NOTE TO roban05: Thank you for making me smile at the memories! I remember all of those! I remember when I aged out of the kids menu (in the US it's around 12, not sure everywhere else), which resulted in me not getting the coloring pages anymore, I would sometimes steal one from an empty table or something because I still loved to do them, despite my age! Now, I honestly can't say I know the last time I saw a restaurant's coloring page, or even crayons on the table! It's sad. I loved doing it. And you're so right. Why do parents even bother with a restaurant and all the stress of bringing along all those devices everywhere they go? Once, we were at a restaurant and a family came to sit across from us. Each one of the 3 or so kids immediately was handed a device, even the toddler! Number one, it's not good for kids to stare at screens constantly. Number two, I would not hand my toddler my phone because I wouldn't want them to get the idea to press a wrong button and delete everything, or drop it on the floor and it's broken! Little did I know it growing up, but I grew up on the cusp of very different times. I still have classic values that people just a few years younger than myself never had because they grew up with their eyes glued on technology (not as much as now, but still, something, such as ancient "smartphones", Nintendo, etc.). It's so sad to see people essentially my age so divided on something that once was widely recognized and revered!
?-?
Mya couldn't help but stare at Colleen Lyke, who was sobbing into her husband's shoulder. They had just told the couple their only son was gone. Now she couldn't think of a single thing she could do or say to console the couple. Turning to her own husband, she could tell he was having the same reaction. "Mrs. Lyke," she started. "If you can, imagine Peter in a much better place than this cruel world."
"I'm trying." She replied, sitting upright as she dabbed her wet eyes with a tissue. "It's awfully hard."
"I know how you feel, well, I don't know exactly, but on our way up, we couldn't even imagine the thought of what you're going through." Josh said.
"You certainly don't think it will happen to you until it actually does." Russell Lyke replied.
"Which is actually our main goal." Mya said. "We want to catch whoever did this and lock them away so they won't ever do anything like this again."
"If you can remember anything about that day, anything at all, that could help us find whoever did this." Josh added.
"I remember every second of that day like it was yesterday." Colleen hoarsely whispered, a dark shadow hovering over her face. "It was September 15th. I woke Peter up for school. I made his lunch while he ate breakfast and told me about some baseball game that was happening after school." She smiled widely through the tears. "He was so happy! Nothing could have gotten him down that day." She swallowed hard, then continued. "After breakfast, I helped him with his jacket and backpack, then watched him walk off to school. I went around my business until Russell came home and Peter still wasn't back. I started calling his baseball friends and when they said they were already home, I knew something was desperately wrong." She started sobbing again, falling back to her husband's shoulder.
The two agents looked at each other. They wanted to spare this woman as much pain as possible. More questions would just break her down further.
"Do you happen to still have Peter's friends' numbers?" Mya asked when she calmed down a bit.
"Of course." She replied, then got up to get the numbers. When she came back, the agents thanked her, took the numbers and left.
"That poor woman!" Mya exclaimed as they walked down the front path to the car.
"She needs closure. That's the only way she'll heal." He replied.
His wife slightly smiled and held up the phone numbers and addresses. "Then let's give her some."
?-?
"What can I get ya?" The man at the counter asked Jack and Bobby as they entered the near-empty restaurant.
"We'd like to know if you've seen this kid around." Jack said, holding up the missing persons picture and his badge.
"Pete? Yeah, of course. Comes in every Saturday with his Dad. Let's him play on the videogames a while, too. His Dad, that is."
"His Dad?" Bobby asked.
"Yeah, Baseball Guy. At least, that's what we call him. Real name's Darryl Lundy. You know, the Yankees baseball star of the late 90's?" The man replied.
The two agents looked at each other. Something wasn't right. Why would a celebrity kidnap someone then show them off?
"I think we'd better go talk to Darryl." Jack said. They thanked the man, then walked outside.
"Some of the kids said they've seen Peter, but the guy he's always with won't let him play with him, even though Peter wants to." Myles said as the three of them approached the car, the two from one direction, the other from the other.
"You know who that guy is?" Jack asked. He shook his head.
"Baseball star Darryl Lundy." Bobby answered.
His face wrinkled. "What?"
"Our sentiments exactly. That's why we're off to talk with him." Bobby replied. "Hopefully that pizza guy was wrong."
"This will definitely be interesting." Jack said as the three of them got in the car and he called Sarah to get the address.
?-?
"Thank you for meeting us." Mya smiled as she and Josh sat down on the couch in the Harper's living room.
"Of course!" Sydney Harper exclaimed. "After what you told us what happened to Colleen and Russell's boy, I wish I could do more. In fact, I think I can. I think I'm going to start a casserole." She said, then walked out of the room, yelling up the stairs. "Billy! The nice police people are here! Come on down!"
A few minutes later, a young boy walked into the living room, shy to the visitors.
"Hi, Billy!" Mya happily said.
"Hi." He quietly replied.
"Do you know why we're here?"
He nodded. "You want to know about the day Peter disappeared."
"That's right!" She exclaimed. "Why don't you come over here and tell us about it?" She asked, patting the space between herself and Josh.
"Nothing was different than any other game." He replied, sitting down. "Just like I told the other police officers."
"Nothing?" She prodded.
His eyes scanned the memory. "Well, almost nothing."
"What was different?"
He smiled at her. "Darryl came to watch us play."
"Darryl?" Mya asked.
He nodded. "Darryl Lundy."
She looked at her husband. "BASEBALL STAR." He clarified.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, turning back to the boy. "That was cool."
"He said he had some stuff he wanted to show us, but I had to go home. I think Peter went to see it, though."
"Ah. And where was this stuff?"
Billy shrugged.
The two agents looked at each other. Something fishy was going on.
?-?
"You're going to find this interesting." Sarah said over the phone.
"Try us." Bobby challenged. The three agents were in the car, Sarah on speakerphone.
"Darryl Lundy doesn't live in the neighborhood. At all."
"Not all crimes happen in the criminals backyard." Jack reasoned.
"No, but from Maryland?"
"Maryland?" Myles repeated.
"Yep. Looks like you guys get a road trip too!
Jack sighed as he started the car. "Where to?"
