Missing (Everyday Heroes Book 6)

by Margaret Daley

  The kid stuck out his bottom lip and shook his head. That earlier fear returned to his eyes, which glistened with unshed tears.

  After the child bit Brody and kicked him, the feisty little brat wasn’t to be trusted. At the same time, Brody didn’t want him to be frightened. “You’ll be all right. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Brody increased his pace and squatted at the entrance with the young boy in his arms, not daring to relax his hold on the kid. He would be out of here in a blink of an eye. “Is this where you’re staying?”

  He nodded.

  “We’re here to help. Are there more of you?”

  The young boy nodded again.

  Brody moved closer to the brush and released the child when the only way he could go was into the thicket. “Show me where.” As the kid started crawling through a green maze of vegetation, Brody was glad he wore a coat. The branches scratched at his leather jacket. At one spot, he had to duck down to get through. As he did, he lost sight of the young boy.

  Then Brody heard Emma followed by a young girl saying, “That’s my brother, Danny.”

  Before Brody could wiggle his way through the narrow path, a young girl, probably around ten, appeared, dragging the boy behind her, saying to her brother, “They’re going to help us find Nate, so you’d better behave. Running off wasn’t smart.”

  “Ouch, you’re holding my arm too tight,” Danny said in a whiny voice. “I wanted to talk to Jack. My brother told me about him. He hangs around the shelter outside. I think he saw Nate on Wednesday.”

  Brody would need to talk to Danny to find out why he thought this Jack might have information. Did Jack know where Nate was? Was he the guy Brody caught a glimpse of earlier behind the shelter?

  “Not until you promise you’ll stay with me and Beth. When you left, Beth couldn’t stop crying. She’s afraid she’ll lose you like Nate.”

  “Okay. Okay.”

  The next thing Brody saw as he backed away to allow them to come through the narrow passage was first Danny then an older sister followed by a younger one. Brody spied Charlie and Emma taking up the rear. Her gaze locked with his and held his attention until he realized he needed to back out of the kids’ green refuge first.

  A few minutes later, the three kids stood before their large scrubby shelter. These children had used it as a home. He wondered for how long? He had a ton of questions for them, but for the moment, that would have to wait. First, he would take them to the shelter to let Mathew know where Charlie led them. Then, he would have to contact Nick about the kids.

  “These three are Nate’s brother and sisters. This one,” Emma laid her hand on the youngest’s shoulder, “is Beth. She’s five years old.” Then Emma moved to the older girl. “Terri is eleven and is in charge when Nate isn’t here. Danny is eight years old. Their mother died four months ago in Riverbend. Their last name is Stark. They don’t have any relatives that they know of.”

  Brody took Charlie’s leash from Emma. “I’m glad we found you. You need to be inside where it’s warm and you can eat.” As Brody’s gaze skipped from one child to the next, his compassion for the three rose as well as his anger that they were in this kind of situation.

  “They haven’t had anything to eat since Tuesday night. Nate didn’t come back from the shelter on Wednesday.” Emma picked up Beth, her eyes downcast. The five-year-old didn’t fight Emma. Instead Beth lay her head on Emma’s shoulder, trying to keep her eyelids from closing.

  Nate never showed up at the shelter on Wednesday, so something happened to Nate before he reached Mathew’s refuge. Brody prayed he could reunite this family. “Let’s go to the shelter.” Brody took a couple of steps, but Terri and Danny stood still. Brody turned toward them. “What’s wrong?”

  Terri shook her head. “We don’t want to go there.”

  The look on Terri’s and Danny’s faces made Brody pause. “Why? I know the guy who runs it.”

  “Nate went to the shelter and didn’t come back,” Terri said in a monotone voice as though what energy she had siphoned from her. “When he left on Wednesday, he was upset. I asked him what was wrong.” She stared at the ground.

  “What did he say?”

  “He thought someone was following him when he came back here on Tuesday. He had a weird feeling about the place.”

  Brody pressed his lips together. “What did Nate mean by that?”

