Authors: Terri Reid
Mary and Celia arrived back at the office just as Bradley
was pulling his cruiser into the parking spot out front next to the Roadster.
“Field trip?” he asked, as he met them at the door.
“I introduced Celia to Ernie’s place,” Mary explained. “It
was…therapeutic.”
Raising an eyebrow, Bradley leaned over and whispered into
Mary’s ear. “Did she meet Ernie?”
Laughing, Mary shook her head. “No,” she said in a normal
voice. “Ernie and Celia didn’t get the chance to meet.”
“No, although, from what Mary told me about him, he seems
like a very nice man,” Celia said. “I’d like to meet him someday.”
“He’s a great guy,” Bradley agreed. “And he taught Mary a
couple things about throwing a punch.”
“That’s what she said,” Celia said. “Although I don’t
understand what she meant about being the hit of a wedding.”
Chuckling, Bradley smiled down at his wife. “Someday, when
you’ve gotten to know each other a little better, I’m sure she’ll tell you the
whole story,” he explained.
“Yes,” Mary agreed, “later, when you won’t think I’m crazy.”
Smiling sadly, Celia placed her hand on Mary’s arm. “After
our experience yesterday afternoon, I promise, I won’t ever think you’re
crazy.”
“Thank you,” Mary said. “I really appreciate that.”
Nodding, Celia stepped back. “Well, I’m going to get out of
your way so you can meet,” she said. “If you need anything, please call me.”
“I will,” Mary said, “Thanks again.”
Bradley opened the door for Mary and they both entered the
office.
“She’s a very nice lady,” Bradley said.
“Yes, she is,” Mary agreed. “And I’m sure she was a
wonderful mother. It’s not fair.”
Following her over to her desk, he sat down across from her.
“You’re right, it’s not,” he agreed. “And all we can do at this point is
try
and bring her some closure.”
Bradley watched the determination form on Mary’s face as she
pulled her notepad across her desk. “You’re absolutely right,” she said. “So,
what do you have?”
After sharing the highlights of the meeting, Bradley gave
her copies of all the reports he had. “So, now you know what I know,” he said.
“No one stands out?” she asked. “No gut feelings?”
“Well, the superintendent is a jerk,” he said. “But that
doesn’t make him a murderer.”
“It doesn’t make him not a murderer
either,”
Mary added.
“So, what did you learn from Courtney?” he asked.
Sitting back in her chair, she paused for a moment,
gathering her thoughts. “I saw her walking away from the softball diamond,
waving at friends,” she said.
“So, it happened right after practice, when there were still
people in the park,” Bradley said.
Mary nodded. “Her hair and face began to show signs of
rain,” she explained, “And then she started jogging down the road toward the
bridge that leads to Demeter Avenue.”
“She lived off of Demeter,” he said. “So she was on her way
home.”
“She was on the bridge and then stepped up to the curb,”
Mary said.
“A car was coming,” he surmised.
“Yes, I think that’s what happened,” she agreed. “Then she
stopped walking and spoke with someone.
At first she shook her head and then she laughed.
She stepped off the curb, walked to the other
side of the bridge and disappeared.”
“She got into a car with someone,” he said. “Someone she
knew.”
“Yes, her actions didn’t show any fear or reservation,” she
said. “He probably offered her a ride home in the rain.”
Bradley pulled Courtney’s police report out of the file.
“Her parents reported her missing at about seven o’clock that night,” he said.
“Softball practice ended at five and the storm began at about five fifteen.”
“So, there was nearly two hours of time for the perp to take
her somewhere,” Mary said.
“That’s what the initial theory was,” Bradley said. “Someone
from out of town had taken her and by the time she was reported, they could
have been in Chicago. No one saw anything.”
“Well, everyone was hurrying home to get out of the rain,”
Mary said. “It was a perfect opportunity.”
Nodding, Bradley stared at the report again. “So, if we
presume that Courtney is another victim of the same person who kidnapped the
rest of the girls,” he said slowly. “We need to not only determine the points
that are the same about all these crimes, but also what’s different.”
Opening her own file, she nodded and jotted down some notes.
“Okay, same, she is a young girl that attends Freeport schools.”
“Different – she did not have a history of skipping school,”
Bradley said.
“Different – it didn’t happen during the school day,” she
added.
Bradley stopped scanning the report and looked up at Mary.
“Okay, that’s a big different,” he said. “Because if our perp had a system of
trolling the streets looking for kids who had skipped school, why would he be
at the park at the end of the day?”
“You’re right,” Mary agreed, eagerly shaking her head. “The
park has too many people and too many adults for him to feel as safe as he felt
driving down empty residential streets during the school day.”
“So, if he wasn’t going through the park to find his next victim…”
Bradley started.
“He was on his way home,” Mary continued. “He was trying to
beat the rain, so he took a shortcut through the park on his way home.”
