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‘Have you called the police?’ I intervened, though I wasn’t sure if they would do anything when he’d only been missing for a few hours.
‘Yes. I gave them all of the information they needed and an up-to-date photograph. He was in his school uniform, so he would have stood out in the park. I explained all of this, but they kept asking me nonsense, like his social-media handles. I said he was too young for any of that – he doesn’t even have a phone! Now I wish to hell that he did.’
She took a shaky breath. ‘The police gave me the impression they weren’t going to do much more than I already have! The weather isn’t bad, and they seemed to think he’d come home by himself in the next couple of hours when he gets hungry. But he won’t. This is not like him at all.’
‘They let you make a report?’ I said, surprised.
‘Yes, the whole “twenty-four hours missing” thing doesn’t apply to kids. Honestly, he wouldn’t have gone off by himself.’
‘I believe you,’ I reassured her. ‘We just need to explore all avenues. Have you or Bobby upset anyone in the Other community lately? Anyone who might retaliate?’
‘No. I’m so low down in the pack that no one much pays attention to us. We’re not a threat to anyone, we go about our lives and mind our own business.’
‘Bobby’s father – what happened to him?’
‘He’s gone,’ she said flatly.
‘I’m sorry to ask, but do you think he’s dead?’
‘I don’t know,’ she admitted reluctantly, wringing her hands. ‘I assume so after all this time. I can’t imagine he would have left us of his own volition, but you never know. Basically, when Bobby was little, he went out one evening for a run on his fours and he never came back.’
‘Did he buddy-up for his runs?’
‘Usually, but that night his running buddy said he never showed up at Black Park.’
‘Who was his buddy?’
‘George.’
George is Noah’s father and I’d met him only once in passing. I made a note to speak to him when I could. He was fifteenth in our pack, and we hadn’t really had much to do with each other.
‘Listen, I know you have to ask this stuff but Bobby’s dad is long gone,’ Sonia said. ‘He’s ancient history. Bobby can’t even remember him – Bobby wasn’t even one when he left, or died, or whatever the hell happened to him.’ There was a hint of bitterness in her voice; some part of her obviously did think that he had left voluntarily. And if that were true, then there was the possibility thathe’dbeen the one to snatch his son.
Chapter 8
Inchildkidnappingcases,the number-one suspects are always the parents, and close runners-up are other friends and family. More often than not, the kid has wandered off with someone they knew and trusted.
My phone vibrated: Steve Marley. I swiped to take the call, and stepped out of the room for some privacy, leaving a sobbing Sonia in Greg’s muscular arms. I refused to admit to even a tendril of completely inappropriate jealousy. ‘Steve. Tell me you’ve found Bobby.’
‘No. I’ve just been passed the Common police’s file. It’s pretty scant.’
‘They think he’ll pop back for dinner?’
‘Yeah,’ Steve agreed.
‘But you don’t think he will?’
‘He’s a pup. School is his territory and when he’s there, teachers are the alphas.’ Steve sighed. ‘He wouldn’t play hooky, it’s against everything in him.’
‘He hasn’t called his wolf yet,’ I pointed out, playing devil’s advocate.
‘But he’s still been raised pack. He wouldn’t wander off.’
‘His father did.’
‘Yes. His father did,’ he agreed evenly.
‘Did you look into his disappearance?’
