Chapter 2



"She has a fever, and every time she coughs, she seems to be in pain," Gabriel explained to the pediatrician, Dr. Cavu while Renee held Amie.

"Well, let me examine her." Fifteen minutes later he told them, "She has bronchitis. Let me write you a prescription for her."

He handed them a prescription for Ceclor. "Bring her back in ten days, and we'll see if she's better."

When they arrived home, Seth was sitting on the front steps waiting for them. Gabriel smiled at him then realized something was wrong. "What happened? Where's Meghan?"

"She wasn't waiting."

"What do you mean? She knows to wait there until one of us comes to pick her up."

"She wasn't there. I drove by the pet store, but she wasn't there either."

Gabriel sank to the porch, and his head fell into his hands. After a moment, he took a deep breath and raised his head. "Did you call the police?"

Seth nodded. "Sara said she'd contact the Missing Persons department. They should be over soon to question us."

"Us? Why are they going to question us? Do they think we had our niece kidnapped?"

Seth tried to calm him. "Gabriel, relax. They will probably just ask a few questions to get an idea of what might've happened."

Gabriel took a calming breath. When he looked up again, tears were gathering in the corners of his eyes. "Why did this happen again?"

"It won't happen again, Gabe," Renee tried to assure him. "They'll find her."

*******

Once the five agents were gathered together, their leader, Jack Malone, stood to address them. "Meghan Logan. Six years old. When her great-grandfather went to pick her up from school earlier today, she wasn't waiting. It's our job to figure out why. Danny, you and Martin question the aunt and uncle she was living with. Sam, me and you are going to her school. Vivian, find me any information on the aunt and uncle you can. Let's go, we have less than forty-eight hours to find her."

The two young men left while the young blond woman followed Jack to the car. They rode to the school in silence. When they arrived, a young woman was standing outside the school waiting for them. "Are you Mrs. Cunningham?" Jack asked.

She nodded. "Yes, I am. What's happened to Meghan?"

"That's what we were hoping to find out."

"Well, how can I help?"

"Tell us what happened before she disappeared."

"Well, when the bell rang at the end of school, all the other kids either went to their buses or to wait for their parents to pick them up. Meghan was the only one whose ride wasn't here yet. She waited on the bench by the street, and I stood back here for a while. Then, I remembered something I had to grab out of the school before I went home. Meghan was sitting there quietly reading a book, so I ran back inside. When I came back out, she was gone. I just figured her aunt, uncle, or great-grandpa had picked her up while I was inside. I shouldn't have left her out here alone."

"Relax, Mrs. Cunningham," agent Samantha Spade said. "Could she have wandered off anywhere?"

The teacher shook her head. "No. Sometimes she would go to the pet store. It's just down the street, and I could see it from here. But she always had to tell me if she was going. That way I could tell whoever came to pick her up that she was there."

"Did you see anyone different hanging around today? Maybe across the street."

"No. If there was anyone, I didn't notice them."

"Thank you, Mrs. Cunningham," Jack told her. "We appreciate your help."

When they were in the car, Samantha turned toward him. "Where do we go now?"

"Pet store."

*******

"I'll do the questioning," Danny told the newer agent.

"Yes, sir," Martin Fitzgerald replied with a mock salute.

Danny Taylor just glared at him as he raised his fist to knock on the door. Seth answered the knock. "We're looking for a Gabriel Bowman," he told him.

"Who are you?"

"Agents Danny Taylor and Martin Fitzgerald from the Missing Persons department."

Seth stepped out of the way to let them inside. Gabriel and Renee were sitting on the couch. He had his arms around her. Renee's face was stained with tears, but Gabriel wouldn't let his come. He turned his head when he heard the two men approaching.

"We need to ask you a few questions, Mr. Bowman."

He pulled away from his wife and turned to face them.

"Can you tell us what happened today?"

"My niece was kidnapped, that's what."

Danny sighed. That was a typical response from a distraught father, or uncle in this case. "Can you tell us anything? How was she acting this morning?"

Gabriel took a deep breath. "Like she does every morning. She was excited to go to school. Practically skipped out the door."

"Could she just have wandered off?" Martin asked from behind Danny. The other agent turned and glared at the rookie.

Gabriel shook his head. "She knows better."

"She's only six. How can she know better?"

The young man looked at him with sad eyes. "Her parents were killed when she was four. Her brother was just killed ten months ago. She knows better than to just wander off."

"Do you know who could have taken her?" Danny took over the questioning again.

Gabriel shook his head again. "I have no idea. Don't think I have any enemies at the moment."

"Anything happen lately that would cause you to make any enemies?"

"No. Unless the bank robbers left someone behind. But I didn't cause their demise."

