Lost In Stormy Visions
Chapter 8
"John?"
Both Monica and John turned to see Barbara standing a few feet away. Her look spoke volumes of her pain. All her tears had come and gone and now all that remained was the pain and fear that grew exponentially the longer Luke was gone.
"Is there any news?" Barbara asked already knowing the answer but needing to ask the question any way. Maybe she feared that perhaps they already knew what had happened to her child and we afraid to tell her.
John moved quickly away from Monica and over to Barbara to ally her fears. He took her aside, away from the task force, which had unceremoniously taken over their house and lives. Monica could not hear what they were saying as John spoke quietly. From his body language she could tell how awkward this was for him. He wanted to comfort his wife but was unsure how to do so. As he was unable to comfort himself, he was unsure how to comfort her except to reassure her that he didn't blame her, that this wasn't her fault, that they would find Luke.
Monica walked into the living room, away from John and Barbara, trying to give them some space and some privacy. Monica's cell phone rang and inwardly she sighed. This had better be good news. "Monica Reyes."
"Hey partner!"
Monica smiled in spite of herself. "Cay."
"The one and only. I got the lab results you wanted. I'm sorry to tell you Monica but they found nothing on the bike-no fingerprints other than family members, nothing. Nothing at the scene either," said Cay.
"Damnit Cay there's nothing here to go on!" said Monica angrily and quietly so as to escape the task force's notice. Then another thought occurred to her. "Wait, how did you get this information?"
"I've got friends in low places."
At any other time Monica would have laughed at his joke.
Cay went on. "Truth is they are pulling every person they can on this. I'm doing background checks of known criminals who might have been in that area around the time of the kidnapping. I'm also taking what the task force can give me by way of neighborhood descriptions of any suspicious persons in the area to see if they match any of the people on this list I'm compiling."
"Thanks Cay," said Monica gratefully. She knew that Cay would always be there to help her out and watch her back, which was something that one couldn't always depend on in this world. In fact she was grateful to all who were helping with this case. She felt frustrated at their results but if there was nothing there, there was nothing there.
"You're welcome," said Cay quietly but he meant it. He could sense her frustration over the phone. "Hey Monica you know what they say...it's good to be good but it's better to be lucky."
Monica smiled sadly. "Yeah, well then I wish I was lucky." Monica saw that John was heading over to her and so she had to go. "Thanks for all your help, Cay, but I've got to go now."
"Any thing you need...."
"Thanks."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Monica switched off her phone and John came up in front of her. Monica shook her head. No results. "I'm sorry John, all the fingerprints on the bike were Luke's, yours, and your wife's. How's she holding up?"
John sort of side stepped the question but his worry about Barbara was apparent to her. "I got her to go take some pills the doc gave her to help her sleep."
At that statement Monica looked outside. Where had the day gone? Darkness was falling. If she felt helpless in this situation she had no idea how John was holding himself up.
"Look Agent Reyes," began John, "I know we are doin' all that we can, but let's face it. There's been no ransom demand of any kind which mean....which means that whoever took my son is not interested in money. And I can't sit here and do nothin'. I need to be out there doin' somethin'. You know as well as I do that if we do not find Luke in 48 hours the chances of findin' him alive drop dramatically. I need to do somethin'!"
Monica looked at John, feeling his pain, his helplessness. Or was it her own? The logical part of her brain told her that she shouldn't let him be involved, that he or his wife could be a suspect. When a child went missing wasn't it the top priority to look to the nearest and dearest? Maybe there was strife between the husband and wife that she wasn't able to discern after only knowing them for less than 12 hours. After all hadn't only family member's fingerprints been found on the bike? Sure they both had witnesses but it didn't mean that they hadn't hired someone else to kidnap the boy.
But despite all of her training, Monica couldn't shake the feeling, and she had learned to trust her feelings long ago, that John and Barbara had nothing to do with their son's disappearance. With no ransom demand the situation was looking more and more grim. It was the one fear that no one wanted to admit-the kidnapper might be a pedophile. She knew Cay was running that lead down as he looked for criminals who might have been in the neighborhood.
Monica weakly attempted to dissuade John. "Your wife needs now."
John looked directly into Monica's eyes. She saw his determination. "I know. I know. But right now my son needs me more. He could be out there in the dark wonderin' why his Mom and Dad haven't come to take him home. I cannot sit ideally by. Someone told me today that my fear is holdin' me back. Well I'm not gonna let my fear stand in my way. I have to find my son."
