�Hello,� Chris said softly. He quickly glanced at his phone to be sure he hadn�t dialed incorrectly. The readout confirmed that he had dialed Ezra�s number. �Is Ezra Standish there?�
�Sure,� the lady replied. �He�s just showing the kids how the caterpillars are eating the grass we gave them.�
�Oh,� Chris answered. �This is Chris Larabee. Would it be alright if we came down there?�
�Sure,� the lady replied. �Ezra�s told me all about you guys. I�m sure he�d be thrilled to see you down here.�
Chris thanked the woman, who introduced herself as Lisa, and got directions to the youth center where Ezra volunteered. Soon the men had piled into two vehicles and were on their way to where the southerner was enjoying some well-deserved time off.
Upon arriving, the LAW men were greeted with the rare sight of Ezra giggling as nine five-year-olds ran around him, just out of reach. A woman was standing off to one side holding a tenth child in her arms as he dozed.
Chris beckoned to the others and entered the small playground. �Hey, Ez,� he called, startling the southerner badly enough that he nearly fell.
�Mr. Larabee?� Ezra said, after regaining his balance. �Wh-what are you doing here?�
�You okay, Mr. Ezra,� asked one little girl. Her blue eyes were filled with concern for the older man that she obviously admired greatly.
He smiled and knelt in front of her. Pushing the dark brown hair away from her eyes, he said, �I�m fine, Liz. I just got surprised.�
�Kay,� she said happily, hugging him.
Ezra�s eyes widened and he glanced up at the other LAW men. To his shock, they weren�t laughing at him as he�d expected.
�This is great, Ezra,� Nathan said softly. �You�re really great with these kids and you�re doing wonderful work here.�
�Thank you,� Ezra answered in surprise.
JD frowned slightly. �You look beat,� he said quietly.
Ezra shrugged. �I didn�t sleep much last night. There was a lot on my mind.�
�We�ll play with the kids for a while,� Vin offered. �You can take a break.�
�Are you sure?� Lisa asked uncertainly.
�Sure,� Buck answered.
Ezra beamed and nodded. �Alright then,� he said. �This is Liz. Those are the twins, Kim and Cassy. They are Madison, Toby and Cody. The little boy Lisa is hold is Martin. Those three are Selene, Keith and Daniel.�
Chris chuckled as the rapid-fire list of names was given. Buck�s eyes had widened and JD had frowned slightly as he tried to connect names to faces. Vin threw up his hands and said, �Who wants to play tag? I�ll be it.�
The kids let up a collective scream and ran from the surprised Texan, who recovered quickly and tagged JD. Meanwhile, Ezra and Lisa had moved over to a park bench. Ezra sat down and half-closed his eyes as Lisa began rubbing his shoulders.
�Is that better,� the woman asked softly.
Ezra sighed and replied, �If I were a cat, I would be purring, Lisa! Thank you.�
Lisa chuckled and shook her head. �You�re welcome.�
�Emmie�s not here today?� Chris asked.
Ezra opened his eyes and answered, �The Stamfords wanted to spend some time with her. Which is understandable, actually.� Ezra smiled and he added, �She�s a very precocious child, Chris. She actually remembered them somewhat.�
�You feeling better then?� Josiah asked, sitting beside the younger man.
Ezra flashed his dimples at them and said, �Yes, and even more so now that Lisa�s expert hands have ministered to my tense shoulders.�
Lisa frowned and said, �I still can�t believe how little we knew about Ms. Cerruthers. We never suspected she�d kidnapped Emmie.�
Josiah shrugged. �She got very good at hiding in the two years since the incident occurred.�
Chris nodded and said, �Yes, but now, thanks in large part to Ezra, things are back the way they belong, at least as far as the Stamfords are concerned.�
Ezra nodded and said, �Bertram said you talked to him.�
Chris�s eyes got wide and he asked, �You know Mr. Williams?�
�He�s Cody�s father,� Ezra answered. �Small world. I think that explains something I never understood.�
�What�s that?� Josiah asked.
�Well,� Ezra said. �There were days when Debbie was late coming to pick up Emmie. They were always days when either Cody�s father or Martin�s mother were late coming to get them.�
�Cody�s father is the Stamfords� neighbor,� Chris said softly.
�And Martin�s mother worked with Theresa Stamford,� Ezra supplied. �Both of them would have recognized Debbie if they�d seen her.�
�She was avoiding them!� Nathan exclaimed.
Ezra nodded. �Smart woman.�
�Not smart enough,� Chris answered. �We still caught her.� Hearing a startled shout from behind him, Chris turned and saw Vin staggering slightly as a small girl with dark brown hair and big brown eyes tried to climb into his arms.
�Selene,� Lisa scolded.
Ezra chuckled and said, �Why, Mr. Tanner, I believe you have a fan.�
�Guess so,� Vin said. �Um�guys? Could I get a little help here?�
End