"You were involved in that bank robbery Friday?"

"Not involved. I was doing business there. The news the other night showed me with Meghan. I told them not to put my family on tv." The tears were finally falling from his eyes.

"Don't worry, Mr. Bowman, we'll do our best to find her. If we have any more questions, we'll contact you."

Seth nodded and showed them out to their car. "They've been through a lot in the past two years. More than anyone couple should go through. Please find her."

"We'll do our best, Mr. Logan."

When they were back in the car, Martin said, "We didn't get much out of them."

"We will later. They're too upset now. There's no point in upsetting them even more."

"Do you think they had anything to do with it?"

"No," he said definitely, shaking his head.

"Why not? You usually keep an open mind to the parents role in it. What's so different about this case?"

"They were truly upset."

"Maybe it was just guilt weighing on their consciences."

Danny shook his head. "Didn't you hear what he said. They just lost her brother ten months ago. They're not behind it."

"How can you tell?"

"Listen, Martin. I have a niece about the same age as theirs. My sister would go crazy if anything ever happened to her. So, just take it easy on them."

They rode the rest of the way back to the office in silence. that was the most Martin had learned about Danny's life outside of work. He was a very private person.

*******

"Mr. Williams, do you know Meghan Logan?"

"Yeah. She comes by here after school sometimes. Why?"

"She disappeared earlier today. We're investigating."

"How can I help you? Meghan was a very sweet girl. I'll help you any way I can."

"Have you seen any strange people hanging around?"

He laughed. "Strange people? In New York City? Now where would I find any of those?" Then, he turned serious. "No one that I've really noticed. Wait, there was one. Meghan was here the other day, and he stopped by the window just a few minutes after she came in. He pretended to be looking at the animals, but they weren't what had his interest."

"Do you remember what he looked like?"

The pet shop owner shook his head. "Didn't really see his face. It was partially blocked by the cages. He wasn't really tall. Had on rather expensive looking clothes. That's about all I can recall."

"Not sure if that will help, but it's more than we had before. Thanks for you help, Mr. Williams."

"It's not a problem, Mr. Malone. I want to help."

When they returned to the office, Vivian, Martin, and Danny were sitting at the table. "What have we found out?" Jack asked.

"The uncle was one of the witnesses of the near robbery Friday. He doesn't know if that has something to do with it," Danny informed him. "Seems to blame the reporter that showed him and his niece on tv. Does think that might have something to do with it."

Vivian looked glanced at the papers with all the information she had found on them. "Gabriel Bowman, twenty-three years old, had his own internet business, Talismaniac.com. Brings in quite a bit of money. Was adopted when he was a few months olds by Peter and Catherine Bowman. His biological brother hunted him down less than two years ago, then him and his wife were killed, and Gabriel adopted their kids, Kevin and Meghan Logan. About a week later, Peter and Catherine were killed. A few days later, a Sylvester Marcus was also killed. He was apparently a friend of Mr. Bowman's. Renee was abducted, and when Gabriel found her, the man behind this, Patrick Fairbanks raped her. He was killed before he could kill both of them. They have a daughter, about a year old now.

About ten months ago, their nephew, Kevin was killed. This man came after Gabriel, and he was hurt rather badly. His grandfather, Seth Logan, a Korean War vet took him in before he knew they were related."

"They have been through a lot," Martin murmured.

"What about this Renee?" Jack asked.

"She comes from a small town. Her parents divorced when she was young. She hasn't been in contact with her father for the past year. They seemed to have had a falling out over her relationship with Gabriel. She writes for the Vorschlag Voice. When she first moved to New York, she stayed in an apartment with her friend, Dakota Rose. Nothing else on her."

"How about his grandfather, Seth Logan?"

"Korean vet. His son was killed a few years ago, and he lost everything. His job, his home. He lived on the streets until he found Gabriel. Don't know anything about him during those years."

"She's been missing for three hours. Leaves us with forty-five hours to find her. After that, there's little chance. Question their friends and anyone else who can give us anything."

*******

Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at Renee's sleeping face, or so he thought. When he started to stand, her hand reached out and grabbed his. "Where do you think you are going, Gabriel Bowman?"

"To think," he said, trying to pull away from her.

"I don't think so. Get back in this bed."

He sat on the edge of the bed again and rested his head in his hands. Renee crawled across the bed and placed her hands on his shoulders. His body was shaking. "They have to find her. We can't lose her too."

"We won't, Gabriel."

He turned and met her halfway. His fingers twisted through her hair as he pressed his body against hers. Their lips met in a fierce kiss, and Renee pulled him down to the bed. She moved her hands around his shoulders but stopped when he whispered her name. "Renee, just hold me. Please just hold me." She did.