Chapter Fifteen
Sam had never seen Mike Hogan cry the way he did when he saw Ethan alive and mostly well. As someone who’d always been like a big brother to Sam, seeing him like that hurt her heart. She was deeply concerned about Tracy and Mike’s marriage and whether it would survive this incident.
While they talked with Ethan, Sam went to the hallway to compare notes with Ruiz.
“What’ve you got?” the captain asked.
Sam went through the facts that Ethan had relayed to her. “It sounds as if Mayfield and his son chose them for this mission after buttering them up during previous encounters.”
“That’s my impression as well.”
“Ethan was able to give me fairly specific information about where they were held.”
“We’ve got people canvassing the area now.”
“I wonder if they ran once they figured out that Ethan and Tomas had escaped.”
“That’s possible. I’ll pass all the new information on to everyone in the field and update the BOLO to include only Luna.
We’ll need to update her parents, as well as notifying the media that Ethan and Tomas have been found.
Do you want to handle those two things due to the intense public interest in your family connection to this case? ”
“Sure, I can do that.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank you for letting me help.”
Ruiz nodded and went to make her calls.
Sam leaned back against the wall, closed her eyes and tried to process the information Ethan had imparted.
That’s where Nick found her when he came looking for her. “Hey,” he said softly. “Is he okay?”
Sam nodded. “He will be. Eventually. No serious injuries, thank goodness, and the multitool came in handy to cut through zip ties.”
“Wow, really?” Nick smiled. “He’ll be proud of that.”
“As he should be. It got them out of there.”
“Can you go home and get some rest now?”
“I have to go back to HQ and update the media.”
“You should be able to do that from here. Word is they followed us.”
“Oh, well… That’s handy.” She scrubbed a hand across her face as relief, elation and bone-deep exhaustion sparked a desperate need for sleep. “I have one call to make, and then I can do the briefing. Let me just check in with Tracy, Mike and Ethan first.”
“Tell them I’m here and that I love them.”
“Come in with me.”
“That’s okay. They need their space right now.”
She patted his arm. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be right here.”
Sam went back into the room and gestured for Tracy to come to her.
“Nick is here and gives his love to all of you. They’re asking me to brief the media, and I want to make sure you have no objections.
I’ll keep it high-level and say the boys have been found safe and that we’re still looking for Luna as well as the perpetrators of this crime. ”
Tracy had her arms crossed in a protective pose that tugged at Sam’s heart. “That’s fine. Please thank everyone who helped to look for them.”
“I will. Are you… I mean…”
“I don’t know what I am other than thankful he’s back and seemingly okay, but I’m terrified of what it all means.”
“Take it one step at a time. Let’s see where the evidence leads. From what he said, it sounds as if he and Tomas were used to perpetrate a scheme that had nothing to do with them.”
“I guess that’d be better than people thinking he lured that poor girl to whatever fate was waiting for her.”
“Even if he helped to lure her, he had no idea what they had planned.”
“So he says.”
“He didn’t know, Trace.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Can I hug you?”
“Um, sure.”
Sam wrapped her arms around her sister and held on tight for a long moment. “Whatever’s next, Nick and I will be right here to get you all through it. I promise.”
“Thanks for everything.”
“I’ll keep you posted.”
Tracy nodded and went back to her spot next to Ethan’s bed, close enough to stroke his hair. Mike stood on the other side, staring at Ethan as if afraid he might suddenly disappear again. Brooke had her arm around Mike.
Sam left them and stepped into the hallway, where Nick was talking to Nate.
“How is he?” Nate asked.
“He seems okay, all things considered. A lot to unpack, though.”
“It’s a huge relief they were found alive,” Nate said.
That he thought they wouldn’t be had Sam’s anxiety spiking all over again, until she reminded herself her nephew was alive and mostly well in the room behind her. To Nick, she said, “I need to make a call to update Luna’s parents and brief the media. Then we can go home.”
“I’m here for whatever you need.”
“Stay close. That’s what I need.”
“Nothing I’d rather do, as you know.”
Sam released the clip she’d put in her hair hours ago, ran her fingers through it to bring some order and twisted it up again to keep it out of her way. She was sure her face looked haggard after the ordeal of Ethan’s disappearance, but she couldn’t be bothered to care about that right now.
Captain Malone was in the waiting room and got up when he saw her coming. “How is he?”
“A little beat up but mostly okay. Ruiz said Tomas is the same.”
