Chapter 3 - The Road He Was Told to Avoid
I took the photograph straight to the principal's office.
Principal Gerald Price looked uncomfortable before I had even finished explaining.
He examined the picture.
"Teenagers sometimes take competition too seriously."
"Somebody photographed my son's bedroom."
"I understand your concern."
"Then do something about it."
Price glanced at his computer.
"We'll review the security footage."
"Today?"
"As soon as possible."
I watched his eyes.
He wouldn't look directly at me.
That told me plenty.
By lunchtime, the locker had been cleaned.
The camera footage had supposedly been overwritten.
And Wyatt Kesler was walking the hallways telling everybody that Mason had cheated his way to first place.
Mrs. Kathy Haskins, Mason's chemistry teacher, was the only adult who openly challenged the accusations.
She had checked the final grades twice.
Mason's score was legitimate.
Wyatt's father wanted it changed.
She refused.
The following morning, she received notice that she might be transferred to another school.
Diane was furious.
"This isn't about graduation anymore."
"I know."
"We should leave town until somebody investigates."
I considered it.
But Mason refused.
"Why should we run because somebody rich doesn't like losing?"
He wasn't being stubborn for the sake of it.
He genuinely believed that doing the right thing should count for something.
I wished the world were that simple.
The harassment continued.
Someone slashed two tires on Mason's truck.
A group of football players blocked his path outside the grocery store.
Then the black pickup began following him home.
I had seen enough.
"Take the highway," I told him.
"But County Road 19 is faster."
"Not anymore."
"Dad, that's twenty minutes longer."
"Then you'll be twenty minutes older when you get home."
He studied my face.
"Okay. I promise."
Three nights later, Pine Hollow High held its traditional senior bonfire.
Mason attended with his best friend, Neil Becker.
Neil was a good kid from a hardworking family.
He had never liked Wyatt.
But he also knew how dangerous the Keslers could be.
At 10:43 p.m., Mason texted Diane.
Heading home. Taking the highway. Love you.
She replied with a heart.
At 11:08, Neil realized he had left his phone near the bonfire.
Mason offered to wait.
Neil insisted he could run back and get it.
They were already near the turnoff for County Road 19.
"Go ahead," Neil told him. "I'll catch up."
Mason hesitated.
He knew what I had said about walking alone.
But the remaining distance seemed harmless.
A mile and a half beneath a clear Texas sky.
He started walking.
Fifteen minutes later, headlights appeared behind him.
A black pickup slowed.
Then another truck pulled alongside.
Mason recognized Wyatt immediately.
"Going somewhere, genius?"
Mason kept walking.
"Leave me alone."
Wyatt stepped out.
Four other players followed.
Troy Ellis remained near the second truck, staring at the ground.
Wyatt was holding a length of steel chain.
"You stole my graduation."
"I earned my grades."
Wyatt smiled.
"Then you can earn yourself a victory lap."
What happened next would leave Mason hospitalized and traumatized.
The boys overpowered him, attached the chain to the truck, and dragged him down the gravel road.
Troy protested.
Nobody listened.
At a moment when the others were distracted, he used Neil's recovered phone to call Diane.
His voice was barely audible.
"Mrs. Miller? They're on County Road 19. Please hurry."
"Who is this?"
"Just come!"
Then he hung up.
At our kitchen table, Diane stared at the phone.
I saw the color leave her face.
"Hank."
Something in her voice made me stand immediately.
"What happened?"
She swallowed.
"It's Mason."
I grabbed my keys.
Neither of us spoke as the truck accelerated toward County Road 19.
But halfway there, Diane's phone rang again.
This time, the caller didn't whisper.
It was Neil.
And he was crying.
"Mr. Miller, I found Mason's backpack in the ditch."
I gripped the steering wheel.
"Neil, where is my son?"
There was a horrible pause.
May you like
Then Neil said something I would never forget.
"Sir, I think they're still dragging him."