Monica nodded. She understood.
Chapter 8
"John?"
Both Monica and John turned to see Barbara standing a few feet away. Her look spoke volumes of her pain. All her tears had come and gone and now all that remained was the pain and fear that grew exponentially the longer Luke was gone.
"Is there any news?" Barbara asked already knowing the answer but needing to ask the question any way. Maybe she feared that perhaps they already knew what had happened to her child and we afraid to tell her.
John moved quickly away from Monica and over to Barbara to ally her fears. He took her aside, away from the task force, which had unceremoniously taken over their house and lives. Monica could not hear what they were saying as John spoke quietly. From his body language she could tell how awkward this was for him. He wanted to comfort his wife but was unsure how to do so. As he was unable to comfort himself, he was unsure how to comfort her except to reassure her that he didn't blame her, that this wasn't her fault, that they would find Luke.
Monica walked into the living room, away from John and Barbara, trying to give them some space and some privacy. Monica's cell phone rang and inwardly she sighed. This had better be good news. "Monica Reyes."
"Hey partner!"
Monica smiled in spite of herself. "Cay."
"The one and only. I got the lab results you wanted. I'm sorry to tell you Monica but they found nothing on the bike-no fingerprints other than family members, nothing. Nothing at the scene either," said Cay.
"Damnit Cay there's nothing here to go on!" said Monica angrily and quietly so as to escape the task force's notice. Then another thought occurred to her. "Wait, how did you get this information?"
"I've got friends in low places."
At any other time Monica would have laughed at his joke.
Cay went on. "Truth is they are pulling every person they can on this. I'm doing background checks of known criminals who might have been in that area around the time of the kidnapping. I'm also taking what the task force can give me by way of neighborhood descriptions of any suspicious persons in the area to see if they match any of the people on this list I'm compiling."
"Thanks Cay," said Monica gratefully. She knew that Cay would always be there to help her out and watch her back, which was something that one couldn't always depend on in this world. In fact she was grateful to all who were helping with this case. She felt frustrated at their results but if there was nothing there, there was nothing there.
"You're welcome," said Cay quietly but he meant it. He could sense her frustration over the phone. "Hey Monica you know what they say...it's good to be good but it's better to be lucky."
Monica smiled sadly. "Yeah, well then I wish I was lucky." Monica saw that John was heading over to her and so she had to go. "Thanks for all your help, Cay, but I've got to go now."
"Any thing you need...."
"Thanks."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Monica switched off her phone and John came up in front of her. Monica shook her head. No results. "I'm sorry John, all the fingerprints on the bike were Luke's, yours, and your wife's. How's she holding up?"
John sort of side stepped the question but his worry about Barbara was apparent to her. "I got her to go take some pills the doc gave her to help her sleep."
At that statement Monica looked outside. Where had the day gone? Darkness was falling. If she felt helpless in this situation she had no idea how John was holding himself up.
"Look Agent Reyes," began John, "I know we are doin' all that we can, but let's face it. There's been no ransom demand of any kind which mean....which means that whoever took my son is not interested in money. And I can't sit here and do nothin'. I need to be out there doin' somethin'. You know as well as I do that if we do not find Luke in 48 hours the chances of findin' him alive drop dramatically. I need to do somethin'!"
Monica looked at John, feeling his pain, his helplessness. Or was it her own? The logical part of her brain told her that she shouldn't let him be involved, that he or his wife could be a suspect. When a child went missing wasn't it the top priority to look to the nearest and dearest? Maybe there was strife between the husband and wife that she wasn't able to discern after only knowing them for less than 12 hours. After all hadn't only family member's fingerprints been found on the bike? Sure they both had witnesses but it didn't mean that they hadn't hired someone else to kidnap the boy.
But despite all of her training, Monica couldn't shake the feeling, and she had learned to trust her feelings long ago, that John and Barbara had nothing to do with their son's disappearance. With no ransom demand the situation was looking more and more grim. It was the one fear that no one wanted to admit-the kidnapper might be a pedophile. She knew Cay was running that lead down as he looked for criminals who might have been in the neighborhood.
Monica weakly attempted to dissuade John. "Your wife needs now."
John looked directly into Monica's eyes. She saw his determination. "I know. I know. But right now my son needs me more. He could be out there in the dark wonderin' why his Mom and Dad haven't come to take him home. I cannot sit ideally by. Someone told me today that my fear is holdin' me back. Well I'm not gonna let my fear stand in my way. I have to find my son."
Monica nodded. She understood.