The Last Move
Page 69
Kate didn’t look at him as a colleague any longer. He was a parent and a terrified man who knew he was on the verge of losing everything.
His gaze cut to her. “What kind of monster are we looking for? Could this be Bauldry? Or that psycho, Drexler?”
“I hope not.”
He smacked his hand against the steering wheel. “Tell me about Drexler.”
“The less you know right now about Drexler, the more focused you’ll be.”
“To hell with that!” Mazur shouted. “I want to know!”
Pure anguish deepened the lines around his eyes and mouth. She’d brought the monsters into his and Alyssa’s life. “If it is Drexler we have some time.”
“Meaning he doesn’t kill them right away.”
“Yes.”
He dialed Carrie’s number. This time she answered.
“Carrie, Alyssa is missing.” He listened. “When’s the last time you saw her?” He glanced at his watch. “That was twenty minutes ago. Okay. Stay by the concession stand. I’ll be there in ten minutes, and other police will be there soon.”
He listened. “Your mother’s car is also missing?”
“Do you have the license plate?”
He glanced at Kate. “Alyssa went to the Scotts’ car to get her sweater, and she didn’t come back. Mrs. Scott’s car is also missing. It’s new and has GPS. We might get lucky.”
He called the company, identified himself, and the operator promised to get back within five minutes. Then he called Palmer. “Tell me you have a location from Alyssa’s phone.” He listened and then, “Damn it. Are you sure? Right.” He dropped the phone in his lap and he quickly rounded a sharp turn. “There’s no signal from the phone.”
Drexler was smart and knew enough to destroy the girl’s phone. But just the fact that Alyssa had called suggested William was behind this. He wanted Mazur afraid and off his game. She thought back to what William had said. He wanted to put his “problems in a box.” William was giving Alyssa to Drexler. She looked at Mazur and saw the thinly cloaked anger and fear. If she told him this now, it would be impossible for him to concentrate. He wasn’t thinking like just a cop now. He was going to react like a panicked father.
They arrived at the football game to a dozen cop cars with lights flashing in the parking lot. Palmer was already on the scene, and she’d spoken to the principal, who had located Carrie and her mother, Kelly Scott. The girl and her mother were pale.
When they approached, Palmer introduced them.
Mazur extended his hand to Mrs. Scott. “I’m Alyssa’s father.”
Mrs. Scott’s frown deepened. “I just saw Alyssa with Carrie a half hour ago. Detective Palmer tells me she might have been kidnapped.”
Carrie’s red-rimmed eyes filled with fresh tears. “Mr. Mazur, I’m so sorry.” Understanding her through the sobs was a challenge. “I thought she was just going to the car to get her sweater.”
“Carrie, it’s okay.” Mazur laid his hand on the girl’s shoulder, and she quickly hugged him. He looked up at Mrs. Scott. “This is connected to a case that I’m working.”
The woman leaned toward him. “I told the girls to stay with the crowds.”
Mazur pulled the girl away from him. “Carrie, I need you to focus. Did you see anyone lingering around?”
“No. No one that looked weird,” she said.
Mrs. Scott drew in a breath. “There was a man by the concession stand.”
“Who?” Mazur asked.
“Midthirties, dark hair. I noticed him because he wasn’t old enough to be a parent and too old to be a student. He just didn’t fit here. And then he tossed out a perfectly good hot dog.” A sigh shuddered through her. “God, do you think it was him?”
Kate moved in front of Mazur, introduced herself, and showed Mrs. Scott a picture of Bauldry. “Is this him?”
The woman leaned in and studied the picture. “I can’t say for certain, but it does look like him.”
“Did he say anything?” Kate asked.
“No. He was extremely polite and put a twenty-dollar bill in the band-fund jar.”
Kate turned to the girl. “Carrie, you need to stop crying. I need to talk to you.”
The girl stopped sobbing and turned toward Kate. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve pulled down over her hand.
“You’re really FBI?”
“I am.” She looked at the girl’s mother and nodded.
“You come when there’s been a kidnapping or murder.”
“That’s right. You need to listen closely, because we don’t have a lot of time. Can you focus for me?”
The girl sniffed. “I-I’m so rattled.”
“I don’t care how rattled or upset you are,” Mrs. Scott said. “You need to focus and help the police.”
Carrie nibbled her lip. “Yes. Yes. I can do that.”
“Good. Did you see anyone lurking around you tonight?”
“No. We were just enjoying the game.”
Mazur’s phone rang. “Detective Mazur.” He cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear, pulled out a notebook, and scribbled down notes. “Great. Thank you.” He looked at Kate. “They’ve located the Scotts’ car.”
“Go,” Kate said. She held out little hope that whoever had taken Alyssa left some kind of evidence. “I want to talk to some of the people here. See if they know anything.”
“Right.”
Mazur and Palmer left, leaving Kate alone to talk to Carrie and her mother. She watched as his car drove off, so sorry she’d ever met him or Alyssa.
“How long have you known Alyssa?” Kate asked.
Carrie sniffed. “A couple of months. She’s new, and it’s hard to make new friends in this school. Most of us have been going here since kindergarten.”
“But you’re her friend.”
“She’s cool. And she’s nice. We have fun together.”
“Is Alyssa dating anyone? Would she have left with anyone?” Sometimes a missing child had not been taken but had left with a friend. Kate had experience with girls like Carrie. They wanted to protect their friend and at this stage feared the parents more than the police. In their naïveté, they didn’t believe monsters were real.
Carrie leaned in a little. “She does like a guy. His name is James. They’ve kissed a few times.”
“Where is James?”
“He’s one of the football players.” She pointed to a tall, dark-haired kid whose football uniform was covered in dirt and grass. “He’s really nice. And he couldn’t have left with her during the game.”
“Okay, honey.”
Needing to cover all her bases, Kate cut through the crowd and made her way up to the young football player who was headed to the locker room for halftime. He stood at least a foot taller than her. She held up her badge. “James, I need to talk to you.”
The boy’s face paled, and as the two cut away from the crowd, he asked, “What’s going on?”
She studied his face, suspecting almost immediately he had no relevant information. “You and Alyssa are dating?”
“Not exactly dating. But I want to. I like her.”
“When’s the last time you saw her?”
“In school yesterday. She decorated my locker.”
His gaze cut to her. “What kind of monster are we looking for? Could this be Bauldry? Or that psycho, Drexler?”
“I hope not.”
He smacked his hand against the steering wheel. “Tell me about Drexler.”
“The less you know right now about Drexler, the more focused you’ll be.”
“To hell with that!” Mazur shouted. “I want to know!”
Pure anguish deepened the lines around his eyes and mouth. She’d brought the monsters into his and Alyssa’s life. “If it is Drexler we have some time.”
“Meaning he doesn’t kill them right away.”
“Yes.”
He dialed Carrie’s number. This time she answered.
“Carrie, Alyssa is missing.” He listened. “When’s the last time you saw her?” He glanced at his watch. “That was twenty minutes ago. Okay. Stay by the concession stand. I’ll be there in ten minutes, and other police will be there soon.”
He listened. “Your mother’s car is also missing?”
“Do you have the license plate?”
He glanced at Kate. “Alyssa went to the Scotts’ car to get her sweater, and she didn’t come back. Mrs. Scott’s car is also missing. It’s new and has GPS. We might get lucky.”
He called the company, identified himself, and the operator promised to get back within five minutes. Then he called Palmer. “Tell me you have a location from Alyssa’s phone.” He listened and then, “Damn it. Are you sure? Right.” He dropped the phone in his lap and he quickly rounded a sharp turn. “There’s no signal from the phone.”
Drexler was smart and knew enough to destroy the girl’s phone. But just the fact that Alyssa had called suggested William was behind this. He wanted Mazur afraid and off his game. She thought back to what William had said. He wanted to put his “problems in a box.” William was giving Alyssa to Drexler. She looked at Mazur and saw the thinly cloaked anger and fear. If she told him this now, it would be impossible for him to concentrate. He wasn’t thinking like just a cop now. He was going to react like a panicked father.
They arrived at the football game to a dozen cop cars with lights flashing in the parking lot. Palmer was already on the scene, and she’d spoken to the principal, who had located Carrie and her mother, Kelly Scott. The girl and her mother were pale.
