Chapter 4
"I know you're worried about your son, but I promise you that we'll find him."
"Not like this we won't," she replied.
Nathan stood up from his seat "If you're going out to look, I'm going with you."
"All right, come on, we have to find him," she said as she turned to face Brooke.
"It's ok, I'll stay here and see if they get any calls, so that way I can call your cell if there's any sign of him."
"Okay, thanks Brooke," she said, hugging her friend.
"Everything will be alright, Hales." Brooke said reassuringly, all the while hoping she was right.
Haley climbed into the passenger side of the squad car as Nathan put the car in gear and pulled out of the lot and onto the road.
"Do you want to call your husband, tell him what happened?" he asked, glancing at Haley and then back at the road.
"My husband died three years ago," she replied glancing at her feet.
"I'm sorry," he replied, not knowing what else to say.
The rest of the ride to the schoolyard was silent as Haley glanced out the window hoping desperately to see her son. They pulled in the lot and drove around the building to double-check that he wasn't there. They then drove down the street, calling his name over and over hoping that he was somewhere nearby. Haley's heart dropped when their was no sign of her son anywhere.
xxx
"Brooke Davis? I'm Lucas Scott, Nathan's brother," he said, shaking her hand.
"Hi, have there been any calls? Have they found Aiden?" she asked, her voice full of hope.
"No we haven't found him yet, but there have been a few calls."
"Really? So people have seen him?"
"We're not sure yet. We have to follow up on each call and make sure that they actually saw him."
"Oh," she said, her heart falling. "How long will that take?" she asked, taking a seat once again.
"Well it could take a while to sort through all the calls but I'm trying to hurry the process along. I want to find this little boy as much as you do," he replied touching her arm in a comforting gesture.
Lucas pulled his hand away as he answered the phone, "Okay, thank you, I'll check it out."
After hanging up the phone he turned to Brooke, "The chief wants me to check out one of the people who called in. The woman claimed to see a little boy matching Aiden's description getting into a silver Porsche around the time he went missing."
"Really? Oh my god. Do you think he's been kidnapped?"
"That's what we'll have to find out after we know for sure that it was Aiden."
xxx
Haley and Nathan continued driving around the neighborhood looking everywhere for Aiden when Haley heard Nathan's phone ring.
"Hello?" Nathan answered.
Haley looked over at him, hoping it was news about her son.
"Hey Nate, I'm following up on a few calls we've received about the boy. Don't tell Mrs. James this but I believe the boy may have been kidnapped. There's no sense worrying her unless we know for sure."
"Alright well let me know if you find anything."
"Will do."
"Was that about Aiden?" she asked as he hung up the phone.
"They're following up on a few calls the stations received," Nathan explained to her.
"People have seen him?" she asked, her voice full of hope.
"That's what we're checking out right now, Brooke went with my brother to talk to a few people who called in claiming to have seen him."
"We have to find him, Nathan," she cried, unable to hold back any longer.
Nathan pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned off the ignition." I promise you I will do everything I possibly can to find your son," he said, taking her hand in his.
"Th-thank you," she managed to choke out through the tears.
"How about we go back to the station? We can wait there for any news."
"Alright," she agreed, accepting the Kleenex he handed her.
xxx
Brooke and Lucas arrived at the lady's house, ready to ask her some questions about what she had seen. They knocked on the door and waited, hoping that the woman knew something that would lead them to the boy.
"Hello Mrs. Kane, I'm Officer Lucas Scott. We talked on the phone," Lucas introduced himself once the woman answered the door.
"Oh yes, come on in." she said, letting them inside.
"Now what exactly did you see?" Lucas asked, taking a seat next to Brooke on the couch.
"Pretty much what I told you on the phone. I was outside working in my garden when I saw a little boy get into a silver Porsche," she informed them.
"Are you sure it was this little boy?" he asked showing her the picture of Aiden.
"Yes I'm sure that it was him," she stated, glancing at the picture of the same little boy she had seen on the news. She would remember a cute face like that.
After leaving the lady's house, Lucas and Brooke made their way to the police station.
"So he has been kidnapped," Brooke said in horror at the thought of her nephew with a crazed kidnapper.
"It is possible," he said, not wanting to worry her too much. "Don't worry, we'll find him."
xxx
Haley sat at Nathan's desk as he bought her a cup of coffee from the lunchroom.
"Thank you," she said with a weak smile.
"Don't thank me till you've tasted it," he joked, trying to make her smile. He prayed they would find her son soon; it was horrible, seeing a frown on such a beautiful face.
Just then Brooke and Lucas walked in the door and Haley immediately knew something was wrong. "What is it? Do you know something?" she asked jumping out of her chair.
"I'm really sorry Ms. James but we have reason to believe your son was kidnapped," Lucas told her gently.