“Let’s swing back by the office,” Paul said.
During the walk, Dot called to say there was no sign of him. Lucy hadn’t called yet, so Gloria checked in with her and Eleanor.
“I’m sorry, Gloria. We haven’t seen him.” Lucy sounded distracted and out of breath. “It’s dark. There are so many people. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
They checked with Margaret on their way to the office. A few more vehicles had come and gone, including a white commercial van. “I crawled right inside that van. The driver wasn’t too happy about it until I told him a child was missing.”
“A county patrol car just turned the corner.” Paul gazed over the top of his wife’s head. “I’ll wait here and fill them in on where we’re at.”
“While you do that, I’ll run by the office area one more time.”
“Margaret can go with you. I’ll keep an eye on the exit,” Paul promised.
Gloria waited for Margaret to join her. “This is all my fault. I never should’ve let the boys go off alone after dark, especially not knowing their way around and with an abductor on the loose.”
“You figured Tyler was old enough to keep an eye on his brother. Besides, it was right around the corner, not to mention you wouldn’t have been able to follow him into the bathroom. It could just as easily have happened to you.”
The office door was locked, and the lights were off. They passed the vending machine where hours earlier, Ryan had asked for a soda. Where he had been thrilled to become a sign spinner and earn enough to get his voice changer. Sudden tears burned the back of Gloria’s eyes, and she let out a shaky breath.
“Let’s circle the building one more time,” Margaret said softly. “It can’t hurt.”
The women did an about-face and backtracked. A movement in the shadows of the corner of the building caught Gloria’s eye. It was the tip of a tennis shoe. She took a step closer. “Ryan?”
Gloria’s grandson burst out of the dark shadow. He barreled toward her, knocking her off balance. “Grams. I’ve been here waiting for you.”
“What were you doing hiding in the corner? Everyone is looking for you.” Gloria caught herself. Now wasn’t the time to scold her grandson. Instead, she burst into tears. “Thank you, Jesus,” she whispered.
“I forgot my voice changer on the sink. Tyler wasn’t waiting for me outside the bathroom. There was a man. He told me my brother was waiting for me. It was stranger danger. I ran. I ran away, but no one was here, so I hid in the corner so he wouldn’t find me.” Ryan’s voice started to tremble. “I didn’t want him to take me. I was scared.”
“You didn’t hear us calling your name?”
“Uh-uh.” Ryan shook his head.
Gloria grasped his shoulders. She leaned forward and looked into his eyes. “Tell Grams exactly what he looked like.”
“He had long hair,” Ryan said. “I ran. I didn’t look back.”
“I’m proud of you. You did the right thing.”
Margaret pulled her cell phone from her purse. “Thank you, God. Let me call the others to let them know Ryan is safe.”
Gloria wrapped her arms around her grandson, holding him close. A rage began to build inside of her. The man had targeted the wrong child.
Chapter 18
All but Rose, Johnnie, Helena and Tyler assembled near the front.
Ryan waited for Paul and the deputy to join them before repeating what had happened, how he’d gone back into the bathroom for his voice changer. When he came out, Tyler wasn’t around, and a man with long hair approached him.
“Was he driving a van?” the deputy asked.
“I don’t know. He said Tyler was waiting for me. He wanted me to follow him, but I ran the other way.”
The deputy surveyed the surroundings. “Is this entrance the only way in and out?”
“There’s a gate near the back, but it’s locked,” Ruth said.
“You’re sure?”
“It was last time I checked.”
“I have more men on the way,” the deputy said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a positive identification of the vehicle. The man could have walked onto the premises, and we don’t know his intentions.”
“But he matches the description the other boys – the one here in Belhaven and the ones at the park – gave,” Gloria insisted.
The deputy walked over to his vehicle, reached inside the driver’s side window and grabbed a notebook. He returned and handed a single sheet of paper to Ryan. “Is this the man you saw tonight?”
Ryan studied the picture. “I think so. He had a funny voice.”
“Funny?” the deputy prompted.
“He was talking like this.” Ryan mimicked a raspy voice. “His hair was curlier. It was long and yellow.”
“How was it yellow?” Paul asked.
“Like dirty.”
“My men will search the grounds, but at night and in the dark, it will be difficult to find him in this crowd.”
Two more patrol vehicles arrived a short time later. After a brief meeting, the officers fanned out in different directions.
“There’s nothing we can do tonight,” Paul said. “Ryan is safe. Tyler is safe.”
“Maybe I should handcuff both of them to me,” Gloria joked.
“I’m hungry,” Ryan whined. “Can we eat and look for aliens?”
“Yes. We can go look for aliens. On the way, we’ll stop and grab a slice of pizza.”
Ruth stayed behind for an update from the police while the others headed toward the back. They made a pitstop at the concession stand where Gloria’s grandson ordered slices of pizza for both him and his brother.
They continued walking, making their way to the meeting spot. Tyler was the first to see them approach. He gave Ryan a playful shove. “You scared Grams half to death.”
“I didn’t mean to. I couldn’t find you, and the creepy man started following me.” Ryan handed his brother a plate of pizza.
