Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

asked.
    ‘It went to Bill. That’s how he has him labeled in his contact list. “Bill” not “Dad” or “Father”. Bill sends the first text at 9.55 P.M . “Do you have it?” George answers, “D supposed to come at 10.30.” Bill responds, “If you fuck up, don’t come home.” George doesn’t respond. From 10 till midnight there are eight more texts to Marina, asking about the baby. She responds to four of them, responses pasted from earlier texts.’
    ‘Now I almost feel sorry for him,’ Paige commented.
    ‘Not me,’ Drew said harshly. ‘At midnight there’s a text to Doug. “Waiting for you. Where are you?” There’s no reply. He gets a text from Bill at 12.30. “Do you have it?” George responds right away, “D didn’t show.” There are three texts at 1.30, one each to Bill, Cindy, and Marina. “Let me in. It’s cold.” Nobody answers.’
    Hector winced. ‘They locked him out of the house? Bill meant what he said.’
    ‘I guess so. Then nothing until 4 A.M. This is a text from Doug. “Sorry, got tied up. Meet me at 9 A.M . Same place.” George asks if they can meet earlier, but Doug doesn’t reply. Between 9.30 and 9.57, George sends six texts. Four are to Doug, asking where he is. Various expletives are used. One is to Cindy saying he’s waiting. One is to Bill, same thing. Then at 10.01 he texts Cindy, “Finally. Got it. On my way. ” ’
    Daphne checked her own cell phone. ‘I got the text from Ford’s phone at 10.04.’
    ‘George sends a text at 10.03. “At Balt n Calv. Running. ” ’
    ‘He couldn’t have sent the text from Ford’s phone,’ Daphne said. ‘He would have had to run backward. Or he lied to Cindy and he wasn’t at Baltimore and Calvert.’
    ‘I can check the security cameras around the courthouse,’ Drew said, ‘to see where he was at 10.04. Anything else?’
    ‘Not right now. Thanks, Drew.’ Daphne hung up, looked at the clock, then closed her eyes, fighting off a new wave of panic. ‘Joseph should be arriving at Odum’s house in Timonium any minute now.’
    Tuesday, December 3, 6.30 P.M.
    ‘Go!’ Bo barked into his radio. ‘Now!’
    In a coordinated wave, three teams busted through the doors of the three houses belonging to Richard Odum. Joseph’s team barreled into the Timonium house along with a SWAT team carrying enough firepower to wipe out a neighborhood. They’d expected resistance, shots fired.
    Instead they were met with an oppressive quiet. By previous agreement Joseph and Bo took the top floor and the SWAT guys took the main floor and the basement.
    Joseph had just started up the stairs when he heard it – the squall of a new-born baby. He ran upstairs where there were four closed doors. Joseph grabbed the doorknob to the first door. And froze as his training kicked in. What if this was a trap?
    He backed away as Bo made it up the last stair, breathing hard. ‘What is it?’
    Joseph pressed his ear to each door. The crying was coming from behind all the doors. ‘It’s the same baby’s cry, played on a loop. How long before the bomb dog gets here?’ Joseph asked, sniffing at each door.
    ‘A few more minutes. Are you vying for the dog’s job?’ Bo asked him.
    ‘No. I’m hoping for fresh paint.’ Through the last door he smelled it. ‘This is the nursery. George said he just painted it.’ Joseph pressed his ear against the door and listened. ‘There’s real crying in here, muffled, but I can hear it.’ He went to the banister and leaned over to where an officer waited at the door. ‘Evacuate the neighbors in the surrounding houses and tell the handlers to hurry up here when they arrive.’
    Then he went back to each door, called Ford’s name loudly, and listened, trying to block out the recorded baby’s cry. The only response was at door number four. The muted crying grew a little louder before quieting altogether.
    ‘Dammit, Bo, that baby’s suffocating.’
    ‘You don’t know that,’ Bo soothed. ‘And you’re not opening the door until it’s safe.’
    One of the SWAT guys jogged up the stairs. ‘We’ve called for both Ford and Kim, but get no response. There’s a basement. There could be rooms down there.’
    ‘When the bomb guys come,’ Bo said firmly.
    Three excruciating minutes went by, then Joseph heard barking. ‘Finally.’
    ‘Everybody out!’ A burly cop came up the stairs with a dog. ‘I’m Innis. This is Rascal and the guy behind me is Poehler.’
    Poehler lugged a large trunk.