American Heroes Series - 01 - Resurrection by Kathryn Le Veque Page A

hands on her face and forced her to fix on him. “Tell me what happened when you came home.”
    She was struggling but made a good effort to control herself. “I… I came home and the front door was open,” she gasped and sniffled. “When I touched the door, it just opened. It wasn’t even latched.  And the kitchen was all up-ended, as if a herd of cattle had run through it.  Olivia’s book bag was on her bed where she had put it when she came home from school, but nothing was touched. Ethan, she always does her homework first when she comes home from school. Always .”
    Ethan could feel her panic; in truth, he had some of his own. He hadn’t known this woman more than three days but already, she was under his skin. So was her daughter. It didn’t matter if he had known them for three days or three years. As a parent and a human being, he felt her pain.
    “Did you try calling all of her friends?” he asked.
    She nodded, tears overflowing onto her cheeks. “They saw her leave with Mrs. Marquez, my neighbor. She normally picks her up from school. But Mrs. Marquez says she dropped her off like normal and watched her walk into the house. That’s the last anyone has seen of her.”
    Ethan inhaled slowly, thoughtfully. His mind was working furiously.  Cydney was weeping softly and his hands were still on her cheeks.  Kissing her forehead gently, he stood up and pulled her with him.
    “Come on,” he murmured. “Walk with me.”
    She obeyed, the wadded tissue against her mouth as she stifled her sobs. He held her right hand tightly with his right hand while his left arm went around her shoulders.
    “I need you to calm down and talk to me,” he said softly, firmly.  “Tell me why you think she’s been abducted.”
    Cydney sniffled and swallowed. “Because Olivia would not have just run off,” she said flatly. “She’s a creature of habit; she comes home, does her homework and makes macaroni and cheese because it’s the only thing she likes to eat. I come home to it every night.”
    They paused in the hallway as a cop dusted the door knob of Olivia’s bedroom.  Ethan caught a glimpse of school portraits of Olivia on the wall as he turned to Cydney.
    “You’re sure she couldn’t be anywhere else?” he pressed gently. “What about your parents? Do they live around here and could they possibly have her?”
    She shook her head. “My parents are in Northern California right now visiting friends and my brother lives in Santa Monica. He wouldn’t have her. Even if he did, he would have called me to let me know.”
    “She’s never run away before, has she?”
    “Never.”
    The detective who had been sitting on the couch was now walking up behind them. He still had his notepad out and a pen in his hand. He was listening to her answers as he walked up.
    “Mrs. Hetherington,” the detective interrupted their conversation. “Is there anyone you can think of that would want to harm you or Olivia? Any threats?”
    Cydney blinked. Threats . She didn’t know why, but she suddenly thought of the threat against The Lucius Robe. It was the entire reason for Ethan’s presence. She looked right at him, her eyes wide with horror.
    “Threat,” she hissed. “Is it possible… possible this has anything to do with The Lucius Robe? You said there was a specific threat. Is it possible while everyone was focused on the museum, your Disciple group or whatever they call themselves was trying to infiltrate the museum another way?”
    Ethan’s brow furrowed slightly. “By threatening the families of museum employees?”
    “What if , Ethan?” she looked stricken. “What if they are trying to get the Robe another way?”
    Ethan just looked at her. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
    “I’ll be right back.”
    Cydney and the detective watched him walk out the front door.  The detective, sharp and seasoned, looked at her.
     “Do you want to tell me what this is all about?” he asked