“Alright, and have there been any strange cars in the area? Has Blake ever mentioned seeing someone lurking around the neighborhood, or someone being too friendly?”
“No to both. Everything seemed so damn normal!”
“Did anyone come forward stating that they witnessed what happened?”
“No, no one. We were on the news, I was in tears. None of the parents or the other kids saw anything. Even the damn ice cream truck driver’s didn’t see anything. It was as if he was there one minute and he vanished without a trace the next. There are no demands being made either, and we still have all the lines open, but no contact so far.”
“Have you had any threats lately? Anything that stands out?”
“Emily, I run my own business and I just fired about thirty people. They were not very happy of course, but why would they be? In this economy it would be very difficult to find jobs, and I knew that. It was more than difficult to let them go.”
“I’ll look into that, but is there anyone else? Someone who you feel is capable of this?”
Macey wiped away her tears. “There is absolutely no one whom I suspect of doing this. Not to my Blake.”
“I will be pursuing this with you, alright. Just go home and I will meet you there in about two hours, alright?”
“Yes, yes, of course.”
Emily embraced her one more time and watched as she walked away. She was not too sure about how she truly felt. It must be really painful, losing your own child and not knowing what was happening to them. She took a deep breath and realized that she needed to talk to David about this.
Picking up her phone, she dialed his number, much happier now that he carried his own phone. It made getting in touch with him much easier.
Listening to it ring, she was beginning to get nervous when he finally picked up, “Emily, hey, is something wrong?”
“Yeah, there is. One of my friends just came in here. She lives a county over from us and her son is missing. After I go to Meghan’s, I am going to be helping her, if that is alright.”
“Of course it’s alright. If you don’t want to take time to go to Meghan’s apartment, I can do that for you.”
“No, no. I was a teenage girl once so I know what to be looking for.”
“Alright, I trust you. And if you need anything let me know, alright. I’m always here for you.”
“I know,” she said and quickly disconnected. They had not reached a point in the relationship to say they loved one another, and frankly she was not ready for that to happen. Taking a deep breath, she locked up everything and went on her way to Meghan’s apartment.
###
Derek was looking through the contents of the envelope with a sinking feeling. Whoever had his daughter knew about him. They knew everything, but it still was not money they were after. His next set of instructions was clear. Whoever was behind this wanted him to confess that he had knowingly put innocent men and women away. There were a list of names and the crimes they were accused and charged with.
If he followed this to the letter, he would be ending his career, but maybe that was what they wanted. Maybe a good father would jump to his feet to do it, but he refused to do so. Meghan was a good kid, but she was an adult now. Besides, if he did this, he would be confessing to the world that he locked up her mother. That he planted evidence to make her guilty. The real killer would come forward and he would surely be killed by her.
On top of several pieces of paper was a burner phone. There was nothing on it and he was supposed to be getting another phone call. Hopefully this time it was from the abductor instead of his own daughter.
Sitting there he waited and waited, knowing the phone call would come in the moment they realized he was not going to do as they had instructed.
Chapter 28
He was attempting to get over the fact that she had hung up on him so abruptly, but he knew that she was probably in a million places at the moment. He would not know how to handle it when someone told him their kid was missing. David really wanted to help her, but she was probably going to handle this on her own. He didn’t like that though, he wanted to work with her on this. He wanted to be there for her, because she would be very upset by all of this. It was possible she would not even be thinking clearly.
He walked into Doubles, but he was not here to get a bite to eat. No, he knew his mother was going to be here and he needed to talk to her about a few things. He spotted her in the booth and she was speaking with his father. They were both smiling and he hoped one day that could be Emily and himself. Maybe they would have a kid or two, but he was overthinking it. They had only barely started to get serious.
Taking in a breath, he walked over towards them and his father looked up at him. “Hey there David, what’s eating you?”
“Several things actually, but that was why I wanted Mom to meet me here. I wanted her to help me with something.”
“What? Something I couldn’t help you with?”
“Yeah,” David cracked a smile. “You were never good at shopping for women, and that is why I am leaving you out of it, so thank you.”
His father chuckled. “That is very true. I suppose I will leave you to it then.”
David slid into the booth and he looked at his mother. She was more than excited that he was with someone. He had never seen her so happy before. Even when she knew he was in a relationship with Nancy, she had not been as ecstatic.
Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he looked at his mother. “I was just talking to Emily, and I was about to tell her that I love her. I feel like we’ve been dancing around this for a while. But she just hung up on me, and I’m wanting to define this relationship, because I want there to be more in place than what we have now.”
“And you want to know the best way to do that?”
“Absolutely,” he said. His father came out and slid him a shake. David knew he had always been spoiled, and he knew when he had children they would be too.
“Thank you, Pops.”
His father nodded and walked away. Looking back to his mother she spoke her mind.
