L.A.P.D. Special Investigations Series, Boxed Set: The Deceived, The Taken & The Silent (44 page)

“I’m Detective Santini. I’d like to speak with Holly Magruder. I talked with her parents five years ago about a case because Holly was in the hospital then.”

The woman hesitated. “Oh, I remember. Her mother told me. Yes, Holly was in the hospital then.”

“Right. I have this as her last address. Is she here now?”

She shook her head. “Holly’s dead. Four years now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nanny, I want to go to the store now.” A child’s voice came from behind the woman.

“We will, sweetheart. In a little while.”

Rico saw a child with dark hair pulling on the woman’s housedress.

“My great-grandson,” the woman said softly. “I take care of him.”

The boy smiled and his eyes sparkled with mischief. He pulled back and hid behind his grandmother’s legs.

“Holly’s child?” Rico asked.

The woman shook her head. “No.”

Well, that ended his afternoon of interviews, which hadn’t netted him one shred of new information.

“Well, I’m sorry I bothered you,” Rico said and went back to his car, which now had some tagger’s artwork scrawled all over the side. Fortunately he still had tires. He scanned the area but there was no one in sight. He wasn’t surprised.

He swung the car around and headed back to the station. Most of the detectives on his shift were gone and the guys on the next watch were in the briefing room. He grabbed Chelsey Ray’s file and headed back to his car, calling Macy while in transit. No answer. Odd. She said she’d be there by seven and it was now after eight.

He called Macy’s office. No answer there, either. His adrenaline surged. He tried her cell phone. After five rings the recorder picked up. Damn. She should be there.

Fear tightened like a vise around his chest.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“CODY!” MACY CALLED OUT. “Where are you?” She rubbed her arms as darkness settled and the street lamps clicked on in the park, offering little light to find a missing child.

“Are you sure you checked everywhere in and around the house?” Macy asked Nancy Appleton.

“Joe and I looked inside and out. We’ve checked and double checked.”

Macy’s heart pounded. “Where would he go? Why?”

“He had a fight with Michael and I sent them both to their rooms. Later, when I called him for dinner, he was gone and the window was open.”

“So if he left right away, he’s been gone approximately how long?”

“Four hours or so.”

Four hours. The boy could be miles away. “And when did you call the police?”

“Right after I talked to you. I didn’t know he was gone until I went into his room.” The woman wrung her hands. “After this, I just don’t think I’m going to be able to keep him any longer. I’m going to talk to his social worker and see if she can find a different placement.”

Macy stopped in her tracks, her anger flaring. “Cody is missing… He’s five years old and he’s out here somewhere all alone. We don’t know if he left on his own or was kidnapped and all you can think of is…yourself?”

Nancy looked away from Macy’s accusing glare.

“If that’s your attitude, then you damn well better not take him back or any other kids for that matter.” Macy fought the urge to smack the woman. But finding Cody was more important. She wasn’t going to waste her time on the woman. Not now, anyway.

Just then a squad car pulled up, red lights rotating.

“Ma’am,” one of the officers said. “We understand you have a missing child.”

“He’s a foster child,” Nancy said.

“I’m the boy’s court-appointed advocate. I came to the park because I took Cody here last weekend and he seemed to enjoy it.”

“We live over there,” Nancy said, pointing down the street.

Macy saw a couple of squad cars parked in front of the house.

“I know,” the taller officer said. “We’re getting information from your husband right now.”

“What kind of information?” Nancy’s eyes widened as if she expected to be grilled like some criminal with something to hide. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I wasn’t suggesting you did,” the officer stated. “The information we need relates to what will help us in the search. Hair and eye color, how tall the boy is, what he was wearing. That kind of thing.”

“Well, Joe is probably the last person to ask. He doesn’t pay that much attention to the kids. Cody was wearing a red shirt, jeans and white tennis shoes.”

“Then I’d suggest that you ladies go back home and give those officers the information, too. We’ll put out an Amber Alert and hopefully we’ll find him fast. It’s better if you’re at home in case he comes back.”

“Okay,” Nancy said and started walking toward her house.

Macy didn’t move.

“Might be better if you go, too, until we determine what’s going on.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Macy stated. “Not until we find Cody.”

