Ralph came tromping up to my desk. “Where’s Radar?”
“He stepped out a minute ago.” I could already feel a rising tide of sharp concern. “What’s up?”
“He stepped out?”
“Yeah. What’s going on?”
“He wanted me to trace a call he just got, but we couldn’t get a line on it. Where did he go?”
I stood. “He said his wife called, that something was going on with his son.”
Ralph looked confused. “Why would he ask me to trace a call if it was his wife on the other end of the line?”
I was already on my way to the elevator bay. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
Radar had flown down the stairs, made it to the parking garage, and left the building as quickly as he could.
He could tell that Pat knew something was up, that much was obvious. Even though he’d wanted to wait until he heard from Ralph about the trace, he’d thought that if he hung around the station, there would’ve been all sorts of questions and it would have eaten up time-and that would have gotten in the way of what needed to happen right now: protecting Tod by following his abductor’s instructions.
Still, once Radar was on the road, he radioed dispatch to relay the message to Ralph to get a car out if he’d been able to trace the call.
Then he turned off his radio and headed toward Wales.
I didn’t catch Radar.
I tried radioing him.
He didn’t answer.
A dark thought plagued me, something I didn’t want to admit could possibly be true.
But then I had to admit it very well might be.
He’d told me that his son was home, that he was “safe,” not that he was “okay.”
That was easy enough to check on.
Back at my desk, I called Radar’s house. No one picked up. I tried radioing him again, but he didn’t answer.
Okay, so call the school where his kids attend.
The principal answered and told me the secretary had gone to the central office. “Before she left she mentioned that a man had come to speak with the Walker children regarding a car accident their father had been in.”
“Who was he? The man who came by?”
“If he was the fellow I saw at the reception desk, I’ve never seen him before. Hang on.” A moment passed, then she said, “Mrs. Unger didn’t write down his name.”
“So, he left through the front doors again?”
“I haven’t seen anyone walk past my office.”
“When? When did he come in?”
“About one thirty, I think.”
That was too long ago, way too long. “Page Tod Walker and have someone check his classroom for him. Also, see if you can reach Mrs. Unger. We need to know who that man was.”
I handed the phone to Ralph. “Find out what you can. See if you can get a description of the guy. Something’s happened to Radar’s son. I think someone took him.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to find Radar.”
Joshua wanted to see if his wife could record the news for him this afternoon. He tried the home number, but she wasn’t there. He gave her a ring at the real estate office. They told him she’d stepped out earlier, but that they were expecting her back any time and would give her the message.
Okay, if she didn’t get back to him, watching it live would have to be enough.
He drove the boy, who was safely tucked in the back of the moving truck, toward the bank in Wales.