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Authors: Sandra Brannan
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have waited until a quarter to four her time before calling her ex. Then everything started rocking and rolling from there.”
Gates looked at his watch and calculated. “It’s 5:45 p.m. now and the boy’s been missing since somewhere between 12:40 p.m. and 1:55 p.m., four or five hours ago.”
The silence that followed was heavy. Gates knew that a four or five hour jump on the police was a huge advantage for whoever had abducted the child.
“Why wasn’t this reported by BlueSky hours ago?”
“They said this was news to them. The gate agent said the system clearly showed they hadn’t checked in so it wasn’t her fault. The BlueSky brass claims they don’t check the records of those not checking in for a flight until day’s end. They found out when the parents called. An hour ago. The employee escorting the kid never reported it.”
“Who the hell is this loser?”
“Guy’s name is Kevin Benson. He’s a Denver-based BlueSky employee.”
“Where is Benson now?” Gates growled.
“No one seems to know. No one has seen him since he got off the plane in Denver with the boy.”
Gates exchanged a glance with Pierce, who stood with his arms folded across his broad chest, the muscles in his arms bulging against the fabric of his button-down shirt. Although Streeter’s white hair and worried eyes aged him, his rugged features and fit body made him look as if he’d just tackled the Crucible in boot camp at Parris Island. Ever the Marine, Gates thought.
Streeter’s eyebrow arched, which is exactly how Gates felt. Curious. Suspicious.
“We have to find him. Now,” Gates said.
“BlueSky said they’re doing everything they can to locate him.”
“And the parents?” Gates asked.
“Like I said, they’re the ones who contacted the airline. BlueSky didn’t even know the escort hadn’t made it back on the plane at Denveruntil the father called. Then they checked the system—a no-show, for both, on any flights out of Denver. Said the father was irate. Threatened to sue, threatened to have people’s jobs. Apparently, he’s some big shot from Manhattan who can make good on his threats. All I can tell you is that it has made our job even tougher. The BlueSky group is completely lawyered up.”
“It just keeps getting worse. When did the call come in, Eddie?”
“A few minutes ago. Literally.”
Gates looked at the clock hanging on the wall in his kitchen that read 5:46 p.m. Christmas Eve dinner—the one his wife had been planning for weeks and that he would surely have to miss—was scheduled to be served at 6:00 p.m. Yet he knew his wife would understand that it was more important for him to do everything he could to make sure the young boy had a chance to enjoy a holiday meal in the future with his family. Gates felt his friend’s eyes studying him and his worry became focused.
His deputy said, “The kid was supposed to arrive at LAX an hour and a half ago—4:20 p.m. our time. When they got the call from the father forty-five minutes, an hour ago, BlueSky tried locating the escort and decided to call the police when they couldn’t.”
“What took them so long to call us? We’ve lost so much precious time on this already.”
“My sense of this? BlueSky is doing nothing but ass-covering,” the deputy answered.
“Which means we need to get people out to the airport. Pronto. Who else knows?” Gates shot a look at Streeter, who nodded.
“Just you, Chief. And dispatch. They called me and I called you. What do you want me to do?”
“Where are you now?”
“Downtown. At the station.”
“Round up a dozen and head to the airport. I’m on my way too, so don’t do anything until I get there. Alert anyone we’ve got working out there about the situation. Get an APB and Amber Alert out ASAP. I’ll bring the FBI into this immediately and they’ll have someone out there with me. We should be there within fifteen minutes.”
“Geez, Chief. You’re taking this serious.”
“He’s
Gates looked at his watch and calculated. “It’s 5:45 p.m. now and the boy’s been missing since somewhere between 12:40 p.m. and 1:55 p.m., four or five hours ago.”
The silence that followed was heavy. Gates knew that a four or five hour jump on the police was a huge advantage for whoever had abducted the child.
“Why wasn’t this reported by BlueSky hours ago?”
“They said this was news to them. The gate agent said the system clearly showed they hadn’t checked in so it wasn’t her fault. The BlueSky brass claims they don’t check the records of those not checking in for a flight until day’s end. They found out when the parents called. An hour ago. The employee escorting the kid never reported it.”
“Who the hell is this loser?”
“Guy’s name is Kevin Benson. He’s a Denver-based BlueSky employee.”
“Where is Benson now?” Gates growled.
“No one seems to know. No one has seen him since he got off the plane in Denver with the boy.”
Gates exchanged a glance with Pierce, who stood with his arms folded across his broad chest, the muscles in his arms bulging against the fabric of his button-down shirt. Although Streeter’s white hair and worried eyes aged him, his rugged features and fit body made him look as if he’d just tackled the Crucible in boot camp at Parris Island. Ever the Marine, Gates thought.
Streeter’s eyebrow arched, which is exactly how Gates felt. Curious. Suspicious.
“We have to find him. Now,” Gates said.
“BlueSky said they’re doing everything they can to locate him.”
“And the parents?” Gates asked.
“Like I said, they’re the ones who contacted the airline. BlueSky didn’t even know the escort hadn’t made it back on the plane at Denveruntil the father called. Then they checked the system—a no-show, for both, on any flights out of Denver. Said the father was irate. Threatened to sue, threatened to have people’s jobs. Apparently, he’s some big shot from Manhattan who can make good on his threats. All I can tell you is that it has made our job even tougher. The BlueSky group is completely lawyered up.”
“It just keeps getting worse. When did the call come in, Eddie?”
“A few minutes ago. Literally.”
Gates looked at the clock hanging on the wall in his kitchen that read 5:46 p.m. Christmas Eve dinner—the one his wife had been planning for weeks and that he would surely have to miss—was scheduled to be served at 6:00 p.m. Yet he knew his wife would understand that it was more important for him to do everything he could to make sure the young boy had a chance to enjoy a holiday meal in the future with his family. Gates felt his friend’s eyes studying him and his worry became focused.
His deputy said, “The kid was supposed to arrive at LAX an hour and a half ago—4:20 p.m. our time. When they got the call from the father forty-five minutes, an hour ago, BlueSky tried locating the escort and decided to call the police when they couldn’t.”
“What took them so long to call us? We’ve lost so much precious time on this already.”
“My sense of this? BlueSky is doing nothing but ass-covering,” the deputy answered.
“Which means we need to get people out to the airport. Pronto. Who else knows?” Gates shot a look at Streeter, who nodded.
“Just you, Chief. And dispatch. They called me and I called you. What do you want me to do?”
“Where are you now?”
“Downtown. At the station.”
“Round up a dozen and head to the airport. I’m on my way too, so don’t do anything until I get there. Alert anyone we’ve got working out there about the situation. Get an APB and Amber Alert out ASAP. I’ll bring the FBI into this immediately and they’ll have someone out there with me. We should be there within fifteen minutes.”
“Geez, Chief. You’re taking this serious.”
“He’s
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