There was a knock at the door. A uniformed officer stepped in. “Chief, the parents are here.”
“Bring them back.” Mallon turned off the monitor.
“You want me to leave, Tim?” Kate asked.
“God, no. That the FBI is involved is the most reassuring thing I can tell them right now.”
The door opened again, and Mr. and Mrs. Walton walked in. Mallon introduced them both to Kate, and everyone sat down. Confusion and grief distorted Mrs. Walton’s face. Her makeup and hair were disheveled. Her husband, whose eyes were slightly red, tried to strike a calmer pose, more to keep his wife’s teetering hysteria in check than as a reflection of his own feelings. “Any news?” he asked.
“I’m sorry, not yet. But we’ve got the entire force following up on leads. We have brought someone in, and he’s being interrogated right now.”
“Is he the one? Is there something you’re not telling us?” Mrs. Walton asked anxiously.
“No, no, nothing like that.”
“Well, who is he?” the husband asked. “Why him?”
Mallon knew that there would be no comfort in the answer. Kate said, “He’s a convicted sex offender. This is routine. There’s nothing to indicate that he has anything to do with Joey being missing.”
“Oh, no,” Mrs. Walton said, and collapsed onto her husband’s shoulder.
There was another knock at the door, and the desk officer leaned his head in again. “Chief, there’s someone here that you’re going to want to—”
“We’re busy right now, Nelson,” Mallon all but snarled.
The officer got a strange look on his face and opened the door fully, smiling as he stepped aside.
Mrs. Walton looked up and bolted to her feet, her mouth gaping in a soundless scream.
In the doorway stood Steve Vail. In one arm he held Joey Walton wrapped in his topcoat. His other hand was gently cradled around the back of Edward Stanton’s neck.
Joey’s mother rushed to him, pulling him into her arms. His father hugged them both, no longer hiding his tears. The chief sat dumb-founded, and Kate just looked at Vail, shaking her head.
Mrs. Walton asked Vail, “Was Joey … Is he all right?”
Vail nodded at her knowingly. “He’s fine.”
She tightened her arms around the child.
Vail turned the Stanton boy toward them so he could get the full impact of the reunion. Then he squatted down and looked into his eyes. “Now do you see why it’s important to go back to your real parents? This mom and dad have only been separated from their son for a couple of hours, and look how they feel. Your parents have been without you for four years.” The boy nodded dutifully, but Vail could see it still wasn’t registering fully.
Kate came over to them and smiled. “And who is this good-looking young man?”
“This is Edward Stanton,” Vail said. “He was taken in Maryland four years ago.”
Kate’s head snapped toward Vail. It took her a few seconds to comprehend that this boy was another kidnapping victim. “The same guy had him? How’d you find him?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
Kate sensed that her questions were interfering with Vail’s attempt to have the Stanton boy realize that he belonged with his real parents, but, like Mrs. Walton, she couldn’t help but ask about his well-being. “And he didn’t …” She bobbed her head back and forth euphemistically so the boy wouldn’t know what she was talking about.
Vail pulled Kate back away from the eleven-year-old. “Apparently not. This guy who abducted them, George Hillstrand, his wife and son died in childbirth just before he took Edward, here. He just wanted some part of his family back. As far as I can tell, Edward’s been raised well. He’s having a little trouble comprehending it all, figuring out where his loyalties lie, but otherwise he seems okay.”
Kate watched the boy carefully. She knew that it was not unusual for long-held kidnapping victims to identify with their abductor rather than their family.
For the first time, Kate noticed that Vail’s hand was wrapped in a white handkerchief and was damp with blood. “Are you all right?”
“That depends. Do you believe in sympathy dates?”
“Obviously you’re fine.” She looked closely at him and then back at his hand, as if putting off some argument until they could be alone.
The chief came over and asked Vail how he’d found the boys. Vail explained about the race photos and how Hillstrand’s name had come up in the Maryland investigation. “Where is Hillstrand?” Mallon asked.
Vail took Kate’s car keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Mallon. “I didn’t have any cuffs, so I duct-taped him and put him in the trunk.”
“What happened to your hand?”
“In all the excitement, I must have cut it.”
The phone rang, and Mallon picked it up, listening for a moment. “Okay, give us a few minutes.” He hung up. “The media is on the way. Straighten your tie, Steve, you’re about to be a hero.” The chief nodded at the Stanton boy. “And wait till they hear about this young man also being safe and sound after all this time.”
Kate looked at Vail and knew what he was thinking. “Tim, we appreciate it, but this is your time. Just mention that the FBI assisted in the investigation.”
“Are you kidding me? I can’t take credit for this.”
Kate cleared her throat, signaling Vail that she was about to tell a lie. She nodded for Mallon to follow her and Vail out of the room. In the hallway she said, “Tim, I’m sorry, but I wasn’t being straight with you when I said Steve wasn’t with the Bureau. This is classified. You’ll have to tell your people and the Waltons not to say anything about his involvement. He’s been working a major municipal corruption case undercover in Chicago as a bricklayer. His name or face in the news will blow two years of hard work. Just tell the media what I told you: An undercover agent found them and is involved in an ongoing investigation. Except lie about Chicago. Since Edward was taken in Maryland, tell them it was Baltimore. That’ll keep them running around in circles until this calms down. And don’t be too modest—you are the one who called us.”
“Kate, I may have worked applicants my whole career, but I was in the same FBI as you. Plus, I know what a terrible liar you are. I don’t understand why Steve wants to duck this, but I’m too indebted to you both to question it. I’ll just assume it’s necessary.” He gingerly shook Vail’s hand, just interlocking fingertips to avoid the wound. “Whether you’re an agent or not, Steve, I am most grateful.” Mallon hugged Kate. Then he walked back into his office and said to the Stanton boy, “Edward, what do you say we go call your parents?”
“Yes, sir,” the boy answered, his voice starting to gain some enthusiasm.
Kate unwrapped Vail’s hand, revealing the grazing wound. Fortunately, the round had hit only the fleshy edge. “You’re going to need some stitches.”
Vail tightened the handkerchief back around his hand. “I’ve been here less than four hours and you’ve already gotten me shot.”
“Me? You’re the one going off on your own. Again. How is this my fault?”
“I don’t know. Every time I get near you, something like this happens. It’s like you’re crime’s version of Typhoid Mary.”
On their way out, Vail remembered something and detoured back through the detective bureau. He picked up the note he’d left on the desk and handed it to her. “Before we have an argument, I just wanted