Free Abduction! by Peg Kehret

was never any news.
    By the time they returned home, Bonnie was worn out. She ate, took a shower, and went straight to bed.
    Two hours later, she woke trembling and drenched with sweat. She had dreamed of running alone through tall grass, calling for help.
    No, Bonnie thought. I can’t start having nightmares again. Matt isn’t gone forever, and I’m not alone. Dozens of people are helping us, people we don’t even know.
    Bonnie longed to have Pookie on her bed again, pawing at the blanket and making little whimper sounds in his sleep.
    As her heart rate returned to normal, she remembered reading Nancy’s note and wishing she could go to the mall instead of watching Matt. Had Matt been lured away from school at that exact moment? Had he climbed into a car as Bonnie wished she didn’t have to take care of him?

O n Sunday, the Sholters’ house seemed full of what wasn’t there. Everywhere Bonnie looked she expected to see Matt or Pookie. She put fresh water in the dog dish, as she did every morning. She set three cereal bowls on the table for breakfast, then put Matt’s bowl back in the cupboard.
    Even the sun glinting off the prism didn’t seem cheerful. Bonnie reached for the milk carton without glancing at the rainbows on the floor.
    That afternoon Bonnie made smaller MISSING flyers on the computer. She put Matt’s picture on them plus his name and age. She added: FAVORITE FOOD: MACARONI AND CHEESE. LOVES TO PLAY BASEBALL . She put a description of Pookie, too, and said he was also missing.She used the phone number Detective Morrison had given her.
    Bonnie printed the flyers, getting four per sheet of paper. She used red paper because red was Matt’s favorite color, but his picture didn’t show clearly, so she switched to white paper. She didn’t need to please Matt; she needed to find him.
    “Pictures work,” Officer Calvin had said.
    She printed fifty sheets, or two hundred flyers. Nancy helped her cut them.
    “I’ll give some to everyone at school tomorrow,” Nancy said. “I’m sure they already know about Matt, but they can pass the flyers on to people who might not know.”
    “Thanks,” Bonnie said. “Mom said I can take them to the grocery store and hand them out to people shopping.”
    “What about other towns?” Nancy said. “Whoever took Matt might have gone away from here. I could mail some to my Aunt Judy and Uncle Frank in Richland. I know they’d give out the flyers.”
    “Good idea. The police are using a national organization for missing kids, but we need to reach people who don’t know about that group.”
    Nancy took a stack of flyers. “I have to go home now,” she said. “It’s my grandma’s birthday, and we’re havinga party for her. We don’t feel like having a party—we’d rather help try to find Matt—but we invited Grandma’s friends weeks ago. I’ll give all of them one of the flyers.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Mom says if Matt isn’t found today, I can come over and help again tomorrow, as soon as I get home from school.”
    Bonnie promised to call if there was any word. After Nancy left, Bonnie thought, Nancy’s right. The person who took Matt could have gone anywhere. Matt might not be in Washington State now. Matt could be in Florida or New York or anywhere.
    The police had alerted the airport, but what if Matt’s kidnapper took a short flight before the word got out? Maybe he flew a private plane. Maybe they took a bus or Amtrak. Matt might be in a car right now, speeding across Iowa.
    The possibilities were endless. Bonnie looked at the stack of MATT IS MISSING flyers. They seemed like such a small thing to do in the face of a huge problem.
    Bonnie took a deep breath. My flyers may be small, she thought, but they’re better than doing nothing, and Matt might still be in the Seattle area. His abductor could be holed up somewhere, waiting for the furor to die down.
    She filled a bag with flyers, got on her bike, and headed for the grocery store. One of the