Chapter Twenty Nine
Two women walked over with their girls. They searched the immediate area but didn't find a little boy. "I just called them, he isn't in here. Come sit, we'll find your boy. What is your son's name?"
"Max," Eddie replied. She was losing her control with each second, each second was precious.
"He's only four years old...he doesn't ever leave my side. He's so attached." Eddie covered her rounded belly, she felt like she might vomit. She needed back up…this place was huge. Eddie knew she had to get a grip on herself. All these years of training and here she was panicking, when it's your child you're a mother first and a cop second. She needed Jamie and Frank. She needed to breathe.
The two women helped Eddie outside onto a bench while the girls surrounded April comfortingly. "We understand and will do whatever we can to help find him."
April knew that Mommy was scared, and she knew who was very good at taking care of that. She sat by her mother and worked her hand into her purse to call her father.
The security guard came with another woman who was in the bathroom with them. "Miss, I understand your son went missing? I understand your upset, but I need information, so we can find him including a recent picture."
Eddie had a snapshot of him in her wallet from his recital. "He's so small, he's attached to me he'd never just go off on his own..."
"It's okay ma'am I'm going to let the park know have eyes out for your son. We'll find him we just need you to relax okay?"
The park was shut down almost immediately. Announcements for a lost child went out of the loud speaks. The NYPD commissioner heard them and peeled his eyes for suspicious activity
Frank slowly walked toward the small world attraction, his skills honed for a child straining...crying out of the ordinary, that sort of thing...
Meanwhile, Jamie's phone was ringing as he exited the bus at the entrance to the park. People were slowly being allowed in, but it seems no one was being allowed out. Something must have happened.
Jamie sighed reaching for the object frowning seeing Eddie's number curious why she would be calling "Hey honey is everything okay?"
"Daddy come here please," April requested. "Come here please now."
"April? Where are you baby? Tell daddy where you are so I can come," Jamie breathed in hearing the scared tone in his daughter's voice
"Mommy scared. Maxy go way...come please Daddy come...please!" April begged.
Taking a deep breath Jamie looked around "Okay April daddy is coming tell me what you see around you? Tell daddy."
"By dolly ride," April told him. "Had to potty by there, Maxy not here Mommy crying Daddy. She crying..."
"Okay I'm coming right now honey stay there with mommy okay?" Jamie started across the park using the maps to get him there
As Frank headed for the Small World meeting place, his cell rang, Jamie..."Hello, Son. I'm just heading over now...What...what happened?"
"April just called me max is missing dad. Eddie took the kids to the bathroom and he must have slipped off."
"Oh, that's the lost child announcement then...I'll meet you then we can fan out..."
Jamie took off jogging breaking through crowds wanting to get there sooner so they could find max. Eddie must be torn up he thought
Frank felt his heart racing, he thought about where max could be, where he could go. Did he go or was he taken? Max was not a wandering little boy, he was glued to them. April wandered, not Max.
He scanned each area looking for his grandson his little boy praying that they would find him.
Jamie arrived to see security, regular police, and some concerned family and in between was Eddie and April. April was crying, sitting on her Mommy. Eddie was speaking to the sketch artist from the Orlando PD. "He was just a man, but he singled out my son to talk to him. I don't know if he's lost of taken…"
"Eddie!" Jamie called out and rushed over to his wife's side.
As Eddie waited and prayed, she remembered all the mothers of missing children that she had interviewed. All the women that she worked with to bring their babies home. It was different when April was taken, that was clear cut, someone took her, they had a tape, this was...here one minute and gone the next with no idea what happened. It was every bit as chilling and sickening as those women described. She heard Jamie's voice and looked up. "Oh, Jamie. Jamie I'm sorry. He was there, and then I turned for a second and he was gone. This man was talking to him and maybe he took him…"
"No, it isn't your fault Eddie we'll find him I promise that we'll find him." Jamie gave Eddie a big hug holding her close reassuringly. It felt good to have her partner there, they'd find Max together.
