Monday
Night
The Stafford residence was in chaos. Keri and Ray had to fight their way through a media circus to get in the house. Even inside, they could hear the shouts from reporters. A different security staffer from before led them into a massive kitchen, where they found Mia in tears and Stafford pacing back and forth angrily. When she saw them walk in, Mia wiped her eyes and cleared her throat.
"We had a long visit from a guy who apparently runs everything at Pacific Station," Mia said. "Cole Hillman."
"I guess we know what the secret crisis was," Keri said to Ray. Then to Mia, "Yep, that's our boss."
"Well, he said he had this huge experienced team in place and that he'd personally be leading it and that you did a great job but now you were off the case."
"That's true," Keri said.
"I told him no way," Mia said. "Then he said you didn't have the experience."
Keri nodded. It was true.
"I've only been a detective for a year now."
"When I didn't back down, he also said you weren't ready for the pressures of a case like this, that you had a daughter abducted five years ago and that you never really recovered. He said that sometimes you just drift off for minutes at a time or think that every little girl is your daughter."
Keri exhaled.
Who in the hell did Hillman think he was talking to a civilian like that? Wasn't this some kind of HR violation?
Still, she couldn't deny it.
"Yeah, that's pretty much true also."
"Well, when he said it, he made it sound like a bad thing," Mia said. "But I can tell you something right here and now. If Ashley is still missing in five years, that's exactly what I'll be doing-seeing her face everywhere I look."
"She won't be-"
"Yeah, hopefully, but that's not the point. The point is, you get it-you get what's going on here-and he doesn't have a clue. I told him point-blank that I not only want you back on the case, I want you heading it up. Stafford backed me a hundred percent."
The senator nodded.
"There wouldn't be a case right now if it wasn't for you," he said.
Keri felt her stomach twist in a knot.
"I think you're underestimating Lieutenant Hillman."
"Regardless, Stafford and I want you on the case and we made our opinion clear."
"What did he say?"
"He said it was a complex matter, he's been in law enforcement a long time, and he has a far better understanding of who to bring into the case to get things done than either of us did. He was polite about it, but in the end he basically took the position that a couple of civilians, even one who's a senator, weren't about to tell him how to run his department."
"There's a lot of merit to that."
"Maybe, but I don't care. We want you handling this and we told him so."
Keri considered it and then shook her head.
"Look, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but-"
"But nothing. You're heading it up as far as we're concerned. We're not even going to talk to anyone else."
"What about me?" Ray asked with a smile, trying to lower the tension in the room.
"Who are you?" Mia asked, seemingly noticing him for the first time.
"This is my partner, Ray Sands. He taught me pretty much everything I know about being a cop."
"Then I guess you can stay," Mia replied in what sounded like a slightly lighter tone. "Now, tell us what's new-anything?"
Keri brought them up to date on what happened at Denton Rivers' house, and how they got the license plate of the black van and had just now searched the premises of the van's owner, an ex-con named Johnnie Cotton, only to find Ashley nowhere around. She didn't mention that the guy was their daughter's drug dealer or anything about the surveillance. She didn't want to raise false hopes.
Stafford looked hard at her and said, "If you were in charge, what would you do, right this minute?"
She considered it.
"Well, we're following up a few leads I can't discuss yet. But if they don't pan out in the next hour, I think I'd get an Amber Alert out. That way, a description of both Ashley and the black van would be broadcast throughout the media. Sometimes we hold off on that if we think it would put the child at greater risk. But I don't really see a downside in this situation. Ray?"
"No, if our current leads don't shake out we'd blast out all relevant information and see what came back."
"Including the license plate number?" Senator Penn asked.
"Correct," Ray said. "But as Detective Locke mentioned, we need to see how a couple of leads develop before taking that next step."
"I understand it was you two who found the black van in the first place?" Mia asked.
"Right," Ray answered.
"And not Cole Hillman and his huge, experienced team?"
"Mrs. Penn-" Keri started.
"Mia. I think you can go with the first name under the circumstances."
