Hey Folks! Eliza and William are about to embark on what they do best...solve mysteries! Thomas Wellington, William's son and an elite police officer himself has been missing now for two months. Eliza and William are settling down together as a married couple and now need to step up the search for William's son. I wanted to add a mystery to this story as this is where Eliza and William shine. I hope it does them justice. Love Carebearmaxi

Honorable Mention

Chapter 12

Finding Thomas

William awoke first. His brain was a bit fuzzy as he and Eliza were up rather late making progress and forming a more cohesive plan to find his son, Thomas. It was now late May and he had been missing for two months.

There had been no contact, no ransom note, or a message stating a location or a clue to his current condition.

William sat up and stretched feeling every one of his 60 years. Stretching once again with a growl he accidentally or on purpose woke Eliza lying next to him.

"Dear, don't get me wrong. I love waking up next to you, but do you have to sound like a bear while doing it? "Eliza asked twisting her neck so she could see William. She stretched a hand touching his back feeling the muscle still so visual in his shoulders.

William laughed and turning to see Eliza's early morning beauty laying there. He drank in her fair hair once braided was now lying in a tangle on the pillow. She had fallen sleep in her cotton, light blue nightgown with the short sleeves. However, he noticed that after he had removed it the previous night she had not put it back on her body. He smiled at the sight of her and lie back down on his stomach to ravish her. He nuzzled her neck and put his arm around Eliza's waist.

"How else am I to wake you up, darlin? When you sleep, you sleep deep," William said shaking Eliza's hip playfully.

Eliza then sat up herself holding the sheet to her breasts knowing she was nude everywhere else William could see as he lay in bed. She shivered as she could feel William's finger travel up her spine. She was almost tempted to get out of bed, but the feeling of his delicious touches kept her cemented right there. Instead she twisted looking down at her husband. Pursing her lips she then resumed her reclining position. She kissed her husband sweetly on his bearded cheek.

"Now, wouldn't it be nicer to wake up like that instead of the howling?" Eliza teased. When they spent the night together a couple of times before they married, Eliza noticed William did not dare wake her and was quiet in his morning routine. However, since they had taken up residence in his (their) New York home things had changed. Eliza smiled at William in her teasing way and waited for his response to her kiss and remark.

He said nothing in response knowing she had turned the tables on him. Instead he proceeded forward.

"What time is it, anyway?" William asked suddenly sitting up looking around. "Did you hide the clock, Eliza?"

Eliza, in the meantime, twisted toward her nightstand to retrieve the small clock that was usually on William's side of the bed. Eliza twisted back up to sit beside William who was sitting, shirtless, his pajama top thrown to the ground with the previous night's activities, against the headboard now. He was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"It's only 8:00 am," Eliza said. "We should go to Thomas' precinct today. According to Camille that was the last place he was to have reported."

"Yes, that's what we planned last night," William flipped the covers away and rose. He stepped on his pajama bottoms as they lay on the floor

Eliza watched William. It was one of the greatest joys for her now that they were together. William was still a well-built man for all his senior age. He still had a youthful bearing with his broad shoulders and wide chest contoured to a smaller waist. He possessed a small paunch but that was more due to his age than overeating Eliza thought. William regularly exercised in his basement gym.

Continuing to admire her husband's physique, she took note of his well-shaped legs from calf to thigh ending in a rounded buttocks that Eliza found delightful not only to look at but to grasp when they made love. Also, William had the energy of a man half his age. Eliza had to be honest with herself that sometimes he actually had much more energy than she these days.

William caught Eliza looking at him as he stood naked in front of the long dressing mirror in their bedroom. He smiled.

He swiftly turned around and asked, "Why, Mrs. Wellington, what could you be looking at with that smile on your face?"

"Certainly, not you, Mr….pardon me, Chief Wellington," she teased. Eliza actually felt herself blushing. Eliza had had encounters with other men and had been married before, but William was the only man who could ever make her blush. She watched as he came toward the bed. Playfully he reached for her and she scooted to his side of the bed laughing hysterically.

