“He’s never going to hurt you again, Jack,” said Dexter. “Do you understand?” Jack nodded but pulled away when Dexter stepped toward him. “It’s OK, I won’t hurt you, either. But you need to listen to me. Can you do that, Jack? Can you listen to me?”

“Yes,” whispered Jack, clinging to his stuffed rabbit.

“You saw me after school with a tall white man. You went to bed early and when you woke up I was gone and you found . . . you found him. Tomorrow morning just run outside screaming and everything will be fine. Can you do that for me?”

Jack nodded.

“Now, where did I go?”

“I don’t know,” said Jack quietly. “I saw you after school with a tall white man.”

“Right.”

“And I went to bed early.”

“Good, Jack. Good. Now you stay here, and I’ll be right back.” Dexter went into Gerrard’s bedroom and felt his body tensing with the thought of what that monster had done to Jack. But he had no time for feelings. He ripped drawers out of the bureau, threw everything out of the boxes in the closet, and took Gerrard’s secret stash of money, which was not as secret as Gerrard thought. The police would think there had been a burglary, plus Dexter had $450. That would get him a long way from here. He crept back into Jack’s room, to see that the boy had calmed down a bit. He was lying down, still gripping the rabbit, but no longer shivering.

“I have to go now, Jack,” said Dexter. “You take care of yourself.”

“When will I see you again?”

“You won’t,” said Dexter. He took a step toward the bed, and this time Jack got up on his knees and leaned into Dexter, hugging him so tightly Dexter thought he might break a rib. And if Nemo was an emotionless robot now, as Patton had accused him, he hadn’t been one then. He walked out of the house bawling from the pain of losing the closest thing to a brother he had ever known.

But he had discovered his talents, and he spent a lifetime honing them.