  “He wouldn’t tell me.”

  “Then why did he leave Wednesday for the shelter?”

  “We needed food and a coat for Danny.” Terri pointed to her brother’s jacket, which was in shambles.

  “Did he tell you who the someone was?” Emma asked.

  Terri sighed. “He didn’t tell me other than it was a person who was always there when he went.”

  “Thanks, Terri. All the information you can give us will help the police find Nate.”

  Brody swung his attention to Danny. “Who’s this guy called Jack? How do you know him?”

  Danny looked at his big sister. When she nodded, he said, “Yesterday he scared me when I went close to the back door of the shelter.”

  “Does Jack stay there?”

  Danny shook his head. “Jack came out of his hidey-hole where he lives behind the trash bin. He mumbled that Nate was taken. I tried to ask him about it, but he lifted a bottle and took a long drink of it then crawled back into his place. I heard the back door open, and I ran. On Thursday, I didn’t see Jack. I think he’s gone.”

  Was the guy he saw earlier Jack or someone who took over Jack’s “home”? “He might not be gone. Is he tall, thin, and wearing a dirty brown overcoat?”

  “Yes, that’s him. You saw him today?” Danny asked.

  “Yes, but he ran off.”

  “You need to talk to him. He might know what happened to Nate.”

  “I’ll let the police know. Right now, we need to get you to a safe place.” Brody glanced at Emma. “We’ll be going to the Pals Center. You’ll be safe there. I run it.”

  “That’s a great suggestion, Brody.” Emma began walking toward the break in the fence where they came through to the field.

  While Emma led the group, Brody took up the rear with his dog. Questions bombarded him. Why had Nate been concerned about someone at the shelter? Where was Jack? What did he know? Nate had been going to Mathew’s place for weeks. What had changed?

  Chapter Eleven

  “Who else wants an extra cookie?” Emma asked the three children sitting in Brody’s office at the Pals Center with Charlie at the side of Beth.

  “Me,” all three said at the same time.

  Emma smiled. When Brody had brought the hamburgers, milk, and fries for them to eat, he’d also picked up the chocolate chip cookies. Watching them stuff the food into their mouths cinched her decision to give them a home until a more permanent place for them was found. Their needs demanded she do something about them.

  When Brody returned to his office after calling Nick and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Emma moved off to the side with him to see what was happening and whispered, “When will someone be here from DHS?”

  “Within an hour. The child welfare specialist is across town with another client. Nick will be here soon. He was going by the shelter to talk to Mathew before he headed here. He would see what Mathew could tell him about Jack and where he might have gone. Bobby Joe was moved to a safehouse. He didn’t want to risk Bobby Joe’s life. The apartment isn’t the best place to guard him. Nick wants you to interview him again.”

  “When?”

  “Today. He’ll talk to you about it later.”

  When Beth stood up, Emma paused to see what the child was doing. The five-year-old closed the distance between her and the sofa and eased down onto the middle cushion. Charlie followed her and laid down on the floor near her feet. Beth held a whole cookie and a half eaten one. She broke off a small piece and tossed it to Charlie then crammed as much as she could into her mouth. The sight of the child’s frant
ic movements, as though any second the treat would disappear, caused Emma’s throat to swell with emotions she was trying to keep under control. Her tears would probably only alarm the kids.

  “Beth, take your time and enjoy what you’re eating. I don’t want you to choke on the cookie. If you want anything else, you can get it. Brody brought extra food.”

  The five-year-old hopped to her feet, hurried back to the desk, and snatched another hamburger then returned to the couch.

  Emma smiled at Beth “Remember to chew slowly. It’s better for you.” Then Emma swung her attention toward the older two siblings and realized they were also shoveling the food into their mouths as fast as they could. “Terri and Danny, the same goes for you two. What you have won’t be taken away. I don’t want you to get sick eating too much too fast. Okay?”

  Terri nodded, put her second hamburger down, and took a long sip of her milk. Then Danny followed his older sister’s actions.

