Just saying the word felt strange and unnatural on my tongue.
Knight led the way to the basement.
“Ellis,” Knight called. “How’s he doing?”
“Still not eating, sir.”
“What do you mean, not eating?” I asked.
“You know any other meaning?” Knight stared at me as if I had lost my mind. “He hasn’t eaten anything since we brought him here. He only touches the bottles of water we leave out for him.”
I walked to the door and stared at the figure curled up on the bed. Instead of the onesie he’d been wearing yesterday, he now had on a generic orange overall, which was several sizes too big for him.
“Give me the doll,” I said.
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Establish trust. Try to get him to eat. Look at him. Do you think he can afford to miss many more meals before you have to take him to the hospital? What good is he to us if he dies?”
Swearing under his breath, Knight stalked away from me. I watched the boy and how still he was. He reminded me of my son’s girlfriend, Brianne, when he’d first brought her under his care. She’d still been suffering from the trauma of an abusive Daddy, and while she’d responded to Nate, she’d all but ignored everyone else. For a long time, only Nate had been able to get through to her. Now she answered the door if I stopped by, which was infrequently enough for Nate, and she didn’t immediately run to hide.
“Here you go.” Knight returned with the doll. “I hope like hell you know what you’re doing.”
“I thought we already established that I don’t, but what other choice do we have? Has anything you’ve done worked yet?”
He punched in the code to unlock the door, and I walked in. When he moved to follow me, I shook my head. “Let me do this alone.”
I kept my focus on the boy’s back as I closed the door behind me.
“Ten years, Hunter. Ten years. That’s what you promised me. That you’ll do ten years, and then you’ll quit.”
I let out a shaky breath. This was for Petra. I must do whatever I needed. It was too late to make it up to her, but I could bring her home to rest.
“Hey there,” I called to him softly. We still didn’t know his name. His body stiffened, but other than that, he didn’t react. I stepped closer. “I have something for you.”
As there was no chair in the room, I sat on the bed next to him. Maybe he would find me less imposing if I wasn’t looming over him.
“Don’t you want to see what I have for you?” A shudder ran through him. If fear had a stench, it would smell like him. It was pouring off him in his waves. “I know you’re probably scared, but all we want is the truth.”
When he didn’t react, I placed the doll next to where his hands were folded beside his head. He instantly grabbed the doll and kissed its forehead, then crushed it to his chest. If I hadn’t been sure about him before, I was positive now.
Just act like a concerned dad.
I could do that.
“I’m guessing that’s your friend. Does she have a name?” Nothing. “Hmm, are you going to make me guess? All right, I will. Is it Cinderella? She looks like a Cinderella to me.” God, this felt stupid. “No? Maybe Rapunzel, then? No, that can’t be right. Isn’t Rapunzel the one with the long hair who didn’t mind people climbing it? Man, that must have hurt.”
Was that a giggle?
Encouraged, I continued. “Maybe Belle? Is that her name? The one who kissed the beast, though I supposed there’s no beast here for her to kiss.” Ridiculous or not, I plowed along. “I think I got it. Her name’s Rumpelstiltskin. That’s it!”
He shuffled and turned, hiding his face behind the doll as he peered up at me. “Princess…”
He whispered the rest too low for me to hear.
“Princess Rumpelstiltskin?”
He giggled and covered his face. “Princess Poppycakes.”