Chapter Six
Right at eleven thirty, Sam got a call from Dr. Deborah Monahan, superintendent of DC’s public schools, which had been arranged with Roberto’s assistance. She put the woman’s call on speaker so Tracy, Mike and Freddie could hear.
“We’ve checked our entire database, and we have no student named Brecken enrolled in the system. We do, however, have one student named Brecken who’s homeschooled, but his reporting is out of date.”
“Do you have an age, last name and address for him?”
“Brecken Mayfield is fifteen and completed eighth grade before we lost touch with his family. The last known address we have is on O Street Northwest in Truxton Circle.”
“This is Lieutenant Holland. What’s the process for finding kids who fall off the map?”
After a short pause, the woman said, “We have a team assigned to that, but the numbers are increasing all the time, and a lot of these people don’t want to be found.”
“Have you had someone looking for Brecken?”
“I don’t see anything listed in his file, but I can check with the team in the morning.”
“Can you report back to me if you get any new info?” Sam asked.
“Yes, of course.”
“I’m getting another call. Please let me know if you uncover any other information that could be relevant.”
“I will.”
“Thank you very much for your help.” Sam pressed the button to end that call and left Celia’s kitchen to talk to Dispatch, marveling that she didn’t inadvertently cut off the new call. “Holland.”
“I was asked to update you on anything that might be related to the BOLO on Ethan Hogan.”
“Yes, what’ve you got?”
“Captain Roback, who’s covering Patrol tonight, received a report of a missing thirteen-year-old girl, who left to meet some friends earlier and hasn’t returned home.”
Sam’s stomach sank as the news just kept getting worse. “Can you send the details to Detective Cruz?”
“Yes, ma’am. Shall I tell the captain that you’ll respond to the parents’ home?” She recited an address in the Truxton Circle neighborhood. Clearly, Dispatch hadn’t been told this wasn’t her case, and she wasn’t about to fill them in. She’d worry about that fallout after she helped to find Ethan.
“Yes, we’ll be there shortly.”
“Very good, thank you.”
Sam closed her phone and signaled for Freddie to leave with her.
“Sam!” Tracy called after her. “What’s happened?”
“Nothing new, but we were asked to follow up on a possible lead. I’ll tell you more as soon as I can.”
“Is it bad?”
“Nothing new to worry about.”
“You’d tell me if there was?”
“If I could. Please know… we’re doing everything we can, and some of it would be upsetting to you to hear about and may have nothing at all to do with Ethan.
It’s better that we don’t give you the blow-by-blow, okay?
You have to trust me on that.” Sam took the time to hug her sister.
“Hang in there. Every base is being covered. I promise. If there’s any news about Ethan, I’ll let you know the minute I hear about it. ”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Stay by the phone.”
Tracy nodded.
On the way out of Celia’s house, she asked Freddie, “What the hell is this?”
“I have no idea, but I don’t like it. Not one bit.”
Outside, Vernon held the back door to her Secret Service SUV.
“Where’d you come from?” Sam asked.
“I offered to come in when I heard about your nephew. Figured you might be working.”
She squeezed his arm. “Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Of course it was a problem for him to come into work on a Saturday night, but he’d done it for her, and she appreciated it. He was quickly becoming one of her closest friends and advisers.
“Thanks for coming in. Q has been doing an admirable job of running me around.”
“No problem, ma’am,” Q said.
Normally, she’d tell him not to call her that, but she couldn’t be bothered to care about such trivial things while Ethan was missing.
“Where to?” Vernon asked.
Freddie gave him the address for the missing girl’s house.
While Vernon drove them, Sam tried to process everything she’d learned so far. Most of it was too horrifying to be believed.
“Sam.”
She glanced at her partner.
“What’re we doing here?”
“I’m sorry. What?”
“We’re going to talk to the parents of a girl whose disappearance may or may not be related to Ethan’s when you were told to stay out of the investigation. So, I’m wondering what level of shit storm I’m getting into by going along with you. Not that I’d let you go by yourself, but…”
Sam’s emotions were all over the place, the primary one being panic the likes of which she hadn’t experienced in quite some time. “I think maybe you should go home.”
“That’s not what I was saying.”
“I know, but still… You’re absolutely right that I shouldn’t be doing this.
I should’ve consulted with Ruiz about the missing girl.
I should’ve told her what we learned from the superintendent about the kid who might be the Brecken we’re looking for.
