Page 10 of Free
CHAPTER FIVE
Dyson,
You don't know me, but my name is Faith. Years ago, you saved me from a horrible man who kidnapped me. I had no idea that it wasn't the police who did this until recently when I heard your story on the news.
I'd sat through the court hearings, even though I was really young, and I heard what had been done to the man who took me. When I heard on the news you'd saved a lot of kids, I knew it had to be you that saved me.
Thank you!
Even though we don't know each other, I think about you all the time now. I want to hug you and tell you how you saved my life and made all the horrible things stop. I am sixteen now and have a good life. It can still be hard at times, but I have the best group of friends who are always there to help me. I hope you have friends who are helping you too, now that you face bad times.
I believe I'll get to meet you someday and thank you personally. I can't wait until that day. I'm writing to the police, the lawyers, the judge, the news, and anyone who will listen to tell them what you did for me. Saving me shouldn't be one of the reasons you are in jail. I hate that. Now you are unhappy and I'm happy. It doesn't seem fair.
Anyway, I'm giving you my address so that you can write me back if you want. I'd like to stay friends. My dad knows I'm writing to you and he is okay with it. He said to tell you thank you for bringing me home to him, and if given the chance, he would have done the same thing to my kidnapper that you did.
I'll understand if you don't write back, but I want you to have the chance if you want.
I hope you're okay and jail isn't horrible.
Your friend always,
FAITH
Dyson fought back tears as he read the letter. It was almost enough to break him. Out of all of the people who could have contacted him, could have shown support, Faith was one that meant so much more than the others.
He read through the letter a dozen times, reading between the lines, and seeing what she was telling him without saying it outright. It was an ingenious way to get him messages.
From what Noam had said several days before, and from what Faith's letter said, it was clear they expected to get him out of there. He just wasn't sure how or when they were going to pull it off. He had to be ready for anything.
Faith's letter gave him hope. He was sure all of her talk about meeting him someday was meant to tell him they were working to get him out. It was like all Noam's talk about his team. It was all meant to communicate something, he just had to figure out exactly what.
"Good letter?" Patrick asked.
Dyson glanced up at his cellmate. "It's from a girl I rescued years ago. She's thanking me for what I did and telling me she's writing letters to let the judge and everyone else know I don't belong here. I never expected a letter like this, ya know?"
Patrick jumped down from his bunk and sat on the small stool. "You know, people are talking about you. Everyone knows from the news who you are and what you did. Everyone here has your back. Doesn't matter who you are or what your crime is in here, no one has any respect for a pedophile. What you did took guts, and to get away with it for as long as you did is amazing."
Dyson shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal."
"The hell it isn't. Kurt gets the paper sent in. It's a few days behind, but an article today said you'd saved hundreds of kids over the years. You found kids that the police had given up hope of ever finding." Patrick smiled. "That's a big deal."
"I'd like to think anyone would do it if they had the chance."
Patrick nodded. "So do I. I know I would if I had the opportunity. After seeing what that fuck did to my sister over the years, I'd go after abusive men and women of all kinds. My sister was raped twice by him. It's why I didn't think twice about shooting him."
Dyson stared at Patrick, thinking of how it took people like him and Patrick to go after the abusers. It took someone willing to give up everything to save another. That's what they had in common. It was what STK did. Even at the risk of their freedom, they went after those who hurt the most innocent. "Now we're both stuck in here, doing no one any good."
"Yeah, but like your letter from that kid, I get them from my sister. She's in college again, getting her nursing degree finally. Her husband would never let her go to school. If she has a good life, gets her degree, and who knows how many lives she might save as a nurse, then all this was worth it. Seeing her smile again makes up for me being in here." Patrick nodded to Dyson's letter. "There are probably many more out there who feel the same way about you. Remember them when it gets tough in here."
Dyson smiled. "You know, all those kids I saved, I never met them, never saw them. I let the police rescue them. I went in, made sure the men or women hurting them were taken care of, then I called the police and told them about the kids being held. I never wanted any of the kids to see my face. What I did wasn't for the innocent to ever know about. I wanted the police there to protect them from ever seeing what I'd done."
"Well, everyone knows who you are now. I'm pretty sure those families will never forget you."
"Just like your sister won't ever forget you."
Patrick sighed. "Think there's a chance we'll end up at the same area once we go to prison?"
Dyson doubted he'd make it as far as prison, at least he hoped he wouldn't. His team would have a hell of a time getting him out once he was there. "It depends. With my crimes, they could choose to keep me in maximum security. You, I think you'll get into general population. I'd like it if we were. You've been the perfect cellmate. Last time I was in, I was with a guy detoxing. It was only for a day, but it was hell. He spent the whole-time puking. The cell stunk so bad. I swore I'd never come back to jail after that."
