impact on anyone when I was four.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve always affected people that way, son.\u201d Ben leaned forward, placing his hands on Adam\u2019s shoulders. \u201cYou may have questions about things after they\u2019re over and done with, but you have always shown great character when you\u2019re in the midst of them. That was true even when you were a boy. Stanley was a beaten man until he learned to stand up for himself again when he was watching over you. His letter says that if a four-year-old could be courageous against Vera, then he had to regain his courage too.\u201d He sat back as his son continued to stare at him. \u201cYou haven\u2019t changed. You have particular resolve when you are placed in any situation where there\u2019s a question of right and wrong. You face the lies and confront the liar. You do it now with your words, but back then you showed your conviction, and made Stanley confront the lies he\u2019d let himself believe. Once he did that, he knew he would either continue on as a liar and kidnapper, or expose the lies and pay the consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m remembering a ride down the canal, but that\u2019s about it. What happened to them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStanley died the day you had that ride. He\u2019d sent you to the barge docks to get you away from Vera. The boat hands took you in and got you back to me. But they\u2019d spread the lie that you\u2019d drowned\u2026just in case your kidnapper came looking for you. Stanley came to Cleveland wanting to confess his misery over all that had happened, directly to me.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cThose streets were always dangerous, and he was struck by a wagon and died.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Vera?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was declared insane, and confined to a hospital for the rest of her life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stood abruptly and walked around the chair, before leaning heavily against it. \u201cI don\u2019t want that money, Pa. It feels tainted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled. \u201cI figured you\u2019d say that, and had considered not telling you about this, but then I realized it was your decision to make. It\u2019s a considerable sum.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked up. \u201cAre you thinking I should<\/em> take it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot for you, but I think you could find some way to use it rather than to disclaim it and let it go to Vera if she\u2019s still alive, or into escheatment if she isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remained silent as he scrubbed his face with his hands, and finally laughed. \u201cI\u2019m not thinking well right now. What ways might you suggest?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust last week, you came home from a schoolboard meeting bemoaning that fact that a bright student\u2019s family couldn\u2019t afford to send him to college. You said that there should be a scholarship fund for such purposes. Why don\u2019t you use part of the money to establish an endowment for that? And it seems not long ago you were upset that some of the small ranches and farms in the area couldn\u2019t get loans to improve their properties. Didn\u2019t you say there should be money available so they could secure small grants if they could show that they were serious about doing their projects?\u201d Ben grinned. \u201cIn fact, I kind of remember you saying you\u2019d even help with engineering plans for such ventures.\u201d<\/p>\n

A blush accompanied Adam\u2019s sheepish smile. \u201cI guess you do listen to my rantings. And you\u2019ve made some very good points. Since we were together when this happened 26 years ago, we\u2019ll make plans together now. I think it best if we set up trusts and let others oversee them. I don\u2019t want the Cartwrights to be seen as the new territorial bank.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like a good plan. We\u2019ll work on some ideas after supper.\u201d He walked over and patted Adam\u2019s back. \u201cEverything Stanley said about you was true. I\u2019ve tried not to think about those two weeks: it was a dark time, and I felt helpless until we figured out where they\u2019d gone with you. We\u2019d figured out that you were in Akron, and we were about to go get you when you showed up on that barge. Through it all, I trusted you to believe that I would come. You never lost hope, and I can\u2019t even explain my relief and joy in seeing you curled up, sleeping on that barge. I was so proud of you, and have always remained that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

As his father\u2019s arm tightened in an embrace, Adam remembered the day he awoke on the barge and flew into his father\u2019s arms. A wave of relief and affection swept through him now just as it had 26 years ago, and he drew a satisfied breath and enjoyed the moment. A final memory surfaced as he smiled. \u201cDid you always say, \u2018the Cartwright men, together forever,\u2019 before I fell asleep?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded. \u201cIt\u2019s what you clung to while you were gone. You told Stanley that I wouldn\u2019t have lied about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men stood quietly for a moment until Adam said, \u201cI have another question. Did Vera call me<\/em>\u2026Junior?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never heard her say it, but Stanley wrote that she tried to change your name to Junior after they took you. It was in the statement he gave to the police.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam snorted as he leaned forward, laughing. \u201cAnother mystery solved.\u201d He turned serious again as he faced his father. \u201cI presume you\u2019re wondering if I\u2019m upset that you never reminded me of the kidnapping before this. I\u2019m not. It\u2019s interesting to know that I helped this man when I was a child, but if I had to store something in my memory from those years, I\u2019d prefer it to be the recollections of our journey here.\u201d He shook his head as he frowned. \u201cHow sad that anyone would have to learn truth from a child. You were my<\/em> truth, Pa, and that\u2019s never changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

~The End<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*In my Bonanza stories, I have always had Adam interested in harbor engineering. In my series of stories where I take him to Boston to marry and begin his life away from his family, I have him become the renowned expert in this type of engineering, so it fits that his fascination had to begin somewhere. J<\/p>\n

Notes: My four-year-old Adam is based on a combination of my grandchildren who were the finest readers, negotiators and story tellers around when they were that age. In fact one of them could listen to something adults were talking about and repeat it correctly with real understanding when he was three. They were smart and clever, but they were mostly little kids who held up fingers for their age and believed that they were the most important thing to their parents and grandparents.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how I picture Adam as a child. He was smart, articulate and paid attention. The Bonanza canon character of Adam isn\u2019t a \u201cgenius,\u201d although he has a very high IQ. He catches on quickly, but he has also worked hard to learn all that he knows. He is a man with a wide variety of interests who never accepts an answer just because someone with more authority or clout gives it. He pushes for, and demands truth, and won\u2019t \u201csettle\u201d for ordinary. He read constantly, continued to learn, and I think he always listened more than he spoke, and therefore had a real sense about what was going on around him. He is shrewd but honest, and there\u2019s a lot of thespian in him (which might explain how he could \u201cpretend\u201d with Vera even when he was four.) And covering it all is his dry sense of humor that keeps him going in the face of the craziness around him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The information about the Erie-Ohio canal is all correct. However, I imagine that the barges were smaller than I picture them in the story. But if they carried freight, I\u2019m sure they had to have a small crew, and since they were commercial barges, they probably did have some sort of man or captain in charge. I don\u2019t see them as the super barges we have now, but rather a 30-40 foot, flat-bottomed boat that went with the current downstream and had to poled to propel it back upstream. They\u2019d have needed a decent crew to do that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0APM,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0kidnap<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 In this early prequel, Ben Cartwright and 4-year-old Adam stop in Cleveland where pay was good at the docks. Ben hopes to earn enough to start the final leg of their journey to Missouri, and a wagon train west. But a couple at their boarding house have plans for Adam that don’t include Ben. The story ends 26 years later as Ben helps Adam recall the ordeal and the outcome.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 K (27,135 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"featured_media":12466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[23,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-prequels","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-30-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/vlcsnap-2015-12-13-01h47m48s177.png?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/82"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}