"Okay, Mia, and please call me Keri. Yes, Ray and I found the van. But Lieutenant Hillman is just doing what he thinks is best. We're all doing everything we can to get your daughter back. Let's try to work together rather than at cross purposes, all right?"
Mia nodded.
"How long does it take to get the Amber Alert out?"
"Once it's approved, only a matter of minutes," Ray told her. "I can get the preliminaries started now so that we can pull the trigger immediately once we get approval."
Mia looked at Stafford for his support.
He hesitated.
"Stafford?"
He had a look of doubt on his face and said, "We've suddenly got all this craziness going on in her life. Lieutenant Hillman mentioned a fake ID, photos showing pot and alcohol and…nudity. He mentioned some new guy who's way older than she is. Part of me still wonders if she just went off to party with some guy in a van and is too wasted to get in touch. If she wanders home in the morning drunk, after an Amber Alert goes out, my career, quite frankly, is over. Hell, considering the press frenzy, it may be over anyway."
Mia pressed his hand.
"She's in serious trouble, Stafford, I can feel it. She won't be wandering in drunk. She needs us now, right this second. She needs everything we can give her. Forget about your career and think about your daughter. If it turns out that she was taken and we didn't do this, you'd never forgive yourself."
He exhaled, weighing the options one last time, then looked at Keri and said, "Let's get it going then, if we can."
"Okay," Keri said, "let us track down these last few leads. If nothing materializes, we'll post the alert within the hour. We should head out."
"Can I at least offer you something to eat before you go?" Mia asked. "When's the last time you had a meal?"
Almost immediately upon hearing the question, Keri's stomach began to growl. She'd had nothing since lunch, almost nine hours ago. Plus, the shots she'd had at the bar had given her a dull headache. She glanced at Ray and could tell he was thinking the same thing.
"Maybe some sandwiches, if it's not too much trouble," he said. "It's not like we can do anything else until we hear back from Brody."
"You're not able to tell us what these leads you keep referencing are?" Senator Penn asked.
"Not yet. They could be useful. They could be nothing. We don't want you riding any more of an emotional roller coaster than you already are."
"I hate roller coasters," Mia muttered to no one in particular.
Ten minutes later, as they finished wolfing down their sandwiches, Ray's cell rang.
"Sands here," he said through a full mouth. He listened intently for a minute while everyone else remained silent. When he hung up, he turned to them. Keri could tell it was bad news before he spoke.
"I'm sorry to say our leads didn't pan out. We had a surveillance team following Johnnie Cotton as he drove around town in his van. At some point he made them and they had to take him down. Ashley wasn't in the van. He's down at the station right now."
"Is he being questioned?" Senator Stafford asked.
"He was but he started asking for a lawyer pretty much from the get go. He's been in this kind of situation before. He knows there's no advantage for him in talking."
"Maybe he'd be more receptive if Detective Locke had a conversation with him," Senator Penn suggested.
"Maybe-she's great with interrogations. But I don't think Hillman would go for it. This case has a lot of heat already and I don't think he wants to do anything to jeopardize a conviction."
"Lieutenant Hillman left me his card earlier. I think I will use it. Why don't you two go down to the station? I have a feeling that by the time you get there, he'll have had a change of heart."
"Senator, with all due respect, once a suspect asks for a lawyer, there's a ticking clock. There's only so long you can hold them before it's viewed as a gross violation of rights."
"Then you'd better get down there fast." He stared at them both with such certitude than they couldn't help but wonder if it was possible. Keri looked at Ray, who shrugged.
"Let's go," he said. "No harm in trying."
They headed for the door, escorted once again by the security guard. They were almost outside when Mia ran after them. She opened her mouth but before she could speak, Keri beat her to it.
"Don't worry, Mia. I'll order the Amber Alert as soon as we get in the car. We'll get her back soon."
Mia gave her a small hug, then waved to the security guard to help them navigate the throng of press just beyond the gate. With their shouted questions and bright camera lights, the reporters seemed like jackals now. But very soon, they could be a useful tool to get a teenage girl back home to her family.
So why do I have such a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach?