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Not exactly exciting, he thought wryly.
But then he hadn’t moved to Ivy for excitement. In his years with the Chicago PD, he’d had enough excitement to last him a lifetime.
Remembering Chicago and the reasons behind his leaving, he felt a familiar mantle of depression settling onto his shoulders. Quickly, before it could gain a firm hold, he shook it off. He was tired of feeling bad. Tired of feeling guilty. Tired of the old Dan.
Soon it would be a new year.
A new year.
He repeated the phrase mentally several times. New years meant changes. Resolutions. Getting rid of bad habits and adopting new ones.
“It’s a new life,” he muttered.
“You say something?”
Dan looked up. Romeo Navarro, aptly named because he considered himself God’s gift to women, was looking at him curiously.
“Just talking to myself,” Dan said.
“Gotta watch that. That’s what old people do.”
Dan shrugged.
Romeo started to say something else when the phone rang. Both men turned to look at Elena, the dispatcher. “Oh, that’s awful!” she said, her dark eyes getting big as she listened. “Someone will be right there.” She disconnected the call and then knocked on the glass window of the chief’s office. “Chief Crandall!”
Gabe Crandall—short, bald, paunchy, and counting the months until retirement—looked up.
“A little kid disappeared from one of the stores at the mall,” Elena said.
Dan and Romeo were on their feet before Chief Crandall barked out their names. Dan reached for his suit coat. Putting it on, he checked to make sure it didn’t catch on his .40 caliber Glock, holstered on his belt. The change from a shoulder holster was a welcome one, although he knew some police departments were still debating its merits, mainly because old-timers were resistant to any kind of change, no matter how much proof there was that a cop’s range of motion was too limited with the shoulder holster.
By the time Dan had put on his overcoat, Romeo was ready.
Chief Crandall stood in the doorway of his office. “O’Neill, you’re in charge.”
Dan nodded. He wondered what Romeo was thinking. Until Dan joined the department three months earlier, Romeo had been the senior officer on the force.
“You need more backup, call Elena. She’ll round up everyone she can find,” the chief added.
Elena gave them the particulars and five minutes later they were on their way in a department Malibu, with Romeo driving. As they sped toward the mall, which was located on the west side of town, they went over the meager information they’d been provided.
The victim was a three-year-old girl. She’d been picked up and carried off by an unknown woman. Dan swore under his breath.
Three years old.
Luckily, the snatch had been caught on the store’s security tape. Maybe they’d keep being lucky. Maybe by the time they reached the mall, the little girl would be found, and there’d be nothing for him and Romeo to do but go back to the station. Holding on to that thought, he tried to not to think about the alternative.
When they arrived at the Ivy Mall, Dan was glad to see the outside doors had been secured. He just hoped they’d been secured in time.
He and Romeo showed their badges, and a tall, dark-haired civilian unlocked the doors to let them in.
“I’m Jack Robertson,” he said, “the mall manager.” His gray eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses reflected his concern. “Thanks for getting here so fast.”
Dan and Romeo introduced themselves and then followed Robertson through the crowded mall to a spot near the center, where the mall’s Santa was enthroned. Dan didn’t have to be told that the shop labeled Corinne’s Closet was the scene of the snatch, not just because there were so many people congregated outside the store, but because the air fairly hummed with excitement. The tension was a dead giveaway that here was the unusual, here something had happened that was outside the norm.
Inside, the crowd parted, and he and Romeo were taken to the back of the store where there was a small office. Dan immediately knew the pretty redhead seated in the corner was the mother of the three-year-old. Her haunted eyes and strained, pale face told the whole story. Standing beside her was a small, dark-haired boy who looked tired and frightened. Dan nodded to the woman, and their eyes met briefly. He could feel the weight of her fear. He wished he could tell her there was no reason to worry, but experience had taught him the opposite.
Also crowded into the office was a middle-aged male security guard with a name tag that read Harold Fury, and two women who wore name tags identifying them as store personnel.
Dan held out his hand to the security guard. “Lieutenant Dan O’Neill. Ivy Police Department.”
Romeo stepped forward. “Sergeant Romeo Navarro.”
The security guard introduced himself, then gestured toward the woman. “This here is Mrs. March, the missing child’s mother.”
Dan looked at the mother again. “We’ll talk in a minute.”
She bit her lip and drew the boy—Dan imagined it was her son—closer to her.
Addressing the guard again, Dan said, “I understand there’s a security tape.”
“Yes.”
“May we see it, please?”
When the tape reached the point where it showed the abduction, Dan asked that the tape be stopped so he could study the woman. She was distinctive, even though they couldn’t see her face. That punk hairdo alone would make her stand out in a crowd.
“Did anyone see this woman in the store?” he asked.
“I did,” said the younger-looking clerk, a pretty blonde.
Dan glanced at her name tag. “Tell me what you saw, Lucy.”
“I only saw her briefly. She was at the counter in the front where we have a display of turquoise jewelry. I was going to go ask if I could help her, but another customer asked me a question and I forgot about her.”
“Was there anything unusual about her? Other than her hair?”
“I’m sorry. I just didn’t notice anything in particular. She was young, in her teens or early twenties, maybe, that’s about all I remember. And her jacket was black. I did notice that. Black leather. It was nice. Oh, and I think she had on blue jeans.”
Dan smiled. “Good. That’s good. Most people remember more than they think.”
The girl smiled, obviously proud of herself.
“Has the entire mall been secured?” Dan asked the guard.
“Yes. All the outside doors are locked.”
“In all the stores?”
“Yes.”
“You checked them all?” Dan said dubiously.
“No, but the order went out.” For the first time, the guard showed hesitation. “Everyone was told to lock their doors.”
“How many security people do you have on duty?”
“Four, counting me.”
“And how many stores are in this mall?”
“Thirty-five.”
“Including the big anchor stores?”
“Yes.”
Dan realized they would need all the police and security personnel they could round up if they were going to conduct the kind of search that needed to be conducted.
While Romeo and the security guard called for backup, Dan turned his attention to the mother.
“Mrs. March, I want to assure you that we’ll do everything in our power to find your little girl.”
She swallowed. “Thank you.”
“Do you have a picture of her?”
“Yes, yes, I do.” Reaching down, she picked up a handbag from the floor and opened it. A moment later, she held out a photograph. Her hand was trembling.
Dan knew there was no place for emotion during an investigation. The mother’s naked fear and silent plea for him to accomplish a miracle was bad enough. But the sight of the beautiful child in the photo was the ultimate test of his ability to stay objective and professional. She was a real cutie, with a dimpled smile, laughing hazel eyes and curly red-gold hair the same shade as her mother’s.
Although he fought them, he couldn’t stop the memories as the image of another beautiful little girl assaulted him. Pain, as fresh as if the death of his beloved daughter had taken place yesterday instead of nine years ago, punched him in the gut.
For a moment, he stood paralyzed. Then from somewhere he found the strength to push those agonizing memories away so he could concentrate all of his attention and skill on finding this child.
“May I keep this picture?” His voice was more brusque than he’d intended. Softening it, he added, “In case we need it.”
“Y-yes, of course.”
“I just have a few more questions.”
“All right.”
“Is there any chance someone you know could be behind this abduction?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Someone I know? No one I know would ever do anything like this.”
“There’s no ex-husband? Nobody who might wish you harm?”
Her look of outrage faded. She shook her head. “No. I—I’m a…widow.”
“I’m sorry. Look, finding your daughter might take a while. Is there anyone you can call to come and be here with you?”
“I…yes. My brother.” The relief on her face was palpable. She dug a cell phone out of her handbag.
While she placed her phone call, Dan walked over to see how Romeo and the security guard had fared.
“Elena rounded up all ten patrolmen,” Romeo said, “as well as DeChurch, Nichols, Richardson and Cavelli.” The last four were the other detectives in the department.
“And I’ve called in as many of our security guards as I could find,” the guard said.
“Which is how many?” Dan asked.
“Six.”
Dan thought fast. “Okay. Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll divide up the anchor stores first. All customers and clerks will be asked to leave by one of the outside doors where one patrolman and one guard will be stationed. Everyone’s ID will be checked before they’re allowed to leave, and everyone will be quizzed about whether they might have seen the woman and child. Anyone with a small child will get extra attention. While this is proceeding, a team will start on the second floor of each store and systematically search each area. After each area is searched, we’ll cordon if off and put a security guard there to make sure no one tries to go back into that particular area to hide.”
“This might take more manpower than we’ve got,” Romeo said in an aside.
Ignoring the remark—which was true, but unproductive—Dan went on to say that all the people in the other stores or in the public areas would be asked to leave from the north entrance, where two police officers would check each person’s identification.
“Sergeant Navarro will be in charge of the north entrance, which is also where we’ll admit anyone who’s coming to help.” Turning to the mall manager, Dan said, “Can we use your office as our command post?”
“Of course.”
“Okay. Romeo, send all additional help there.”
“What do you want me to do?” This question came from Harold Fury.
“Mr. Fury, you round up all your security guards and bring them to the management office, too. I’ll brief them and give them their individual assignments.”
Once Romeo and Fury were dispatched, he looked over at the mother. She was no longer on the phone. “Is someone coming?” he asked her.
She nodded. “My best friend. I—I couldn’t find my brother.”
“Okay, good. I’m glad you’ll have someone to stay with you.” He tried to make his smile reassuring. “I want you to stay here for the time being, okay?”
“All right. You…” She took a deep breath. “You’re going to find her, aren’t you?”
He hesitated, torn between the brutal truth and something else, something that would give this woman the strength to endure. He nodded grimly. “Yes. We’re going to find her.”
Seeing the blind trust in her eyes, he vowed he would keep his promise if it was the last thing he ever did.
Chapter Two
Glynnis sat in stunned silence.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since that detective left, but it seemed like hours. She couldn’t remember his name, either. All she knew was that he had kind eyes, and they made her want to believe him when he said they’d find Olivia.
