Chapter 5: Questions

Alfred growled as he stormed past shocked and worried officers at his station, most of them no doubt worrying about his ashy and bare chested appearance as he tracked soot through the station on his way to a waiting room. The doorman from Savannah's building, Jenkins, was there, and he stood when Alfred approached.

"Detective Jones."

"Yeah," Alfred's tone was curt, annoyed, and it made his fellow officers wonder what had happened. "Look, Jenkins, I'm going to be straight with you here. Davie Chase might have been kidnapped, and you are the only one on scene that saw the one that took him. I'm going to need you to write a description of the kid that took Davie out, and every single detail of what happened. Then, I'm going to have you meet our sketch artist, and you're going to give the description again."

"Anything I can do to help," the old man frowned. "I feel awfully bad about letting it happen, but I honestly didn't realize it was little Davie that had been dragged out by that other kid. I guess I should have, he's worn that German hoodie almost every night since his father died."

"His father?"

"Yes, Lucas Chase, he died just after 9/11, when he was sent to Iraq."

"I see... Anyhow, could you go sit in that room over there? I'll have someone bring you a paper and pen soon."

"Of course, of course!" Jenkins smiled sadly, and touched Alfred's arm. "Detective, make sure you don't let Ms. Chase down alright?"

"She'd kill me if I did!" Alfred pulled away and walked past his fellow officers, heading for the lockerroom. Some of the men he had been serving with for a while followed him, one of them being Chief Schuette. As Alfred dropped his clothes in a bin they were slightly confused to see him put his boots in a plastic bag and tie it shut. He grabbed a marker from his locker to scribble something on the plastic before heading for the shower. Chief Schuette and Officer Lance Scarborough stood outside of the stall.

"Kid, what's going on? That doorman showed up and said Chief Cash had sent him up on the orders of a detective, and now you're telling him to write a description and talk to Shelly?"

"And what's Chase got to do with it?" Lance scowled. "That woman couldn't possibly be in trouble could she?"

"No but her son is." Alfred cut the water off, and reached out to grab a clean towel. Schuette handed it to him, and waited until the damp blonde stepped out with it around his waist. "Savannah's building caught fire and her son was dragged out just before it happened. Oh, hey Baker, could you take my boots to the lab? I need them tested for traces of alcohol."

Lance watched the small officer take the bag and dart off, leaving him confused. "Alcohol?"

"The doorman said he could smell alcohol on Davie. I'm betting it was used to help the fire spread." the blonde shook his head, sending water drops everywhere as he started for his locker. "There's no way it's just a coincidence that Davie was taken right before the fire."

Schuette watched Alfred dress, crossing his arms. "Well, what can we do to help?"

"The boys are still trying to get the fire under control. Put a call out to have everyone in the area questioned. Lance, I want you to go up there with Baker and watch over Savannah. Take one of the other secretaries up with you to make a list of any names Davie ever mentioned. Send it back to me when she gets it." he looked over at the others as he sat to pull on his shoes. "Finding Davie should be a top priority, but we need to be careful about how we put his name out. Let his new and old schools know, have the old one ask for anyone with information about it to come forward. Teenagers talk alot, some one might have heard something."

As everyone darted off to get to work, Chief Schuette put a hand on the detective's shoulder. "Alfred, look at me."

The man did as he was told, and was surprised to see his chief look concerned and slightly sad. "Chief?"

"Alfred, you and Chase have gotten pretty close since you took her son home that day. I know you stayed there with him until she got home, and I know you went and picked them up when her tires were slashed yesterday. Here it is again, you arrive just in time to jump into action and get her out."

"Davie called me, and said he had a list of names ready for me. I asked him to make one after Savannah's tires were slashed outside his old school. It just felt wrong, and I wasn't sure they were safe anymore."

"You wanted to keep an eye on them."

"Well, yeah." Alfred nodded. "I guess I was just worried."

"And now I am too. You've always had good instincts, so I'll let you make the calls on this."

"Good, because Savannah'll kill me if I don't bring him home alive."

Schuette laughed, ruffling the blonde's hair as he made his way by him to exit. "And she might just kiss you if you do!"

The detective chuckled, brushing past his partner as he entered, breathing hard and looking rather disheveled. He had a fresh bruise on his cheek bone and a small cut on his cheek, but it was the look in his eyes that made Alfred pause.

"Rick are you okay?"

"No dude! I heard you jumped out a window! I hurry my ass up to get here, damn near taking out my eye on a cabinet door I forgot was open, only to get here and find out 'oh no he's down stairs taking a shower but Chase is in the hospital and her son is missing from a structure fire!' I mean really, what's going on today?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

"Are you serious?" Rick grabbed his buddy's shoulder as he passed him. "Chief Schuette is still letting you work the case?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"You're too close to it! That would cloud the judgement of any reasonable cop!"

"I can't afford to have a clouded view right now Rick, but maybe you should go ahead and check yours."

"Savannah? Savannah are you awake?" a soft voice reached the ears of the woman on the hospital bed. She cringed, but opened her eyes as she tilted her head. Approaching her was another secretary, Maggie Lewis, the sixty year old grandmother that everyone who came through the station loved dearly. She was a grey-haired sweetheart with soft hazel eyes that could calm anyone down. The woman approached the bed, and put a shakey hand on the uncovered shoulder of the younger woman.

"Oh dear, you poor thing. Seeing you like this almost makes me wish I hadn't volunteered..."

"Volunteered for what Granny M?"

"Oh Savannah, that Jones boy didn't even wait to put a shirt on before he got to work. He walked into the station and started giving orders before everyone else even found out what happened."

"Oh... then you're here to..?"

"To get names dear, names of anyone Davie mentioned. Alfred wants them immediately."

"I see... Well, I guess I should give them to you."