She heard a faint ringing and remembered she’d put her cell phone in her purse. She pulled out the phone and recognized Rico’s number. Lord, it was way past the time he had expected her. “Hi. Sorry I’m late.”

“Late? That’s an understatement. Where are you?” he demanded, anger vibrating in his voice.

“Cody ran away from his foster home and we’re looking for him.”

“Did you contact the police?”

“Of course. Several officers are here now. They’ll issue an Amber alert once they get the particulars. I’ll be back when I can,” Macy said.

“Let me talk to one of the officers, will you?”

Macy handed the phone to the closest cop. “It’s a friend of mine, Detective Santini, LAPD.”

While she waited, Macy scanned the area, noticing some tall shrubbery beyond the swings. Had she looked there yet? God knew she felt as if she covered the park shrub by shrub. But a little boy could be anywhere and if he was hiding, he could move around if he saw someone coming. She started toward the bushes.

“Wait a minute, Ms. Capshaw.”

She stopped at the officer’s voice.

“Here you are, ma’am.”

She went back for her phone.

“Detective Santini asked me to tell you to stay put. He’ll be here shortly.”

“I’m just going to check over there.” She continued to cross to the bushes beyond the swings. She was relieved Rico was coming. They needed all the help they could get and she knew Rico well enough to know she could trust him not to interrogate Cody if they found him.

Reaching the bushes, she looked first for any sign a child might’ve been there. Nothing. She searched underneath, around and behind the thorny branches. Nothing. Stumbling out from behind, she felt a strong hand steady her.

“Careful.”

“Rico. I’m so glad you’re here.”

He held her briefly. “Where have you looked?”

“The house. The neighborhood within a mile and a half radius. Here at the park. Any place we thought he might go. Do you have any other ideas?”

He thought for a minute. “The bus depot?”

“But that’s so far away and I don’t think he’d even know how to get there. Why there?”

“Because that’s where he was initially found. He’s had several hours to figure out where it is and how to get there. If he was on the streets for very long when he was found before, he probably knows more about survival than you think he does.”

Rico was right. “Let’s go.”

The next thing she knew, they were at the depot, checking the face of every child Cody’s size, whether the child was with someone or not. After a quick sweep of the place, Rico went to the ticket counter and showed his badge.

“I’m looking for a boy. Five years old and he’s alone.”

“Dark brown hair,” Macy added. “And he was wearing a red shirt, blue jeans and white tennis shoes.”

The older man behind the ticket counter gave them a blank stare.

“Have you seen anyone who looks like that?”

“Nope. Kids aren’t allowed to hang around without an adult.”

Unable to conceal her disappointment, Macy’s eyes welled with moisture. They’d wasted more time. She punched in the Appletons’ phone number to see if Cody had come home.

“Yeah?” Joe answered.

“Joe, this is Macy Capshaw. Anything new?”

“Nope. And the cops say the longer he’s gone, the worse the chances are...”

Macy bit her lip.

She heard a deep cigarette cough on the other end. “The worse the chances of finding him okay.”

She knew the odds. She’d heard it more than once when other kids went missing. The first forty-eight hours are critical. “Thanks,” she said. “We’re going to continue looking and I’d suggest you do the same.” She clicked off without saying goodbye, afraid her anger would grow into something unmanageable.

She glanced at Rico. “Nothing. They don’t have a clue.”

Rico suddenly grabbed Macy’s arm. “What color did you say he was wearing?”

“Red.”

Rico took off across the room, navigating the seats and people sleeping on the floor, before disappearing into the men’s room. Macy ran over, too, then waited. When he didn’t come out right away, she decided men’s room or not, she didn’t care. But just as she reached for the door, it burst open and Rico came out with a child in tow.

“Oh, my God! Cody.” Macy kneeled to hug him. “Oh thank God you’re okay.” She hugged him so hard she thought she might hurt him.

At the same time, she heard Rico making a phone call to the police.

Macy walked Cody to a bench and sat next to him. “What made you run away, Cody? We were so worried.”

He looked down, chin practically resting on his chest. “I don’t want to stay where I’m not wanted.”

“Oh, Cody.” She pulled him into another hug, but words cramped in her throat. What was she going to say. The Appletons care about you and want you to come home? “Why do you say that?”

“I just know it.”

