Chapter 13 #2
“Then we get the kids out and into the care of their parents. Once we’re sure he isn’t in any of the cars, Red and Carter will let them go. Dexter and I are going to search the building.” He stepped inside and let Dexter off his leash. “Find Cameron. Go find him.”
Dexter raised his nose and then walked down the hallway. He passed the gym and the larger rooms before heading down the hallway, picking up speed as he went. Grant followed him, walking faster.
“Do you smell Cameron?” he asked, and Dexter went faster down the hall before pawing at the door to a classroom.
That was unusual, because he was trained to sit down when he found his quarry.
But he whined at the door, and the principal hurried up behind them, unlocking the room.
Dexter continued inside and went right to a cupboard at the back. Grant opened it and leaned down.
A pair of frightened eyes stared back at him.
“Cameron, it’s me, Grant,” he said gently.
Cameron slowly got out, and Dexter finally sat down while Grant lifted Cameron into his arms. Cameron clung to him and burst into tears, crying deeply as though he had held in all his fear and now that he was safe it just had to come out.
Grant made a call through the radio for all units to stand down. “The boy has been found. Let the buses go and the parents leave with their children.” He couldn’t express how happy he was to be able to make that call.
“Why would you do that?” the principal asked Cameron.
Grant turned to him, his gaze hard as stone.
He swore if the man said one more thing he’d jump down his throat.
Thankfully, he didn’t ask any more questions, and Grant carried Cameron back through the school, cradling him in his arms until he got outside.
Marty raced up, and Grant transferred Cameron into his arms, both Marty and Cameron crying.
“I’m glad he’s safe. Where was he?” Cameron’s teacher asked.
“He closed himself into one of the cupboards in a room and hid under one of the shelves,” Grant explained as Dexter sat down next to him.
Grant praised him and gave him a treat. He knew he was going to have to work with Dexter to reinforce his reactions, but somehow he figured that when it came to Cameron, Dexter was always going to overreact.
He and Dexter might work together, but it was damned clear that Dexter adored Cameron and had taken him in as part of his pack.
Grant would remain the alpha, but Dexter was always going to watch out for Cameron.
“We need to find out why he hid,” the principal said. “That caused a great deal of effort for nothing.”
Grant cleared his throat. “We will determine what happened and why. This involves a police investigation.” He narrowed his eyebrows, and the principal backed away.
“Cameron,” Grant said, standing next to where Marty held him. “What happened?” He knew he needed to be patient.
“I seed him,” Cameron said, tears running down his cheeks. “I seed him out the window.” He continued crying and began to hiccup.
“It’s okay. Marty is here with you, and so am I.” He smiled slightly. “So is Dexter, and Officer Atlas is here with Evie. No one is going to get to you.”
“Because you’ll beat them up?” Cameron asked, wiping his eyes. “You’re big. You can beat up anyone.” He sniffed.
“How about we don’t beat anyone up, but you tell me who you saw and where?”
Cameron held on to Marty tightly. “The bad man, I seed him.” Grant went still for a second. “He was outside, and I didn’t want him to get me. I seed him.”
“Okay. I believe you.” He turned to the principal.
“Get me all the video from every camera for the entire day today. Wait…,” he said, and found Carter and Red, who were guiding the last of the parents out of the parking lot.
“Carter, we need your skills,” he explained, and Carter strode over.
“I believe the kidnapper was near the school today. Cameron saw him outside his classroom window. Can you check the video feeds? Marty and I are going to take Cameron inside so he can show us where he saw him.”
“What if the bad man sees me?” Cameron asked.
“Then we’ll see him too and we’ll get him,” Grant told Cameron.
“You just have to show me where he was. That’s all, and Marty can come with you.
” Marty set Cameron down, and Grant extended his hand.
Cameron took it, and the three of them, with Cameron in the middle and Dexter following, went back inside the now-empty school.
They returned to the room where Cameron had hidden, and Cameron went over to the window. He pointed to a stand of trees and bushes. “He was in there.”
