Bravo, Tango, Cowboy

So he’d read the signs, picked up on the fact that if she’d been fully convinced Lucy’s kidnapping was random, she wouldn’t be so squeamish about letting Brandon out of her sight for even a second.

“I haven’t ruled out anything,” she admitted.

“And yet you’ve remained here in Dobbin, where you were living when the abduction took place, instead of losing yourself back in the crowded city you claim to miss so much. Why is that?”

He wasn’t the first to question that, though most people hadn’t put as much thought into the situation as Hawk clearly had. Usually she brushed the question off. She’d never get away with that with Hawk.

“Lucy knew her phone number and her address. If she ever remembers, if she tries to get in touch with us, I want to be here. I know it gets more doubtful that will happen after two years, but that was my reasoning in the beginning.”

“And now?”

“I like my work and the house is paid for.”

Hawk swatted absently at a horsefly that had settled on his arm. “Have you given more thought to setting up a meeting between me and Craig Dalliers?”

“I’ll give him a call later and see what I can work out.”

“What’s wrong with now? Or give me his direct number and I’ll call him.”

“I should talk to him first.”

“So that you can try to justify why I’m getting in on the case?”

“Yes,” she admitted. “I don’t want him to think I doubt his abilities. He’s given the case his all. I don’t want to seem ungrateful.”

“No problem. Handle Craig any way you want,” Hawk said. “As long as you let him know I expect his full cooperation in supplying me with all the facts. Anything less will sabotage my investigation.”

“I’ll make sure he understands.”

“And then I’d like us to take a trip together to the zoo this afternoon. I want to see the exact spot where you were standing when Lucy disappeared.”

Back to the zoo. Back into the depths of the setting where the nightmare had started. A numbness settled in her mind. She got out of the swing. Her legs went weak.

Hawk wrapped his strong hands around her forearms, literally holding her up. “I know this will be hard on you, Alonsa, but it’s important. And I’ll be there with you every second.”

“I don’t see how it can help.”

“I need to see the paths in and away from the area so I’ll get a better understanding of how someone could lure a little girl from her mother in a crowd of people with no one noticing.”

New fears surfaced. “I don’t want to take Brandon there.”

“Don’t you trust me to keep him safe?”

“I don’t trust myself not to break down and I don’t want him there to witness that.”

“I thought you might feel that way. I talked to Linney this morning. She’s agreed to watch him.”

“Do you always think of everything?”

“Part of the SEAL creed.”

“Along with holding women together when they’re falling apart?”

“Only the hot ones. You qualify, but you won’t fall apart. Just hang tough.”

“Tough, that’s me.” She took a deep breath and struggled to will the strength he thought she had into her body and soul. “I guess I should go ahead and call Craig since you’re ready to start working the case.”

“Excellent idea. I’ll keep an eye on the boy for you.”

She heard Brandon calling to him to watch him ride the second she turned to walk away.

She felt as if she’d just signed on for a ride herself and her insides were rattling like the child-size tractor. The difference was the tractor was on familiar turf.

Alonsa was in the hands of a stranger, a cowboy warhero with enough self-assurance to take on the world—or one missing child. The test would be to see if Hawk Taylor was as good as he claimed. And if she could survive the Houston Zoo.

ALONSA MADE THE CALL to Craig. He was unavailable but she’d left a message for him to call at once. He hadn’t as yet.

They arrived at the zoo just after one in the afternoon. Alonsa’s legs felt leaden as they made their way to the saltwater pool at the edge of the main plaza. The facility wasn’t crowded and the attendance appeared to be mostly young mothers and nannies enjoying a day out in the sunshine with their preschoolers. It was probably too soon after Christmas break for an overload of school field trips.

Alonsa spotted a boy about Brandon’s age lolling behind and ignoring his mother’s pleas to keep up with her and the twins she was pushing in a double stroller. She fought the urge to stop and caution the mother about what could happen if she let her son out of her sight.

She’d done that the first year after Lucy’s disappearance, initiated herself in any situation that made her nervous. For the most part people had reacted to the intrusion with indifference or downright hostility. Eventually, she’d stopped monitoring everyone’s parenting skills.

Her heart hammered in her chest as they reached the dreaded exhibit. She stopped, her feet rooted to the earth. Two years fell away and she slid back in time to the day she’d stood here with Lucy squealing in delight at the antics of the fascinating creatures. A shudder ripped through her.

Hawk reached for her hand. Hers was clammy, but still she held on to his.

“Hang in here with me, Alonsa. This won’t take long. Just give me a recap. Where were you standing? What did you notice?”

“Okay.” Her voice felt as if it were pushing through layers of rough wool. “We were standing near the rail, there next to that sign that describes the animals. I read it to Lucy. Even at four she was starting to read and was interested in all the informational material.”

Highly intelligent. Great swimmers. Could hold their breath for extended periods of time. Bizarrely, the facts, if not the exact words, swam through the fog clouding Alonsa’s mind.

“There was a woman standing near us with her husband and several children. They were on vacation and had driven down from Ohio. We talked.”

“Did you notice anything suspicious about her?” Hawk asked. “Did she ask unusual questions or touch Lucy in a familiar manner?”

“No. They were just nice, friendly people. Craig tracked them down and talked with her during the first days of the investigation. She cooperated fully, but she hadn’t seen Lucy leave the area.”

“Do you remember anyone else in the area before the group of schoolchildren arrived?”

“There were other people around, but no one else registered in my mind. Believe me, I tried to remember everything and I answered hundreds of questions right after Lucy disappeared. There were no suspicious instances or people.”

“Did you talk to anyone else that day or notice the same people standing around at different exhibits?”

“The only person I had a real conversation with was one of the workers. We were near the panda exhibit and she was nice enough to answer all of Lucy’s questions. She was a college student working during her summer break.”

“Do you remember her name?”