“Emily may not seem like most women, but we enjoy the surprises that men can have for us. The candlelit dinners, rose petals, a walk on the beach. You know, all that sappy crap. We love it, even if we say we don’t. What is one of Emily’s favorite things?”
“Technology,” he said slowly. “She is always using her tablet, but she must have dropped it at some point, because the screen is cracked.”
“Then let that be the first thing you get her. A new tablet.”
David nodded, and he couldn’t help but feel as if all of this was difficult. He knew she would be working another case, most likely on her own, and he wasn’t too sure how he felt about that.
“She might be going out of town today. Someone she knows is having a crisis, and I offered to help, but she shot me down.”
“Don’t make it sound as if your ego took a hit,” she chided him. “That woman is independent, she is a fighter. You make sure you remember that.”
“Well, what happens if she needs my help and refuses to tell me?”
“At that point, you go ahead and you step in. She is stubborn and so are you. The two of you will argue, but that is just how it is going to be. Simple as that.”
“You women are so complicated.”
“No, men just think we are.” She paused for a moment and studied him. David knew she detected something. “What is really bothering you?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Lies,” she said softly. “But if you are ready to tell me, you know where to find me, alright?”
He nodded and he began to work on finishing his shake.
###
Emily was not surprised to find the apartment door unlocked. She examined the bolt but did not see that anything was tampered with. Stepping inside, she locked the door behind her and stood there for a moment as she examined Meghan’s rundown
unit. Because of the side of town she was in, this dump probably cost her more than it should.
Continuing to look around, she saw a single photograph on Meghan’s desk, a snapshot of her and her father. However, this picture didn’t look like one of a daughter who was strongly attached to her only parent. Her body language read as though she was trying to move away from him.
Taking in a deep breath, Emily saw rented books stacked up. Meghan was taking in-depth classes in physical therapy, and Emily wondered how she was fairing. Examining everything, Emily didn’t find a computer of any sort, and wondered how Meghan was able to do her reports for class, but maybe she went to the local library.
There were no signs of a struggle in here, and Emily wondered if Meghan was just easy to abduct or if she had been abducted elsewhere. She stepped into Meghan’s room and saw the evidence she had wanted to find.
Content, Emily knew she now needed to find any evidence that David would need. Meghan seemed to be an independent kid who wanted little to do with her father. She saw a daily planner and picked it up. Everything looked to be in some sort of code, and she wondered what it all meant.
Emily put Meghan’s planner in her hand bag and began to snap pictures with her cell phone. She knew she needed to show the daily planner to David. As she was getting ready to leave the apartment, her mind was in several places, but mostly she was thinking about Blake. She had not seen him since he was born. She realized how wrong it was of her not to make him a priority, especially since she was his godmother.
Taking in a deep breath, she quickly ascended the stairs and then suddenly stopped to look back. How would anyone be able to get her out of this apartment without being detected? Snapping pictures of the stairwell, she was looking for any cameras but didn’t see any.
Shaking her head, she knew she would have to let David handle this himself. Walking down the stairs, she started heading to her car. Her mind was in a whirl and she was more than positive who was behind Blake’s disappearance. She knew that Macey would deny it, but her ex was resourceful, and he would do anything to hurt her… and she remembered why he detested her.
She heard her phone chime. Taking it out of her pocket she noticed a message from David. He was letting her know he would meet her at the office. She put the phone back in her pocket since his message did not warrant her texting back. She would see him soon enough. She did not want to seem too clingy.
###
Macey was sitting on the front porch watching as her neighborhood continued about its normal routine, but she felt out of balance. Her son, her little jelly bean, was gone. Her phone was in her hand and she was waiting for a call—for something. All she wanted was for him to come home, to be safe. That was all she wanted and she didn’t know what to do. It felt as if she could not breathe. And of course she had attempted to call his father, but with no answer.
Recalling her conversation with Emily, she had been asked if there was anything out of the ordinary in the neighborhood. Glancing at her watch, she realized that around this time Blake would go outside, sometimes without her permission, to go get ice cream. He would come back in with his ice cream cone and she remembered asking him how he bought it. He would then tell her that someone who lived around here bought it for him.
She was beginning to feel sick as she heard as the ice cream truck approaching to make its daily rounds in the neighborhood. Getting to her feet, she watched as the truck turned on her street. Several kids stopped what they were doing to go to meet the truck. There were a few parents who seemed to make a point of watching their children from afar. She realized that she should have done that too.
She took in a deep breath as she approached the ice cream truck and saw a middle aged man standing in it serving ice cream to the neighborhood kids. He did not look happy and she sensed that his smile was fake. She approached him.
“What can I get you?”
“You served ice cream to my son, but he never paid for it,” she began. “Could you tell me who bought the ice cream for him?”
He shot her a dark look. “All of these kids were here, no one else.”
