by Patricia Fry
“No!” Michael shouted. “She won’t bother you. Come here, Lexie.”
The man continued up the stairs and the woman watched as the dog trotted to Michael and sat down at his feet. In the meantime, they could hear Rags meowing from his pen—a sound that only mildly interested the woman with the gun. What attracted her attention was the commotion she heard overhead. She backed up so she could keep an eye on the Iveys and the staircase at the same time. When her accomplice appeared with a bundle in his arms, she demanded, “Everyone stay put and no one gets hurt! Do something stupid and it’s a different story.”
Savannah could see Harrison and Leah on the second-story landing. He was doing his best to hold his frantic wife back.
“My baby!” she screamed. “No! You can’t do this! My baby!”
Once the man had descended the stairs, he pointed his gun at the Iveys and the woman raised hers toward Harrison and Leah. Quickly, the man ran out the front door. When the woman heard him call out, she ran toward the door, still brandishing the pistol. And then she was gone.
Meanwhile, Harrison tore down the stairs and ran out into the night. Michael handed Lily to Savannah and sprinted after him.
“Michael, no!” Savannah called, rushing to the open door. She was nearly knocked over when Leah ran past her screaming at the top of her lungs. “My baby! My baby!”
But all they could do was watch the taillights of the getaway car growing dimmer and dimmer in the darkness. Once the car was out of sight, Leah collapsed into a heap on the porch, sobbing and Savannah rushed with Lily to the dining room, where she placed a 911 call. She then called the detective. “Craig, they took him! They took Charlie. They had guns. There was nothing we could do.”
“Damn it all to hell,” Craig said. “That’s just…” he started. He then asked more calmly, “Is everyone okay?”
“Yes. Heartbroken, is all.”
“Did anyone get a description?” he asked.
“They looked like Hawaiians or Asians. It was a man and a woman,” Savannah explained, her voice quivering. “She was small—about Leah’s size. He was kinda big. Both wore black. Only their eyes showed. They had guns, Craig.”
“What about their vehicle?”
“Michael,” Savannah called out, “what were they driving?”
“A damn small dark car,” Harrison said, clenching his teeth in anger. “I didn’t see a plate—they must have removed it.”
Savannah relayed this information to Craig, who said, “Okay, hon. Stay put. I’ll be right there. And tell Leah and Harrison…” he paused, “…well, tell them we will get him back.”
****
The sheriff’s investigators had come and gone by the time Craig arrived an hour or so later and found the two couples sitting quietly in the living room. Leah and Harrison sat together on the sofa with one of Charlie’s blankets crushed between them. The Iveys shared the loveseat with Lily asleep in Savannah’s arms.
“So what do you know?” Savannah asked eagerly.
“Have you found my baby?” Leah pleaded, her eyes red from crying.
Craig shook his head and swallowed hard. “No. But we have people at the local airport and in San Francisco paying particular attention to airlines heading for the islands or to Los Angeles. We’re stopping all suspicious cars leaving the city. We’re searching local motels and we’ve posted an AMBER Alert.” He looked piercingly at Leah and Harrison. “We will find your son.”
The two of them, both dazed, nodded.
Suddenly Craig grabbed his phone from his pocket. “Sledge here,” he answered as he walked slowly away from the others. When he ended the call, he stood, staring down at Rags, who was sitting in one of Buffy’s pink canopy beds. “What do you want, cat?” he asked rather absent-mindedly. He coughed and cleared his throat, then started to turn toward the others when something caught his eye. He squatted down in front of Rags. “What’s this?”
“What?” Michael asked, joining him. “He’s not bleeding, is he?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Craig pointed. “Looks like there’s a note of some kind there under the kitty bed.”
“Hmmm,” Michael murmured. He tugged on the piece of paper.
“Oops,” Craig said, chuckling when Rags slapped at Michael’s hand. “He doesn’t want you to have it, does he?”
