He found a few old girlie magazines under the mattress and a box of electric trains under the bed, which was not helpful. The closet was filled with old clothes, some of which couldn’t have been worn in a few years. He found boxes on the shelf and lifted them down. Dexter sat in the middle of the rug in the room, looking at him expectantly.
“What did you find?” he asked and approached him. The floor creaked as he got closer. “Oh, you’re a good boy.” He called Dexter away and rolled up the rug. Part of the flooring was loose, and he pried it up. The small space had money and a few pictures that Grant glanced at and felt his stomach roil. He had found Bryant’s souvenirs, pictures of each of the boys looking up at him. The fear in their eyes was palpable. He took pictures of the hiding place before pulling out evidence bags, put on gloves, and carefully placed the images inside.
He also bagged the money and the rest of the contents, but there was no indication of where Bryant was. He hoped to find a piece of mail with an address, a matchbook… something. He kept thinking there had to be a clue here somewhere. Once the stash location had been emptied, he put the floor back in place and rolled the carpet back.
He paused and stood in the center of the room, looking at everything, trying to get a sense of the person who had stayed here, like some grand impression would form in his mind. Nothing came, and he went back to searching. The boxes contained enough old toys and dust to flare his allergies. He stifled a sneeze and turned to put the boxes back in the closet.
That’s when he saw it, on the closet floor under a pair of sneakers. At first he thought they were old, but when he lifted them, the foot odor nearly knocked him over. These had been worn recently, and the bottoms were caked with dirt. He bagged them and carefully lifted the envelope beneath them. The postmark was from just before Cameron had been taken, and the return address was an apartment building on Highland Avenue. Grant bagged the envelope and finished his search before leaving the room. He did a cursory search of the other rooms, but found nothing, so he and Dexter headed out into the backyard.
“HE’S OBVIOUSLYbeen using that room as a stash,” Grant told the captain. “I doubt his father even knows he’s been there. There’s a large tree in the backyard, and I suspect he uses it to come and go. The bedroom window was unlocked, so he could easily get inside. The tree also had places where the bark had been compressed and scuffed. I took photos of everything.” He showed Captain Robards the envelope. “I think this is where he’s living. I found it in the closet under the shoes.”
“There hasn’t been any activity at the home on Louther so far.” Captain Robards picked up the phone as he was still talking. “Check in with Kip and have him stay there. I’m requesting a search warrant for this location.” He told whoever answered what he needed and hung up. “Take a couple of units and head over there. Don’t approach the apartment building until we have the warrant. But then get this bastard.”
Grant left the office and got Dexter, who had curled up in his bed near the desk. “Hey, Atlas, you and Evie want to join us?” he asked as they came into the station. He filled him in quickly. The other units joined him, and they all headed to the south side oftown. “Park around the corner until we get confirmation of the warrant,” Grant instructed.
The street curved just before entering the apartment complex. He parked out of sight with a unit behind him. Atlas and a third unit entered through the park behind the buildings and were watching in case Bryant made a break through the back. Grant’s printer ran, producing a copy of the warrant. He took it and let everyone know that they were going in.
Grant let Red take the lead at the door, staying back slightly with Dexter. They knocked, announced themselves, and entered the first-floor apartment. The place was clean but stank slightly. The officers fanned out, with Grant and Dexter heading down the hall. The first bedroom had all the curtains pulled tight, a small bed in the center of the room. Shit, this was where the boys had been held. The smell from the room nearly knocked him over, but he pushed it aside and checked the bedding, which was wet and moldy. It took him only a second to figure out what the wet was from.
“Suspect coming out the back,” came through the radio. “He has a child with him.”
Shit, the asshole had taken another child. Grant hurried out of the apartment and down the hall toward a back door. After checking that it was clear, he and Dexter hurried outside, toward movement in the woods leading toward the park.
Dexter pulled at the lead, and Grant followed behind. “The suspect with the child is heading down the park trail toward the play area.”
He picked up speed and gave Dexter his head, plowing through the undergrowth until they burst out onto the trail. Dexter turned toward the bridge over the LeTort, and Grant followed, holding on to the lead as Dexter strained to get ahead. Finally he released Dexter and let him go. He ran down the trail as Atlas and Evie came up from the other way.
“Grant!”
He turned as Cameron raced across the grass from the play area. In an instant it felt like his heart was going to stop. Why were they here, today of all days. The last thing he wanted was for Marty and Cameron to see this.
“Stay there,” Marty snapped, and Cameron came to a stop. Marty hurried up behind him. Knowing Cameron was safe, Grant charged ahead, his mind shifting back into pursuit mode.
“He’s right there,” Grant called and raced after Dexter, who was already zeroing in on the suspect. The man ran out to the edge of the stream and dropped the kid into the water. “Go after him. I’ll get the child,” he told Atlas. He and Evie went off full force as Grant and Dexter hurried to the water’s edge. Dexter plowed into the water without pausing. Grant went right after him, nearly slipping on the rocky bottom. The little boy screamed and flailed as the current took him downstream. Dexter reached him first, with Grant close behind.
“It’s okay. I’m here to help you,” he said when he reached the boy, lifting him into his arms. He cried and struggled against Grant as he got back to shore. “I’m a police officer, and I have you. You’re going to be okay,” he said softly. “I’m going to get you to your mom and dad.” He held him, rocking gently as Dexter got out of the water, shaking himself off. “That’s Dexter. He’s a good dog, and he went in to help save you.”
The boy burst into tears, and Grant held him close, looking around the park to where Evie had the suspect pinned to the ground and Atlas was putting him in cuffs.
“That man is never going to hurt you again. We have him and he’s going to jail.” He messaged through the radio that he had the boy and that he was safe. Atlas then added that the suspect was in custody. “We got him.”
The boy sniffled as Marty and Cameron hurried over. “What are you doing here?” Grant asked.
“I took Cameron to play,” Marty answered while Cameron walked over to Dexter.
“What’s your name?” Grant asked gently.
“Angus Kincaid,” the boy answered.
“Do you know your address and your mom or dad’s name?” Grant asked.
“My daddy is Harry Kincaid and my mommy is Alicia. I live at 545 Highland Street,” he said, and Grant smiled.
“That was amazing. Do you know your phone number?”
“Yes,” he said and told Grant, who pulled out his phone and dialed.
“Is this Alicia Kincaid?”
