Not the way she knew Finn, and believed that the K-9 cop and his partner, Abernathy, would put their lives on the line for her and the little boy sleeping upstairs.
As if on cue, Mikey began to cry. “Mommy. Mommy!”
His shriek had her rushing upstairs. She’d left a night-light on for him and could see he was sitting upright in bed, tears streaking down his face. She knelt on the mattress and pulled him close. “Shh, Mikey, it’s okay. You’re safe. I’m here. We’re all safe.”
“The bad man is here.” He sobbed, a wild look in his eyes. “We have to hide. The bad man is here.”
The words were eerily similar to the day Mikey had been playing with the dinosaurs, claiming the bad man was real because his mommy said so.
Was this a nightmare from the recent events? Or something that had happened in the past?
“Mikey, I’m here, and I love you. You’re safe. Officer Finn will be here soon with Abernathy. You love Abe, don’t you?”
Mikey nodded, and he repeated, “We have to hide from the bad man. Hurry!”
Eva cuddled him close and chose her words carefully. “Why, Mikey? Because Mommy said so?”
The little boy nodded. “The bad man came to the door. She told me to hide, so I went into the closet. I’m scared. I don’t want the bad man to get me again.”
A chill snaked down her spine as the implication of his words sank deep. Mikey’s recent bad man might have been the same one her sister had told him to hide from in the past. Was that why the two events had been linked in the little boy’s mind?
It made sense that if Malina had stolen something from the men, they’d come to confront her. She wished she knew when this hiding incident had happened.
If it had happened at all.
“Mikey, Officer Finn has arrested the bad man who took you,” she said, rubbing her hand on his back. “We’re safe. The bad man is in jail and can’t hurt us anymore.”
Mikey buried close, his little body still trembling with fear. “I miss my mommy,” he whispered.
Tears filled her eyes. “I know, sweetie. I miss her, too.”
She held Mikey close until the little boy went lax against her, falling back asleep. She didn’t want to leave him, worried he’d be plagued by nightmares again.
When she heard noises coming from downstairs, she realized Finn was back. Moving carefully, she gently placed the child back onto the mattress and pulled the sheet up to cover his shoulders. She kissed the top of his head, then eased off the mattress, hoping to not wake him.
Finn waited for her at the bottom of the stairs, his gaze full of concern. “Everything all right?”
She shook her head slowly. “Mikey had a nightmare, and I think events from the past are mushed together in his mind with everything that happened tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
She repeated what Mikey had told her about hiding in the closet from the bad man because his mother told him to. “I’m thinking he meant the closet in the playroom,” she added. “It’s actually meant to be a third bedroom.” She hated the idea that her sister had exposed the little boy to danger. “I wish we could find that stupid package.”
“We searched that closet already,” Finn reminded her. “Eddie, Zach’s drug-sniffing K-9, didn’t alert in there.”
“I know.” She let out a heavy sigh. “Did you learn anything more?”
“Unfortunately, no. Perp’s name is Roger Talmadge, but he won’t deal until he’s talked to his lawyer.”
“Deal?” She stared at him in horror. “Surely he’ll pay for what he’s done.”
“Yes, he will.” Finn took her arm and drew her into the living room. “Trust me, he’ll go to jail. But we still need to find Cocoa. Not to mention Roach’s accomplice.”
“You’re right.” Her knees felt wobbly so she sank onto the sofa. “I understand, truly, but it’s just horrible the way Mikey is the one suffering in all of this.”
“And you, too,” Finn added, his gaze dark with concern. “Don’t forget, you were assaulted three times and almost kidnapped. You’re in danger, probably more than Mikey. Their next attempt will likely be on you.”