Part Twenty Two
The sheriff placed put his 'flashy thingies' on, as Amy and Maria referred to them, on the way back to Roswell. He figured being sheriff gave you some privileges, like breaking traffic and speeding laws when you were in a hurry. He tried not to think about what could be happening to Kyle and the others and instead focused on what he could do to help.
It was after he pulled up next to the Congresswoman's office and confirmed her presence, that he realised that he couldn't just park there. It was too suspicious and noticeable. The sheriff made a U-turn and drove down the street to the closest place he knew to the office. From what he could remember about Michael's apartment there was a pretty good view from the corner window of the office. He could watch from there and would easily see if she left.
The sheriff parked his cruiser in the side alley that was on the corner of Michael's building and climbed the stairs that led to his apartment. It was the slightly ajar door that made him pull out his revolver. As in a hurry to leave as Alex and Isabel were, he didn't think that they would leave the door open. Jim Valenti stepped silently up to the unguarded door, his gun held in front of him and in one quick movement moved around the door into the room, all his senses on full alert.
Whatever he expected it wasn't what he found. There was no sign of anyone around. Not anymore. However whoever had been there had left their mark. The place looked like a hurricane had hit it. It was way beyond the usual almost neat somewhat sloppiness that Maria and Isabel allowed Michael's apartment to be. Almost everything was on the floor. The cushions were torn and there was broken glass lying everywhere. The sheriff picked his way carefully around the apartment careful not to disturb anything and trying to find out if anything was missing.
Judging by the look of the apartment whoever had been there wasn't searching for something but instead seemed angry and wanted to destroy. Jim thanked God that none of the kids had been in the apartment when they had arrived. Considering the time frame it was obvious that Alex and Isabel had left in the nick of time. It was good thing Alex had packed away all the surveillance equipment they had been using. He would have hated for anyone to find that and even worse destroy it.
Jim was standing at the edge of the room surveying the mess and contemplating phoning Michael to tell him about this new development when the decision was taking out of his hands. Out the window he saw the Congresswoman walking towards her car. She took determined even somewhat angry steps. All thoughts about contacting the kids flew out of his mind. Discovering the location of the missing ones was the most important thing. The apartment could wait.
In a few short strides he was at the door and slamming it behind him Jim Valenti ran down the steps to his car. In one quick motion he reversed into the street and took off behind the congresswoman. He kept a respectable distance behind her, with always a few cars in between him and his prey to prevent detection. It was a short drive. She drove directly to the Grange, the motel on the outskirts of town.
She got out of her car pretty quickly and slammed the door loudly behind her. Jim had to rush to park and follow ducking twice as she stalked to the entrance of the motel. He wasn't a mind reader but he had a pretty good idea why she was here.
Jim walked into the motel as obtrusively as he could. He stood behind a huge pot plant and eavesdropped on the conversation Miss Whittaker had with the clerk. Part of him even managed to feel the some amusement at the clerk's I-don't-care-if-you're-the-president look and his demand for money before revealing any information. He even had to swallow a chuckle at the distaste on the congresswoman's face as she handed the man some money and waited expectantly for the information.
"She checked out this morning at ten," the clerk said before turning around and ignoring her. The congresswoman must have realised the futileness of this endeavour and left the motel immediately. Jim ducked as she passed the plant he was hidden behind and followed her discreetly.
This time she drove in the opposite direction to one of the outer suburbs. She pulled up in a secluded cul-de-sac where a huge house lay behind big iron-wrought gates. The sheriff immediately pulled the file he had on her to check if this was her address. He was pretty sure that where ever she held the kids it wouldn't be at her house. The address was listed at the bottom of the page and in a completely different area to the one he was parked in.
For the first time since he heard the news of the kids disappearance there was a stirring of hope. He wasn't sure but he was almost positive that this was the site of their imprisonment.
The sheriff picked up his radio and called the station,
"Hey Mary, find out for me the owner of 152 Prescott Drive."
"Sure thing Sheriff. Give me a minute."
"Okay got it. Lets see… a Nicholas Warren."
