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“You sure it’s Kozlov?”Maybe, they made a mistake. Sure, that’s it.
“Same make and model car, deep bite marks on his hand, and they found a ski mask in the back seat.” At the captain’s emotionless tone, I’m unable to find the wherewithal to say goodbye, and simply hang up.
We’re totally screwed. The Russian was our only lead. My throat thick, I place my head down on the table, and weep.
I’m a former SEAL. I was supposed to protect my son. How are Sam and I going to survivebeyond this? As if summoned by my thoughts, my wife slips next to me. Her brows raise in silent asking and I shake my head, no. I can’t tell her about the kidnapper being dead. If she starts cryin’, I’ll lose it.
“It’s okay, tough guy. My mom told me.” She lifts my head up and cradles me in her arms.
Strengthened, with her at my side, I turn back to my laptop and play the abduction video repeatedly. At some point, she sticks an egg sandwich in my hand, and I gag down the cardboard-flavored breakfast. If I’m to find my son, I need energy.
The sun’s rising when she takes a call and taps my shoulder. “My dad says they’re searching the kidnapper’s car but found nothing which makes no sense. Ms. Darlene said they’d been decorating pinecones with glitter glue. Surely, the sparkles would be everywhere, right? And why shoot The Goat?”
“Tying up loose ends?”God, my thoughts aren’t coming together at all.
Vitale, grabbing a coffee behind us, clears his throat. “The only reason you put a bullet in someone’s brain is to send a message.”
“Because he fucked up?” My wife swings around to face the mobster, who simply shrugs.
“Hypothetically speaking? Yeah, probably.”
Pulling my partner to my lap, my mind whirrs as I create a narration for the uploaded video. “Here’s The Goat entering the building. Afterward, he goes into the classroom, and here he is escorting Mikey out.”
As I zoom in on the man’s hands, Sam’s eyes widen. “No bite marks.”.
My heart racing faster, I go through the images a frame at a time. “Hey, we never saw Mikey after the short hallway clip, you know? Noticethe time difference. At first, I thought the clocks were out of sync, but now I wonder. It takes the Russian fifteen minutes to travel from the hall to his car.”
Sam stands so fast, she topples her chair. “You think our boy may have escaped?”
“It’s possible.” I grab our coats, take her hand, and sprint with her to the door.
Vincent opens it for us, removes his wet, unlit cigar, and shouts down the stairs. “A Vitale never goes down without a fight.”
“Oh my God, we need to search the school.” Hopping in her mother’s car, Samantha contacts Father O’Connell who wakes his housekeeper, who rings up the janitor who unlocks the door.
While we wait, O’Brien calls. He tells us kindly how we’re tilting at windmills and not to get our hopes up. Of course, he may be right, but we need to be doing something other than waiting for news of my son’s death.
Chapter 19
Sam
Inside the school, we retrace the kidnapper’s steps, starting at the daycare room. Pinecones, red yarn, and glitter glue, litter the miniature tables. Insect art covers the walls. Most of the children drew circles with lots of legs, but a few dohave eyes.
In one corner, colorful posters show what to do if approached by a stranger, ifa fire starts, or if a gunman enters the building.
These images cause a spark of insight, and with my heart pounding, I call Miss Darlene. “Did your class ever practice active shooter drills?”
A little sob distorts her mic. “Yes, I’m so sorry, but it happened so fast I-”
No time to waste and not wanting to sound accusatory, I cut her off. “This isnot your fault. Tell me what you directed the children to do.”
The classroom helper sing-songs her answer. “Scurry away, little cockroach. Hide and remain very quiet. Don’t come out until a policeman says it’s safe.”
Holy shit. That’s it!“Thank you, this is super helpful.”
Tugging on my husband’s arm, I drag him under the exit sign. “Quickly, walk me through the video again.”
Suds gestures to a table in the middle of the room. “Mikey sat here. Kozlov demanded he leave, and our boy refused, so the kidnapper grabbed him.”
