Read Capturing Angels for Free Online Page B

her, either, just yet. The whole neighborhood will go into heart failure, especially people like the Masons and the Thomases who have young children, too, as soon as the news spreads, so you can just imagine what’s going to occur when Margaret finds out.”
    “But what did you tell your people at work when you were called away from your meeting?” I asked.
    He looked at the others and then at me as if I had revealed some fault of his. “I didn’t tell anyone anything, Grace. What good would that have done?”
    I nodded. “They’ll know soon, too, I’m sure.”
    “Yes, soon,” John said, looking away.
    “Your husband’s done the right thing by holding back as long as possible, Mrs. Clark. We don’t want anyone dropping in to commiserate with you just yet,” Agent Joseph explained in softly modulated tones. It was as if they all saw that the air around me was crackling. “It’s better if we give whoever calls the sense that he or she could get away with it, get something and return your daughter unharmed.”
    “Isn’t it on the television news yet?” I asked.
    “Not yet. We’re holding back on that for a few hours.”
    “Too much media coverage right away might spook them,” Agent Dickinson followed. She wore no makeup and was quite stocky. My imagination whipped around, and I thought maybe she was wearing a bulletproof vest. Maybe the taking of our daughter was simply the first act in this assault on our family, our perfect little family. Some other form of attack was pending. Agent Dickinson looked like someone expecting it. If a female agent had been sent to help comfort me, she would be a failure, I thought.
    “You think whoever took Mary is watching our house right now?”
    “They could be, yes,” she replied. “On and off. No one is standing out there, of course.”
    I looked at Lieutenant Abraham for some confirmation. Maybe because he was first on the scene or maybe because he really was a compassionate man first and a policeman second, I found comfort in the way he looked at me and spoke to me. Right now, I felt as if I had to have everything confirmed and agreed to by him. He closed his eyes gently and nodded in support of what Agent Dickinson had said.
    “She must be so frightened,” I said, my lips quivering, my throat closing.
    John turned back to me sharply. “You should be upstairs. It’s better you stay upstairs right now, Grace. Listen to me.”
    “I don’t want to be alone,” I said mournfully.
    “I’ve got to remain here with them,” he replied, looking at the FBI agents. “I’ve got to answer the phone, and this has to be done as perfectly as possible so we don’t mess it up if it happens. You just heard that.”
    “I’ll help you back up to your room if you’d like,” Lieutenant Abraham said. He nodded at the others. “They’re really running this thing now. It’s their bailiwick. The FBI has far more experience with this, and take it from me, they’re good at it.”
    I looked at John.
    “Go on, Grace. Do as he suggests,” he said. “We’ll call you if something happens.”
    I rose, feeling so helpless. Wasn’t there anything I could do, anything I could add, think of? Lieutenant Abraham walked alongside me but didn’t reach for my arm or my hand. I started up the stairway and paused.
    “You okay?”
    “Yes,” I said, turning to look down at him. “I was just thinking that Mary would be waking from her nap by now. Do you think they let her take a nap?”
    He hesitated and then seemed to decide to go for it. “People who do this often sedate the children. It’s actually more humane.”
    I nodded and continued up, pushing away the follow-up question: What if they gave her too much sedation? They could be amateurs. I knew he wanted to mitigate my worrying, and I didn’t want him to feel bad about telling me what really might be happening, or he wouldn’t be honest about anything else.
    I paused again at Mary’s bedroom doorway. He looked in,