Nicholas Graves sat in a nondescript car across the street from Busybee Daycare. He'd been there for forty minutes now, watching the place and coming up with a plan to get the baby back. He knew that with each minute he waited the risk of being caught grew greater. He was fairly sure he was now in control enough to accomplish his task. With decisive movements he got out of the car, put on his hat and made his way across the street to the daycare's door.
"Booth, you're telling me an old Army buddy is the one who took Abby?" Cullen heard his agent confirm that.
"Why are you at that crime scene anyway…Booth, I don't care, you shouldn't have gone. You should have called me…Get back here ASAP." The smack of the phone hitting the receiver hadn't completely vanished when there was an agent at his door.
"Director Cullen, we've got something off the hotline." Cullen stood up and moved around his desk.
"What is it?" He took the paper from the man.
"A receptionist at a daycare in Manassas, Virginia called. She saw the poster for Abby and recognized her. A woman named Rita Toms dropped the baby off at the daycare this morning. She's still there now."
Cullen looked at the man sharply when he said the woman's name. "You said Rita Toms?" The agent nodded.
"Agent Booth was just at the scene where she was murdered. She was the accomplice of Abby's kidnapper." With several authoritative shouts he called for a strike team to get ready because they were heading out to Manassas in ten minutes. He pulled his cell phone out and called the daycare's number, telling the woman to not let anyone but the F.B.I. enter the building. He quickly hung up and called Booth.
Booth was still on his way back to D.C. when Cullen called him. He'd just hung up with his boss five minutes before, and couldn't find a reason for him to call right back.
"Booth."
"We got a tip on the hotline. She's at a daycare in Virginia. Teams are being sent out now. We still don't know where Graves is though, correct?"
Booth swallowed the adrenaline and other emotions that were clogging his throat. "That's right, sir. There's a possibility he's there now." Dread quickly replaced the anticipation that had filled his stomach. He debated on whether or not to call Bones, and in the end he decided not to. He didn't want to add to her worry by letting her know the kidnapper might have her again. He almost begged Cullen to give him the address of the daycare, and his boss gave it to him, reluctant as he was.
Even though there was no way he'd be allowed to do anything but sit behind the scenes and wait, he wanted to be there. He needed to be there. With his lights now flashing and siren screaming, he sped toward Virginia, toward his daughter.
Nina looked up as the door opened. She'd been sitting at her desk since she called the F.B.I. hotline, tapping her fingers as she waited for them to show up. She frowned as she realized the man wasn't F.B.I., and the doors had been locked. He must have picked the lock. She quickly came up with an excuse for why he needed to leave.
"I'm sorry sir, we've closed early. I must have forgotten to switch the sign around. If you'd like to come back tomorrow-"The man's hand was around her throat before she'd even seen his arm move. She gasped for air, but he denied her of such a precious gift.
"Where's the baby?" She croaked out another gasp. She realized he must have been the kidnapper. Why else would he be doing this? She decided she wouldn't tell him, no matter what it cost. Mary was in the nursery, guarding the children. She couldn't let him find all of them.
"I won't ask again. Where. Is. The. Baby!" She looked him in the eye, her gaze defiant even as black spots danced across her vision. He saw she wasn't going to answer him or even beg for her life. He swung her around and pressed his forearm against her throat. He waited until he felt her sag beneath him, and dropped her to the floor behind the desk.
Looking around, he saw that the floor was still littered with toys and crayons. The woman said they closed early, but if they'd done that they would have cleaned the place up. He looked up and saw a door. He opened it only to find a bathroom. He tried the next one. Boxes of crayons, tubs of disinfecting wipes and other supplies stared back at him. Two more doors left. He opened the first one, and found twenty tiny faces swinging around to look at him.
A woman sat on the floor surrounded by the children. She stood up as soon as the door opened.
"Don't you hurt them." He laughed at her bravery.
"Don't worry. It's not them I want. You can all go out into the big room and play with your toys." He stepped into the room and to the side as Mary rushed the children into the main room. She stepped back toward the middle of the room, leaving space between her and the man.
"What did you do to Nina?"
He raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I did anything to her?" Mary crossed her arms.
"She wouldn't let anyone in who wasn't allowed."
"She'll be okay." Mary glared at him.
"Where's the girl?" He was answered with silence. "Where is she!!"
Mary still made no sound or motion. She stared him straight in the eye and didn't move a muscle. He didn't have time for this. He pulled his knife out and stuck it into her left side. Her body fell heavily and he looked around the room. There was no sign of the baby. He noticed a tall bookshelf on one wall. It didn't look like it belonged in this room. He pushed it to the side and found a door facing him. It was just like in the movies.
He opened it to find a room full of cribs, a room full of cribs full of babies. He walked around the room and looked at the whiteboards above the cradles. Everyone had two names, every board except for one that is. He looked at the child in the crib and smiled. He'd found the baby he was looking for. As he reached out, he heard sirens. Sirens that grew louder and louder until they stopped…right outside the daycare.
Booth threw his SUV into park amongst the massive sea of vehicles. S.W.A.T. busses, other SUVs and various patrol cars blockaded the street, lights still flashing. Crying parents stood around hugging each other as their children were ushered out to them by agents. Booth's heart twisted at the scene. Two ambulances pulled out as he walked up to Cullen.
"Sir." His voice carried emotions and questions as his boss finished talking to Agent Lacey.
"She's not here." Booth's face and heart fell, but his boss wasn't done talking. "She was, but he got here first. He strangled the receptionist and stabbed the daycare owner. The receptionist will be fine after a few hours on oxygen. The owner will probably need surgery, but she has a good chance too. The knife missed her heart by a quarter of an inch." Booth's face was pale and angry and Cullen made him sit down.
"She was there, Booth. The owner had all the kids in a back room, and the babies were in an adjoining room. The door was hidden by bookshelves and they were waiting for us to get here. He was in there when he heard the sirens. He must have gone out a fire escape and stolen a car. We're assuming this is the one he came with, no plates and all." He put a hand on his agent's shoulder. "We've got a call out for the stolen car and the trail is fresh. We'll find her soon."
OH! I can't wait till Mother's day weekend so I can see the most recent episodes of Bones! Hope you enjoyed. The story is coming to its end very soon, I promise. I'll try to update sooner this time. God Bless! jed