Page 25 of Five
I like hima lot.
The building is quiet, all of the children outside with their teachers and the assistants. I created an elaborate scavenger hunt for them to do, finding special rocks and leaves and shapes in nature…even bugs.
I do it every now and again when the seasons begin to change– as much as they do in the Keys, which is next to nothing– wanting to get them all outside and observing the small differences with a critical eye.
It’s really too quiet in here, absent the chatter of little voices and the occasional wail for attention. I slip into my sweater and wander out to observe. It’s not really something I need to do, but I’ve found when I hit an afternoon slump that the children energize me.
The sky is a brilliant blue dotted with gray-tinged cumulus clouds. It may rain later, but for now, it’s warm and sunny and a beautiful day. Happy shouts bounce around the playground, and an airplane rumbles overhead, momentarily muffling them.
I can’t even be annoyed at being so close to the airport. The location brings me many children of airport employees, so the roar of engines is an easy trade-off.
The low grumble of the plane dies away, replaced with what takes me a moment to recognize as the sound of screaming.
A child’s scream.
I turn and my worst nightmare breathes life as, over by the fence bordering a small patch of woods, I see one of my children. Henry, sweet little Henry, is in the hands of a man draped over the waist-height fencing, struggling to free himself of the man’s grip.
“Stop! Put that child down!” I run toward them, shouting, my heart in my throat. From the opposite side of the playground, Shelby starts running, too.
This isn’t happening. This can’t happen… not again… never again.
The man looks up, catches sight of me, and drops Henry without ceremony before he turns and runs.
A heartbeat later Henry is firmly in my arms, shaking and crying. “Shh… sweetheart. It’s okay.” I press a kiss to his crown as Shelby stumbles to a stop beside me, her gaze focused on the man disappearing among the trees.
“God, I’m so sorry, Neve… I don’t know what—”
“We’ll talk about it later. Right now, call the police and get the children inside. I’ll call Henry’s father.”
Standing, I swing Henry up to my hip and stride back, toward the school. My lower lip trembles and I firm it resolutely.
He’s okay. Everything’s okay.
For now.
Three
Oscar
“Ahhell!”Theroadin front of me is choked solid. Fucking media milling around, looking for some poor bastard to rip to shreds, all too happy to report on every detail of the unlucky fucker’s life, bleeding them dry before they move on to the next like a swarm of locusts.
Fucking vultures, the lot of ‘em.
There are benefits to having an unmarked police car. You don’t stand out in the crowd. Parking a little way back— not that I have much choice since there are so many vehicles— I get out and take the opportunity to get the lay of the land.
Sipping on my strong black coffee, courtesy of a nearby Gas-N-Go, I study the road, the properties, the general feel of the street, although I’m having to project a little there, since nothing about the current scenario can be considered normal.
Still, it’s useful to check out the nearby road, how easy it might be to get in and out of here unnoticed. Whether or not a car would be essential. I decide that it is.
And it’s good to understand the neighborhood. Little things like how well the frontages are looked after, the yards and gardens. It gives an overall feel of the community and how useful any of the residents might be at providing information.
And how well Little Pilot’s Daycare fits into its surroundings.
Call me jaded, but it wouldn’t be the first time I’d encountered some idiot neighbor who’s got it into their head that they can cause some kind of dust-up in order to get rid of an unwanted business.
Of course, attempting to abduct a child is admittedly taking things a little far, but I’m not one for ruling anything out without checking all the possibilities.
After all, a daycare isn’t without its irritations. Lots of noisy kids running around, screaming, shouting, crying. Equal numbers of parents contributing to increased traffic to annoy the residents. Taking up parking spots, jamming up the road, adding to the pollution levels.
