The Abducted Book 0 (8 page)

The victims had all been abducted close to
their homes and never seen again. And with the exception of Jenny’s
kidnapping, there were no witnesses. He thought to himself as a
waitress came to the table asking him if he wanted another Coke. He
shook his head and thanked her. He’d had yet seen a picture of
Emily, but he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

***

Ana was dropped off by
Jessica
’s mom around eight p.m. She walked up the
driveway with her book bag over the shoulder of her blue cardigan
sweater. Her short black hair bounced above her neck, and she
quickened her step when she saw two cars parked in the driveway.
There was her mother’s Tahoe and what looked like her father’s
Toyota pickup truck. Ana was suspicious. She walked in between the
cars and hurried to the front door as lightning quietly flashed
above like white electric veins.

She walked inside and could smell the
aroma of Hamburger Helper. Her mom
’s voice sounded
from the kitchen. She was talking to someone, likely her dad, and
when Ana came around the corner of the foyer into the kitchen, she
could see him sitting at the table, just like the old days, his
same short, frazzled dark hair and good tan, looking like he always
had. He raised his head and smiled at her. Her mother stood against
the kitchen counter with her arms crossed, as if Ana had
interrupted something.

“
Hey there,” Freddy said. His thin
face looked more sunken than before. He looked tired and
overworked. He had issues Ana knew little about. Issues that had
driven her parents apart, though her mother wasn’t entirely
innocent either.

Ana stood motionless for a moment with
her backpack still in hand. Her dad pulled a chair out from the
dinner table and patted the seat with a smile.
“Come
sit next to your dad.”

She hung her backpack over one chair and sat
in the other, next to her father.

“
I’ll go ahead and make you a plate,”
Miriam said, turning to the stove.

“
I already ate at Jessica’s,” Ana
said.

Miriam dropped the spoon into the pot
and sighed.
“I told you I was going to make
dinner.”

“
Relax,” Freddy said. “You can’t
expect a kid to wait that long to eat, can you?”

Miriam said nothing as she held the
pot up and shoveled the rest of the food into a Tupperware
container with a spoon. Ana looked toward the sink and saw two
empty bowls. Confused, she wondered what it was all about. Had they
eaten dinner together? Her dad lived close but rarely visited. Why
was he there now? When they spoke, their courteous
tones made her suspicious.

Miriam placed the Tupperware in the
refrigerator and walked to the table.
“I asked your
father here tonight so we could all talk.”

“
About what?” Ana asked.

“
Your mom has to do something
important, and I’m going to be watching you for a little bit,”
Freddy said.

Miriam cut in, as though she
didn
’t trust Freddy’s assessment of the situation.
“I’ve been called back onto a case that’s very important to me.
It’s important to a lot of people.” She stopped and placed a hand
on the back of Ana’s chair. “I’ll be gone for a week, and I’d
rather you stay here and continue school. Your father agreed to
stay here and take care of you while I’m gone.”

Ana looked from parent to parent,
confused.
“So does this mean you guys are getting back
together?”

Freddy smiled and shook his
head.
“No, honey. That’s not it.”

“
Why not? If you’re going to stay here
a week, you might as well just move in.”

Both parents looked at each other, then back
to Ana.

“
That’s not happening,” Miriam said,
patting her head. “I have a job to do, and I’m leaving
tonight.”

In the past, Ana had
heard them fighting. She had seen her father drink and drink.
She had seen him sitting around the house all day while her mom
worked. She had seen him go to jail for driving after drinking. She
saw a lot. But the scene before her at that moment was perhaps the
most surreal of all.

“
Can’t I just go with you?” she
blurted out, noticing a disappointed expression cross her father’s
worn face.

“
No,” Miriam said. “You’re going to
school. Nothing changes. Your father is going to watch you, and
that’s that.”

Ana looked around, thinking of some
way to keep her mom from leaving.
“What about my
spelling bee on Thursday?”

Miriam nodded with a look of
regret.
“Your dad can record it for me.”

Freddy took Ana
’s hand
and squeezed. “It’ll be okay. Don’t you want to see me?”

Ana shrugged.
“I
guess.”

“
Ana, that’s enough,” Miriam said,
startling her. “Now go take your things to your room and let us
talk this out.”

“
Whatever,” she said, without making
eye contact with either parent. She grabbed her backpack and left
the kitchen, walking toward the hall where her room was. She
flipped her light switch on and closed the door. A week with her
father. She supposed that things could be worse.

***

Silence fell over the kitchen after
Ana left. Freddy looked to Miriam.
“Spunky for her
age, isn’t she?”

“
You don’t know the half of it,”
Miriam said, walking back to the counter. Plates clanked together
as she rinsed them, opened the dishwasher, and placed them
inside.

Freddy didn
’t seem
bothered by Ana’s objections to his watching her. “I’m just glad I
get to spend some time with her.”

Miriam closed the dishwasher and began
to wipe the countertops with a sponge. She was thankful for Freddy
coming all the way to their house on short notice and agreeing to
watch Ana. She couldn
’t believe he had actually agreed
to it. She wanted to think that he had changed and that he and Ana
would have a great time. Part of her, however, remained
skeptical.

“
And there’ll be no drinking during
the week, correct?” she asked him.

Freddy pushed his chair back
defensively, scraping against the vinyl floor.
“Jesus,
Miriam. How many fucking times do we have to go over
this?”

“
Language, please,” she
said.

“
I told you that I’m sober. I have a
decent job. Everything is working out now.”