“And Courtney just happened to be at the wrong place at the
wrong time,” he said.
“This was a crime of opportunity,” Mary agreed. “But now we
are two steps closer to finding him because we know Courtney knew him and we
know he lived near the park.”
The afternoon was dragging, as Friday afternoons generally
do. But this was worse.
Mary felt stuck
at her office. She didn’t want to go home, didn’t want to be waiting at the
house when Clarissa got home.
Didn’t want to have to deal
with all of the drama and confusion.
She just felt overwhelmed, tired and emotional.
She reached over to the box of cookies she had purchased at
lunch and was surprised to find that all of them were gone.
I just ate a dozen double chocolate
macadamia nut cookies
, she scolded herself.
I disgust myself.
Sighing, she pulled Courtney’s file in front of her again,
trying to see if there was anything she’d missed. The words swam in front of
her eyes.
What is wrong with me?
The ringing phone postponed the answer to that question as
Mary eagerly answered it. “Mary O’Reilly Alden,” she said.
“Hey, sweetheart, how are you doing?” Bradley asked.
Oh, I’m great
, she
replied silently.
I’m trying to double my
clothing size in a week.
“I’m good,” she actually said out loud. “I’ve just been
going over the reports again.”
“Good, so you’re busy?” he asked.
“Yes, really busy,” she lied.
“So you wouldn’t mind if I picked up Clarissa at school?”
A broad grin spread across her face. “No. No, I don’t mind
at all,” she said. “And, you know, maybe you need a daddy-daughter date. She
really seems to be missing you.”
“I guess I could take her out for ice cream,” he pondered.
“And a movie,” Mary interjected. “You could go out to a
movie.
Unless, of course, you have to work.”
“No, I’ve actually got to run over to her school and meet
with the principal before the end of the day,” he said. “But then I’ve done all
I can do. I have my officers still working on the case, but I decided I needed
to spend some time with my family.”
“Oh, well, wonderful,” Mary said. “You and Clarissa make an
evening of it.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?”
“I am positive,” she said. “I’ll go home and maybe take a
bath and do my nails. Just have a little me time.”
“You deserve a little me time,” Bradley said. “And then,
once Clarissa and I get home and she goes to bed, we can have a little us
time.”
Mary grinned. “I love us time,” she said, her voice
softening into a seductive whisper. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
“I’ll be sure it’s a short movie,” he replied.
She laughed. “Take your time,” she said. “Anticipation
always makes things better.”
Bradley had to wipe the silly smirk off his face before he
left his office. He knew he was stupid-in-love, but he didn’t need to let all
of his staff know it too. “Dorothy, I’m heading over to Lincoln Douglas
School,” he said. “After that I have a very important daddy-daughter date. But,
if you need me…”
“Chief, I think Freeport can let you have one night off,”
she said. “Besides, don’t you have a new wife at home?”
Bradley couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.
“Yeah, I do.”
“I see,” Dorothy said, not bothering to hide her smile.
“I’ll be sure no one bothers you after nine o’clock.”
His grinned widened. “Thanks, Dorothy. Thanks a lot.”
Pulling his cruiser up near the front of the school, Bradley
waited at the glass door to be “buzzed in” by the office. He glanced at his
watch and realized that if he didn’t want to be blocked in by a dozen school
busses, he needed to be quick.
Once he
was inside, he crossed the hall to the office. “Hi, Pam,” he said to the
receptionist. “I need a minute or two with Sandy and then I’d like to pick up
Clarissa a little early.”
“Sandy’s waiting for you,” Pam replied, pointing in the
direction of the principal’s office. “And I can call down to Clarissa’s teacher
and have her send Clarissa down with her backpack and coat.”
“That would be great,” Bradley said. “Thanks.”
He knocked on Sandy’s door and was invited in
immediately.
Not bothering to take a
seat, he leaned against the doorframe and greeted the middle-aged black woman
with a smile. “I just wanted to let you know that I reviewed the letter you
composed about the missing girl,” he said. “It’s great and it really details
how parents can help keep their children safe.
I was hoping you’d let me bring it over to Julie at the district office
and let her spread it throughout the other schools.”
“You know you didn’t have to ask me,” Sandy said. “I’m fine
with that. Actually, I’m fine with anything that helps keep our kids safe. Are
there any leads?”
“Not yet,” Bradley said. “But we’re working on a couple of
things.”
“Good. I pray you find him before another child gets
snatched,” she said.
“Me too, Sandy,” he replied.
“Me too.”
“Well, try and have a good weekend, Bradley,” she said. “Remember,
you have a lot of blessings in your life.”
He straightened and nodded. “I do indeed,” he said. “And you
have a good weekend too.”
Sandy looked beyond him through the glass windows into the
school office. “Well, just
look
who’s getting out of
school a little early,” she said, winking at Bradley. “I won’t keep you.”
