Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

somewhere. Check with the schools. Get his records. They should have an address.’
    ‘I will. What’s happening there?’
    Joseph told them and could feel their energy level drop.
    ‘Twenty-six?’ JD whispered. ‘Oh God, Joseph.’
    ‘I know. I really, really want this bastard.’
    ‘How’s Daphne taking it?’ Brodie asked.
    ‘Right now she’s numb. I’ve got to go. She’s—’
    Joseph was cut off by the sudden shriek of a car alarm. He spun around, his heart dropping out of his chest. Oh my God . No .
    It was him. The face from the sketch signed T. Ciccotelli. In the flesh, as if he’d walked off the screen. Doug. And in his grasp, a gun to her temple – Daphne .
    Thursday, December 5, 2.35 P.M.
    Daphne had been numb. Blessedly numb, sitting in the back of Joseph’s SUV, her son at her side. Ford’s arm had been around her protectively, his other hand closed tight around Joseph’s car keys. Her son had been shaking. She’d realized it on some subconscious level.
    He was cold. He should be in the hospital . Those had been her thoughts when a state trooper had tapped on her window. She tried to roll the window down, but nothing happened when she pushed the button. With a grimace she realized that they hadn’t thought to start the engine. No wonder Ford’s cold . She opened the door a crack.
    ‘Yes, Officer?’
    ‘We have to move this vehicle to make room for the flatbed truck. We’re going to start moving Beckett’s belongings to the crime scene lab.’ He opened the door wider, holding out his arm for support.
    She forced her legs to move. ‘Of course,’ she murmured. The trooper helped her to stand and then he turned around to help Ford. Too late she saw the flash of a steel needle as it punctured her son’s neck. ‘Fo—’ His name froze in her throat as the trooper pressed a gun to her back.
    Not a trooper, she thought. Doug . Shit. Eyes wide, she watched Ford fight the effects of whatever he’d been given. He was losing. She looked around frantically. Where was Joseph? Over there . He’s on the phone, his back turned . Look over here .
    But her mental telepathy went nowhere and Joseph didn’t shift stance. Ford was asleep, his arm stretched flat on the back seat as he’d reached for her. His tight fist was starting to open as his muscles went slack. She could see the tip of the black plastic key fob in his hand.
    The man behind her leaned close, his breath tickling her neck. ‘I’m back,’ he said in her ear, his tone mocking. ‘Did you miss me?’
    Clenching her jaw she pushed the panic aside. ‘Hello, Doug,’ she said calmly.
    She felt his start of surprise. ‘You know me?’
    ‘Yeah. You’re Hal’s kid,’ she said, throwing out her best guess.
    He chuckled. ‘You had me there for a minute. Hal never calls me “Doug”. Now that Ford is in beddie-bye-land we’re going to take a walk.’
    If he got her in a car, he’d kill her. He might kill me anyway . Get him and the gun away from Ford . She didn’t want him able to take a direct shot at her son.
    ‘Don’t hurt my son,’ she said grimly. ‘And I’ll do what you want.’
    The barrel of his gun poked her kidney. ‘You’ll do what I want anyway. Now walk.’
    She turned, stretching her fingers as she passed Ford’s hand. She looped her pinkie through the wire ring of the key fob, happy that Joseph didn’t keep multiple keys on the ring with his SUV fob. That could have been noisy. And heavy. Moving with him, she curled her pinkie, palming the key fob herself.
    ‘How did you know about Beckett?’ she demanded. ‘I need to know.’
    ‘My daddy told me,’ Doug said. ‘Keep moving.’
    Hal . How could you? ‘Why are you doing this?’ She grunted when he shoved the gun even harder. He was walking her toward the main road. Away from Joseph and everyone else.
    ‘Just smile,’ Doug whispered. ‘Don’t look scared or I will gut you where you stand.’
    ‘I guess you’re handy with a knife,’ she said. ‘Like cutting Officer Zacharias or stabbing the au pair. You killed a cop, Doug. They’ll give you the death penalty for that.’
    ‘They have to catch me first,’ he said, amused.
    They were twenty feet from the rear of Joseph’s Escalade and Ford was out of the line of fire. Keeping her hand as still as possible, she blindly depressed the fob buttons until she hit the panic button.
    The alarm screeched, the Escalade’s lights flashed and every cop at the scene came running. Yes .
    She was