When they approached, Palmer introduced them.
Mazur extended his hand to Mrs. Scott. “I’m Alyssa’s father.”
Mrs. Scott’s frown deepened. “I just saw Alyssa with Carrie a half hour ago. Detective Palmer tells me she might have been kidnapped.”
Carrie’s red-rimmed eyes filled with fresh tears. “Mr. Mazur, I’m so sorry.” Understanding her through the sobs was a challenge. “I thought she was just going to the car to get her sweater.”
“Carrie, it’s okay.” Mazur laid his hand on the girl’s shoulder, and she quickly hugged him. He looked up at Mrs. Scott. “This is connected to a case that I’m working.”
The woman leaned toward him. “I told the girls to stay with the crowds.”
Mazur pulled the girl away from him. “Carrie, I need you to focus. Did you see anyone lingering around?”
“No. No one that looked weird,” she said.
Mrs. Scott drew in a breath. “There was a man by the concession stand.”
“Who?” Mazur asked.
“Midthirties, dark hair. I noticed him because he wasn’t old enough to be a parent and too old to be a student. He just didn’t fit here. And then he tossed out a perfectly good hot dog.” A sigh shuddered through her. “God, do you think it was him?”
Kate moved in front of Mazur, introduced herself, and showed Mrs. Scott a picture of Bauldry. “Is this him?”
The woman leaned in and studied the picture. “I can’t say for certain, but it does look like him.”
“Did he say anything?” Kate asked.
“No. He was extremely polite and put a twenty-dollar bill in the band-fund jar.”
Kate turned to the girl. “Carrie, you need to stop crying. I need to talk to you.”
The girl stopped sobbing and turned toward Kate. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve pulled down over her hand.
“You’re really FBI?”
“I am.” She looked at the girl’s mother and nodded.
“You come when there’s been a kidnapping or murder.”
“That’s right. You need to listen closely, because we don’t have a lot of time. Can you focus for me?”
The girl sniffed. “I-I’m so rattled.”
“I don’t care how rattled or upset you are,” Mrs. Scott said. “You need to focus and help the police.”
Carrie nibbled her lip. “Yes. Yes. I can do that.”
“Good. Did you see anyone lurking around you tonight?”
“No. We were just enjoying the game.”
Mazur’s phone rang. “Detective Mazur.” He cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear, pulled out a notebook, and scribbled down notes. “Great. Thank you.” He looked at Kate. “They’ve located the Scotts’ car.”
“Go,” Kate said. She held out little hope that whoever had taken Alyssa left some kind of evidence. “I want to talk to some of the people here. See if they know anything.”
“Right.”
Mazur and Palmer left, leaving Kate alone to talk to Carrie and her mother. She watched as his car drove off, so sorry she’d ever met him or Alyssa.
“How long have you known Alyssa?” Kate asked.
Carrie sniffed. “A couple of months. She’s new, and it’s hard to make new friends in this school. Most of us have been going here since kindergarten.”
“But you’re her friend.”
“She’s cool. And she’s nice. We have fun together.”
“Is Alyssa dating anyone? Would she have left with anyone?” Sometimes a missing child had not been taken but had left with a friend. Kate had experience with girls like Carrie. They wanted to protect their friend and at this stage feared the parents more than the police. In their naïveté, they didn’t believe monsters were real.
Carrie leaned in a little. “She does like a guy. His name is James. They’ve kissed a few times.”
“Where is James?”
“He’s one of the football players.” She pointed to a tall, dark-haired kid whose football uniform was covered in dirt and grass. “He’s really nice. And he couldn’t have left with her during the game.”
“Okay, honey.”
Needing to cover all her bases, Kate cut through the crowd and made her way up to the young football player who was headed to the locker room for halftime. He stood at least a foot taller than her. She held up her badge. “James, I need to talk to you.”
The boy’s face paled, and as the two cut away from the crowd, he asked, “What’s going on?”
She studied his face, suspecting almost immediately he had no relevant information. “You and Alyssa are dating?”
“Not exactly dating. But I want to. I like her.”
“When’s the last time you saw her?”
“In school yesterday. She decorated my locker.”