"Nicholas Warren? Okay thanks."
"Do you need any more information Sheriff?"
"No, I'm fine." The sheriff released the radio. Now it was time to call in reinforcements.
***********
"I found it," Alex yelled in triumph. Everyone crowded around the laptop and Alex where he was sitting beneath one of the glowing stones.
"Look. Here it is. She has a brother. Nicholas. And even better, guess what Nicholas owns right here in Roswell," Alex asked the rhetorical question not expecting an answer. He continued, "A house. In Prescott Drive."
"That must be it," Isabel said excitedly.
Maria grabbed the laptop from Alex despite his, "Hey," and began typing while the others waited impatiently. A few minutes later an excited cry came from her. Alex immediately returned to his place and pushing her out the way stared at the screen to see what she had discovered. He smiled when he saw the information displayed on the flat monitor.
"Learnt that at the FBI, Maria?" he queried.
"Some. And some from you. And here you thought I never listened when you went on and on about computers," she answered with a return smile.
"Do you two mind moving past the mutual pat-yourself-on-the-back society and tell us what you found already," Michael said impatiently. Immediately Alex and Maria reached towards each other and patted each on the back before turning identical smirks in Michael's directions. Then both their expressions sobered.
"Turns out that this Nicholas who is only 15 years old by the way has been ordering a lot of lead and some major construction has been going on at no. 152 Prescott Drive," Maria said in a rush. It turns out no one needed their Maria filter to figure that out.
"Wonder what he needs all that lead for?" Michael asked.
"Don't you remember, Michael. Remember that time when we were practising near the Reservoir and our powers wouldn't work so well. Not even mine," Isabel replied.
"The lead piping near by," Michael said.
"Must have been. Probably why we can't reach them," Isabel said.
Michael began packing all their stuff back in the backpacks and Isabel started extinguishing the lights. They left the cave a minute later. Before they could start the cars (they were taking both so all of them could return) Maria's phone rang.
Michael and the Sheriff's conversation was short but when they hung up both of them had a smile on their face. And a sense of conviction and one of hope.
End part 22
The sheriff placed put his 'flashy thingies' on, as Amy and Maria referred to them, on the way back to Roswell. He figured being sheriff gave you some privileges, like breaking traffic and speeding laws when you were in a hurry. He tried not to think about what could be happening to Kyle and the others and instead focused on what he could do to help.
It was after he pulled up next to the Congresswoman's office and confirmed her presence, that he realised that he couldn't just park there. It was too suspicious and noticeable. The sheriff made a U-turn and drove down the street to the closest place he knew to the office. From what he could remember about Michael's apartment there was a pretty good view from the corner window of the office. He could watch from there and would easily see if she left.
The sheriff parked his cruiser in the side alley that was on the corner of Michael's building and climbed the stairs that led to his apartment. It was the slightly ajar door that made him pull out his revolver. As in a hurry to leave as Alex and Isabel were, he didn't think that they would leave the door open. Jim Valenti stepped silently up to the unguarded door, his gun held in front of him and in one quick movement moved around the door into the room, all his senses on full alert.
Whatever he expected it wasn't what he found. There was no sign of anyone around. Not anymore. However whoever had been there had left their mark. The place looked like a hurricane had hit it. It was way beyond the usual almost neat somewhat sloppiness that Maria and Isabel allowed Michael's apartment to be. Almost everything was on the floor. The cushions were torn and there was broken glass lying everywhere. The sheriff picked his way carefully around the apartment careful not to disturb anything and trying to find out if anything was missing.
Judging by the look of the apartment whoever had been there wasn't searching for something but instead seemed angry and wanted to destroy. Jim thanked God that none of the kids had been in the apartment when they had arrived. Considering the time frame it was obvious that Alex and Isabel had left in the nick of time. It was good thing Alex had packed away all the surveillance equipment they had been using. He would have hated for anyone to find that and even worse destroy it.
Jim was standing at the edge of the room surveying the mess and contemplating phoning Michael to tell him about this new development when the decision was taking out of his hands. Out the window he saw the Congresswoman walking towards her car. She took determined even somewhat angry steps. All thoughts about contacting the kids flew out of his mind. Discovering the location of the missing ones was the most important thing. The apartment could wait.
