sleep. He couldn’t shake the idea that something bad had happened; this wasn’t like Kara, even if he factored in everything she had been going through.
He didn’t know her well. They had been working together for less than a month, but he knew her history and had seen some of her employment records. Yuri had never told her, but he had chosen her for the investigation. He needed a partner and he knew of the Crawford case; it wasn’t a difficult decision. The order came from on high, but the decision had been almost entirely his.
And this, this wasn’t like her.
I’ll give her another half hour. Then I’m sending a cruiser to her apartment.
Yuri went back to work. He searched the room and the property, being careful to avoid the areas they knew that the suspect had walked. Yuri knew it was Max again, but they didn’t have any evidence to support the theory. It didn’t matter, in Yuri’s mind there was no doubt. Not unless there were two people in the area currently targeting young boys.
There didn’t seem to be anything of note, nothing of importance left behind. He had followed the path to where the suspect’s vehicle had been parked, but the tire tracks were long gone, filled in by the snowflakes that wouldn’t stop falling.
Yuri looked back toward the house. It was far enough to not appear to be stalking, yet close enough to move to and from the vehicle without being noticed. He saw the mother and father standing in the living room of the home, their arms wrapped around each other as they stared out the window as if at any moment David would walk up the street waving at them.
Yuri returned to the front door of the house, knocked gently to announce himself, then opened the door and walked in. Police were coming and going, the home had been opened to them. It was easier this way, rather than make the terrified and emotional parents have to go to the door every time.
“Mr. and Mrs. Krier?”
“Detective,” the man said. He gave a slight nod of his head in acknowledgement. “Please, call me Hugo. This is my wife, Mia.”
Yuri had seen them when he first arrived but hadn’t spoken with them yet. His first target was the evidence, the family would still be there when his search was over. And sometimes, a little bit of time helped. It allowed them to sort through their thoughts and absorb everything that had happened. They would still be emotional wrecks, but they would be functional ones. He hated to think that way, but it was a part of the job. There was a place for emotion, but most of the time it lost out to rationality.
“My name is Yuri Shevchenko. I’m a detective with INTERPOL.”
“INTERPOL?” Hugo said, looking at his wife. Yuri was used to people being surprised. “So it is the same person? The one who took those other boys, and…”
Yuri shook his head. “We don’t know for certain. Right now we have nothing to link him to this.”
“But it might be?” Mia was pale and looked as though she was about to faint.
“We don’t know. But that is something that we are looking into.”
“But he only kidnaps kids in pairs,” Mia said, more so to Hugo than to Yuri.
“I heard one of the boys escaped though. Maybe now…”
Hugo didn’t want to finish the thought. Yuri could see in Mia’s eyes that she didn’t want to either.
“I would like to ask you a few questions, if you’re able.”
They both seemed to return to themselves, if only for a moment.
“Umm, sure,” Hugo said. “I think we already told the other officers everything though.”
“They filled me in on what you told them. If it is okay, I would like to hear it right from you. Then I may have some extra questions.”
Mia stepped in. “There isn’t much to tell. We don’t really even know what happened. I woke up, it was 4:27 when I looked at the clock. I was cold, and I’m usually never cold at night. Hugo was still asleep. I thought I could feel a draft so I got up and looked for an open window. I
He didn’t know her well. They had been working together for less than a month, but he knew her history and had seen some of her employment records. Yuri had never told her, but he had chosen her for the investigation. He needed a partner and he knew of the Crawford case; it wasn’t a difficult decision. The order came from on high, but the decision had been almost entirely his.
And this, this wasn’t like her.
I’ll give her another half hour. Then I’m sending a cruiser to her apartment.
Yuri went back to work. He searched the room and the property, being careful to avoid the areas they knew that the suspect had walked. Yuri knew it was Max again, but they didn’t have any evidence to support the theory. It didn’t matter, in Yuri’s mind there was no doubt. Not unless there were two people in the area currently targeting young boys.
There didn’t seem to be anything of note, nothing of importance left behind. He had followed the path to where the suspect’s vehicle had been parked, but the tire tracks were long gone, filled in by the snowflakes that wouldn’t stop falling.
Yuri looked back toward the house. It was far enough to not appear to be stalking, yet close enough to move to and from the vehicle without being noticed. He saw the mother and father standing in the living room of the home, their arms wrapped around each other as they stared out the window as if at any moment David would walk up the street waving at them.
Yuri returned to the front door of the house, knocked gently to announce himself, then opened the door and walked in. Police were coming and going, the home had been opened to them. It was easier this way, rather than make the terrified and emotional parents have to go to the door every time.
“Mr. and Mrs. Krier?”
“Detective,” the man said. He gave a slight nod of his head in acknowledgement. “Please, call me Hugo. This is my wife, Mia.”
Yuri had seen them when he first arrived but hadn’t spoken with them yet. His first target was the evidence, the family would still be there when his search was over. And sometimes, a little bit of time helped. It allowed them to sort through their thoughts and absorb everything that had happened. They would still be emotional wrecks, but they would be functional ones. He hated to think that way, but it was a part of the job. There was a place for emotion, but most of the time it lost out to rationality.
“My name is Yuri Shevchenko. I’m a detective with INTERPOL.”
“INTERPOL?” Hugo said, looking at his wife. Yuri was used to people being surprised. “So it is the same person? The one who took those other boys, and…”
Yuri shook his head. “We don’t know for certain. Right now we have nothing to link him to this.”
“But it might be?” Mia was pale and looked as though she was about to faint.
“We don’t know. But that is something that we are looking into.”
“But he only kidnaps kids in pairs,” Mia said, more so to Hugo than to Yuri.
“I heard one of the boys escaped though. Maybe now…”
Hugo didn’t want to finish the thought. Yuri could see in Mia’s eyes that she didn’t want to either.
“I would like to ask you a few questions, if you’re able.”
They both seemed to return to themselves, if only for a moment.
“Umm, sure,” Hugo said. “I think we already told the other officers everything though.”
“They filled me in on what you told them. If it is okay, I would like to hear it right from you. Then I may have some extra questions.”
Mia stepped in. “There isn’t much to tell. We don’t really even know what happened. I woke up, it was 4:27 when I looked at the clock. I was cold, and I’m usually never cold at night. Hugo was still asleep. I thought I could feel a draft so I got up and looked for an open window. I
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