“Mr. Waters, Officer Webster,” the woman behind the desk said and then beamed. “This must be Cameron.” She smiled and held out her hand. Cameron took it and then pulled his hand back. “Everything is all set with Angel.”
“An angel?” Cameron asked. Marty was about to explain that it was just his name when a man came in wearing a white shirt, blue pants, and huge white wings. “Are you a real angel?”
“My mama named me Angel, and I sometimes wear my wings.” He held out his hand, and to Marty’s surprise, Cameron took it and they went in the back together.
“You can watch the session if you like,” the receptionist offered. “Let me know.”
MARTY WASN’Tsure he wanted to watch. He was curious about what Cameron had gone through, but in his mind, he wasn’t sure he truly wanted all the details.
“You need to be there,” Grant said softly. “You are his parent, and if something happens that’s really difficult for him, or if you think Angel is going to cross a line, you need to be the one to stop it. You have the authority here.” Grant squeezed his shoulder.
“Okay.” He followed Grant into the room the receptionist indicated and sat down at a table with a video monitor. It showed Cameron sitting at a table with Angel next to him.
“You can draw if you want,” Angel said. “Make a picture of anything.”
“Can I draw Mommy and Daddy?” Cameron asked, and Marty swallowed hard. Grant took his hand, and they sat quietly, Marty’s attention glued to the monitor. “They’re angels too.”
“Of course,” Angel said. “You draw whatever you like.” He sat back and let Cameron draw as they talked about things Cameron liked for a while. Then with surprising delicacy, Angel shifted the subject. “I understand that something bad happened to you.” Cameron stopped drawing and sat still. “That wasn’t your fault.”
Cameron continued drawing after a few seconds. “He said it was. That I was bad.” Marty could barely hear Cameron’s voice, so he turned up the volume.
“You weren’t bad, I promise you, and angels always keep their promises.” Damn, this guy was good. “Can you tell me what he looked like?”
Cameron nodded. “He was tall, like Daddy,” Cameron said as he continued working on the picture.”
“Was he as tall as Mr. Marty?” Angel asked.
Cameron shook his head. “No, tall like Daddy,” he said again. Marty turned to Grant, who had an iPad and began tapping.
“Cameron’s father, Woodward, was six foot three. So we’re looking for someone quite tall.” Grant continued working while Marty watched and listened. Dexter sat next to his leg. Grant reached over and patted his hand. “He’s doing great.”
“God, I hope so,” Marty said. He hadn’t bit his nails since he was a kid, but he felt himself wanting to do it again.
“What did his face look like?” Angel asked.
“Mean,” Cameron answered. “He was always mean, like Billy, and he said I was bad and that they didn’t want me anymore.”
“Did he have any pictures on his skin? Like tattoos?”
Cameron nodded. “A snake on his arm. It was scary.” Cameron continued coloring, which Marty figured was good. At least he wasn’t shutting down. “He had a big nose, like a clown, but it wasn’t red, and his eyes were really mean.”
“He keeps saying that,” Marty said.
“Yeah. To most kids I think it means that his eyes were set closer together. So far we have someone tall, with a bulbous nose, and close-set eyes.”
“Was his skin white?” Angel asked and Cameron nodded.
“He had funny ears,” Cameron said, and then grew quiet as he continued to color. Then he handed the picture to Angel. He held it up so they could see it, but managed to make it like he was looking at it. He’d drawn his dad and mom with wings.
“What would you tell your mommy and daddy about the man who took you?” Angel asked.
Cameron blinked and sniffed. “That I wasn’t bad. He said that my mommy and daddy left me because I wasn’t a good boy. But I was good. I was always good. When I told him that, he carried me to the basement, but I kicked and bit him, so he put me in that bad place and closed me in the dark.” Cameron began to cry.
“It’s okay,” Angel said. “That man isn’t going to hurt you anymore. You’re safe with Mr. Marty, and he won’t let the bad man touch you again.”
“You promise?” Cameron asked.
“Angels never lie,” he said gently. “And angels always want to help. It’s what we do. So can you tell me anything more? Where were you when he took you?”