In a few short strides he was at the door and slamming it behind him Jim Valenti ran down the steps to his car. In one quick motion he reversed into the street and took off behind the congresswoman. He kept a respectable distance behind her, with always a few cars in between him and his prey to prevent detection. It was a short drive. She drove directly to the Grange, the motel on the outskirts of town.
She got out of her car pretty quickly and slammed the door loudly behind her. Jim had to rush to park and follow ducking twice as she stalked to the entrance of the motel. He wasn't a mind reader but he had a pretty good idea why she was here.
Jim walked into the motel as obtrusively as he could. He stood behind a huge pot plant and eavesdropped on the conversation Miss Whittaker had with the clerk. Part of him even managed to feel the some amusement at the clerk's I-don't-care-if-you're-the-president look and his demand for money before revealing any information. He even had to swallow a chuckle at the distaste on the congresswoman's face as she handed the man some money and waited expectantly for the information.
"She checked out this morning at ten," the clerk said before turning around and ignoring her. The congresswoman must have realised the futileness of this endeavour and left the motel immediately. Jim ducked as she passed the plant he was hidden behind and followed her discreetly.
This time she drove in the opposite direction to one of the outer suburbs. She pulled up in a secluded cul-de-sac where a huge house lay behind big iron-wrought gates. The sheriff immediately pulled the file he had on her to check if this was her address. He was pretty sure that where ever she held the kids it wouldn't be at her house. The address was listed at the bottom of the page and in a completely different area to the one he was parked in.
For the first time since he heard the news of the kids disappearance there was a stirring of hope. He wasn't sure but he was almost positive that this was the site of their imprisonment.
The sheriff picked up his radio and called the station,
"Hey Mary, find out for me the owner of 152 Prescott Drive."
"Sure thing Sheriff. Give me a minute."
"Okay got it. Lets see… a Nicholas Warren."
"Nicholas Warren? Okay thanks."
"Do you need any more information Sheriff?"
"No, I'm fine." The sheriff released the radio. Now it was time to call in reinforcements.
***********
"I found it," Alex yelled in triumph. Everyone crowded around the laptop and Alex where he was sitting beneath one of the glowing stones.
"Look. Here it is. She has a brother. Nicholas. And even better, guess what Nicholas owns right here in Roswell," Alex asked the rhetorical question not expecting an answer. He continued, "A house. In Prescott Drive."
"That must be it," Isabel said excitedly.
Maria grabbed the laptop from Alex despite his, "Hey," and began typing while the others waited impatiently. A few minutes later an excited cry came from her. Alex immediately returned to his place and pushing her out the way stared at the screen to see what she had discovered. He smiled when he saw the information displayed on the flat monitor.
"Learnt that at the FBI, Maria?" he queried.
"Some. And some from you. And here you thought I never listened when you went on and on about computers," she answered with a return smile.
"Do you two mind moving past the mutual pat-yourself-on-the-back society and tell us what you found already," Michael said impatiently. Immediately Alex and Maria reached towards each other and patted each on the back before turning identical smirks in Michael's directions. Then both their expressions sobered.
"Turns out that this Nicholas who is only 15 years old by the way has been ordering a lot of lead and some major construction has been going on at no. 152 Prescott Drive," Maria said in a rush. It turns out no one needed their Maria filter to figure that out.
"Wonder what he needs all that lead for?" Michael asked.
"Don't you remember, Michael. Remember that time when we were practising near the Reservoir and our powers wouldn't work so well. Not even mine," Isabel replied.
"The lead piping near by," Michael said.
"Must have been. Probably why we can't reach them," Isabel said.
Michael began packing all their stuff back in the backpacks and Isabel started extinguishing the lights. They left the cave a minute later. Before they could start the cars (they were taking both so all of them could return) Maria's phone rang.
Michael and the Sheriff's conversation was short but when they hung up both of them had a smile on their face. And a sense of conviction and one of hope.
End part 22