a stupid thing to notice, she thought as she approached him.
“Excuse me. Have you seen a little boy? He’s four and should not be out on his own. We don’t know if he came this way, but we need to find him!”
He shook his head. “I haven’t seen any kids. Wouldn’t they be in school at this time of day?”
“He’s in a preschool and wandered away.” Susan bit her lip, her heart pounded, fear increasing with every heartbeat. “Maybe I’m going the wrong way.”
“Which way is that?” he asked, glancing at the aide and then scanning the sidewalk behind him.
“No one saw him leave, so we didn’t know if he came this way or went the other way. The preschool is back there.” She pointed to a small building at the end of the block. “I just hope he didn’t try to cross the street.” The traffic was lighter than midtown, but still heavy. A small boy might be overlooked by a motorist in a hurry—until it was too late.
“Someone would have stopped a small boy from dashing into danger,” the man said. He glanced at the aide. “Is someone looking in the other direction?”
“Yes, the teacher.” She glanced back up the street. “I don’t see her, so I guess she hasn’t found Danny.”
“Danny?” the man asked, his voice odd.
Susan looked at him, her eyes holding appeal. “My son, Danny. He’s missing. I’ve got to find him. Oh Lord, I can’t lose him, too!”
“I’ll help look. Name’s Zack Morgan. Where did you lose him?”
“I didn’t lose him. He left his preschool without an adult. I can’t believe he’s run off like this. New York is so dangerous for a little child if someone isn’t right there with him every minute.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Mrs. Johnson,” the aide said, her worried expression belying her words.
“We’ll find him,” Zack said.
“Unless someone’s taken him,” Susan said, voicing her worst fear. What if someone had kidnapped her son? She swayed with horror at the thought. Zack reached out and took her arm gently, seeming to give her strength.
“No one’s taken him in this direction. I’ve been on this street for several blocks. No little boy. And I’m sure no one would let him cross the street by himself, so let’s try the other direction.” His reasonable tone calmed her.
“Okay.” For a split second she felt as if the burden had lifted slightly and been placed on the broad shoulders of the stranger who held her arm.
She swallowed and turned, wanting to race the wind to find her son. He was so precious to her. He could not have been taken. He was just searching for Tom.
Less than five minutes later they saw Mrs. Savalack heading toward them, Danny’s hand firmly held in hers.
Susan burst into tears and raced to her son. “Danny, you scared me to death.” She swooped him up in her arms, hugging him tightly, her heart still pounding. “Don’t ever run off like that again.”
He struggled a bit with Susan’s tight hold, and she set him on his feet, taking his hand firmly in hers. “You know you are not to leave the school until I get there.”
“I thought I saw Daddy.” He looked sad. “But it wasn’t him.”
Susan reached out and brought Danny’s face round to face hers. “Your daddy died. He’s gone to heaven. You will not find him on this earth. Honey, he loved you, but he’s gone.”
“No! I want my daddy!” Danny stuck his lower lip out and glared at his mother.
The stranger stooped down until he was Danny’s level.
“Hi,” he said.
Danny looked at him warily, pout still in evidence.
“You should mind your mother,” Zack said gently. “She was scared you’d get hurt or lost.” He reached out and brushed Danny’s dark hair off his forehead.
“I thought I saw my daddy,” Danny repeated.
Susan wiped the tears from her cheeks and tried to smile at Zack. “He’s got this fixation in his head that my husband is just gone out. Every time he sees a man who looks the slightest bit like Tom, he’s running after him. He hasn’t done this in a long while and I’d hoped he’d stopped by now. Thanks for your help. I’m Susan Johnson. This is my son, Danny. I appreciate your concern.”
Zack rose and nodded. “You two take care now.”
He turned and walked away, when every cell in his body screamed to stay. He’d actually touched his son. Met his adopted mother. Been scared for a few moments that Susan Johnson’s fear would turn into reality.
It had been a quirky idea to wander by the preschool the detective had listed in his report. Zack had had no idea whether the playground could be seen from the street. Or if he’d recognize his son among a few dozen playing children. Fate had stepped in and he had actually spoken to his son.
He had thought that seeing Daniel from a distance would suffice. Now that he’d actually met him, he wanted to know even more about him. He was adorable. His eyes were brown and his hair a darker brown. He seemed small, but so did the other children Zack glimpsed in the playground. Daniel obviously missed his father. The report said Tom Johnson had died two years ago, which meant Danny had been grieving for two years. A long time for a child. Wasn’t he happy with his mother?
Wanting to think about the encounter, Zack walked a few more blocks until he found a coffee house. Ordering a hot drink, he sat at a table near the window and gazed outside, his thoughts back with the boy he’d just met. And his mother.
There had been no photo of Susan in the report. She looked younger than he expected. And tired. She was thin like Alesia had been. But where Alesia had always worn trendy, stylish clothing, Susan’s looked plain and serviceable. Her hair had been pulled back and she wore a minimum of makeup. The appeal in her eyes when she asked if he’d seen her son had touched him. He could tell she loved the boy.
For some reason, Zack felt a need to do something for her as well. It couldn’t be easy raising a child alone. She had no relatives close by. According to the detective, her parents lived in Florida. Her mother worked in a travel agency and her father was in frail health. The warmer climate was a necessity for his well-being in winter months.
Her dead husband had been the only child of an older couple. His mother had moved west to be with her sister when her husband had died before Tom and Susan were married. She now resided in an assisted care home in California.
There had been little insurance money; the man had been younger than Zack was now when he had died. They must have thought they had their entire future together. Neither had known two years after adopting Danny that Tom Johnson would be dead.
Would they still have gone through with the adoption?
Zack felt funny knowing so much about Susan Johnson and her family history. She didn’t know him at all except as a stranger stopping to help for a few minutes. Yet he wanted to know about her, to assure himself his son was getting the best of everything. And with the dearth of money in her life, was that possible?
Maybe he could set up a blind trust to make sure they had enough money. Would Susan accept? The character sketch the detective had done indicated she probably would not. She seemed big on independence. She hadn’t applied for any aid. She’d quickly moved from the apartment she and her husband shared in Manhattan to one more affordable in Brooklyn. Even returned to work when she’d obviously planned to stay home with Danny if the first two years of his life were any indication.
He sipped his coffee and wondered what he could do. Maybe the best thing would be to leave mother and son alone. Danny looked healthy. His clothes had been neat and clean. He obviously missed his father, but he was well cared for.
For