Michael shook his head slowly and grinned at the cat, who now stood with his paw on one edge of the paper. “He can be possessive.” He said to Rags, “Come on, boy, let me see it.” After removing Rags’s paw from the paper, he studied it and said, “Seems to be part of an address.” He handed it to Craig. “I haven’t seen this before.”
Craig looked at it, then passed it around to the others, who agreed it wasn’t familiar to them, either.
“It looks like a Hawaiian name,” Savannah said.
“Yes. I think it’s part of an address in Hawaii.” Craig turned to Leah. “What was Kale’s last name, do you know?”
“Oh, yeah, I heard it once or twice maybe. It was one of those long Hawaiian names; I think it started with a K.”
Craig grinned. “Of course it did. The letter K is pretty prominent in the Hawaiian language.”
“So what do you think that is?” Savannah asked. “And how did Rags get it?”
Craig studied Rags for a moment. “Who knows? Was he running loose this evening? I mean, when those dirt bags were here?”
“No, he was in his pen,” Savannah said.
“Well, maybe they dropped it and he found it after you let him out of there,” Craig suggested.
“Probably,” Savannah agreed. “What do you think it means?”
“Could be the grandparents’ name and address. If so, we might have a beeline to where the baby will be taken. That’s the good news.”
“Oh, that would be good news,” Harrison said, relaxing just a little.
Craig rubbed his chin. “But we only have a partial here. If we’re lucky, these folks are listed somewhere and we can confirm this information.”
“But even if we find him, what’s to keep them from taking him again?” Leah asked quietly.
“Prison,” Craig affirmed.
“And what if someone else in the family thinks like the grandparents do and they come back and get him?”
Craig thinned his lips, then moved toward Leah, who was now pacing nervously. He put an arm across her shoulders and said gently, “Let’s not go there, shall we? We’ll get him back and he’ll be safe in your home. No worries. Okay?”
Leah nodded weakly.
Harrison joined his wife and took her hand. “Craig, can we go home now?”
The detective nodded. “Yeah, I see no reason why not.”
When Savannah stepped up and suggested they stay for a few more days so Leah wouldn’t have to be alone, Harrison said, “Thank you, Savannah, but she won’t be alone. I’ll stay home with her until we get our son back.”
“Really?” Savannah asked.
“There’s no way I could study or work,” he said, choking up. “And I won’t leave her.”
****
Three days later Leah approached Harrison as he cut vegetables for soup in their kitchen. “Are you making enough for Colbi and Damon?” she asked, easing down into a chair at the table.
He nodded. “What time are they coming?”
“Oh, around six, I guess. Colbi made bread. She’s really into the homemaker role since she’s been staying home with Rosemary.” She closed her eyes and tried to stop a flow of tears.
“When will she go back to work?” he asked. “They can’t survive on one salary, can they?”
Leah dabbed at her eyes. “I guess they can. Remember, Damon got that gigantic money gift from his grandmother when they got married.”
“That’s right. I’d forgotten. So you don’t think she’ll go back to writing?”
“I’m sure she will—but just maybe not at the newspaper office or maybe not full-time. She doesn�
��t want to miss a moment with her…” Before Leah could finish the sentence, she started to cry again. She took a ragged breath. “Oh, how I wish I could get through a whole hour without bursting into tears.”
Harrison moved closer to Leah and put his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head. “I doubt that will happen until we have Charlie back with us.”
She put her hand on his and squeezed it. “Yeah, when’s that going to be?” she asked, not expecting an answer. “I guess that address the cat found didn’t help in their search. They don’t know where our son is…in Hawaii, in California, or someplace else. I just can’t imagine how he could disappear without a trace.”
Harrison went back to the stove and tossed a few handfuls of vegetables into the broth. “That’s not entirely true, Leah. They think that address is important and they’re watching the place where they believe he’ll be taken at some point. Someone will slip up and we will get Charlie back. I’m sure of it.”