“What creepy man?” Tyler folded the pizza slice in half and took a big bite. “I didn’t see a creepy guy.”
“Because you were staring at your phone,” Ryan said. “Where did you go? I came out of the bathroom, and you were gone.”
“I went in looking for you,” Tyler said. “You went out the wrong door.”
“Boys.” Gloria formed a time out with her hands. “What’s done is done. We all learned a valuable lesson. Ryan, if it ever happens again, which it won’t while you’re with me, but if it does, stay put. Go back inside the bathroom and wait. Someone will come and get you.”
“I will. I didn’t mean to scare you, Grams,” Ryan said. “It was stranger danger.”
Large round orbs of bright light filled the starry skies. The first strains of the Star Wars theme song began to play.
“It’s starting.” Ryan shoved the last bite of pizza into his mouth.
The music abruptly stopped, and a hushed silence fell over the crowd.
Floodlights illuminated the tree line, and a green fog suddenly appeared. A solitary figure stepped out of the mist, casting a long shadow across the makeshift stage.
Dot elbowed Gloria. “It’s Alien Elvis.”
“You’re right,” Gloria whispered back. “Check out his pompadour.”
“If this is your first Alien Invitation, then thank you for joining us. For those of you who have been with us before, welcome back.” Elvis gave a brief overview of the special event and ended with a request for complete silence.
“This is silly,” Margaret mumbled.
“Shhh.” Eleanor pressed a finger to her lips. “We can’t attract aliens with that kind of negative energy.”
A familiar and disgusting smell wafted in the air. Gloria realized it was Rose’s Alien Allure potion. It was coming from her youngest grandson.
Helena, who stood directly in front of Gloria, clasped her hands, her eyes lifted skyward.
Gloria cast a furtive glance at Paul, who was standing on her other side. He cau
ght her eye and winked.
Several moments of silence ensued. All the while, Gloria mulled over Ryan’s frightening encounter with the long-haired man. Maybe now the authorities would be able to catch him – on the grounds.
A sudden thought occurred to her…if the long-haired man was roaming the flea market grounds, Leonard couldn’t possibly be a suspect. She nudged Paul, pulling him close to whisper in his ear. “Ruth’s friend isn’t responsible for the missing child and attempted abduction, not to mention Ryan’s scary encounter.”
“Because he’s at the station with an airtight alibi,” Paul said. “You’re right.”
Finally, after what seemed like endless waiting, the non-event ended, and the crowd dispersed, but not before Alien Elvis offered one more piece of advice. “Don’t get all shook up, folks. We still have another evening to gather using our energy forces to attract otherworldly beings. And one more thing…if you’re craving a peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich, Dot’s Restaurant downtown serves one of the best.”
There was a polite round of applause. The group of friends waited for the area to clear before gathering their belongings and returning to the office.
“I guess my Alien Allure wasn’t as alluring as I thought,” Rose sighed. “Sales will probably plummet tomorrow.”
“Or increase,” Margaret said. “They may decide to slather it on in a last-ditch effort to have the stench reach their target.”
“It’s not a stench. It’s a unique aroma.”
“I like it,” Ryan said.
“We’re gonna head home,” Dot shifted the blanket to her other arm. “We’re opening early tomorrow. Now that Elvis has given us some free advertising, we’ll probably be even busier.”
“Johnnie and I are gonna head out too,” Rose said. “I need to mix a new batch of alien potion for tomorrow.”
“I’ll be right there with you tomorrow, Rose. I ran out of my Thanksgiving Day prepper feast,” Helena said. “Looks like I’ll be breaking into my emergency stash.”
“I’ll give Margaret a ride home,” Lucy patted Ryan’s shoulder. “I think you gave your grandmother a few more gray hairs tonight.”
Gloria thanked her friends for helping her search for Ryan. Paul approached one of the officers while Ruth, Gloria and her grandsons waited nearby.
He joined them a short time later. “There’s no sign of the man. They found the back gate open, so it’s possible he managed to slip out.”
“Which means he’s familiar enough with the grounds to know there was a second gate,” Gloria mused. “I’m thinking Leonard will be cleared as a suspect, and the spymobile will be back tomorrow.”
“It’s getting late. We should head home too.” Paul and the boys exited the office while Gloria lingered behind. “This could have been so bad. In fact, it is bad for the poor family of the Lakeville boy.”
“I recognize the look on your face.” Ruth followed Gloria out of the office. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to hunt this man down, make sure he’s locked up and can never target another child again.”
*****
Gloria tossed and turned all night, reliving the terror she felt when she discovered Ryan was missing. She got up once and tiptoed up the stairs to the spare bedrooms to check on the boys and reassure herself they were still there.
She woke early the next morning and headed to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. After it finished brewing, she poured a cup and settled in at the table for a time of prayer, thanking God that Ryan was found safe and for the safety of the missing boy.
Gloria was even able to squeeze in a few quiet moments to read her Bible before Paul joined her. “You were up half the night.”
“I kept going over what happened. The missing boy is weighing heavy on my mind,” Gloria confessed.
“Ryan gave us a good scare.”
