Here is the next chapter….sorry for the lateness….I'm still moving. A family tree will be posted the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews….Amber
Chapter 6
Frank was at the office with his dad and brother. They were wrapping up a couple cases they had finished over the weekend. They were still working on finding the pedophile. Frank grabbed the report off the printer and handed it to his father. "Here dad."
"Thanks son." He took it and began to read while taking a sip of soda.
Frank was about to go help his brother when his phone rang. He looked at the display and saw that it was his daughter. He answered. "Hey Princess… hello… hello… sweetie?"
Frank hung up and tried calling her back. He only got her voice mail. He tried again. Odd. His father and Joe were watching him. Frank went over to the computer and checked Chloe's location via the GPS locator in her phone. She was a block from the house. Why wasn't she answering? "I don't like this."
Fenton stood up and walked over. "What's up?"
"Chloe just called me and it was an open line or bad connection. So I called back twice and got her voice mail both times. According to this she is a block from my house."
Joe grabbed their jackets. "Let's go…"
They got into Joe's car and went towards Frank's house. They turned down the street and Frank's heart plummeted. Chloe's bike was lying on the side walk her book bag was opened in the front where she normally kept her phone. Frank picked up his phone and dialed her number again but Fenton pointed just a few feet away. "Is that it Frank?"
He didn't have to answer…Chloe's ring tone was heard when Frank's call came through. "I don't like this."
Joe turned around and saw Pear Street. "Frank…let's go talk to Bess…maybe she saw her."
A car stopped and they all turned. It was Tony Prito…obviously heading home after the lunch rush at the restaurant. "Hey guys what's…"
Tony slowly took in the scene. He saw his friend's grim expressions and Chloe's book bag, bike, and phone on the sidewalk. He asked the question. "Where is Chloe Grace?"
"We don't know." Joe answered. Frank at the moment was staring at his daughter's bike looking lost. Joe knew what he was thinking. 'Not again.'
An unmarked police car pulled up and Captain Riley of the Bayport police stepped out. He was followed by a patrolman and a sergent. "Fenton what happened?"
"I wish I knew Con…Frank received a phone call from Chloe not five minutes ago. This is what we found. We haven't touched anything."
The patrolman started to take pictures. Con went to the house that was facing the street. Frank, Joe, Fenton, and Tony were right behind him. He knocked loudly. "Bayport PD open up please."
After what seemed like an eternity the door opened. A young lady opened the door. "May I help you officer?"
"You may. He took a picture that Frank got out of his wallet. You didn't happen to see this little girl earlier did you?"
She looked. "She was riding her bike and stopped and talked to the street surveyor. He's been working on something in the area for about a week. He always parks his van there. He had the hood up. She got off her bike. My phone rang so I didn't see anything else."
Joe asked. "What color was the van?"
"It was red."
Frank paled. "It wasn't a city vehicle?"
"No…I don't think so."
Con smiled at her. "What did the man look like?"
"He was wearing a construction hat and orange reflective vest over jeans and a blue jacket."
Con thanked the lady for her time got her name and number and said he would contact her if he needed anything else. She closed the door…Joe could tell that Frank was agitated and looked very scared.
Con dialed a number from his contacts in his phone. "I'm calling the planning department. They'll know if a surveyor was in the area or not. Hey Bill…its Captain Riley…how are you. Do you have surveyors working the Arbors?" Con listened for a minute. "No…thanks." Con looked up at Frank with a grim expression. "This is suspicious…Frank…I…I'll get a task force together."
Frank had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. This man obviously pretended to have car trouble. Chloe seeing him 'working' in the neighborhood thought he was alright. She stopped to help him…offering to call him (Frank) for assistance. This man jumped her and took off. It was the same technique the recent pedophile in the area had been using. He had been watching kids in a particular neighborhood for a short time long enough period of time that he wouldn't be considered suspicious. Then he would pretend to have trouble of some kind. The kids were clueless. Frank closed his eyes. "Oh god…dad my little girl…what am I going to tell Callie?"
Joe pulled out his own cell phone and dialed another number. She answered on the second ring. "Nan…we need you Chloe has been kidnapped. We're at Pear St and Parrish Ave." He knew he didn't need to say anything else. Nancy would burn rubber to get here. He put a supportive hand on his brother's back. "We are going to find her Frank."
Callie Hardy pulled up in her drive way at the same time as Luke and Matt's van. She smiled at her boys. They were sweaty from practice. Matt football…and Luke cross country. "How are you boys?"
Luke was beaming. "Couch let me pole vault before cross country…I jumped 5'8" today mom!"
Callie high fived her son. "Wow! That's fabulous."
Matt added. "It was awesome! Mom you should have been there…"
"Sorry I missed it. Can you fellows help me with the groceries?"
They both obediently obliged. Callie opened the door and frowned when the security system was still active. Chloe should have been home by now. She punched in the code and went into the kitchen. She put her bags on the counter…maybe she stayed at Joy's. No she didn't normally stay the days she had her treatments. Bess never let her.
Luke and Matt came in with the rest of the bags. She opened the garage door Chloe's bike wasn't there. Frank took it to Bess and Tony's every day before work so that Chloe could ride it home. "Boys have you heard from your sister?"
They both looked surprised. "No were we supposed to get her or something?" Matt asked panicked.
"No…I was just wondering. She obviously hasn't come home." Callie said.
The worry in her voice did not go unnoticed by Luke. "Maybe she stayed at Joy's today…why don't you call and check."
Callie reached for the phone just as Frank came in through the garage door. He was followed closely by Fenton, Joe, and Captain Riley. Callie didn't miss their worried looks…and what scared her most is…she knew what they were going to say. She looked at Frank. "Where is Chloe?"
Frank stepped towards Callie. "We don't know sweetheart. Her bike…book bag…and cell phone were found on Parrish Ave…we don't know where she is. Dad called Vanessa, George, and Phil just in case. We can't find her…it looks like she was taken."
Joe watched as Callie sucked in her breath. Her breathing became labored and her eyes became unfocused. He…Frank…Matt…and Luke broke her fall. Fenton grabbed a glass of water. When she came around he handed it too her. She took it and drank a few sips. She looked at her husband tears streaming down her face. "Frank…No this can't be happening…not again…"
He pulled her tightly against him. He looked up at his son's they weren't much better. He tried to reassure them all. "I'm going to find her…I promise."
Luke and Matt helped both their parents up off the kitchen floor. Then they hugged each other. Everybody was shocked. Frank guided his family to the den. They all sat down. No one said another word. The only sound heard was from an occasional sob from Callie Hardy.