“They’ll hurt her.”

“Who will?” she asked.

“I can’t tell you.”

Officer Steele looked at his partner, then at me. “Son, we’ve met with Madeline’s parents many times. I’m sure they would never let anyone hurt her. They are as concerned as any loving parents would be for their daughter.” He turned to my parents. “Her poor parents…”

I glared at him. Was he really that stupid?

The young policeman joined in. “Son, you’re harboring a fugitive. Do the right thing here and tell us where she is.”

I looked at the floor for what seemed like ten minutes. I could hear the clock in the kitchen ticking.

“Eric!” my father shouted. I jumped. But still I said nothing. I don’t know how long we were there. I felt like a fugitive myself held up in a house surrounded by the police. Give yourself up. There’s no way out of this, Eric. My brain ached.

“Tell us where she is, son,” Officer Steele said gently.

I took a deep breath then slowly let it out. “She’s in the clubhouse.”

Officer Steele turned to my mother. “What did he say?”

My mother looked at me sympathetically. “The boys built a clubhouse in the backyard,” she said.

Both the policemen were immediately on their feet, no doubt excited at the prospect of being the heroes who found the missing girl and brought her home. To me they were the enemy, as stupid as all adults seemed to be those days. And my parents had been complicit, abetting the enemy.

“Take us to her,” the young policeman said.

In times of high stress I’ve found that my mind fixates on the trivial. I suppose it’s a defense mechanism. Suddenly all I could see was the guy’s feet. They seemed impossibly large, like frogman flippers. I just stared at them until my thoughts were broken by the sound of my dad clearing his throat. I looked up at him. He had the gray look of disappointment in his eyes but I honestly didn’t care. His disappointment in me couldn’t be a fraction of mine in him. For the first time in my life I measured my thoughts against his with equal value. No, more so. My actions came from love and duty. His came from ignorance. I suppose it was at that moment I became a man.

Officer Steele walked to my side, grabbing the back of my arm. “Let’s go.”

“I need my boots.” I walked to the kitchen to get them. I considered making a run to the clubhouse to tell Grace, but Officer Steele followed me back. I picked them up and returned to the front room. I sat on the floor slowly putting them on, but I could only delay so much.