“I know.”

Ray did know. Ray understood that Mason’s life was simple. Work and . . . not much else. And he knew that Mason’s integrity meant everything to him. If it was ripped away by the loss of his job, he’d be decimated.

“You need to stay strong for the Fairbankses,” Ray said. “I can’t imagine the hell they’re going through right now.”

“It’s horrible. They walk around like zombies. The waiting is the worst. The not knowing what’s happened to her.” Ray was right. His problems didn’t compare to losing a child. What would he do if it’d been Jake? And from the sound of the call from Sanford a few minutes ago, Jake may have just missed abduction himself. He told Ray Jake’s story of his encounter back at college.

“They think it was the same guy?” Ray asked. “On the other side of the country?”

“They have to consider it. The descriptions are really similar.”

“But why Jake? Henley’s age indicates that she might have been taken by a pedophile with a taste for young girls. Usually full-grown males aren’t compatible with their taste.”

“Damn it, Ray.” Mason gagged a little. He’d tried to avoid the thought of a pedophile involved in Henley’s case. Yes, there was a good chance she’d been snatched by someone like that, and the FBI was still looking hard at known pedophiles in the area.

“Sorry. It’s true, though. I don’t see how someone asking Jake a question relates to the abduction of an eleven-year-old girl on the opposite coast.”

“I know how unlikely it sounds. But you have to take into account that someone stole his suitcase, too. Something seems to be circling around him. The FBI isn’t going to ignore it,” said Mason. “Someone knows where Jake goes to school and when he was flying home. And this same person may have stolen a minivan and then kidnapped Henley? Someone knows a lot about my family.”

“The FBI profilers are going to go nuts with this information,” Ray added.

Mason needed Special Agent Euzent to update the profile on their kidnapper. What did it say about their kidnapper if he wanted a college-aged boy and a young girl? What kind of person spent time researching the minutia of someone’s daily movements?

“This is going to create a bunch of different angles on their opinion of Henley’s kidnapper,” said Ray. “But what are you going to do? Are you going to fight for your job, or are you going to sit back and let Josie’s investigation run its course?”

“There’s not a hell of a lot I can do. I maintain my innocence. I give them any evidence they want. And I try not to slit my wrists. I don’t know what you mean by fighting back. No, I’m not going to roll over and let them screw me like a drunken whore, but what steps can I take?”

“Get a lawyer,” Ray said firmly.

“I don’t like lawyers.”

“I don’t, either. But you need one. If your name turns up in the paper, you need someone to protect your interests.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Mason started to steam. “People say that all the time. I don’t have interests. I have a life. And it can’t be taken away from me. If they charge me with a crime, I’ll get a lawyer. But you and I know it won’t come to that. It can’t, because I never committed the crime.”

“We’ve never arrested innocent people?” Ray asked.

“I haven’t. Not on purpose, anyway.”

Ray sighed. “I think you’re being completely naive about the situation. All I ask is that you look out for yourself, okay?”

“I always do. But frankly, right now, I’m more interested in finding Henley Fairbanks.”

“Everybody wants to find Henley. I’ve had three people ask me about the case during the game I’m watching right now. She’s turned into everyone’s child. Everybody gives a damn. This may be sad, but it seems to matter more because Christmas is this week.”

Mason had forgotten Christmas was in a few days. How could that happen when he’d walked by Robin’s tree each morning? Had his mind blanked it out? He looked at his neighbor’s home across the street. Lights, deer, and a sleigh. They always went all out with decor for the holidays. He hadn’t hung lights since Jake was tiny.

“I gotta get ready for the vigil tonight,” Mason said. “I’m going to say a few words for the family. You know, the ‘stay strong and please bring her back’ type of thing.”

“All I want for Christmas,” said Ray quietly.

“Yep. That’s all everyone wants this year.”

17

60 HOURS MISSING

Ava pulled her coat collar up over her nose and mouth to guard against the cold. Next to her, Jake did the same thing and seemed to shrink inside of his bulky coat. For the past thirty minutes, they’d watched the crowd grow in the green space at the riverfront, while organizers handed out candles with small plastic trays to catch the wax drips. Both she and Jake had taken a candle, but Mason had shaken his head. He seemed tense.

Why wouldn’t he be? He was about to speak to the press and had discovered a murder weapon had come from his garage. He’d held his cool as he’d told her and Wells the significance of the missing bat. He’d seen the bat at the crime scene but hadn’t thought much of it. Thousands of people owned the same type of bat.

“Detached” was a good way to describe him. At his home, he’d pulled out his cell and immediately informed the detective in charge. Listening, Ava had realized he could have been talking about any other case, he seemed so monotone. But this was his life, and he was being sucked deeper and deeper into the murdered prostitute’s case.