Tracy followed the woman and her husband to the room with the Christmas tree. While Tracy didn’t know exactly what was in store for her at the end of the day, she decided she and Abe would have the best time of their lives today. Tomorrow might find them both locked away again, but the here and now was going to be for them.
Chapter 5
Duncan kept an eye on Mr. Bloom. As soon as he arrived, he became grandda to each and every child he came in contact with. With the adults, he was a little less friendly, but especially Mrs. Holloway. The first words out of the older man’s mouth were a snide remark about her so-called job.
When one of the younger kids asked to pull on Mr. Bloom’s beard, Duncan was making his way to them when the elderly man laughed and allowed her to pull on it. Duncan was still standing close to him when he reached up to close his mouth.
“You’re confused.” Duncan nodded. “I wanted to talk to you about something. Something that your new missus spoke to me about when she came out to the house. She sure is a pushy little thing, isn’t she?”
“She doesn’t have to be pushy with me. I do what she wants.” Mr. Bloom said he was a good man for that. “Why are you here? Not that I mind you coming to see the children. They have so extraordinarily little in their lives as it is. They’ve taken a shine to you, that’s for sure.”
“I love children. Always have.” The two of them watched as the children played with some of the toys they’d unearthed. “My missus and I weren’t blessed with any children. We both wanted them, but I had me something terrible when I was overseas—mumps, of all things. Anyway, when she passed a few years ago, I found myself all alone and not feeling very sociable anymore. You know, you could do a lot for this town if you wanted.”
“Such as? I’ve been working on a few projects. My wife and I are going to help with a couple of things for the schools, as well as the elderly home. What else do you think I should get my hands dirty with?” He nodded toward Ms. Holloway. “I don’t think the two of you have been friends. Something I should know about?”
“Yes. Plenty. But I’m only going to tell you what I experienced with her. She don’t let them kids go.” Duncan didn’t understand what he meant. Mr. Bloom walked toward his office, and Duncan followed him inside. Shutting the door seemed to have been all the signal he needed to speak freely. “She’s a rotten bitch if you ask me. Me and my missus, as I said, we weren’t able to have any children. At the time, she had about a dozen babies there—war babies, they were called back then. Mothers couldn’t raise them on their own when the daddy was killed. You understand that story. Anyway, she told us point blank that the kids were for her. She was going to see that they got them a good home. Let me ask you something, young man. Do I strike you as a person that would harm a little fellow? No. I’m telling you right now, I would have given just about anything for us to be able to take one of them babies on. But she kept them, right up until they weren’t cute no more. I’m thinking she does something with them. Ain’t a soul I know that has gotten a single child out of that place.”
“I can look into that—I will look into that. Just give me a second and—” Mr. Bloom asked him what he was. “You mean other than a man? I have a great deal of magic. But for what I might be called, I guess you could say bird. My wife, she’s an eagle. Her sisters, all of them, they’re birds as well.”
“They ain’t sisters though, are they? Not that it matters, but a man can see they’re closer than any sisters would be. Love you men, too.” Duncan said he hoped so. “Plain as the nose on your face that she loves you. You do something with your magic and look into the bitch from the school’s head. I know you can do it. Can’t you?”
“I can.” Duncan could do it, but since he wasn’t sure what he would be looking for, he just reached out to her mind. “Christ.”
Sitting down, he felt Mr. Bloom fan him with a file he’d had on his desk. It was horrible, the things he’d touched on in her head. Looking at the man he was beginning to like a great deal, Duncan asked him if he really didn’t know what she did with the children.
“I’m thinking she is selling them off. That’s what I keep telling myself, Duncan. That’s what keeps me from being able to sleep at night. If I’m wrong, and I just know I’m not, you need to be telling me.” Duncan nodded. “It’s something no man would want to know, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Duncan stood up and picked up the phone on his desk. “I can take care of it right now. I’m calling in some special help with this. Do you—would you like to be in on this, Mr. Bloom?”
“It’s Max, and I surely would.”
When the man at the other end answered his phone, Duncan had forgotten about it being Christmas Day. Agent Bishop answered the phone with a laugh and a merry holiday.
“I’m so sorry, Ben. I truly am. But I have a nasty situation here that I need you to move in on now.” Ben asked him what had happened, all business as soon as Duncan started out telling him he was sorry. “There is a home in the town where I live for homeless and orphaned children.
