31 – This Gift, This Curse

 

 

"How did it go?" Will asked a few minutes later when he returned to the apartment.

 

"Just like I figured it would, but I have the number and she's mailing my birth certificate. She thinks our address belongs to some girl I know."

 

Will chuckled. "I guess that's good, as far as she's concerned. Okay, you ready to meet Kevin? I gave his mother a story to explain us to him. I'm an undercover cop, as well as being a friend of hers from the past."

 

He went on to lay out the rest of the details as they walked down the hall to Kevin's apartment.

 

'Twenty-two, huh," Mick said with a laugh when Will finished. "I wish."

 

"It works, for this." Will rapped on Kevin's door.

 

Mira let them in, taking them over to where Kevin was sitting, engrossed in the book in his lap as he made notes in the margin. He glanced up, looked puzzled for a moment then said, "You're the same man who came to the hospital." Before Will could reply, he added, "But then I knew that from what Mom told me. You sure look different now, and you…" He stared at Mick. "That's quite a change too but I'll tell you what, no way you'd pass for anything more than eighteen at best. That must suck."

 

Mick laughed. "It has its moments when it does." He moved closer, apparently trying to see what Kevin was studying. "History?"

 

"Yeah. A required course for freshmen, along with science and literature, some math." He shrugged. "A little bit of everything."

 

Mick shot a look at Will. "I'm never going to be able to do this."

 

"Do what?" Kevin asked.

 

"Oh, umm…"

 

"I guess your mom didn't get a chance to tell you," Will put in.

 

"She said you were an old friend and a cop so you're helping keep me safe for now. And that Mick's from the police academy."

 

"True, but that's just between the four of us. Our story, as far as anyone else is concerned, is that I'm Mick's father, we've just moved here, and he's working to get his GED. I'm job hunting, which gives me a reason to be here during the day when necessary."

 

"And he and I become friends somehow?"

 

"Yeah," Mick said. "Like maybe you volunteer to help me study for the test?"

 

"Okay, sure. Why not?" Kevin turned to Will. "How long is this going to go on? I mean I do have a real life and school and what have you."

 

"I figure two weeks," Will replied, sitting on the arm of the sofa. "If nothing happens in that time then it's probably a safe bet whoever attacked you figures you got the message."

 

Kevin snorted. "A message I don't even understand."

 

Will glanced at Mira. "What time do you leave in the morning?"

 

"Around nine."

 

"Okay. How about we run into you in the hall or better yet, the lobby, because it's more public. We introduce ourselves to Kevin and take it from there."