The thing is… I don’t trust her to do the right thing, and maybe that’s totally unfair, but my gut is telling me to bypass her.
It’s quite possible I’ll get in trouble for doing that, and if you’re with me, you could, too. So that’s why I want you to go home.”
Freddie seemed to be pondering what she’d said.
“We’ll drop you at the Metro.”
“That’s okay. I’m along for the ride.”
“Freddie…”
“I’m aware of the potential consequences, and I’m choosing to participate in whatever comes next.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded.
“What’s the girl’s name?” Sam asked.
He consulted his phone to read the information sent from Dispatch. “Luna Ahern.” Then he glanced at her. “What’re you thinking?”
“I’m praying her disappearance isn’t related to Ethan’s.”
“I can’t believe we need to be concerned about that.”
“If it’s related to that incel shit…” Her voice caught. “I’m trying to picture our sweet Ethan involved in something sinister.”
“We don’t know anything about what Ethan may or may not be involved in. Don’t go to worst-case until we know more.”
“It’s hard not to. Where in the hell is he? He has to know his parents are frantic by now.”
“Maybe he’s being held by someone.”
“Please tell me it’s not going to turn out to have something to do with him being related to me and Nick. That would wreck us forever.”
“As you well know, it could be anything, but if you ask me, that’s a long shot. What possible motive could someone have for snatching the nephew of the first lady?”
“So many people hate me, Freddie. You know that. I’ve made enemies on the job, arrested a lot of people who have families and friends who could seek revenge against me. What better way than to snatch one of the precious kids in my life because they can’t get to mine?”
“You’re not asking me,” Vernon said, glancing at her in the mirror, “but I think that’d be a very unlikely scenario.”
“Why do you say that?”
“For one thing, if there was any kind of threat against either of your extended families, we’d probably know about it.”
“You would? Even if it involved my sisters’ families?”
“Even if. We’re not actively protecting them, but we keep an eye on everyone close to you.”
“Including me?” Freddie asked, sounding incredulous.
“Everyone.”
“Wow, that’s kind of crazy,” Freddie said.
“It’s not in any way as violating as it can be for the people under our protection. It’s more of a thirty-thousand-foot view.”
“I’m oddly comforted to know that,” Sam said.
“Whereas I’m oddly freaked out,” Freddie said with a small grin that let her know he was teasing.
Vernon chuckled. “I promise you it’s nothing invasive. Just eyes and ears to make sure the people around you aren’t being targeted due to their proximity to you and the president.”
“Very interesting,” Freddie said. “Does it include my wife?”
“Everyone close to the first couple.”
“What defines closeness?” Sam asks.
“The people who’d matter most if they were used to get to you.”
Sam swallowed hard at the thought of anyone they loved being used in such a way, but she was comforted to know that if someone was targeting her young nephew, the Secret Service might’ve picked up on it. She wondered how much Nick knew about the wide net the agency cast to protect their loved ones.
When they pulled up to the Ahern home off Bates Street Northwest in the Truxton Circle neighborhood, every light in the house appeared to be on, and cars were double-parked outside.
Vernon pulled up behind one of the cars and put on the hazards. He got out to hold the door for Sam. “Stay with the car, Q.”
“Yes, sir.”
Escorted by Vernon, Sam and Freddie made their way to the spacious front porch, which was full of people. Sam wanted to groan at how the home being overrun with visitors would make for a more complicated investigation for the Crime Scene detectives.
When a woman on the porch saw them coming, she let out a scream. “Why’d they send her? Is our baby dead? Oh God, please no!”
“She’s not dead that we know of.” Sam spoke loudly, trying to be heard over the racket the woman was making. “We’re investigating other missing kids and were informed about Luna. Where’re her parents?”
“They’re inside,” the screamer said. “I’m sorry. She’s my niece, and when I saw you, I thought the worst.”
“It’s okay. Will you take me to her parents, please?”
The other people gathered on the porch gawked at Sam as the aunt cut a path to the front door and led them to a room where a man and woman were seated on a love seat, staring at their phones, seemingly willing them to ring.
“Jordy, Court, the police are here. Other kids are missing, too, and the first lady is investigating.”
Sam wanted to tell her to fuck off with the first lady shit, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. Instead, she showed her badge while Freddie did the same. She didn’t bother with introductions. “Where’d your daughter tell you she was going?”