“Well, I’m not. It’s been three excruciating days.” After a few moments, Leah took another deep breath. She blew into a tissue and stuffed it into her pocket. Then, in an attempt to focus on something else she picked up her phone. “Harrison,” she said, her voice sounding pinched, “I have a missed call from Hawaii.”
He stopped stirring the soup. “What?”
“It came in this afternoon—must have been while we were outside feeding the cats.”
As Leah attempted to activate the voicemail, Harrison said sarcastically, “Yeah, it’s probably a travel offer. Ten days in lovely Honolulu; just hand over your wallet and we’ll put you up in a crummy room behind the fancy ocean-front hotel that’s blocking your view of the Pacific.”
Leah put up her hand to shush him. After listening to the message, she shouted, “Harrison, it’s from them—Kale’s parents!” Disbelieving, she said, “They don’t want Charlie.”
“What?” he asked, rushing to where she sat. She handed him the phone and he listened to the message: “We don’t want him. We didn’t know he was imperfect. Pick him up by dark tomorrow or else.” There was a pause, then he heard, “Instructions to follow.” He hugged Leah, then pulled back. “Man-oh-man, it never occurred to me that they wouldn’t want him.” He turned and stared into space, trying to make sense of what had just happened. “This is great!” he shouted. “Just super great!” When he looked at Leah again, he asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t you get it? They’re giving him back.”
“Yeah,” she said, weeping, “but we still don’t know where he is.” She faced him. “If they took him to Honolulu, how are we going to get there? We don’t have that kind of money. They say ‘tomorrow night or else,’” she recited. “What does that mean? We can’t come up with enough money for an airline ticket on such short notice. Harrison,” she wailed, “we’ll never make it in time.”
He looked into her face. “That’s not going to happen, Leah. We will get the money and we will make that deadline.”
“What money? What deadline?” Colbi asked when she entered the room with Damon, who had baby Rosemary in his arms.
Harrison rushed to his sister, lifted her off the floor, and swung her around. “They’re returning Charlie to us. Can you believe it?”
“Really?” Colby looked from Leah to Harrison. “How? What happened?”
Ignoring her, Harrison edged his phone from his pocket. “Hey, I’d better call Craig.”
Colbi placed the bread she’d brought on the table and approached Leah. She took her shoulders. “Now tell us what happened, will you?”
Leah nodded toward Harrison while he began speaking into the phone.
“Hi, Craig,” he said. More joyfully, he announced, “They’re giving us back the baby! Leah got a voicemail saying we can come get him—he’s presumably somewhere on the islands, but there’s a deadline. If we don’t show up by dark tomorrow night, they’ll…” He paused, then shouted, “Craig, they’re giving him back to us!”
“Oh my gosh!” Colbi exclaimed.
“Sounds fishy to me,” Damon said. “Could be a trap.”
“A trap?” Leah said. “What do you mean? What else could they want from me?”
Damon shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ll be interested in what Craig says.”
“Well, anyway, we can’t possibly come up with the money to fly to Hawaii on short notice. We’re barely feeding ourselves,” she wailed. She turned away and said, “Besides, we still don’t know where he is. They said they’d send us more information.” She faced Colbi and Damon. “What if we don’t get it in time?”
Colbi put her arms around the younger woman, who was, by then, sobbing. “Listen, Leah, the money is not a problem.” She looked at Damon.
“Absolutely not,” Damon agreed. “If you need it, you’ve got it. There’s nothing more important than that little boy right now. If, indeed, the message is legitimate.” He frowned and handed Rosemary to Colbi. “Let me hear the message,” he said. “Did they ask for a ransom? Is this some sort of extortion attempt?”
Leah handed Damon her phone, then asked quietly, “Colbi, can I hold Rosemary…please?”
“Of course,” Colbi said. She murmured to the baby, “Here, baby girl, why don’t you keep Aunt Leah company for a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” Leah said. “My arms feel so empty without my baby.” She smiled down at the infant, then held her tightly against her chest.
