through that again. I couldn’t.
When my cell buzzed, I jumped, hurriedly fishing it out of my jeans pocket, praying it was Dakota calling from a payphone. I looked at the screen. It was a number I didn’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“It’s Officer Clarke.”
“Have you found her?” I wasn’t in the mood for formalities.
“Well, no sir, but I managed to get the video footage from the apartment complex and I’ve had my men run through it to see if there was anything out of the ordinary.”
Pain stabbed me in the chest as I fought for my breath. “And?”
“Well, I’m officially going to look into this case. It appears a man entered the building this morning from the basement and was able to take the elevator to the top floor, meaning he had security clearance. He then proceeded to enter your apartment and stay there for around ten minutes before exiting with a woman I can only assume is Dakota Livingston. The man appeared to be holding something towards Ms. Livingston, which we are assuming may have been a weapon.”
Fuck! I didn’t say it to the officer but I thought it over and over in my head as I sat erect on the couch. Crazy thoughts were racing at a million miles an hour through my brain. It was hard to listen to the rest of the call.
“The subject then proceeded to return to his SUV in the basement and exited the building with Ms. Livingston. We managed to enhance the footage and get the license plate, which we’re running through the system now. I’m sorry there’s not better news.”
I stood, desperation tightening its hold on me. “So what happens now? You can’t file the report until the morning but that may be too late. This guy she’s with is her ex-husband, I’m sure. He’s unstable and capable of murder.” It was deplorable to even think of.
“I understand your concern. We’re no longer looking at this as a missing person case but I’m upscaling it to a possible abduction. I’ve got my team trying to trace the owner of the vehicle. If it’s a rental, then at least it will give us a name.”
“He won’t be using his real name of John Hansford. He’ll be using a fake one. He’s wanted by the Australian Federal Police.”
“What for?”
“Assault.”
“Are John and Dakota divorced?”
“No. Not yet. It hasn’t been made official. John hasn’t signed the papers.”
“So, I’m assuming Ms. Livingston is using her maiden name?”
“Yes. Ever since I’ve known her she’s gone under her birth name. I guess she didn’t want to be associated with the name Hansford after she left him.”
“Okay, I’m taking down those details now. I’ll get in contact with the Australian Police and give them a heads up. See if they can give us any more information. I’ll keep you posted. Call me if you think of anything else.”
“Thank you, Officer. Will do.”
I hung up and threw my cell on the couch, standing, not knowing if I wanted to punch something, throw up, or cry. I just wanted Dakota home where she belonged. When would all this torture stop? When that fucker was dead! Only then would our lives return to normal. He had been the cause of everything so far and I damn well wasn’t going to sit idly by and wait for the police to do their job. It could all be over by then. That wasn’t going to happen. When I heard a noise behind me, I pivoted and saw Daniel at the entrance to the living room, wide-eyed. He’d obviously heard my cell and come down, hoping it was news about Dakota.
He walked over to where I stood. “Any news?”
How much should I share with the boy? I didn’t want to go into great detail and have him worry any more than he already was. “The security footage showed Dakota leaving with a man I believe is her ex-husband, John.” That was all I was prepared to offer for now.
Daniel shook his head. “This is not good. He’ll hurt her. We have to do something!”
A haunted look clouded Daniel’s eyes as if he was trying to fight some of his own
When my cell buzzed, I jumped, hurriedly fishing it out of my jeans pocket, praying it was Dakota calling from a payphone. I looked at the screen. It was a number I didn’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“It’s Officer Clarke.”
“Have you found her?” I wasn’t in the mood for formalities.
“Well, no sir, but I managed to get the video footage from the apartment complex and I’ve had my men run through it to see if there was anything out of the ordinary.”
Pain stabbed me in the chest as I fought for my breath. “And?”
“Well, I’m officially going to look into this case. It appears a man entered the building this morning from the basement and was able to take the elevator to the top floor, meaning he had security clearance. He then proceeded to enter your apartment and stay there for around ten minutes before exiting with a woman I can only assume is Dakota Livingston. The man appeared to be holding something towards Ms. Livingston, which we are assuming may have been a weapon.”
Fuck! I didn’t say it to the officer but I thought it over and over in my head as I sat erect on the couch. Crazy thoughts were racing at a million miles an hour through my brain. It was hard to listen to the rest of the call.
“The subject then proceeded to return to his SUV in the basement and exited the building with Ms. Livingston. We managed to enhance the footage and get the license plate, which we’re running through the system now. I’m sorry there’s not better news.”
I stood, desperation tightening its hold on me. “So what happens now? You can’t file the report until the morning but that may be too late. This guy she’s with is her ex-husband, I’m sure. He’s unstable and capable of murder.” It was deplorable to even think of.
“I understand your concern. We’re no longer looking at this as a missing person case but I’m upscaling it to a possible abduction. I’ve got my team trying to trace the owner of the vehicle. If it’s a rental, then at least it will give us a name.”
“He won’t be using his real name of John Hansford. He’ll be using a fake one. He’s wanted by the Australian Federal Police.”
“What for?”
“Assault.”
“Are John and Dakota divorced?”
“No. Not yet. It hasn’t been made official. John hasn’t signed the papers.”
“So, I’m assuming Ms. Livingston is using her maiden name?”
“Yes. Ever since I’ve known her she’s gone under her birth name. I guess she didn’t want to be associated with the name Hansford after she left him.”
“Okay, I’m taking down those details now. I’ll get in contact with the Australian Police and give them a heads up. See if they can give us any more information. I’ll keep you posted. Call me if you think of anything else.”
“Thank you, Officer. Will do.”
I hung up and threw my cell on the couch, standing, not knowing if I wanted to punch something, throw up, or cry. I just wanted Dakota home where she belonged. When would all this torture stop? When that fucker was dead! Only then would our lives return to normal. He had been the cause of everything so far and I damn well wasn’t going to sit idly by and wait for the police to do their job. It could all be over by then. That wasn’t going to happen. When I heard a noise behind me, I pivoted and saw Daniel at the entrance to the living room, wide-eyed. He’d obviously heard my cell and come down, hoping it was news about Dakota.
He walked over to where I stood. “Any news?”
How much should I share with the boy? I didn’t want to go into great detail and have him worry any more than he already was. “The security footage showed Dakota leaving with a man I believe is her ex-husband, John.” That was all I was prepared to offer for now.
Daniel shook his head. “This is not good. He’ll hurt her. We have to do something!”
A haunted look clouded Daniel’s eyes as if he was trying to fight some of his own
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