"William, what are you doing?" Eliza asked laughing so hard now and loudly that she thought Camille would awaken and wonder what was going on in her father's bedroom.

"You want to wake your daughter? It's a holiday. She doesn't have to work today."

The whole time Eliza was teasing William he remained silent and kept reaching for her. The more Eliza evaded him the more impetuous William became almost like a predator. Eliza loved it! She felt like she was in her 20's again. With Alexander there was no love play like this.

She could sometimes get Alexander to play along with her but his demeanor was not much different than when they were playing cards with a colleague and his wife.

Even when they were first married, Alexander's love play was more perfunctory and not spontaneous or stemming from actual passion. Because she genuinely cared for Alexander, Eliza was always a dutiful wife, even giving Alexander a son as was her main duty she supposed.

William was her true love. He always had been.

After she had gone about as far as she could go, she let him pin her to the bed. She was lying across the mattress with her head threatening to dangle from the side when he grabbed her and they began to kiss deeply arousing the inextinguishable fires once again.

"Looks like you caught me, Mr. Wellington," Eliza whispered pulling him closer.

"You caught me, Mrs. Wellington. Thank God you did," William responded deepening their kiss.

They did not emerge from the bedroom for another hour.

William thought as he walked beside his wife at how much energy he felt. Since his marriage he felt rejuvenated. I guess it's like that when you're with that person, that one true love.

"William, slow down, please. I can't keep up with you. By the way, why are we walking when you could have driven to the precinct?" Eliza asked becoming a tad perturbed with William.

"Eliza, it's not that far. It's a gorgeous May spring day. Why not?" William asked.

"You are certainly in a good mood. You do remember we are searching for your missing son?"

William slowed down and walked a better pace for Eliza to keep up. There. She brought me back down to earth to the matter at hand. I guess that's one of the reasons I love her. Give the woman a task and she's straight forward and focused. He's my son and I haven't focused on too much since we came home. It's just I am upset that Thomas has been missing and I'm concerned, but when I look beside me there's my Eliza. My wife. I am so happy about this that I want to stand on my head. I just can't let her see that. She would tease me relentlessly.

William slowed his pace, and he felt Eliza take his hand in hers. He looked down at her pert red hat and golden hair and bent his elbow. Her hand came with it and he put his other hand over hers stroking it a little.

William stopped and pulled Eliza to one side of the busy sidewalk. It was hard to walk side by side with the people's rushing up and down. The street was incredibly filled with motor cars. It was a beautiful day and although a weekday everyone seemed to be outside.

"I apologize for walking too fast, but although Thomas has been missing, I am incredibly happy that you're here with me. That we're finally married."

Eliza looked up at William and smiled.

"I'm very happy as well. However, we must focus on returning your son. I will be happy to meet him when we finally find him. I just hope his welcome is as warm as Camille's has been."

"As I said, my children didn't carry any delusions about my relationship with their mother. So, I am sure he will come to love you like Cami does."

"That being said we're running late as it is if we don't get a move on, sir," Eliza said.

William smiled. On the street out in the open, William kissed her in his exuberance.

The precinct was located in one of the seediest parts of town. Perfect place because no criminal would ever show his face around that area. Even the sun did not seem to shine on this part of town.

When you walked into the precinct, the building took on its own character. Cement bricks with heavy wooden sills pervaded a heavy remonstrative look. The holding cells were constructed much in the usual way. Cement walls with bars and a high window making it difficult to escape unless one was either a spider or a very small acrobat.

"Well, it's nice to know that holding cells don't look any different between one country and the next."

"Did you manage to get yourself arrested after I left England?"

"No, I did not! I managed to look before I leapt into a sticky situation. Also my clientele began to take me seriously and did not try to evade paying my fee."

"Like that was the only reason you got thrown in a jail cell," William parried. "I'm sure your husband would not have liked it if his wife was put in prison. Especially by his own hand."

Eliza laughed.