“
I know, Freddy. But we’ve had this
conversation many times—”

“
I didn’t come over here to go on
about the past. I came here to help with Ana. And you…”

“
I appreciate that,” Miriam said,
opening the fridge and placing various containers inside. She
closed the fridge door and lifted her head, listening to the
muffled pop music playing in Ana’s room. “I should go talk to her,”
she said, walking out of the kitchen.

Suddenly, Freddy’s hand reached out and
clasped her wrist, right below her bracelet. She froze in place and
looked down, shocked that he would even have the nerve to touch
her.

His eyes were serious, and his face
was stricken with concern.
“You still haven’t told me
where you’re going.”

She yanked her hand away but remained
in place.
“I told you. It’s police
business.”

“
So you’re doing pro bono work
now?”

“
The person who killed my partner just
kidnapped another girl. Do you get it now?” Miriam’s gray eyes were
wide with anger.

Freddy nodded, and a hint of sadness
crossed his face.
“I just don’t want anything to
happen to you.”

“
I’ll be fine,” she said.

“
I don’t want to see you get your
hopes up for nothing.”

“
Just focus on Ana,” Miriam said.
“That’s all you need to worry about.”

Freddy said nothing more, but his eyes
remained fastened on her. Miriam walked away, but in the living
room, she stopped and turned around again, feeling his stare.

“
What?” she asked, annoyed.

“
Are you seeing anyone?”

“
That’s none of your business. We’re
divorced, understand? As in, not going to happen again.”

Freddy rose from his chair and walked
over to her with slow, confident strides.
“All I’m
saying is that you should loosen up a little.”

He took her soft hands in both of his,
not taking his eyes away from her thinly sculpted face, her red
lips and dark brows. She removed her hands from his and put them at
her sides.
He leaned forward to kiss her, and she
didn’t pull away. Instead, their lips pressed together as he
reached down and squeezed her hands.

He then moved his hand up her back, pressing
her closer as she closed her eyes. For a moment, her stress
dissipated, replaced by feelings of familiarity and comfort. She
didn’t see the harm in going further. Apparently, neither did
Freddy.

Suddenly a car honked in the
driveway.
She pushed Freddy away and went to the
window to look out. O’Leary had arrived. As if it were preplanned,
the news coming from the living room television sounded more urgent
suddenly.

“
Authorities have placed a
high alert around Lee County following the kidnapping of Emily
Beckett, who was abducted from a Safeway parking lot today after a
brutal assault on her mother. Investigators fear that the young
girl’s abduction is just the latest in the long line of child
kidnappings that have plagued the area for the past five years. The
suspect, known to residents as the Snatcher, is also a suspect in
the shooting death of thirty-two-year-old sheriff’s deputy Joseph
Lang during a routine traffic stop a year ago.”

Miriam went to the living room and
stood in front of the television. Familiar images of the school
parking lot and Lang
’s crime scene filled the screen,
together with pictures of both victims. Miriam’s heart seized as
they showed her partner’s portrait. Her knees felt weak as she
leaned against the wall.

The newscaster continued,
“
The suspect in both cases has been
linked to at least four other child abductions, each within one
year of each other. Parents around the community are urged to keep
a careful eye on their children, not leaving them anywhere alone.
Neighborhoods have also imposed curfews for children twelve and
under while the search for the so-called Snatcher
continues.
”

Outside, O’Leary tapped the horn again. “My
ride is here,” Miriam said, picking up a packed bag sitting near
the foyer.

Freddy folded his arms as though
everything was kosher. “
Why don’t you invite this
detective in and let me meet him?”

Miriam looked up and sighed.
“Freddy. Just stop.”

Freddy held his hands out defensively
with a laugh.
“Stop what?”

“
I have to do this. Don’t you
understand that? ”

“
Of course I do,” he said
defensively.

Freddy lowered his hand to touch
hers.
“When we were married, I always worried about
you. You don’t understand that, being on the other side, but it
never changes. Whether we’re married or not, it never
changes.”

Miriam opened her mouth to speak when
suddenly Ana entered the room in her pajamas.
“What
are you guys going on about?”

“
Nothing,” they said in
unison.

O’Leary’s car idled in the driveway.
Miriam
’s phone buzzed again. She looked at the screen.
“My ride is waiting.”

She grabbed her purse. Freddy followed
and took her bag.
“Here, lemme get that.”

Ana followed her parents out the door.

“
You have everything you need?” Freddy
asked.

Miriam walked outside and stopped,
turning toward the two of them.
“I should.
Thanks.”

Idling behind Miriam
’s
car was a gray four-door Ford Crown Victoria. O’Leary was at the
wheel and rolled the window down. “Good evening,” he said with a
wave.

Freddy
’s two-door black
pickup was parked next to Miriam’s. They walked past it as O’Leary
unlocked his trunk from the inside. They heard it click open, and
Freddy placed Miriam’s bag inside and closed it. He introduced
himself to O’Leary as Miriam gave Ana a hug, squeezing her
tight.

“
You be good for your father, and I’ll
see you in a week.”

Ana nodded, seeming upset and
despondent.
“Where are you going? I want to go
too.”

Miriam placed her hands on her
daughter’s shoulders.
“I wish you could, but you
can’t. It’s important police work.”

“
Does that mean you’re going to be a
policewoman again?”

She hugged Ana again as Freddy waited
patiently, standing nearby.
“No, honey. This is just
temporary. But I’ll be home soon. Promise to do well in school
while I’m gone.”