"Sir, what happened after Virgil and Scott left?" Jeff thought to himself,
"I checked that John was okay…he really doesn't like crowds"
….Flashback…
"Are you sure that you don't want to go with them John?" John smiled at his Dad,
"I'm okay Dad, besides…you might need help with the dynamic duo there!" Jeff turned around to see Gordon and Alan attempting to sneak after their older brothers,
"Don't even think about it you two!" Jeff placed a hand on each of their shoulders and steered them back towards John, "I have enough grey hairs without you two running off!"
Jeff smiled at the sight of John's shoulders shaking as he laughed silently behind his book, and the four of them headed over to the craft's store.
…End Flashback….
"Whereabouts was John when you headed over to the craft's store? Was he behind you or was he in front of you?"
"He was at my side. Gordon and Alan were in front of me where I could keep an eye on them.
…..Flashback…
Jeff flung his arm around John's shoulders, pulling him closer,
"Dad!" complained John good-naturedly as his book was jostled, "I'm not a kid anymore!"
"You're still my little Starman John" chuckled Jeff as they entered the store. They spent about half an hour in it, eventually picking out a Make-Your-Own-Tea Cosy set for Grandma.
…..End Flashback….
"So, you left the store…did you notice anything suspicious?" Jeff glanced at the table,
"Well…I felt odd…like I was being watched, but with my status I didn't think anything of it!" Talbot nodded,
"Did you notice anyone staring at you? Someone who you didn't even think twice about maybe?" Jeff frowned, but before he could answer Detective Hanson entered,
"Sorry Talbot, but the commissioner wants Mr Tracy to make his plea sooner rather than later…"
"Yes Sir"
"Interview Gordon and Alan whilst we're in the radio room"
"Of course sir"
…
"My name is Jeff Tracy. Today my son, John Glenn Tracy was taken…" Jeff took a deep breath, "…to whoever it was who took him…please! All I want is to see my little boy again." Jeff smiled sadly to himself,
"He's so quiet you know…always sitting on our big armchair and reading, and god does he read! Fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi to fantasy, everything! He wants to be an astronaut when he grows up, and with his brain, he can do it…to be honest, he'll be happy in space, no crowds or loud noises to bother him." Jeff couldn't hold back a sob at the memory of John pointing out the different constellations in the skies to his brothers, pure joy on his face.
"H-his brothers really miss him you know. John's their sounding board, their confidant! They need him!" Another sob,
"Please…." He whispered, "….if you let him go, nothing will happen. We'll forget this ever happened, just please! Give me back my son!" Detective Hanson nodded and the microphone was switched off,
"Very good Mr Tracy…" Hanson sighed at the look on Jeff's face, "…That was good, it's highly likely that the perpetrator will let your son go free or our officers will spot a suspicious individual who reacted to your plea." Jeff shook his head,
"What if that doesn't happen….what if he just k-kills John?!" Hanson couldn't find an answer for that, he didn't want to admit that the thought of John already being dead had crossed his mind…several times in fact.
"We can't think like that Mr Tracy. No matter what, you've got to keep a brave face…"
…
The man scowled after the plea, glancing up at the speakers. Idiot. Why on earth would he give the boy back, he belonged to him now…not Mr Perfect Tracy. He kept a cautious eye on the surrounding policeman, turning away when they glanced at him…soon, soon it will all be over.
…..
"What happened when you and your Dad came out of the craft's store?" Gordon and Alan glanced at each other before answering,
"Alan and I were playing cops and robbers…Alan almost knocked over the grumpy man!"
"Gordon, you promised you wouldn't tell!" Talbot inwardly sighed. Interviewing small children always proved to be quite difficult. The language had to be thought out in advance or the children wouldn't understand or they would only give very basic details…like Gordon and Alan had just done.
"No, no. I mean where was John, what was he-." He stopped, "Wait, grumpy man?" Gordon nodded,
"Ummmhmmmm! Some security guard, he's always scowling at us so I like to tease him!" he chuckled,
"Would you two be able to describe this man to one of our officers?" The pair nodded and Talbot directed them over to the sketch artist. He eagerly left the room, only to bump into Detective Hanson who was hanging up his mobile,
"Rhymer's just finished the background checks. Nothing, they're all pretty much clean except for a few DUI's. I've got the names, so I'm going to run them by Mr Tracy, see if he recognises them…" Talbot nodded,
"Gordon and Alan mentioned a security guard who was watching the four of them and I know that a couple of security guards were on the list. They're with the sketch artist no, but I'm honestly not expecting a lot."
"So we'll focus on the security guards. They fit the profile, they would know about the blind spots in the security, no-one would think twice about a security guard keeping an eye on people and a security guard carrying a child wouldn't look suspicious, they might be lost and upset!"
"True…but that would also mean that if the person is a security guard, they would know this building like the back of their hand…John could be anywhere!"
…..
The man smiled to himself as he successfully worked his way past the police. He opened the door only to yell in pain as his nose broke under the impact of a metal rod. Before another hit could be landed, the man grabbed a hold of the rod and threw it away. Blinking through the pain, he growled at the boy, who had gotten free of his handcuffs.
"You…Little…SHIT!" yelled the man as he grabbed the front of the boy's shirt, and shoved his hands into the jean pockets, pulling out a few pieces of metal,
"A lock-picking kit…quite the little criminal I'be got on my hands then!" The boy continued to struggle,
"Let go of me! HELP, HEL-AAAH!" The boy yelped as the man backhanded him, throwing him further into the room at the same time. Whilst the boy was still stunned, the man re-tied his wrists (but with rope instead) and re-applied the gag.
"You'll be punished for that…later though. I can't habe the police suspecting me!" The man exclaimed nasally as he backed out of the room. As he entered the bathrooms, he bumped into a colleague,
"What the hell happened to you man?!" The man scowled,
"I walked into a door…that was opening at the time" The colleague hissed in sympathy,
"Yikes, I'll get a paramedic…."
"Yeah…thanks" As the colleague left, the man punched the wall in anger. That little shit was going to get it…no matter what.