Page 37 of Calling a Cease-Fire

Phase II location populated on my screen, and I cursed internally. It only narrowed it down to slightly less than a quarter of a mile. But he was right. He was in Half Moon Lake, somewhere off the main road that led up the mountain. But there were at least twenty-five houses, maybe closer to fifty, within that radius.

“How about the name of your street?”

“I don’t know,” he cried, tears evident now in his voice.

“Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out together. Okay?”

“Okay.” His voice was now a tiny whisper.

“Do you have a favorite stuffy?” I continued to type the information into my CAD system and then pulled up our call logs database on one of my other screens.

“Yeah. Puppy.”

“Why don’t we go get puppy? Puppy snuggles are the best, I bet.”

“He’s the bestest snuggler.”

While he seemed focused on retrieving his favorite stuffed animal, I searched for any other calls made from this number. If we’d already had the rapidSOS software, I would’ve been able to get his location by now. Luckily, we’d have the new systems before the end of this year, but for now I had to try another way to get the details.

“What’s your name?” I asked, hearing him talking to his stuffed dog.

“Reid.”

“That sounds like a brave name. I’m Mia.”

“I am brave.”

“You totally are.” My search for any previous calls from the number came back empty. Dammit. “Is there anyone else in the house with you?”

“No. Just mommy. But she still won’t wake up.”

“Okay. What’s your mom’s name?”

“Mommy.”

“Where’s your daddy?”

“At work.”

“Where does he work?”

“He fixes cars.”

Randy’s shop. Only auto shop in Half Moon Lake. Unless his dad worked in a neighboring town, which was also a possibility.

I glanced up, making eye contact with Charlie. We were a tight-knit group and instinctively knew when someone needed a second person. Most of the time, we didn’t even use words. All it took was a single look to convey the help needed.

He spun to his computer, bringing up my call. I typed in the information Reid had given me, knowing Charlie would dispatch a unit to the shop to see if someone who worked there had a kid named Reid. In the meantime, I would try to narrow down his location the best I could, just in case that didn’t pan out.

“Do you like playing outside?”

“Yes. I have a tree house.”

“That’s fun. Does your house have a lot of trees?”

“So so many trees.”

“Are there any other houses nearby? Like neighbors, people who live close. Maybe kids you get to play with?”