He was safe because Victor Hale had looked at him and seen a child who needed protection, not a problem that needed solving.
But the feeling didn't last.
Mason had just led Caleb toward the hallway when a telephone rang in the office.
Victor answered it.
"Yeah?"
A man's voice came through the receiver.
"Victor Hale?"
"Who's asking?"
"My name is Detective Samuel Price. I'm with the Blackridge County Sheriff's Department."
Victor glanced toward the kitchen.
"What's this about?"
"We've received a report that a missing juvenile may be at your clubhouse."
Victor said nothing.
The detective continued.
"The boy's name is Caleb Morgan. His legal guardian has reported him missing and believes he may be in danger."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"Who filed the report?"
"His mother, Laura Morgan."
A pause followed.
Then Victor asked, "When?"
"Approximately forty minutes ago."
Victor looked at the clock.
Caleb had been at the clubhouse for barely twenty minutes.
"Interesting," he said.
"I'm sorry?"
"Nothing. What exactly did she tell you?"
"She said her son left home without permission and may be experiencing an emotional crisis. She also expressed concern that he could be associating with dangerous individuals."
Victor almost laughed.
"Did she mention the bruises?"
There was a silence on the other end.
"What bruises?"
Victor looked toward the hallway again.
"That's what I thought."
"Mr. Hale, I'd appreciate your cooperation. If Caleb is there, we need to establish that he's safe and determine whether he should be returned to his guardian."
"Send someone over."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Send someone over. But bring an officer who knows how to listen before deciding what happened."
"Mr. Hale, I must warn you that obstructing a juvenile welfare investigation—"
"I'm not obstructing anything, Detective. I'm inviting you to see a child who arrived here barefoot, freezing, and afraid to go home."
Another silence.
Then Price said, "We'll be there shortly."
Victor ended the call.
He stood motionless for several seconds, considering the implications.
Laura Morgan had reported her own son missing almost immediately after he reached the clubhouse. That could mean she was frightened and desperate.
Or it could mean she knew exactly where he was supposed to go.
Neither possibility made him feel better.
He returned to the kitchen.
Caleb sat beside Mason, wrapped in a clean blanket. Someone had found him a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt that were too large but warm. A cup of hot chocolate rested between his hands.
When Victor entered, the boy looked up.
"Am I in trouble?"
"No."
"Is the police coming?"
"Yes."
Caleb's hands tightened around the cup.
"Please don't send me back."
Victor pulled out a chair.
"Nobody is sending you anywhere until we understand what's happening."
"My mother will be angry."
"Why?"
The boy stared at the hot chocolate.
"Because I took the key."
Victor leaned forward.
"Caleb, if your mother is afraid, we need to understand why. But if someone has hurt you, that is not your fault. Do you understand?"
The boy nodded, though Victor wasn't certain he believed it.
"One more question," Victor said. "When you left home, did you see anyone following you?"
Caleb's face changed.
He looked toward the window.
"Yes."
Victor waited.
"There was a black SUV parked across the street. It was there when I left. I ran through the alley behind the grocery store, then crossed the railroad tracks. When I got to Miller Road, I heard a car behind me."
"Did you see the driver?"
"No."
"Did the vehicle follow you all the way here?"
Caleb shook his head.
"I don't know. I hid behind a dumpster until I couldn't hear it anymore."
Victor stood.
"Mason, check the perimeter."
Mason nodded and left immediately.
Victor turned to Bear.
"Get the security recordings from the gate."
Bear was already reaching for his phone.
Then the clubhouse lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
They went dark.
A few men swore.
Someone knocked over a chair.
The emergency lights came on after several seconds, bathing the room in a dim red glow.
Victor looked toward the windows.
Outside, the rain continued to fall.
But the music had stopped.
And somewhere beyond the clubhouse walls, an engine roared to life.
Caleb stood so abruptly that his chair scraped backward.
"They found me."
Victor turned toward him.
"Who?"
The boy shook his head, his eyes wide with terror.
"I don't know."
Then he looked at the envelope in Victor's hand.
"I think they know about the ledger."
Before Victor could ask another question, Mason rushed back into the room.
"We've got a problem."
"What kind?"
Mason held up a small black device.
"I found this attached to the outside gate."
Victor stared at it.
It was a tracking transmitter.
Bear came in behind him, carrying a tablet connected to the clubhouse's security system.
"The cameras are down," he said. "All of them. Somebody cut the external power feed."
Victor looked toward the windows again.
"How long?"
"Maybe five minutes."
"Can you restore it?"
"Not without getting outside."
Victor nodded once.
"Nobody goes outside alone."
Caleb stood frozen beside the table.
Victor walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
The boy flinched.
Victor withdrew his hand immediately.
"Sorry," he said. "I should have asked."
Caleb stared at him.
No adult had ever apologized to him for touching him.
Victor crouched slightly.
"Look at me, Caleb. Whatever happens tonight, you stay with Mason or me. You don't open any doors. You don't leave the building. And if someone asks you a question you don't understand, you don't have to answer it."
The boy nodded.
Then, from somewhere outside, came three sharp knocks.
Everyone turned toward the main entrance.
Three knocks.
A pause.
Then three more.
Victor signaled for silence.
Mason moved toward the wall beside the door, keeping out of sight. Bear reached for the telephone, but Victor shook his head.
The knocking stopped.
A man's voice came through the door.
"Victor? It's Detective Price. Open up."
Victor glanced at the clock.
The police had arrived much sooner than expected.
He approached the door but did not unlock it.
"Where's your patrol car?"
"Outside."
"What's your badge number?"
A pause.
"Victor, don't make this difficult."
Victor's face hardened.
"Badge number."
The voice on the other side became impatient.
"Open the door, Hale."
Mason looked at Victor.
Neither man moved.
Then a second voice spoke from outside.
"Tell him we're here for the boy."
Caleb made a strangled sound.
He stumbled backward and struck the table.