“Thank goodness they’re alive.”
Sam nodded as she tried not to break down—again. “Ruiz asked me to brief the media. Nick said they followed us over here.”
“Yeah, there’s a crowd in the parking lot. Patrol is keeping them contained.”
“Let’s get it done.”
“Do you want me to do it?”
Sam was sorely tempted to turn it over to him. “I’ll do it, so I can thank everyone who helped us look for him. I have to call Luna’s parents first.” She looked around for a quiet spot to make the call and didn’t see one.
“This way,” Malone said, guiding her toward a hallway that was mostly deserted.
Sam looked up the number and made the call.
“Did you find her?” Court asked.
“Not yet, but we’ve got Ethan Hogan and Tomas Cambra. They were held in a home in Northwest, and according to Ethan, they didn’t see Luna there.”
Court’s anguished cry broke Sam’s heart.
“We’ve got all the best people looking for her and will continue to work the case from every angle until we have her back.”
“I can’t bear to think about what she might be going through.”
Sam couldn’t either. “We’re not sharing details, such as the boys not seeing her where they were held, with the public. We need to keep that info close while we look for her, okay?”
“We won’t say anything. Do you think it’s a good sign for her that they were found alive?”
Sam desperately wanted to reassure her, but she couldn’t give her false hope. “I honestly don’t know what it means. I can tell you we’ve got a massive effort under way to find her. I’m about to update the media and will implore people again to be on the lookout for Luna.”
“Thank you for all you’re doing.”
“I’ll keep you informed of any developments.”
“Okay.”
Sam ended the call, feeling shredded by the awful uncertainty Luna’s family was still dealing with. “Brutal,” she said to Malone.
“It sure is.”
“I haven’t even asked where we are with the guy murdered at the hotel.”
“Cruz is still working with Crime Scene, and Archie’s team has the video. It’s slow going on both fronts.”
“I’ll get up to speed on that after I get some sleep.”
“This was a tough one after another tough one. Take the time you need. We’ve got it covered.”
“Thanks, Cap.” Sam eyed the doors where the media waited to devour her on the other side. She wasn’t at all sure she had the fortitude to face them, but Ruiz had asked her to handle it, so that’s what she would do. Maintaining the fragile accord with the captain was a priority.
“I’ll go out with you. If it’s too much, take a step back, and I’ll take over.”
She nodded, appreciating that he’d given her an out if she ended up needing it.
They walked through the automatic doors out of the Emergency Department into the parking lot where a light mist was falling, just enough to soak the reporters and add to their ire at being made to wait.
Shouted questions started the second they saw Sam coming toward them and continued unabated until she stepped up to the makeshift podium someone had put there. Probably Public Affairs, she thought as she tried to gather herself to tell them what they needed to know.
“Just over an hour ago, two young boys were spotted running on Connecticut Avenue by MPD Patrol officers. The boys, Ethan Hogan and Tomas Cambra, who were reported missing yesterday afternoon, are being treated here at GW for minor injuries that resulted from being held hostage. Our department had issued a be-on-the-lookout alert for them late yesterday after they failed to return home on time. Their cell phones were going to voicemail, and tracking services weren’t available, leading their parents to call us for help in finding them.
Then we were informed of another missing child, thirteen-year-old Luna Ahern, who has not yet been located.
Her disappearance is believed to be related to that of the boys. ”
“How do you know that?” a reporter asked.
“A connection has been established between the children based on our investigation thus far.”
“Hogan is your nephew, is that correct?”
“He is,” Sam said. “Needless to say, our family is enormously relieved to have him back safe and mostly sound. We’re very thankful to everyone who helped to look for them, including our partners at the FBI and U.S.
Marshals, and we ask you to remain vigilant as we continue to look for Luna.
If you see her, please contact law enforcement. ”
“Is this related to you and your husband somehow?”
“Based on what we know so far, we believe it’s not related to our positions as president and first lady, but as I said, the investigation is ongoing.”
“Where did your sister and her husband think their son was yesterday?”
“They’d given him permission to go get pizza and play video games at the Wharf with Tomas.”
“By themselves?” the man asked as a follow-up.
“Yes.”
“How did they get there?”
“On the Metro.”
“Aren’t they young for that at eleven?”
“That’s not my decision to make for my sister, her husband or any other parent.”
“What do you think as a parent yourself?”
“I don’t judge the choices of other parents.”
“Ever?”