“Thanks again,” he said.
He stepped out of the office and nearly ran into Ray Giles,
the truant officer he met at the school district meeting. He smiled and
extended his hand. “Ray. Ray Giles. Right?” he asked, shaking the older man’s
hand.
Ray smiled back at him. “You’re good with names and faces,”
he said. “If you ever decide to give up police work, you’d be a great truant
officer.”
Bradley laughed. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Daddy!”
Clarissa called, running
across the office and throwing her arms around her father.
Bradley bent down and gave her a hug. “Hi, sweetheart, how
was your day?”
Clarissa turned, smiling at the man standing next to her
father and froze.
“Clarissa, what’s wrong?” Bradley asked.
“This is your daughter?” Ray said, meeting Clarissa’s eyes.
“Well I’m sure I’ll never find her skipping school, will I?”
Leaning back against her father, she shook her head. “No,”
she stammered. “I would never, ever leave school without permission.”
He bent down and stroked her cheek. “I didn’t think so,” he
said, then straightening he returned his gaze to Bradley. “Have a nice weekend,
Chief Alden.”
Bradley nodded. “You too, Ray,” he said, watching the man
walk slowly down the school hallway.
Turning to Clarissa, he was ready to ask her about her
reaction when Pam came up behind them.
“You’ve got about two minutes before the buses get here,” she said. “You
better get while the getting’s good.”
“Thanks, we will,” he said, grabbing her backpack and
leading Clarissa out the door, the concern about her reaction slipping from his
mind. “Guess what? We’re going to have a date tonight.”
Ray Giles walked down the hallway feeling like an
executioner was right behind him.
All that
little brat had to do was tell her daddy about the
offered ride and the suspicion will all shift in his direction.
If things weren’t so hot right now, he could
just say he was going to bring her back to school.
But, there was too much risk and he was a guy
who hated risk.
He slipped out the side door of the school and hurried to
his car.
He would have to take care of
the little girl, but that wasn’t going to happen until she was away from her
daddy.
Slipping into the car, he started
to turn the key when he looked down at the passenger’s seat and spied a memo
from the superintendent. He really hated that jerk.
He started to turn the key and froze once again.
A smile spread across his face.
Yeah, all I need is a little diversion
,
he thought.
All I need is for them to
find the bad guy and then I’m home free. Find the little girl, find her with
the superintendent and problem’s solved.
He sighed, as he finally turned the car on and backed out of
the parking space.
Too bad she has to die
so soon, I haven’t even gotten to the fun part yet.
Picking up his cell phone, he placed a quick call and put
the phone on speaker.
The phone rang
three times before there was an answer.
“Dr. Sears.”
“Dr. Sears,
it’s
Ray Giles. I was
just over at Lincoln Douglas dropping off my report and I saw Chief Alden
there. He was asking questions about you.”
“What?” Nick Sear’s voice rang with fear. “He’s got no
business asking any questions about me.”
“Doesn’t your wife work there?” Ray asked, already knowing
the answer.
“Yes, she does,” he replied. “But there is nothing… He
didn’t talk to her, did he?”
“Well, I’d like to tell you all I know, but I’m afraid I
might be overheard,” he said. “I don’t want you to get in trouble. You’re my
boss. You’re a good boss. Maybe we could meet somewhere and I could tell you
what I heard.”
“I can come to your place,” Nick suggested.
Ray grinned, this couldn’t be much better.
“Yeah, well, I don’t think that’s a great idea,” he said.
“I’ve noticed some cop cars swinging by my place.
I think they’ve got us all under
investigation.”
Nick was breathing heavy.
Ray could picture him wiping the sweat off his brow.
“Okay, I’ve got this other place,” Nick finally said. “But
you’ve got to swear that you won’t tell anyone else about it.”
Ray nearly laughed out loud.
Oh, yeah, doctor, your little love shack that I knew about four years
ago. Sure, I won’t tell anyone about it.
“Of course I won’t tell anyone,” Ray replied. “I told you,
I’m on your side. I wouldn’t have called you if I wasn’t.”
Nick gave Ray the address to a small house on the edge of
town. “I’m leaving now,” Nick said. “Be there in fifteen minutes.”
“I still have a couple more stops to make,” Ray lied. “But I
can be there in forty-five minutes. Besides, it will be less suspicious if
you’re there first and then I come much later.”
“Oh, okay, that’s true. I’ll see you in forty-five minutes.”
“Does this place have a garage?” Ray asked, knowing full
well it did.
“Yes, it does. Why?”
“Leave the garage door open for me,” Ray said. “I’ll park my
car in the
garage,
in case anyone drives by they won’t
know we’re meeting.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Nick said. “I’ll open it when I
get there. Don’t be late.”
“Oh don’t worry,” Ray said. “I’m treating this like my life
depends on it.”