MISSING

Chapter 2

Horatio drove back to the cordoned off residence. A single police cruiser was keeping guard. A small group of local women stood together, pointing and gossiping.

Horatio parked the Hummer, nodded to an obviously bored cop, and walked up to the next-door house, noting the women falling silent. As he raised a hand to knock, a woman came running up behind him.

"I'm here. It's my house…"

"Ma'am…" He introduced himself.

"I told your guy this morning that I didn't see anything."

"I know, and we're grateful for your co-operation. I hoped I might talk to your son."

She seemed surprised, then looked back up the road and yelled, "E-THAN!" at a volume that made Horatio wince. But it had the desired effect when a young boy came running over. "This man wants to talk to you. Mind you're polite."

She ushered them both inside. The house was very similar to next door. Slightly messier. Horatio sat down. "Ethan, were you friends with Timmy?"

"Suppose."

"And what were you into? Did you play sports?"

"Nintendo…"

Horatio nodded. "Did you play outside much?"

His mother chipped in. "I try to get him outside in the fresh air… He prefers his computer."

"When you were outside," Horatio persisted, "did you see anyone you didn't know, hanging around here? Or the school?"

The boy shook his head. "There are lots of people I don't know."

"Did anyone you don't know come and speak to you? Or to Timmy?"

Again, a headshake.

"You know what he means, Ethan," his mother snapped. "Creepy men. Like I've told you about."

"Ma'am, please… Let the boy think."

"I saw dopey Robert," the boy muttered. "He said hello." Then, in an obvious imitation, "Hell…ooo…"

Horatio hid a smile.

"He means Robert from number eighty-four. He's harmless – does a bit of gardening, odd jobs. He's a bit short… up top…" She tapped her head.

"Did he do work next door?"

"He has done, I think. But Hannah didn't have the money really."

"Why did you remember the Durango? The red car?"

"Oh, Jim – my husband – noticed it. He wants one." She laughed. "When we win the lottery!"

"What was it doing?"

"Nothing really. Just driving slowly. Looking for a house, I thought."

"Did you see the driver?"

"A man. On his own, I think. That's all I noticed."

"A white man?"

"I think so."

He talked to them a bit longer, learning more about Hannah Robbins, while allowing Ethan to think about his questions. But he got little more from them. The only thing that piqued his interest was the neighbor's singularly low opinion of Hannah's husband. But it was just that – an opinion. He drove to number eighty-four, met 'dopey Robert', felt in his own mind that the childlike man was harmless, but took fingerprints and DNA from him anyway.

He glanced at his watch. Nearly six, and he was getting nowhere. He got into the Hummer, but didn't immediately start the engine. Thinking… His cell phone bleeped.

"Frank?"

"Just had a report that might interest you. Patrol got into a chase with a Durango. It took off into the 'glades."

"Did you catch it?"

"In a manner of speaking. The cruiser got left behind on one of the tracks…" He chuckled. "They weren't built for rough terrain. But he found the Durango nose-down in a ditch. The occupants had bailed, unfortunately. He had a look round but couldn't find anyone." He gave Horatio the location. "Oh, and the plates are false."

"That's in the middle of nowhere. They have to be around."

"Wait. I haven't told you the best bit. There's bloody clothes in the car…"

"I'm going out there."

"Horatio, it's going to get dark – I've already arranged to have it brought in."

"That's fine, but I want to see the site."

"Well, take some company – we don't know what we're dealing with."

Horatio called Eric. "Where are you?"

"Just pulling into the lab. Traffic-offense guy's clean. He admitted being in the house – he was buying some toys she was selling."

"Want a road trip?" Horatio explained the circumstances. "Meet me out there. And keep your eyes open. The occupants are out there somewhere."

The vehicle was still in the ditch when he arrived. He greeted the patrol officer. "Well done on spotting him."

"Couldn't miss him, Sir. He saw me and took off like a bat out of hell. I'm just sorry I couldn't apprehend them, but I couldn't keep up on this surface." He grinned ruefully. "I'm going to be in trouble anyway – I've pulled half the muffler off."

"I'll put in a good word. You said 'them'. More than one?"

"Two men. But I didn't get a good look."

They looked round as Eric's Hummer pulled up. Horatio smiled at him. "Thanks for coming. I know it's late."

"You sign the overtime slip, boss, and I'm happy."

Horatio turned back to the patrol officer. "Is your vehicle driveable? If so, you can get back. We'll wait for the recovery truck."

The man left gratefully, the cruiser rattling noisily, making Eric chuckle.

"Right, let's see what we've got."

The Durango had gone off the road hard enough to fire the airbags. "We'll get trace off these," Eric murmured. "Oh, wow… look at this…" Pulling on gloves, he extracted a shirt from the foot well. It was soaked in blood. A blood-stained hunting knife fell out of the clothing as he unrolled it.

"Put the stuff in your car – we can get onto it first thing tomorrow. But where the hell were they going?"

"And where are they?" Eric stared round at the surrounding brush.

"More than that – where's the boy?" Horatio managed to get the back door open. "Smell that."

"Urine. You think the boy was in here…"

"I do. I can't figure this out at all." He sighed. "Take anything loose from the car – we'll process it properly at the lab. I'm going to have a look round."

"You take care…"

Horatio drew his gun and walked carefully up the track, then into the scrub. Eric quickly put the evidence into his Hummer, then followed him.

"Footprints…" Horatio murmured. "Cast them, will you?"

"Will do, boss."

But the footprints faded out, and Horatio suspected the men and their hostage were long gone. Where to, was another question…

The recovery truck rumbled up the track, and they watched as the damaged Durango was pulled out and onto the trailer.

As it pulled away, Horatio gripped Eric's arm quickly. "I think I dragged you out on a wild goose chase. There's nothing here that we couldn't have found at the lab."

"Well, footprints. But it's no problem anyway." As the sound of the truck receded, the various sounds of the Everglades became audible. It was getting dark. Night sounds… Rustles, little animal noises… Eric shivered. "Do you feel we're being watched?"

"Yeah. Time we got out of here." He watched Eric get into his Hummer. "See you tomorrow."

"I'll get in early."

Horatio leant against his own vehicle, as his colleague's pulled away. He was frustrated, but he was also exhausted. Oh well, back to the lab, sign out, swap cars… Maybe get something to eat. He still should be in bed before midnight. He looked round once more and shivered. The fine day had turned into a very cold night. The light suit he wore in the Florida heat was no protection against a cold evening. He opened the Hummer door, hoping the rarely-used heater was working.

He caught a slight movement behind him, but before he could even reach his weapon, he felt a blinding pain on the back of his head and everything went black.

TBC