Macey was not too sure if she was thinking he was lying because she was desperate for a lead, or because he was actually lying. “I don’t believe that,” she began slowly. “Please, he is missing and you have a camera on your truck.”
“That’s just for decoration, it doesn’t really work.”
“Bullshit!”
He snickered at her and she wanted to slug him, but refrained. She watched as the other kids were watching her with wide eyes, and some of the parents had come out with worried looks. Obviously Juan, per his name tag, did not like all of these eyes watching him.
“Look, I ain’t lying to you, so get the hell off my back. Maybe you should be a real mother and be watching your kid. Any of these parents can tell you straight, bitch.”
She watched as the truck moved away. There were two people in that ice cream truck and she felt as if her blood had run cold. Three of the parents nearby had children close to them and one of them, Delilah, walked over towards her.
“Don’t listen to him,” she whispered. “And there was never anyone by his side buying him ice cream. It seemed as if they were giving him free scoops. Danny told me about it and he was upset.”
“Why didn’t you say that to the cops?”
“Because I forgot all about it. Maybe Danny can give you a description of what he looked like.”
Anything at this point was well worth it to her, and she nodded. “I will call Detective Wilshire.”
Delilah nodded, and Macey unlocked her phone and made the call. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
###
It was dark and Blake did not like it in here. He wanted to get out, but he couldn’t. All he wanted was his mommy. He heard footsteps. No. Blake did not want him to be back. Never mind, he wanted to stay in here after all, but the abductor opened the door and leered at him. Warm tears streamed down Blake’s face. Fighting against the abductor’s grasp, Blake wanted to scream, but his voice was trapped behind his lips.
Blake was placed on the bed and turned loose. There was a camera like the one mommy had and he looked at the lens with terror. He didn’t know what was happening. He wanted to get up, he wanted to run, but there was nowhere for him to go and he watched as the abductor walked over to the computer. Blake kept looking at the computer and he saw his picture show up on the screen.
The abductor’s phone rang and he answered it. “Hey there hon, I will be home soon, I promise. There were a few things that I got tied up with at work. Yeah, of course, I can pick that up on my way. Tell the kids I love them and that I’ll be home soon. Love you too.”
He set the phone down and turned back around. Blake thought he could trust him. His Mommy told him that people like him could be trusted, but she was wrong. Why didn’t she know? What did he do that made him get here?
###
“Ashlynn,” she heard someone call. “What the hell are you doing?”
Turning to look at her boss, she knew he did not approve of her process for hunting down predators. She shook her head. “My job. Is there a problem with that, Trevor?”
“Yes. There has been no progress since last month on any of this. That tells me that you must be slacking.”
“No, it means they are getting better at eluding us. Trust me, I am doing my job. They are just using a back site now and I am tracking it down.”
He shook his head and she wanted to slap him. After she had rejected his advances, he had been treating her like crap and she detested him. He was a pig and she wondered why he was allowed to oversee their unit. She turned towards her monitor and typed chaotically on the keys. She needed to find their new site. They were making it much more difficult to track them.
She finally found one—an auction. She saw the video of the little boy. His cheeks were tear-stained and she watched as people began to bid on him.
�
��Ellie, can you come here?”
She heard as the woman in the neighboring cubicle got up, and soon was peering over her shoulder to see what was on her monitor.
“I’m on it,” she said, knowing full well what Ashlynn wanted her to do. She looked to the screen and sucked in a deep breath. Their training had provided information on why some people would do this, but for the life of her, she still could not grasp why. This little kid was no older than four and the fear in his eyes was clear, but these people fed on fear. It fueled them and she was disgusted by it.
“I got it,” she said. “His name is Blake Proctor and he was reported missing a little over a day ago. He never got home from school, and it doesn’t look like the cops in that area have enough resources to take care of this properly.”
“Shoot me the address and I will gather a team.”
“You need to run it by Trevor first,” she said, almost as if it was a big deal.
Sighing she nodded. “I know that I can get this approved. He is not that shallow to deny my ability to go help some innocent kid, but I would like for you to head this with me. You have more experience than me.”
Ellie smiled and nodded. Walking with one another, Ashlynn hoped that they could get to him before he disappeared.
###
Detective Wilshire did not seem very motivated in tracking down Juan and whoever was driving the ice cream truck. It was infuriating and she was beginning to shake. “My son is out there,” she said venomously. “My baby boy! I bet you would be more motivated to do your job if it was one of your kids.”
“Ma’am there is nothing we can do. You are reaching, but we will find them and question them about it, but there are other people we need to look into as well. This is a tedious and ongoing process.”
“Tedious? Are you telling me that trying to find my kid is too demanding a task for you?”
“No ma’am, I am not saying that.”
“Wouldn’t it make perfect sense that they would be building some sort of relationship with him by giving him free ice cream? In his head he would see that they were friends with one another. My son is very trusting.”
Promised Box Set Page 71