“How could you tell it was him?” Grant asked.
“It was the bad man,” Cameron said, and Grant nodded.
“Thank you. That was very brave of you. I’m going to go out there to see if he left anything behind. But you go home with Marty. You were very brave, and you did the right thing. But if you see him again, you tell your teacher right away. Okay. You promise me? Tell the teacher.”
Cameron nodded seriously, and Marty took him out of the room. Grant took pictures of the area and left the classroom. “You can close everything down for the night.”
“Why did he hide?” the principal asked.
“Because he saw the person who took him near the school and got scared. I’d say we have a real problem.
Two of your students have been taken, and there is a man still hanging around, likely scouting for another.
Keep the school on lockdown and make sure each child leaves with a parent or is accounted for getting on the bus.
You cannot have a general dismissal under any circumstances.
We’re working to find out who this is, but… .”
The principal stiffened. “I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep the kids safe. You just find this bastard.”
Grant and Dexter left the building and let the teachers and principal return to their duties, since no crime had been committed. After speaking with the other officers, they left, and Grant carefully checked out the stand of bushes and trees on the side of school property.
“You had a good view of the area without anyone noticing you,” he said to himself as he checked out the sightlines.
The area where the kids left school was clearly visible, yet given the fact that everyone’s attention would be on the other side of the property, no one was likely to be paying attention this way.
Slowly, he policed the area, checking for anything that may have been dropped or left behind.
No cigarette or other sign of impatient waiting presented itself, which told Grant that this was someone comfortable with watching and taking their time.
In a few places, he found deep footprints in the soft ground.
He took pictures of them as well as the rest of the area before stepping back.
Something niggled at the back of his mind, but he wasn’t sure what it was.
Grant was missing something and looked down at Dexter, who stood at his side, calm and comfortable.
He let Dexter off lead to see his reaction.
Dexter wandered around the area and sat near the base of a smallish tree.
Grant carefully approached, checking the ground first. The footprints he had observed were near the tree, and now as he put himself in place of the observer, they had used the tree as cover and maybe as a leaning post. He drew closer and noticed a few hairs or fibers caught in the bark.
He pulled out a bag and carefully peeled away the bits of bark, put it and the attached potential evidence into a bag, and sealed it.
At least this, and the footprints, were proof that someone had been here, and most likely for a while.
Cameron had been right, which made Grant happy.
And if someone had been standing here, then maybe they had them on the video feeds.
He checked the area once more before leading Dexter back to the vehicle. He put him in back with a few treats and closed the door. Then he found the principal inside, just outside the gym, speaking with the assembled teachers about what had happened.
He paused when he saw Grant. “Is there anything you can tell us?”
“Just this,” Grant said. “Someone was seen hanging around the school. I have been able to confirm that someone was indeed there, and it seems they might have been for a while. Please keep your eyes open for people near the edge of the property or in out-of-the-way places. If you see someone, call the police immediately. Don’t approach them or dismiss the kids for recess or at the end of the day.
We believe that whoever is behind these abductions knows the school schedules as well as you do.
They know when the kids will be outside, when they arrive, and when they go home.
I’m also willing to bet they know each of you, and maybe even the cars you drive.
They are drawn to the kids, so please be their eyes and ears.
I’m leaving cards with the number you should call if you do see anything, and I want to stress that you do not need permission from the principal or anyone else.
Call immediately.” The principal cleared his throat, but Grant ignored it.
“The sooner we are aware of someone, the quicker we can get here and maybe catch them.”
A hand went up, and Grant nodded to her. “But what if we’re wrong?”
“What if you’re right?” he countered. “Err on the side of action. There isn’t going to be some punishment doled out.
The reward is the safety of your students, which is something we all want.
And pass the word to all the teachers and staff that you know.
The more people watching means the safer your students are.
” He waited to see if there were any more questions before leaving the assembled group and returning to his vehicle.
He needed to get the sample to the lab and decided to drive out to pay them a visit.
He had to push to get the tests completed as soon as possible.