Chapters (73)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Prologue
- Part IAnnie
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Part IIHarry
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Part IIIAnnie
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Part IVHarry
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Part VAnnie
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Also by Linwood Barclay
- About the Publisher
“Well, in that case, it will be the status quo around here, even if the market for toy trains isn’t what it once was. The layout needs some freshening.” Nabler thought a moment. “His fingernails would make excellent patio stones.”
Annie said, “Okay. I’ll do it.”
Fifty-Seven
“But I want a moment with Charlie first,” Annie said. “And not some miniaturized version of him. I want my real son.” She paused, bit her lower lip. “I want to be able to say goodbye to him.”
Nabler nodded in agreement. “Of course.”
“You’ll see that he gets home?”
Nabler crossed his heart. “Hope to die.”
Like that means anything. She did not expect him to allow Charlie to survive this, but felt she had to make Nabler think she did. She had one hope in the back of her mind, and she would need Charlie’s help if she were to make it happen.
“And how do I . . . turn into what you want me to be?”
“It’s a rather . . . intimate procedure.” He could see the horror in Annie’s expression. “Not quite that. Don’t worry. I have no need for that kind of pleasure. There will be a closeness. And you won’t feel a thing.”
“Will Charlie have to watch?”
“Probably better that he doesn’t.”
“Get him out of that train. Make him his real size again.”
“Already have. He’s right there.”
Annie whirled around. Standing by the door that led into the shop stood Charlie, the real Charlie, full size and rubbing his eyes as though waking up from a nap. His clothes were dirty, his hair a matted mess. Annie maneuvered her way through the various ribbons of track in her path, ran to him, dropped to her knees, and threw her arms around him.
“Oh, Charlie, Charlie,” she said, burying her face in his neck and squeezing him to her. “I was so scared for you.”
When she pulled back to look him in the eye, she saw that as many tears were running down his face as there were running down hers.
“I’m sorry I ran away,” he whimpered. “I thought I had to. The man tricked me.” He was looking at Nabler over his mother’s shoulder.
“He made me think he was Dad. He was in my dream one night and showed me where the key was to open the shed, so I could get out the trains. He made me think Daddy was here.” His chin crumpled. “But when we got here, Daddy wasn’t here.”
“I know, sweetheart, I know.”
She recalled that night John spoke to her, warning her not to leave the city. That was the real deal, she thought. Not Nabler working his black magic.