The Fort (Aric Davis)

twelve-year-old boy you’re talking to.”
    “Ma’am, I apologize if my tone seems harsh,” said Van Endel. “But there is a missing girl out there, and your son and his friends were the last people to see her. Any bit of information I can get from them could wind up being the piece of this puzzle that sees Molly go home to her family. Your daughter, I know I have her name in my notes—”
    “Rebecca,” said Stan.
    “Yes, Rebecca. If she was the one missing and some boys claimed to have seen her being forcibly transported with a gun in her back, would you feel badly if my tone offended one of those boys? We’re going to take a break, and the doc and I are going to talk to one of the other boys. If you could, please impress on your son how important it is that he recall, in great detail if possible, the events of this morning.”
    Van Endel stood with Dr. Martinez, and he paused the tape recorder. He ejected the tape and tucked it in his pocket, and they opened the door and left.
    “They’re acting like he’s some criminal,” hissed Tammy. “Tim didn’t do anything wrong, nothing, and they’re acting like he’s the one breaking the law. We need to get him out of here and then call a lawyer. They can’t treat us like this!”
    “Tammy, you need to calm down,” said Stan, his voiced muted and dull. “And, Tim, you need to try harder. These people are just trying to do their jobs.” Tammy raised a hand to her mouth. She looked like she might get sick. Dad doesn’t believe me either. I sure hope Scott and Luke do a better job than I did.

24
    Scott sat next to his mom. Carl had offered to come, but Beth told him that she didn’t think Carl needed to miss his first day of training for his new position. When the detective and doctor came into the room and introduced themselves to Scott’s mom, Scott realized that he hadn’t even had the chance to tell her what had happened. Van Endel set a tape recorder on the desk, said something about the date, along with their names, then cleared his throat.
    “How are you doing, Scott?” Van Endel asked.
    “I’m doing OK. Still a little freaked out, but OK, I guess,” Scott said, trying to feel confident, but each word slipped from his mouth as though it were steeped in syrup.
    “I want you to tell me everything you remember,” said Van Endel. Behind him, Dr. Martinez was smiling thinly and nodding. “Just go over all of it, all right? Let’s start with an easy one: How was she dressed? Try and make us feel like we’re right there with you.”
    “All right. I guess I’d say she was wearing normal clothes for a hot day.” As soon as the words escaped his lips, Scott knew somehow, something was wrong. Dr. Martinez had immediately looked at Van Endel, the sort of glance he wasn’t supposed to notice but had anyway.
    “Could you clarify for us, son?” Van Endel said it with a smile on his face, but already, Scott didn’t trust the detective he’d been so excited to have met just a short time ago. “We really need a more definitive idea of how she looked. Was she hurt?”
    “No, I don’t think she was hurt. She looked really, really scared, though.”
    “I’m sure she did,” said Van Endel. “But what I want to know is what she was wearing, Scott.”
    “She was wearing…” Scott stumbled over the words, his face reddening instantly. “I don’t know, I don’t want to be wrong. I didn’t really notice her clothes. They were just clothes, hot-day stuff.”
    “I’d rather you be wrong, and still hear a definitive guess,” said Van Endel. “Hearing you say ‘just clothes,’ that doesn’t tell me anything. I want something I can get my teeth in, do you understand?”
    Dr. Martinez leaned forward. “Scott, let’s just relax. A lot of times, we see more than we really think we do. Try taking a deep breath, maybe closing your eyes, and—”
    “Can I ask what the problem is?” Scott’s mom asked in an annoyed tone, the one Carl called her uptown voice. “You called me in from work for this, and my son has tried to answer this silly question. It matters what she was wearing? You’re in trouble if it does. A twelve-year-old boy is going to notice a girl’s clothes? These boys are lucky if their socks match. Scott said he saw a man holding a gun on a kidnapped girl, isn’t that more important than what the girl looked like? What am I missing here?”
    Van Endel and Dr. Martinez shared a look, and Van Endel said, “Ma’am,”