  Emma checked her watch and said in a low voice, “The kids will be here soon.”

  “Yeah. Stan left in the van to pick up the first batch at the Harrison Apartments. Group activities will start in a half hour. When I came in, several parents had already dropped off their children. They’re in the gym warming up.”

  Emma chuckled. “Ah, the basketball challenge.”

  “Yup.”

  Emma cut the distance between her and Beth on the couch. The five-year-old yawned and slowly leaned to the left until she gave up fighting the tiredness. She closed her eyes, and sleep descended.

  Emma rewrapped the half-eaten burger and put it on the end table near Beth then lifted the little girl’s legs onto the cushion. “Who’s playing first?”

  “The girls,” Brody said.

  As Beth lay on the sofa, Emma covered her with a blanket. “I wish I could be there to see the game, but I need to be with them, especially when DHS arrives.”

  “Not to mention talking to Bobby Joe again.”

  “Oh, yeah. I’d already forgotten about that. Not enough sleep last night. A lot has happened in half a day. She shifted her glance toward the two children trying not to stuff cookies into their mouth while she and Brody stood near the doorway. “I’m going to ask to take them with me. I’m an approved foster parent,” Emma whispered, not wanting the children to overhear.

  “You are? I didn’t know that.”

  “I’ve only had two foster kids in the few years I’ve lived here. They both needed the help of a child psychologist. In this case, there’s a lot going on with all three of them. If Nate is never found, they’re going to be dealing with a lot of emotions, and if Nate returns, there will still be a lot they’ll need to work through. Their mother died four months ago and whatever has happened to Nate will need to be dealt with, especially emotionally, too.”

  “How are you going to do it? You have a full-time job.”

  “My aunt, the one who lives next door to me, she was my inspiration for wanting to work with children. She was a teacher for many years then went back to college so that she could be a counselor in an elementary school. She’s retired, but I gave her a call, and she’s one hundred percent with me on doing this. She’ll be my backup when I’m tied up with a patient. I can also adjust my work schedule as I have these past few days. And they’ll be enrolled in school come Monday.”

  He looked at her long and hard. “You’re amazing. In a few hours, you’ve come up with a solution for these kids.”

  “I’m also counting on you letting the two oldest participate in the Pals Center when it’s beneficial for them. Terri will be great in my group that meets twice a week. She’ll be the youngest member, but I have a couple of twelve-year-old girls. The group you want to form to teach self-defense would be good for Terri and even Danny.”

  “You’re making it sound like this could be long term.”

  “It’s a possibility. I can’t turn my back on them. I hope Nate’s found. They’ll need him as they transition from their situation now to, hopefully, living with a family member in the future. The Department of Human Services will check into their background and see if there’s a relative who’ll take them in.”

  “If they don’t come up with a family member, what will happen to the kids?”

  “A foster family and the possibility the children will be adopted.”

  Brody turned his back on Terri and Danny, a frown grooving his forehead. “What if a person wants one of them or even two but not all three or all four if Nate’s found?”

  He had a point. She hated seeing siblings separated. Family was important and needed to be together. “I’ve learned not to try to solve problems that don’t yet exist. We’ll take it one step at a time.”

  “I’ll help you anyway I can with the children. They’re my priority.”

  “I agree. But we also need to keep the other kids safe in Cimarron City. I have a feeling we have predators here who are targeting people like Piper, Maria, and Nate.” Brody glanced into the corridor. “Nick is here. We should talk in the hallway. The kids don’t need to hear this.”

  Emma nodded. “Terri and Danny, Brody and I will be in the hall, talking to a police officer concerning Nate. He’ll help us get your brother back. You need to stay in here. Okay?”

  “Has he found Nate?” Danny asked as though he didn’t hear what Emma had said.

  She started to say something but decided against it. More likely, Danny was having a hard time dealing with his older brother being gone and was trying to deny it.