Within seconds, Harrison joined her and the two of them sat down on the sofa with the baby. He ran his hand gently over Rosemary’s soft hair and kissed her.
“What did Craig say?” Leah asked.
“He’s on his way over. He wants to listen to the message.” Harrison caressed baby Rosemary’s arm, offering his finger for her to grasp. He smiled at the faces she made as she stretched and grunted.
A few minutes later, Damon asked, “Do I smell something burning?”
“Oh no,” Harrison said, jumping up and heading into the kitchen.
“Way to go, chef,” Colbi said, laughing. “Did you learn that in culinary school? Hey, I could have taught you that and it wouldn’t have cost you a dime,” she joked.
“Yeah, yeah,” Harrison said, trying to shine his sister on. “Nothing burned. The soup just boiled over a little, that’s all.”
Colbi chuckled. “Well I could have taught you that, too.” She turned toward the front door. “Looks like Craig’s here.”
“Celebrating, are you?” he asked as Colbi ushered him in.
“Well,” Colbi said, “it depends on who you’re talking to.” When Craig seemed to be waiting for more, she explained, “Damon thinks it could be a hoax or a ransom attempt.”
Craig let out a deep sigh as he joined the others in the living room. He studied Leah and Harrison for a moment and smiled when he saw how much they were enjoying Rosemary. He walked around to see the baby’s face. “She’s really something, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she is,” Harrison agreed.
Leah nodded.
After several moments, Craig asked, “So where’s the voicemail you told me about, Harrison?”
“Here,” Leah said, handing her phone to him.
He eased into a wingback chair and listened to the message a couple of times. “Well, they don’t mention anything about a ransom. I think what has happened, and I’ve had this confirmed by an expert on Island gang culture, is that they wanted their grandson to carry on their criminal lifestyle—they wear the badge of crime with pride and their strength depends on strong male family ties. They’ve been known to eliminate or at least disown sons who refused to follow the legacy. Maybe the boy wants to work on the side of the law, for example, or go into some other career. This is grounds for disownment, if there is such a word.”
He coughed and cleared his throat before continuing. “In the case of your son—their presumed grandson—they must have either taken him to the doctor or they recognized on their own that Charlie is afflicted with Down syndr
ome and they’ve rejected him.”
“Wow!” Colbi said.
“Unbelievable,” Damon said.
Craig slapped his hands against his knees and stood up. “Well, let’s get this show on the road.”
Leah quickly looked up at him, her eyes wide. “Huh?”
“You want to get your baby boy back, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Leah and Harrison both said.
“They aren’t giving you much time.”
“But we don’t know where to go—where he is,” Leah wailed.
After thinking about it for a few moments, Craig asked, “Have you checked your email…texts?” When she looked confused, he handed her the phone.
“Oh, a text,” she said. “I didn’t notice this.” She handed her phone back to Craig. “I can’t read it, my eyes keep tearing up.”
The detective began reading, “You must come alone.” He looked up at Leah. “Only the parents—both of you.” He continued paraphrasing, “They’re leaving the baby behind a trash bin under the clock tower at…and they give the address here. Be there before dark or…” He looked up at the others. “That’s it. They don’t say what will happen after that. It appears their main concern is that you two come alone.”
“Why’s that, Craig?” Colbi asked.
“Well, they’re trying to keep from being identified as kidnappers. They don’t want the authorities involved. They figure the slickest way to keep from being caught is to deal directly with the parents.”
Damon fidgeted in his chair. “But it appears from that text that they’re leaving little Charlie behind a Dumpster. It doesn’t sound like they’re going to turn him over—person to person.”
“No, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be somewhere watching to make sure he’s picked up and by the right people or person. They’ll probably have someone at the ready to intervene if anything goes counter to their instructions. Know what I mean?” He placed Leah’s phone on the coffee table and pulled his out of his pocket.