No matter how remote.
Upon returning to the kitchen, his phone rang. His heart thumped wildly as he recognized the number. “Tell me you have a plate number and address.”
“We have a plate number and that led to an address—an apartment located in Forest Hills. It’s registered to an R. Talmadge. Got a pen?”
Finn glanced around the kitchen, found a pen and pad of paper and began scribbling as the dispatcher gave him the address. The apartment wasn’t far from Pete’s house, and it galled him to know that if he’d widened his search by another block, he might have found it. “Thanks, I’m heading over there now with Abernathy. We’re the closest. Send backup.”
“Will do.”
“I’m coming with you,” Eva said as he buckled Abernathy’s vest in place and clipped on the leash. The yellow Lab stretched and then sat at his side, waiting for his command.
“Not happening. It’s too dangerous.” He was bound and determined not to drag Eva along. Especially since darkness had fallen and he knew her vision was compromised.
“Mikey needs me. He doesn’t have a mother or a father here. He needs me.”
What was it about her that he couldn’t deny her anything? Finn swallowed an exasperated sigh. “Fine, but you better do exactly as I say. No argument. I can’t allow you to be anywhere close to danger, understand?” They hurried outside to get into his SUV. “If a civilian gets hurt on my watch, my career is over.”
“I won’t get hurt,” Eva insisted. She slid into the passenger seat as he put Abernathy in the back and then climbed behind the wheel.
He didn’t want to acknowledge that keeping her safe was more important than his career, but it was. And he couldn’t stand the thought of Mikey suffering at the hands of his captors. If having Eva along helped the boy adjust, then fine. He’d break the rules for a three-year-old any day of the week.
Navigating the streets to the address he’d programmed into his cell phone, Finn prayed silently that they’d find Mikey safe and unharmed.
* * *
Eva barely glanced at the apartment building Finn had double-parked in front of, intent on unbuckling her seat belt to follow him inside.
“You need to stay here,” he said, releasing Abernathy from the back of the SUV. “My backup will be here any minute, but I’m going in.”
“I might be able to recognize the sound of the cartoon through the door.” She’d come this far and didn’t see what the problem was in going the rest of the way. She’d prayed that God would show them the way to find Mikey and knew they were close. “Do you even have a clue as to what apartment number they’re in?”
He scanned the mailboxes. “I don’t see the name Talmadge listed anywhere, and wasn’t given one, but that’s where Abernathy will help.” He took out Mikey’s raincoat for his K-9 partner. “Find Mikey.”
Abernathy put his nose to the ground and alerted on Mikey’s scent near the front doorway. Eva’s heart was beating so fast she thought it might burst from her chest. The security lock was intact, so Finn pressed the buzzer for the building’s superintendent, informing him he was with the police and asking him to open the door.
Abernathy seemed eager to work, sniffing along the hallways as they made their way around the ground floor. When the K-9 didn’t alert on that level, they went to the second floor.
“How many floors does this place have?” she asked in a whisper.
“Ten.”
Eva’s hope began to wane as Abernathy didn’t alert on the third floor, either. Ten floors could take forever to search.
On the fourth floor, Abernathy alerted at an apartment door halfway down the hall. Eva sucked in a quick breath as they cautiously approached. Sounds were coming through the thin doorway, and as she came closer, she heard the television.
Straining to listen, she slowly nodded at Finn when she realized the same cartoon show was still on. Maybe the men had recorded it to play over and over again to keep Mikey occupied.
“Go back outside,” Finn whispered. Gently he tried the door handle, but of course it was locked. He pulled his weapon and then hammered on the door with his fist. “Police! Open up!”