Free The Abducted Book 0 by Roger Hayden

honey. This is just
temporary. But I’ll be home soon. Promise to do well in school
while I’m gone.”
    “ I will.”
    “ I know you’ll do great on the
spelling bee.” She then kissed Ana on the forehead. “I love
you.”
    “ I love you too,” Ana said, eyes
down.
    Miriam straightened up, patted Ana on
the head, and then turned her attention to Freddy. Static chatter played out on O’Leary’s police radio. Miriam
gave Freddy a trusting and appreciative look. “Thank you for doing
this. Especially on short notice.”
    Freddy shrugged. “Hey,
what are ex-husbands for?” They both smiled.
    Miriam pointed at him. “Don’t let her out of your sight. You hear me?”
    Freddy put his hand over his
chest. “I won’t. I promise.”
    Miriam gave him a quick hug and
thanked him again. She said goodbye one last time to Ana and then
went around to the other side of O ’Leary’s car, with
Freddy following behind her. He opened the car door and closed it
gently after she was inside. Ana stood next to him, and he put his
arm around her shoulder as they walked back toward the
house.
    “ You ready to do this?” O’Leary asked
as Miriam put her seat belt on.
    “ As ready as I’ll ever be,” Miriam
said.
    O ’Leary shifted into
reverse. Miriam waved to Ana and Freddy, who had turned to watch as
O’Leary backed out of the driveway.
    “ See you in a week!” she
said.
    “ Bye, Mom!”
    The Crown Victoria roared off down the
street, leaving Miriam’s house, daughter, and ex-husband in the
distance. She still wasn’t sure exactly what she was doing, but
whatever it was, it felt like the right thing. If there was any
hope of finding the Snatcher before the next girl was taken, she
wanted to be a part of it.

    Crime Scene
     
    O ’Leary merged onto the
highway, headed south toward Palm Dale. Miriam hadn’t gone anywhere
near the town since moving away. There were many unanswered
questions to discuss between them. Oddly enough, however, the
conversation didn’t begin with the case.
    “ So you and Freddy?” O’Leary
began.
    Miriam turned to him. It was a
harmless question, but she still felt imposed upon. “Me and Freddy what?”
    O ’Leary shifted in his
seat. “Didn’t mean to get personal. I was just curious.”
    “ That’s okay,” Miriam said. “He’s
going to watch Ana while I’m gone.”
    “ That’s good,” O’Leary said, ending it
there. “So where do you want to start?” he asked.
    “ We need to get an idea of who we’re
looking for,” Miriam said. “Any witnesses or descriptions they
could put an APB out on?”
    “ Nothing yet,” O’Leary
said.
    Miriam looked at him cockeyed and in
disbelief. “What do you mean, nothing
yet ? This man punched a mother in the
face—”
    O’Leary cut her off. “In broad daylight, I
know. I went over this with Lou. And the mother says she was hit by
a woman, not a man.”
    “ A woman?” Miriam repeated, shocked.
Though it would make sense. She, herself, could remember the long
blond hair of the driver who’d shot her partner in cold blood. The
image was seared into her brain and would never fade. But a woman
kidnapping children was nearly unheard of. Certainly in Palm
Dale.
    “ I’m not buying it either. Doesn’t fit
the profile,” O’Leary said.
    “ He’s wearing a disguise,” Miriam
ventured. “A wig, probably.”
    O’Leary’s eyes went back to the road
as Miriam thought to herself. She tugged at the sleeve
of her jean jacket and adjusted her ponytail. The white-striped
road raced by as they continued on rural I-75, thirty-five miles
from Palm Dale and closing in.
    O ’Leary pulled on his
tie, trying to loosen the collar of his button-down shirt. It felt
as though he had been wearing the same standard shirt and suit for
the past decade. The thought came to him that he should have been
promoted by now. But that was the least of his concerns. They had a
girl to find. One to two days max. Any longer than that, and he was
certain that