  “Not yet, but he’s working hard to find him.” Brody opened the door with a large window in the top half. “We won’t be far away. You’ll be able to see us.”

  In the corridor, Emma greeted Nick. “Any good news?”

  “We’re narrowing down the black SUV in the parking lot to five. After you talk to Bobby Joe, I’ll be following up on the vehicle. My partner’s at the shelter. He’ll go to the field to look for any clues concerning Nate’s disappearance and see if he can find Jack.”

  Brody shifted his attention to the two kids still eating the food he brought them. “Did your partner get a list of people who work at the shelter, especially ones who were there on Tuesday? I know a lot of them are volunteers. They should be on the list, too. Nate wouldn’t necessarily know if a person was an employee or a volunteer. Some who help around the shelter are homeless and give their time for food and a place to sleep.”

  Emma noticed a woman coming down the hall. “DHS is here. I need to talk to her without the children hearing us.”

  “Use Stan’s office. He’ll be in the gym after he picks the kids up from Harrison.”

  “Thanks. This shouldn’t take too long.” She turned to Nick. “Then I can go with you to talk to Bobby Joe.” Emma walked toward Donna McMasters whom she’d worked with before. Emma shook her hand. “It’s good to see you. I’d like to talk to you privately before you see the children.”

  “That’s fine.”

  After Emma shut Stan’s office door, she faced Donna. “I wanted to let you know I would like to be their foster parent while you try to find a relative or a more permanent situation.”

  “That would be great because at the moment we don’t have a family to place them with. They would have gone to a facility for foster children.”

  “The three are really scared and emotionally drained. They’ve lost their mother and now possibly their oldest brother.”

  “That’s why it’s great that you’re taking them in now. They’ll need your counseling expertise. That’s another benefit to you being their foster parent at least until we can find a more permanent situation for them.”

  Emma walked to the door to the hallway. “I’m going with Detective Davidson to help him interview a person linked to a case he’s working. The children will stay here while you interview them. Then Brody will watch them until I get back.” They left Stan’s office. “I’ll introduce you to them. They’ve been on their own since their mother died. According to Terri, the oldest girl, thei
r mom died four months ago. They lived near Riverbend. Terri told me her last name is Stark.”

  “Good. That will give me a place to start looking.”

  Brody and Nick were still talking as Emma skirted around them in the corridor and entered Brody’s office. Beth continued to sleep on the couch. Emma sat in a chair near Terri while the case manager took a seat near Danny.

  “I wanted to introduce you to the woman who works for DHS and will be taking your case.” Emma gestured toward Donna. “This is Mrs. McMaster. I’ve dealt with her before, and she does a great job.” Emma first looked at Terri then Danny, both of their expressions reserved, their bodies stiff. “I’ve requested to be your foster parent until a permanent situation can be found for you all.”

  Terri blew out a long breath and relaxed the tension that had gripped her. “All of us, even Nate when he’s found?”

  “Yes.” Lord, please help us find Nate. His siblings need him. “I have to go talk to someone, but I shouldn’t be gone longer than an hour. Mrs. McMasters has questions for you. It’s important you answer them. When she leaves, Brody will be here for you. You won’t be alone.” Emma stood and headed for the door.

  Beth popped up on the sofa and rubbed her eyes. “Where are you going?”

  “I won’t be gone long.” Emma gripped the knob.

  “Don’t go.”

  She released her grasp and covered the distance to Beth. After Emma sat on the couch next to Beth, the child threw her arms around Emma.

  “Stay, please. Nate left and didn’t come back.”

  Emma hugged the little girl. “I need to leave but only for a brief time. Brody will be here while I’m helping with the search for Nate.”

  Beth’s eyes grew round. “Where’s my brother?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out.” Emma framed the child’s face with her palms and leaned down to kiss her scrunched forehead. “You’re safe here.” She released her hold on Beth who sank back down onto the cushion. Emma rose and again covered the little girl with a blanket. “Remember, Charlie’s here to protect you, too.” She pointed toward Brody’s canine nearby.