My Baby’s Gone, Chapter 22
Julian sat in the living room, reading the paper, when the maid came to
get him.
” Mr. Alistair would like to see you.”
Julian folded up the paper, and went into the Library.
” You rang, Father?”
” Don’t be a smartass, Julian. Sheridan’s missing.”
” How can she be missing, Father. You had her locked up tight in the crazy
house.”
” I know. Which tells me that someone very skilled had to be the one who
helped her escape.”
” I suppose.”
” Where is she, Julian?”
” Father, I have no idea. “
” Don’t lie to me, Julian.”
” Father, I haven’t a clue as to Sheridan’s whereabouts.”
” Just exactly where were you last night, Julian?”
” On the outskirts, at the private club.”
” All night?”
” I pulled an all-nighter with John, Phipps, and Mort.”
“ I see.”
” Is that all, Father?”
” For now. Don’t go anywhere Julian.”
” Of course not, Father.”
When Julian left, Antonio asked him, “ Do you think he was involved?”
” I don’t know. I have my people combing over Julian’s records. If they
find something, I’ll know. But, for now, my money is on Luis.”
” I know. He took her.”
“ We have to break him.”
” Sam Bennett will never help you.”
” No. He won’t, which is why I have FBI coming to town from Boston. I’ve
put them on Luis’ scent. That flatfoot Bennett won’t pressure Luis, but
the FBI will. I’ve called in a number of favors and finding Sheridan is
now a federal priority.”
” Good.”
“ You go over to your mother’s house, and pump her for information. If
Luis told anyone, he told his mother.”
” Fine.”
Once Antonio was gone, Alistair picked up the phone. “ Did you go over
my son’s records? Nothing was out of order? No random large transfers? What
about his phone? Nothing there either? Keep on digging. “
Ming watched as Sheridan thrashed around on the bed. She was broken
out in the sweats, going in and out of her delirium. She would beg to be
let loose. She would beg for someone to give her her son. She would cry out
‘LUIS’ for a half hour straight. But, Ming did nothing. When Sheridan seemed
to calm down, Ming would wipe her forehead with a cool rag.
Julian text messaged her every 6 hours, asking for progress reports, and
she’d tell him the same thing: “ Nothing has changed.”
Whitney was at the Book Café, when Fox walked in and kissed her.
” You miss me?”, Fox asked.
” Maybe.”
” Only a maybe? Hmmm….I’m losing my touch.”
Whitney smiled at him. “ It’s been all over the news – Sheridan being kidnapped.”
” I know. My grandfather’s gone apeshit. Weird seeing him lose control
like that.”
” Must be something.”
” Yeah, it’s something alright. I’m in the mood for a huge chocolate chip
cookie. Wanna split one? “
Whitney sighed. “ Yeah, I guess a cookie sounds about right. You know something,
Fox Crane?”
” What, Whitney Russell?”
“ You’re an enigma.”
“ Is that good?”
” I haven’t decided yet.”
Sam Bennett was in his office when several imposing men came into the Police
Station. From their look, Sam knew that they were federal law men.
” Chief Bennett?”
” Yes.”
” I’m William Monroe, FBI, Boston Office. We’ve been assigned to the Sheridan
Crane kidnapping.”
” I see.”
” Kidnapping IS a federal offense, Chief Bennett.”
” I know the law.”
” Good. Then, we’ll not have a problem with you, will we? We’re taking
control of this investigation.”
” Oh really.”
” Yes. We expect your full cooperation, beginning with space here.”
” I’ll have an office cleaned out for you. As you can see, we’re not a
large operation.”
” I know, which is why I know you needed all the help you can get.”
” Oh really.”
” Usually, I try to do the schmooze route with the local enforcement, but
Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald was a mentally ill woman, which makes her even more
vulnerable than some of our other victims. We brought our own computers,
so if you just point us to the room, it should take no time for our techs
to set us up, and get us fully functional.”
” Sure. I’ll take you to the room myself.”
” Thanks.”
Sam took the guys to the room, and Monroe told his tech people to get started.
” I’d appreciate it, Chief Bennett, if you could give me the files and
the leads you already have.”
” Sure.”
” Oh, and Chief Bennett?”
” Yes. “
” I’d appreciate it if you’d arrange a meeting between us and Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald.”