OOOO
Part 3…
They all found out exactly why so many resources had been diverted from the search and rescue operation. Not only the professional trackers but also the tracking dogs had been unable to pick up any sign of the child outside the Mattoni's cabin. The convening authorities had now decided that the child had probably been accosted and taken by an individual inside the retreat. But each day, many families left the retreat to return home while others arrived in their place. Not only did they need to know who amongst the many had already been here and who had not, but also had to find who had departed since that morning, especially those whose departure coincided with Hope's disappearance. But Harm was absolutely sure that they could not discount the possibility that the child was lost within the forest, especially given the evidence.
"What are you thinking?" Mac asked him, as he paced around the deck of the Mattoni cabin.
"Well," Harm explained, "we've been told that no trace of the little girl was found in the surrounding area, except…"
"Except here on the deck and inside the cabin," Mac caught onto his thinking, "everywhere exposed to the heavy rain."
"If she had wandered somewhere around the compound that wasn't exposed to rain," Harm nodded, "then the dogs would have picked it up."
"But they didn't," Mac finished up.
Just then, the group was called back together so that a plan of action could be formulated for the next day. When the Admiral was done doing so, he requested, "Colonel MacKenzie, could you stay behind? I would like to have a word. The rest of you, dismissed."
Mac was curious, but thought she had some idea about what it was the Admiral wanted to talk to her about.
"What are your gut instincts about this, Colonel?" He asked her.
Okay, he didn't exactly reveal his hand straight away, but Mac was certain that he would.
"Commander Rabb and I were talking about this; if Hope had wandered away to another part of the compound and was then abducted, we would have found some sign of her, because many areas are sheltered from the rain. I'm convinced that she wandered into the forest and got lost, Sir."
The Admiral nodded in agreement, "There's plenty in a big forest that can tempt a little girl; flowers and lots of woodland animals. A holiday retreat compound however is more ambiguous, even to a child. Children are always told by their parents to stay away from strangers. If you were a child, would you choose somewhere where you might possibly meet with a stranger, or somewhere secluded, filled with attractive animals, but seemingly no people?"
"Somewhere secluded, Sir," Mac told him.
"I think it's a big mistake to draw resources away from the search and rescue," AJ continued, "Of course, they need to consider every possibility and that will naturally spread their resources thin…"
"That's where we can help, Sir. If she's out there, we're more likely to find her with the large teams the SECNAV sent to aid us."
"Colonel," AJ finally spoke what he had been thinking about, "I don't even presume to understand what those incidents were when the Commander and your little sister were missing…but we saw it again when you worked alongside Commander Turner. Colonel, I still see it as a potentially useful tool in helping us in locating that little girl."
"But Sir," Mac protested, "In those cases, I had a personal involvement…and I've received none of the usual…impulses…that I did with those situations."
"But time is of the essence," AJ pointed out, "the child is already facing one night out in the open, exposed to the elements. With the bad weather that is forecasted for tomorrow, another night will dramatically reduce her chances of coming through this."
Mac knew he was right.
"I've already spoken to Commander Mattoni and he and the family are okay with us looking inside the cabin, he's eager that you try…All that he requests is that you try."
Mac nodded and followed her CO when he led the way into the cabin. The Mattonis were now been accommodated elsewhere, closer to where the command center had been set up, so they were close to the action if any news came through.
Mac was distinctly uneasy as they walked into the cabin that had now been searched by forensics. As they walked along to the child's room, past the other bedrooms, she noted how all of the beds were still unmade, dirty laundry left on the floor. It was like time itself had stopped as soon as this family had found their youngest member was missing from her bed. The child's bedroom was similar in appearance. The duvet was thrown back and the teddy bears were left behind.
"Do you know, are there any of the stuffed toys missing?" she asked AJ.
"I don't think so, but I'll check again with the commander," he replied, "I'm sure he said that his brother checked the room and that none of Hope's belongings were missing apart from her hooded jacket and Wellington boots.
"At least she has some weather-proof clothes," Mac sighed, wondering whether to try touching anything, but feeling uneasy about doing so, "Thank god…but what else was she wearing?"
"Pajamas," the Admiral told her, grimly.
Mac finally steeled herself and picked up a fleece blanket from the bed, but felt nothing.
"Well, if this is her security blanket, she had to be occupied in order to leave it behind. It means she had a reason for leaving and not telling her parents…"
AJ nodded.
"C'mon," he told her, "I think I have a couple more questions to ask Commander Mattoni…"
OOOO
Hope had shuddered, not from the feeling of the heavy pour of rain but from the sudden stab of realization that she had no idea how to get back to the cabin. She had gotten well and truly lost. For the first hour, she stifled the tears as she tried to find something that looked familiar or catch sight of the cabins. Next, she tried going back the way she thought she had come, but that didn't work, either. By then, she was really desperate, so she tried to follow a pretty colored bird that seemed to look friendly. She was under the illusion that it was helping her to find her way home. Soon, it had disappeared and she was about to contemplate just sitting down to cry when her booted foot landed on some unstable ground. Her leg slid out from under her and before she knew what was happening, she was tumbling down a hillside. It seemed to last for ages, but just when she had seemed to be slowing, her ankle hit an exposed rock, hard. Despite her youth, her bones didn't simply 'bend' this time and she sat up cradling her fractured ankle once she came to a full stop. With the drone of the rain and the sounds of the forest creatures, nobody heard her cries of pain.
OOOO