"Daddy, please..." April reached for Jamie. She wanted him to hold her and make her feel safe. She was very close to her brother and she missed him. "My fault..." she whimpered. "April bad girl."
"Oh no honey it isn't your fault come here it's okay we'll find max..." Jamie cradled his daughter holding her tight, his two girls.
"What are you doing to find my son? Do you have the place shut down and sectored? I'm Sergeant Jamison Reagan, NYPD and my wife is Detective Reagan, NYPD retired, we do know some..."
"Sir we are doing everything to locate your son. The park is shut down extra guards are out looking, and a picture has-been circulated already." the guard assured.
Jamie nodded, "Is there anything keeping us here? Can we break off and help in the search?"
"No you're free to go and search. We'll announce it if he's found, so you can come to the security station in Tomorrowland when you hear that to claim him."
The both nodded, Jamie put April on his shoulders and they began to search the park.
April clung to Jamie; she needed Daddy hugs right now.
The seconds became minutes and the minutes became nearly an hour. Frank had not shown up yet and Max had not been found. Eddie had held up well but as the time passed she couldn't control her fear.
Frank walked the length of the park, he wanted to check all the places that he felt Max might go if he did go alone. He remembered hearing Eddie talk to Max about the band. "Excuse me, where is the traveling and right now?" He just had a feeling
"Go past this section make a right they are in that corner by the tent." the worker advised him pointing out the shortest way to go.
Frank nodded, if his grandson wasn't there he'd hop the monorail to the small world ride, but he just had a gut feeling.
He quickly headed over holding his breath hoping to find max there. When frank came around the corner a small crowd gathered in front of the band.
In the center of the five-piece brass band was a four-year-old boy with dark curly hair shaking a tambourine. Frank nearly collapsed in relief and snatched Max up before the song was over.
"Max, you scared mommy by leaving her. Mommy and Daddy are very scared right now!" frank said giving him big hugs.
"But I play songs..." Max replied. "Mommom say band after April potty." Meanwhile a band member stepped up, "What are you doing with him Mister"
"He's my grandson and I am the former police commissioner of NY. He disappeared from my daughter's side and we've been looking for him worried."
Frank showed ID to the band member and to security. That's when the announcement went out again, the lost child had been found.
Security was on the phone checking it out eyes wide when it was confirmed. "Okay thanks. Sorry commissioner we have to be cautious you understand."
Eddie heard the announcement opening the park again, "They have him...someone found him. They immediately started for the security stand, but then Jamie's phone rang. "Dad, they…Oh you did! You found him, where was he?"
"With the traveling band, playing his tambourine," Frank replied. "We're close to the Dumbo ride, meet you there?"
Jamie agreed then turned to Eddie, "He's safe Eddie our boy is okay. April max is okay." Jamie hugged them both tightly relieved and angry max ran off.
Frank headed towards Dumbo with Max on his hip. Max quietly held his instrument and his grandpa, feeling he was in trouble especially as they got closer.
Frank put Max down on the floor and he took off for his Mommy. Eddie reached out to our grab the boy, feeling total relief that he was safe. Max felt bad seeing his Mommy had cried.
Jamie was glad his son was back but angry at his unruly behavior. Without really thinking about it, Jamie gave Max two firm, open hand swats on the bottom. All Max wanted to do was hug his Mommom, he didn't mean to make her sad.
Eddie gasped reaching for her son while max burst out at Jamie swiping at him and kicking his little feet unable to hold back. Anger radiated off Max lunged for Jamie's hand trying to bite him.
None of the adults expected this eruption of anger, especially Jamie, at least not at first. Jamie remembered plenty of hardy spankings with his father's "war clubs" for lesser infractions than this. You couldn't get a tougher temper than Danny, so to see his little boy erupt in this way. They knew Max had a temper but this...he sank his teeth into Jamie's hand, making him an enemy in his mind.
While clutching his throbbing hand, it clicked, this was not nurture, this was nature. Max's birth parents were violent people, could that streak run in his baby boy's blood? That sent a chill down Jamie's spine.