“And whoever was targeting him managed to get away.” Gloria pressed her hand against her cup, cradling its warmth. “What possesses people to snatch children?”
“They’re mentally disturbed or just plain evil.”
“Without a conscience or a soul.”
Paul grabbed his cell phone off the counter and tapped out a quick message. “I checked with my buddy at the sheriff’s department. There’s no sign of the boy yet.”
“The longer he’s missing, the less chance there is of finding him.”
“Yes,” Paul nodded grimly. “I have to admit I didn’t get the best night’s sleep, either. Based on all of the information…Bea’s sighting of a similar van, the fact the incidents began occurring after the convention attendees started to arrive, not to mention Ryan’s incident last night, leads me to believe there’s a link.”
“I agree, but the authorities already searched the vans and ran their plates. They’ve already talked to everyone matching the description. Unfortunately, whoever is behind this has been clever enough to stay off the radar.”
Paul finished his cup of coffee and headed to the bathroom to get ready while Gloria began fixing breakfast. It took her a couple of tries to rouse the boys, but they finally made an appearance.
During breakfast, Gloria questioned Ryan about the man again. He repeated everything he’d told her the previous night. “Can I go to the alien show again?”
“I’m afraid not. Tomorrow is a school day. Besides, I don’t think I’m up for another adventure like we had last night.”
“I would stick by your side.”
“No.” Gloria shook her head. “Maybe next time. What you can do is get ready for church.”
They arrived at the Church of God with moments to spare. The couple dropped the boys off at Sunday School and slipped into the sanctuary as the choir began singing.
Pastor Nate started the service by mentioning the missing boy. The congregation joined in for a special prayer for his safety and return to his family.
The morning message was about gifts of the church, how everyone worked together whether it was helping financially, with their time, with special skills and even in the mission field.
The key verse was faithfulness to God’s calling:
Who hath saved us, and called [us] with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. 2 Timothy 1:9
The pastor challenged the congregation to ponder their gifts and how God was calling them.
Paul squeezed his wife’s hand. “You have a knack for pursuing justice.”
“Otherwise known as sticking my nose into other people’s business,” Gloria joked.
“You said it, not me.”
She playfully elbowed him. “You wouldn’t have it any other way.”
After the service ended, Paul tracked down the boys while Gloria and her friends gathered outside.
Lucy was the last to join them. “Looks like they haven’t found the missing boy.”
“It’s terrible,” Gloria said. “I was awake half the night trying to figure out how the man managed to get away.”
“Through the back gate. Someone busted the lock,” Ruth said. “Peter is still under the weather, so Helena stopped by first thing this morning, and we installed double padlocks. It won’t happen again. There is a glimmer of good news. Gus is delivering my spymobile to the flea market around noon, and Leonard is back.”
“That is good news,” Dot shifted her feet.
“I’ve been thinking…the suspect has to be someone local. I mean, he has a boy. There are a lot of people camping out at the flea market grounds. Keeping the boy hidden would be nearly impossible.” Gloria began to pace. “I’m missing some sort of angle, a clue.”
She abruptly stopped. “I am going to get to the bottom of this, and I know exactly where to start.”
Chapter 19
Nails and Knobs hardware store was empty when Gloria and Lucy wandered inside. Brian, the owner and Andrea’s husband, was in the back. “Hey, ladies. How’s Ruth’s alien inva
sion going?”
“It’s back on track.” Gloria set her purse on the counter. “We had a scare last night.”
“Someone was abducted by an alien?” Brian joked.
“No. A man matching the description of the real abductor approached my grandson, Ryan. He scared him, not to mention me, half to death.”
“You’re kidding.” Brian sobered. “The police were in here Friday asking questions right after the incident with the Bearney boy. They were interested in the purchases made by one of the convention coordinators.”
“It was Leonard. Which is why Lucy and I are here. Leonard was down at the sheriff’s station at the time of Ryan’s incident. There’s no way he could be involved.”
“You think it’s someone from the convention,” Brian guessed.
“There are several vehicles matching the van the Bearney boy identified. Bea believes she caught a glimpse of it too.”
“Did Ryan see the van? Can he identify the man?”
“His description, although similar, was vague.” Gloria told him the investigators had already questioned the attendees. “I’m beginning to think it’s someone who’s attending the convention but not staying on the grounds.”
“Which would put them under the radar,” Lucy said.
“Right.” Gloria tapped her chin thoughtfully. “And there would be too great a risk to have taken a boy and then keep him hidden with so many people around.”
“Surveillance and spy enthusiasts at that,” Brian said.
“Exactly,” Lucy said. “I’m sure the amount of spy and surveillance equipment these people have with them is mind-boggling.”
“You don’t remember anyone matching the suspect’s description…perhaps someone who purchased duct tape, rope, zip ties, anything used to hold someone captive?” Gloria asked.
“No.” Brian shook his head.
“I’m not giving up. Hopefully, the missing boy is still alive. I need to focus on the flea market. My gut tells me the convention is key to tracking down the abductor.” Gloria changed the subject. “How are those beautiful babies doing?”
Alien Allure: A Garden Girls Cozy Mystery (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 23) Page 13