"What's so comical?"

"Alexander at different times had to arrest his own children and put them in holding cells. Luckily the judges understood whose children they were. We paid a fine twice and they were let go."

"That is comical," William thought out loud. "Sophia isn't even blood. You must have taught her well."

"William, stop gloating." William's mouth had turned up on one side as he said it.

"I'm not gloating. My children never got themselves arrested."

"No, just missing. I think that's a lot worse. I think we need to focus on finding him as two months is a very long time without a word or even a ransom note."

"Yes, dear. You're right. Anything you say," William said escorting Eliza down the hall to the current captain of the precinct.

As they made their way down a long hallway with desks at both sides where administrators and detectives sat typing reports or had witnesses or others sitting at their desks taking statements, Eliza was fascinated. The last time she stepped into Scotland Yard it was not as organized as this. Eliza knew that Alexander had just completed another renovation of the Metropolitan Police when he died.

"So, did you receive any correspondence from Alex, Jr.?" William asked.

"I received letters from both Sophia and Alex, Jr. just yesterday."

"Were you going to— Never mind, tell me later. We're here," William said as they had arrived at the current Captain's office in the back of the long hall.

"William!" A tall blonde man in his late forties rose and shook William's hand enthusiastically.

"It's been a while."

"Yes, I hear you got married again. This must be the new wife," the blonde man turned toward Eliza and shook her hand as well.

"Stephen Bochinko, Captain of the 54th Precinct. It's good to meet you. I understand you are a private investigator."

"Yes. You are very well informed Captain."

"I tried to be. Have a seat," Stephen gestured. "So, what brings this visit, Chief? I haven't seen you since the day we had your retirement party last year."

Eliza smiled proudly when Stephen called William "Chief". She wondered why when he was respected in England by his men she did not get the same thrill when he was called Inspector Wellington. Looking back there must have been many items in their previous affair concerning William that she just ignored in pursuit of jump starting her own business. One of them had been that she had taken his care of her very much for granted.

"I'm here, we're here, because Thomas has been missing for the last couple of months. While I was in London in March, I cabled the children that I was getting married to Eliza and a day later I did not get quite the reply I had anticipated."

After a pause when the gravity of the situation had hit William like a weight that suddenly became too much, "Cami told me that Thomas had been missing at that time for a couple of days. She didn't indicate anything else. Do you know if Cami had been here or the last time Thomas checked in?"

"I don't, personally, Chief, I have been away at a conference, vacation, and I'm still catching up. We can check with the duty officer and the log. There ought to be something there. Come with me."

William and Eliza rose from their seats while Stephen led them to the duty officer's desk.

"Hey Ross, can you get me the duty roster for the beginning of March?"

Ross a somewhat harried looking officer rose and said, "Sure Captain but I have to find it in the records room across the hall."

Stephen looked at Eliza and William and questioned silently if they wanted to wait.

"Captain, if Officer Ross here can show us where the roster is, the Chief and I can look for ourselves. Would that be allowed?" Eliza asked.

"Of course, what was I thinking?" Stephen asked. "Ross show Chief Wellington and Mrs. Wellington the records room."

Turning to William and Eliza, Stephen said, "Good to see you, Chief, and congratulations on your marriage. Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Wellington. I hope you find Thomas soon. I apologize, but like I said I'm still catching up. You know how it is."

William nodded. Yes I knew how it was.

He and Eliza followed Officer Ross to the Records Room. Officer Ross hit the electric light and the room illuminated. It was filled top to bottom with shelf after shelf with tomes containing handwritten entries. Plus there were strong boxes that contained records of criminals and cases.

Eliza always became excited when she stepped into a records room like this. The unlimited capacity for information on just about everything that happened in a city district. She had not only not set foot into a police precinct, but she had not set foot into a records room like this since before Alexander, her deceased husband, had become Chief Inspector. Then it was not a frequent occurrence.

"Pardon me, sir, ma'am, did the Cap call you Chief?"

