Chapter 10
GRANT WOKE to Marty wound around him, pressed right close. It was nice not waking up alone. He didn’t want to move and was just happy for a few minutes, until he turned his head and looked at the bedside clock. “Shit,” he whispered and carefully got out of bed.
“What?” Marty whispered.
He’d forgotten to set an alarm. “I have to be to the station in half an hour,” Grant said as he leaned over the bed.
“And I need to go home to get fresh clothes and things.” On top of that, the last thing he wanted was for Cameron to find him in here buck-ass naked, and it was pretty clear that the boy was stirring in the other room.
Grant pulled on his clothes and kissed Marty before hurrying out and down the stairs, where he got his equipment.
Dexter was asleep on the floor near the sofa until Grant woke him and led him to the car, where Dexter stretched in the back as Grant shut the door.
“I know. I wanted to stay too. But we have a job today.”
Grant hurried to his house, showered fast, and changed clothes before rejoining Dexter in the air-conditioned car and heading to work. As soon as they were in the station, he fed the dog and made sure he had water before going to his desk to check on any developments.
“No promising leads so far,” Red said as he stopped by. “The story started running at seven this morning, and we’ve checked out the leads we got. One guy reported his neighbor because he hoped the guy would be the kidnapper, and then he’d have to move out and he could sell the house to his mother.”
“People will do anything,” Grant scoffed.
“Yeah. But as more people get up and watch the local news, it’s going to get interesting.
” Red gave him a thumbs-up, and Grant returned to clearing his emails.
There had been no information on the whereabouts of Mikey, and that was really getting under his skin.
A little boy didn’t just disappear. He had to be somewhere.
“I want to check that empty house we searched the other day,” he told Captain Robards once he was up-to-date.
Just like the places where they’d found the other boys, it was near where he had disappeared, and they had already searched it once.
“I was wondering if Atlas and Evie were available to join us. I want to cover all the damned bases with this one.” His frustration was showing, and he knew it.
“It follows the pattern, but I don’t know how long it will be before our kidnapper changes what he does. He has to know that we’re actively pursuing him and that we have at least in part an accurate description. So be careful.”
“We will,” Grant agreed and went to find Atlas before leaving the station.
They met at the house in question, where the real estate agent sat in her car in front.
“Please just unlock the front door and then get back in your car,” he told her.
“Don’t go inside, and don’t approach the house again.
We are only here to search the residence, nothing more. ”
“All right.” She walked up to the house and keyed the code into the lockbox, then handed the key to Grant before she got back in her car.
He unlocked the door and went inside, then cleared the house room by room before bringing in Atlas and the dogs.
“How do you want to do this?” Atlas asked.
“You take this level, and I’m going to search the basement. While you’re up here, see if you can find an entrance to the attic.”
“Got it,” Atlas said as Grant led Dexter to the basement stairs.
They went down cautiously, but it was mainly an open space with a single door to the furnace and water heater room.
The foundation walls were visible all around without any breaks.
It seemed pretty clear that there wasn’t any hiding place down here.
The floor was solid as well, so no trap doors.
He let Dexter sniff around before heading for the stairs.
“The attic entrance is in one of the bedroom closets,” Atlas told him. “But this place is as clean as any home I’ve ever seen.” They opened the hatch, and Grant climbed up to a view of the rafters and insulation. So, in fact, nothing at all.
“There’s no place to hide anything up here. Let’s check the garage and get out of here.”
The dogs checked everywhere on the property before Grant and Atlas locked up and returned to their cars.
Grant was about to let Dexter in back when he got a call that cameras had detected movement in the school just down the street.
“Principal reports that the building is locked and no one should be in there.”
“We’ll check it out,” Grant said, and he and Atlas drove the block and a half to the school. The principal was out front and let them in.
“Do you need me to come inside?” he asked.
“No,” Atlas answered, and they entered the building, leaving the dogs in their vehicles.
Their footsteps echoed on the floor as they walked the empty hallways.
They began at the far end of the building and worked their way toward the entrance.
Finding nothing, they retrieved the dogs and walked them through each room.
“Grant,” Atlas said when Evie sat down outside the equipment room door. Grant brought Dexter over, and he did the same. Atlas opened the door carefully, and Grant peered inside the quiet room.
Dexter led the way inside and over to the water tank where he sat down, mouth open and tongue out, panting softly. “What are you doing here, boy?” Grant asked as he bent down for a closer look. There was nothing to see.
Grant called for Atlas, and he brought over Evie, who sat down right next to Dexter. The two of them just sat there, which was their indication that they had found something. Still, as far as he could see, there was nothing.
“I’m going to get the principal while you call in for backup. There is something we’re missing, and the more eyes the better,” Atlas told him. Grant called in the request and told Dexter to stay before slowly sweeping the area, shining his light around the walls and floor.
He bent down when something caught the beam.
It turned out to be particles of dust, but when he looked more closely at his fingers, some of them sparkled in the light.
“What in the hell is this?” he asked himself, rubbing his fingers together.
It wasn’t dirt, and in some places it left his fingers red. Rust.
“What can I do to help you?” the principal asked as he hurried into the room. “I don’t get back here very often. But this is the mechanical room. It’s part of the original building.”
“What’s the tank used for?” Grant asked.
“Oh, it used to be for hot water. That was how they heated the building when it was originally built. But that system was replaced maybe ten years ago with something more modern and energy-efficient.” He stepped closer.
“Yes. See, the intakes have been removed. The tank itself was just left here. As far as I know, it’s empty, and it was decided to leave it rather than spend a bunch of money to cut it up and remove it.
There are plans to rework the building, and the tank will be removed as part of that expansion. ”
Grant looked down at his fingers as realization downed. “I don’t think the tank is empty.”
“Oh god,” the principal whispered. “How did someone get him in there?”
Grant had been thinking the same thing for a bit, but they had a bigger issue.
The tank was large and would hold air, but how much and for how long?
“Dexter, stay,” he told his partner and hurried to a bench with tools hanging on the wall above it.
He grabbed a large pipe wrench and returned to where the intake fittings had been capped over.
“Need help?” the principal asked as Atlas returned with Evie.
“We need to get his off.” He set the wrench in place and pulled on it.
The cap didn’t budge. But the principal joined him, both of them pulling until the cap turned slightly.
“One more time,” Grant said and gave it his all.
The pipe cap turned and clanged to the floor.
Grant grabbed his light. At least they had a clear hole to the inside.
He sniffed, but nothing inherently bad smelling came from the tank. “Is he there?” Atlas asked.
“Mikey, are you in there? This is Police Officer Grant, and I’m here to help you. Are you there?” He listened. “Can you talk to me? I promise I’m here to help you go home to your mom and dad.” A scrape came from inside. “There’s movement.”
“How do we get him out?” Atlas asked.
“The other side of the tank has an access hatch that’s bolted on.
” That dust must have been paint and rust from when it was opened to trap Mikey in it.
“Grab a wrench and start getting the bolts off. They have to be loose, because that’s how he was put inside.
” They got to work as other officers arrived.
Grant filled them in, but removing the bolts was slow going.
They were old, and in some places it looked like they might have been stripped.
“Mikey, please talk to me. We’re working to get you out of there.”
“Mommy?” A single word sent Grant’s heart soaring.
“Is that you, Mikey?” Grant asked.
“Yes. I want Mommy,” he said, whimpering softly.
“I’m already calling his parents,” Atlas told him. “And an ambulance is on the way.”
Grant nodded. “I know you do, and we’re here to help you. Your mom and dad are on their way.” He looked at Atlas, who nodded. “So be brave for me, and we’ll get you out as soon as we can.”