‘It was before my time. I was in training then. But I pulled the file when I heard about Bobby. There’s nothing suspicious – no evidence of foul play, no body, no blood. He just went for a run one day and didn’t come back. It happens.’
‘You think he’s out there still.’
‘Yeah, I think so.’
‘What was his name?’ I asked.
Steve laughed a little, ‘if you’d heard the name, you’d remember it. Hamlet Shallow.’
‘Hamlet? Tough break.’
‘Parents can be so cruel,’ Steve agreed.
Something tickled at my brain but the more I chased it, the more it ran away. Frustrated, I refocused on the conversation instead. ‘If Hamlet ran away, then he could have come back and snatched Bobby.’
‘If Bobby has been taken, then the dad is my main suspect right now,’ Steve agreed. ‘I’m taking over the case.’ He paused. ‘I’m not advocating anything extreme here, but if half the stories about Lord Samuel are true then your pack is pretty damn well off. It’s expensive, but if anything can speed this up it would be getting a witch to scry for him.’
Why hadn’t I thought of that? Money was no object; I’d get Bobby back, come hell or high water. ‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘I’ll call Amber.’
He promised to keep me up to date and we rang off.
I called Amber DeLea and she answered on the third ring. I explained that Bobby was missing and I needed her to scry for him. She said she would be there as soon as she could, but she was just finishing up with a client so it would be about another hour. In the meantime, we were to get something very personal to Bobby.
Next, I rang Jess. I needed a sounding board and I hoped my best friend’s PI instincts and insights might help me. I was relieved when she answered right away. ‘Lucy! How are you?’
‘I’ve been better. Someone dumped a dead gargoyle on my lawn, and one of the pack children is missing.’
‘Oh shit. How old is the kid?’
‘He’s eight. I don’t know what to do. I feel useless.’
‘This is a job for the cops Luce, not an alpha.’
‘I know, and Steve is on it, but Bobby is one of mine. He’s my responsibility. And someone snatched him from his school.’
‘Was he definitely taken?’
‘No,’ I admitted. ‘Not for sure. No one saw him being taken. No one has seen him at all. He never made it into the school, even with his mum dropping him off right outside the gates.’
‘In a child kidnapping case, it’s often a parent or other friends or family. Is there a custody issue?’
‘No. Bobby’s dad has been missing for seven years, but now I’m wondering if he’s come back for his son at last.’
‘Well, at least you can dig into that. Who’s on the case?’
‘Steve, of course.’
She snorted. ‘Are there any other cops in your area?’
‘He’s one of the few crossover cops, and he’s certainly the most senior. Dead gargoyles and missing kids are his level.’
‘What’s with the gargoyle? Emory will want to know about that.’
I frowned. ‘Why would Emory care about a gargoyle?’ Jess hesitated a beat too long and I sighed. ‘More secrets?’
‘It’s the “if I told you, I’d have to kill you” type,’ she admitted.
I huffed a little. ‘Fine. But Emory has something to do with the gargoyles? Can he use his whatever to get me in to see the local head honcho?’