"Yes, I was Police Commissioner up until last year when I retired," William answered.

"You're Thomas Wellington's father?"

"Yes, I am. Did you know my son, Officer?"

"I did. He and I graduated from the academy together, Sir. Did I hear you say he has been missing since March?"

"Yes, were you duty officer that month?"

"I was. I have been on sick leave and then administrative duty for six months. I was in the middle of the burglary at the First National and I got shot by one of the suspects. Thomas was on the job, too. He saved my life."

All of a sudden, recognition hit William like a lightning bolt.

"Yes, I remember. Thomas received an award for meritorious service because he saved the whole bank from being robbed and collared the two men. They were from a notorious gang. If I am not mistaken you also received an award. Am I correct?"

"Yes," Officer Ross said humbly. "Last time I saw Thomas. He had checked in…" Officer Ross trailed off as he looked from the nearest shelf to the door for the log from two months ago.

Officer Ross pulled the book that read "Duty Log March 1913" and placed it on a table and put two chairs facing the book at the table.

"Can you tell us anything else, Officer Ross?" Eliza asked. "Was he in uniform that day, what case was he working, or anything that may not be in that log."

Officer Ross was a young fellow, thin, with a rather sallow complexion. It may have been because he was not only recovering from a gunshot wound but also his workload may have been overwhelming. Eliza did not think he looked at all well.

Officer Ross returned to his train of thought to answer Eliza's question.

"He was dressed in plain clothes with his badge tucked inside his jacket like normal. He signed in and then he went to his desk to make a phone call. I remember that distinctly because I was surprised that Thomas was even in the building. He had been working a missing persons case…ironic."

After a minute, Ross spoke again. "Did you want to search his desk, perhaps?" Officer Ross asked.

William said, "When we're finished here we'll return and you can show us his desk."

"Certainly, sir. I'll leave you to it."

Eliza sat down and opened the log book looking for the date of entry that Detective Thomas Wellington had signed in.

"When we asked Cami about what time Thomas had left she said that he always left about fifteen minutes before she did and he always normally returned a little after 6:00 pm," Eliza confirmed with William as he stood behind her chair

"Yes, he had requested an earlier shift and the temporary Captain, not Stephen, gave it to him as I remember before I left for England," William said as Eliza suddenly pointed to Thomas' name in the log.

"Did you discuss the case he was working before you left?" Eliza wondered.

William thought back on his conversations with Thomas before William had left for England and could not remember anything poignant.

"Here it is," Eliza said as her eyes traveled to the top of the column to find the exact time and day. "March 6 at 6:45 am. There's no entry of him signing back in for the next day or checking back in that day, so we know that March 6th was the day that something happened and he did not come home."

"Cami had said that he was anxious to get to work that day. It was like he acted like he would be late for a meeting," William stated thinking. "The last time he acted like that he was conducting a stakeout for a couple of serial thieves that he wanted to catch. That was a couple of years ago. So if memory serves me he was working on a similar case before I left."

"Let's see if his desk contains anything," Eliza said.

They traveled back through the maze of desks and found Officer Ross who pointed out the desk that Thomas used when he was making out statements or typing up a report.

William sat down this time and pulled the drawers out one by one. He rummaged through them and found an old notebook with all the pages completed.

"Is that your son's handwriting, William?" Eliza asked upon seeing the cryptic notes and doodles on the pages.

"Yes, it is. He used to doodle and write down notes when he was in school. He said it helped him organize his thoughts."

"Maybe there is a clue in there. Shove it in your pocket."

"Yes, dear, I was going to do just that. You don't have to act like we're filching something like we're tampering with evidence. He's my son and so I will return it to him."

"My apologies, darling. I'm a little out of practice in a police station," Eliza whispered.

He gave her a quizzical look. "Since when has that stopped you from doing anything out of the ordinary?"

"William…" Eliza trailed. "Be nice."

"Until we get home, Mrs. Wellington."

Eliza rolled her eyes, smiled, and took a deep breath because she knew just how "nice" William could be.