The detective’s tone was compassionate. She looked Marcy squarely in the eye when she apologized for the delay. Please be good at this, Marcy found herself pleading silently. Please be the woman who can bring back my son.
For the next ten minutes, Marcy listened. She willed herself to slow her thoughts as Detective Langland outlined the department’s current efforts to locate Johnny.
“I already met with the hotel’s general manager. He’s pulling all the available surveillance tape for us. Unfortunately, they don’t have much in the way of cameras on the beach itself, and only one camera in the beach shack, and it’s focused on the register.”
Marcy felt all hope fading away as the detective continued.
“But they’ll have footage from the hotel lobby, plus the entrances and exits. Unfortunately, the only cameras in the parking lot are close to the property, but we’re going to start with those. If your son left by car, hopefully we’ll get a plate number and move from there.”
“Left by car?” Andrew was clenching and unclenching his fists at his side. “We’ve been careful to warn Johnny. He never willingly would have gotten into—” Andrew cut himself off, considering the implication of what he was saying.
Langland nodded. “I know,” she said softly.
Marcy was grateful that the detective wasn’t minimizing the situation by lecturing her about the curiosity of seven-year-old boys who want to explore the beach on their own, but her heart dropped at the thought of her son in some stranger’s car. She also knew that a kidnapper had probably considered the possibility of cameras at a resort. She thought about all of the paths between the sand dunes farther down the beach, paths that led to public roads where someone could park anonymously and away from the reach of surveillance.
“What about an Amber Alert?” Andrew asked. Marcy had heard the blast of her cell phone a few times over the years when police used an area alert system to notify the public about a local child’s abduction.
“My supervisor is weighing the request. To restrict the notifications to the most urgent cases, the broadcast system won’t allow us to trigger an alert unless we are confident there has been an abduction. I know it’s frustrating, but the fact that we haven’t sent out an alarm yet is actually good news in the big scheme of things. It means we have other possibilities to explore.”
“I assume you’ll also be looking at the whereabouts of any natural suspects who might be on local law enforcement’s radar,” Alex said.
“Of course,” Langland said. “I’ve seen you on television, Judge. So I’m aware of your expertise in criminal law. I wasn’t sure how blunt to be with the rest of the family.”
Marcy’s brother-in-law Alex had been one of the country’s most well-regarded defense attorneys before he was confirmed to the federal bench three months earlier. His stint as the host of the first three episodes of the Under Suspicion series of specials had only increased his public profile.
“I assure you,” Marcy said, “that we want to know every piece of information you have.”
“In that case, you should know that we have officers from the Suffolk County Police Department’s Marine Bureau out on the water, looking for any signs that he might—”
The detective paused, and Marcy nodded that she understood the implication.
“And when Judge Buckley referred to ‘natural suspects,’ I’ve got someone running a list of high-risk registered sex offenders in the area. Also some EDPs—emotionally disturbed persons, in the parlance. We’ll be looking for any matching MOs or other red flags.”
“I see.”
The possible explanations seemed to grow worse at every turn.
As if her mind needed a break from the darkness, Marcy found herself thinking about a trip to Anguilla ten years ago, shortly after their first anniversary. She had planned a long weekend trip for her and her best friends from college, Alicia and Liz. Alicia had gotten her MBA and was on her way to becoming a CEO, but Liz had been the one to move to Hollywood with Marcy to make their names as actresses. They were having lunch at a delicious French restaurant on Meads Bay when the sound of a small prop airplane interrupted the maître d’s explanation of the daily specials.
The maître d’ was bemoaning the flight’s deviation from the airport’s mandated path for visitors’ private jets when Liz let out a loud “WHAT did he do?!”
The entire restaurant looked up to see a plane flying a banner above the ocean: Liz, Be My Leading Lady. Marry Me. Unbeknownst to any of them, Liz’s boyfriend, Nic, had asked Andrew to snoop in Marcy’s calendar for their itinerary. The happy couple were married on that same beach a year later.
Her mind had pulled her back to Anguilla for a reason. Like an acting coach once told her: Pay attention to what you know, because every experience you ever had might be important right now.
“A plane banner,” Marcy called out. “Can we do that? Something that says there’s a missing child. Or maybe just a message for Johnny that we’re looking for him? In case he sees it?” She heard the desperation in her voice.
“Of course,” Andrew said, sitting down next to her on the sofa and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “That’s a great idea.”
“We’ll of course put out an announcement for the public to be on the lookout for your son,” Detective Langland said. “But we’ll get more attention if you as the parents follow up with a press conference. It’s too early to go that route now, but if we haven’t found him by tomorrow, the news teams will turn up.”
“Tomorrow?” The idea of not having her son with her by nightfall was unimaginable.
“If it even comes to that,” the detective said.
She heard a fast but quiet tap on the suite door. Alex opened the door, and Emily and Chloe spilled into the room, followed by Ramon. “Sorry, even I had a hard time stopping them.”
The girls jumped on the sofa on either side of her and Andrew. “What have you been talking about? It’s mean to keep secrets,” Emily said.
“We haven’t seen you all day,” Chloe grumbled. “Where’s Johnny?”
What am I going to tell them if their big brother is gone?
“I’m sorry, girls. We were just talking about what we should do for dinner. What sounds good to you?”
“Hamburgers,” the girls replied.
“Hamburgers?” Marcy asked incredulously. “If you two eat one more hamburger, you’re going turn into two giant hamburgers!”
Andrew spread his arms wide, as if in an unsuccessful effort to put them around his supersized daughters. The girls squealed with delight, temporarily forgetting the unanswered question about Johnny.
Chapter 9
Laurie turned the corner toward her hotel room to find Alex removing the key card from the door next to hers. She looked at him expectantly, hoping to hear good news. He shook his head.
She followed him into his room, and he pulled her into an embrace and gave her a quick kiss.
“Are you holding up okay?”
“Me? Of course. I’m sick for Marcy and Andrew, though.”
“Obviously. But I know this can’t be easy for you either.”