“Well, something must’ve happened. Something bad enough to make you run away.”

“I was bad. They don’t like me cuz I’m bad.”

Her heart wrenched again. “Most kids do bad things once in a while, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad. And it’s the parents’ job to make sure they don’t do it again. Discipline doesn’t mean they don’t like you. The Appletons were just doing their job, weren’t they?”

He nodded, but she could tell he didn’t believe it. He felt unwanted and if Nancy gave off the same vibes to Cody as she did earlier, she couldn’t blame him. A child could tell when he was loved and when he wasn’t.

“Why did you come to the bus depot?”

He kept his head down. “I thought maybe someone would look for me here.”

“Someone?”

“My mommy or daddy.”

Oh, Cody. Macy swallowed a huge lump in her throat and fighting back tears, she became aware that Rico was standing over her, staring at Cody. She remembered how desperately he’d wanted to see the boy.

“I think it’s time to go home, don’t you?” he said to them.

Cody’s bottom lip protruded.

“Remember what we talked about, Cody?”

The boy nodded to Rico and then pulled himself up, squaring his tiny shoulders. “I remember and I can do it.”

Macy trusted that whatever Rico said to the boy was the right thing. When they dropped Cody at the foster home, Nancy gushed over him, telling him she was so happy he was back. Macy didn’t believe her act for a minute. It broke her heart to leave Cody there and first thing in the morning she was going to call his social worker. If Nancy Appleton was going to send the boy back, Macy was going to ensure he got a better placement than the one he’d just had..

“I see what you mean,” Rico said when they were back at his house. “Cody couldn’t be the Rays’ child. He doesn’t look anything like Chelsey Ray or the child’s father.”

She heard the disappointment in his voice. “They’re still doing DNA and the results should be back soon. You never know.”

“No. The minute I saw Cody, I knew in my gut he’s not Chelsey’s child. You knew it, too. You said so.”

“But I was only going on physical differences. Facial features. There’s still a chance—”

“A chance he’ll show up elsewhere, maybe. But Cody isn’t the one. The case is as cold as it ever was.”

“I’m sorry, Rico. I’m really sorry.”

***

While it felt good to have Macy back at his place, Rico couldn’t seem to shake his disappointment in finding out Cody wasn’t Chelsey’s son. For weeks, he’d pinned his hopes on Cody, which he knew now was a foolish thing to do. He’d lost perspective. And he was doing the same with Macy.

After a quick meal of Chinese takeout, Rico told Macy he had work to do and went to his office. He needed time to think. Where did he go from here? As he sat there thinking, he felt a presence, turned and found Macy propped against the door to his office. “I’m going to do some work, too, but I wanted to tell you again how really sorry I am about tonight…about Cody and…everything. And to thank you for letting me stay here.”

Everything. Damn. He’d been so preoccupied with his own disappointment, he’d almost forgotten all the other crap that was going on. He stood, crossed to the door and pulled her into his arms. “You had a tough night. A tough week. My disappointment is nothing compared to what you’ve been through.”

Cody running away was only one of her problems. Probably the smallest one.

She pulled back. “What did you say to Cody today that made him want to go back to the Appletons?”

“Just a bunch of stuff about things not always turning out the way we want them to, but it’s up to us how we deal with it. I said it’s a big responsibility, especially for someone his age, and asked if he thought he could make the best of what he had to do right now.”

She nodded. “That’s good. I’ve said pretty much the same things, but he seemed to accept it better coming from you.”

“Hey, us guys gotta stick together.”

She smiled but just barely. “Okay, we both have work to do, so let’s get cracking.”

She was always on track, always proving herself. “Okay, but—” he glanced at the time “—only if you meet me in the kitchen at ten for a glass of wine.”

She gave him a thumbs-up. “It’s a deal.”

Rico went back to his case file. Knowing Cody wasn’t Chelsey Ray’s kid instilled him with even more determination. Two hours later, he shoved the file to the back of his desk. Nothing. Nothing except the feeling the answer was right under his nose and he couldn’t see it.

He went to the kitchen and was surprised to see Macy already there. The dog was curled up beside her on the couch. He opened the fridge, pulled out a beer and held it up.

“No thanks, I’d rather have a glass of wine if there’s any left from the barbecue.”