Page 21 of Caged
"Rest well." Marshall left, shutting the door behind him.
Alone in the room, Danny released a long breath. He could do this. He had to. There was no other choice. Despite his fears, he needed to figure life out and find a way to survive. How fucked up was it that at the moment he missed the structure of Larry's house where he knew what was expected of him? Determined to get past that, he picked up the bag and took out what he needed. After a quick trip to the bathroom, he forced himself to get into bed, closing his eyes and hoping that sleep would come, because thinking was starting to get to be too much.
CHAPTER NINE
Marshall sighed, not surprised to see a ton of articles about Danny online. What bothered him was the misinformation that was out there. There were stories about him being held by a disgruntled father, to him being a captive for a BDSM group. He wondered how people got their information or if they simply made it up, trying to draw in readers.
There were a few articles that just gave the basic facts. Things that were true. They were short as not much information had been released. It was clear that there was a demand for more information. Marshall wondered how long he could keep Danny hidden in his house without the media knocking on their door.
He reached for his phone, needing to check in with the team. He quickly dialed Jeremy's number. It rang three times before he answered.
"Hey, what's up?" Jeremy asked.
"Just wanted to catch you up on events." Marshall continued to click through internet pages as he spoke. "I ended up inviting Danny to stay with me. They wanted to send him to some half-way house. I couldn't let him end up there. He's been captive long enough and those places aren't much better."
"You able to handle things with him there?"
"Sure, why wouldn't I? It's just a roommate."
"One with a hell of a lot of issues that are going to start making themselves obvious very soon," Jeremy warned.
"Yeah, I'm aware. Finding a good therapist is first on my list. He's going to need someone. You got any suggestions?"
"I'll ask D. I know he's been looking for someone he can trust with the team, but so far, he hasn't found anyone. Still, he might have a suggestion for this. How's he doing?"
"Good. Too good maybe. I think he's struggling but hiding it. I mean, how can he not be having a hard time? He's been thrust into an adult world after being away since he was a child. It can't be easy. I'm watching him closely and waiting for the breakdown to come."
"You need us?" Jeremy asked.
"I might, but not yet. I don't want to overwhelm him, but I think some social interaction will be good for him. The team would be perfect as they understand better than anyone what he's gone through and they won't judge. He's resting now, then we have to run to the store. I'm going to just play it by ear and see what he wants to do. Let him set the pace on everything." Marshall sighed as he came across a website that claimed Danny was just a disgruntled lover and Larry was innocent. "Have you heard or found anything new?"
"Nothing. The police have no leads on Larry, and I haven't been able to link him to anyone else. He really looks to be a recluse. I've got things set up to alert me if there is any activity on his credit cards, but other than that I've hit a wall for now."
"I want this guy, Jer. I need to know he won't hurt anyone else." Marshall ran his fingers through his hair, praying it wasn't already too late. How long did they have before Larry was comfortable enough wherever he was to take another child?
"I know. Me too. Gently push Danny for more information. Find out if Larry had a kink or if he said anything that might hint a link to others. Hell, even a website or something he talked about. Ask him if Larry talked about his past at all. Where did he live? Who were his friends growing up? I've got his birth certificate. He was born in Nebraska but looks like he moved around third grade. I can't find any record of him after that until he got his driver's license and bought his house nearly twenty years ago. Since then, there's been nothing out of the ordinary. He licenses his car on time, pays his bills, and from the outside appears to be a normal citizen. There has to be something that will give us a lead."
"I'll talk to him soon. I just don't want to push too hard. I was hoping I'd get something from his interview with the police, but there was nothing. I didn't get the feeling the cops are pushing hard enough. The interview was pretty casual. He's supposed to go in for a formal interview later this week and I'm hoping they'd dig a little deeper then, but I'm not sure I can be there for that one. I've got to find him an attorney to deal with all this. He shouldn't face them alone."
"Clark Gavinston is good. He might even work pro-bono for this one. Give him a call and tell him I sent you. I met him a few months ago at the gym. Like you, I doubt there will be a big need for counsel, but I'd rather Danny have someone beside him through questioning and possibly a trial later on." Jeremy sighed. "When trouble comes to your door, it's not small, is it?"
Marshall smiled. "Nope, but then out of everyone around here Danny could have found, it makes sense it was me. Can't help feeling like fate led him to my door. No one else is going to hunt Larry the way we will, and I'm not sure anyone else would have been there for Danny the way I have. You should have seen how they treated him at the hospital. It's as if they forget he's a grown man and able to make his own choices. Sadly, he's been confined for so long, he doesn't know what is right or wrong and would have probably just followed along with whatever plan they threw his way. He needs guidance, but even more, he needs to finally feel like his life is his own and he's making his own decisions."
"I agree. You've got the team backing you both up if you need anything. We've got a break in that trafficking ring in Fort Collins. We've been working on that, but D's thinking we turn this one over to the police. It's big, too big for our small team to handle. Best get the kids out and hope the system doesn't go easy on the ones running the ring. We also have a new batch of images released. These are coming up as local. I'm digging, but with so much going on, it's slow going."
"I can come in."
"No, not yet. So far, you've been lucky, but I'm sure the media is going to track you down for interviews. Hopefully, they won't realize Danny's there too. Give it a few days. We'll reevaluate then."
Marshall sighed. He wanted to work, but he had to agree it was too soon. He had to keep the team safe. It was best if he sat back and waited. He stared at the computer in front of him, wondering how much he dared do from home. He was good at hiding his activity, but the risk of bringing any problems to his doorstep wasn't worth it. He needed to play the role of simple computer tech for a while and let things calm down. He'd be back to work soon enough, rested, and motivated. "Well, yell if there is anything I can do from here."
"I will. You take care and try and enjoy the time off. The break will do you good. Let us know if you or Danny need anything. I know Rani was planning on dropping by tomorrow when he gets off work. Give him a call if that's not okay."
"No, I think Rani coming by is good. He's mellow enough for Danny to face, and having a doctor around right now can't hurt. We've got appointments in a week for more follow-up work, but I like having Rani watching over things too. I trust him."
"So do I," Jeremy said. "Okay, keep us posted."
"Will do." Marshall hung up.
