A Child Is Missing by David Stout Read Free Book Online

contemptuous of editors anyhow.
    Oh, of course he could write a decent story, for God’s sake. He had to: The Bessemer Gazette couldn’t send its executive editor out of town and not get a good story out of him.
    â€œSir, where was the second letter postmarked?” The reporter was young, sandy-haired, wearing glasses.
    â€œOh, yes,” the agent said. “I forgot to mention that. It had a Deep Well postmark. Deep Well, as I guess most of you know, is fifty miles or so farther away from Long Creek than the post office where the first message was mailed.”
    I should have thought of that question, Will thought. God, what am I doing here?
    â€œAnd what do you think that means, sir?” the same reporter persisted. He wore a deliberately mismatched coat and tie. He wore ambition on his face.
    â€œWell, we think it could mean that the kidnappers have taken the child out of this area,” Graham said evenly. “That’s part of the reason I’m here, after all. Because the victim has been missing more than twenty-four hours, we presume he might have been moved across state lines. In this case, into Pennsylvania.”
    â€œSir, do you think the boy has in fact been moved across state lines? And if he has not been, doesn’t that mean the kidnappers will be tried in state court, assuming they are caught, and that your presence here is in a sense unnecessary?” The questioner was a strikingly lovely young woman with flawless skin and rich black hair—a TV reporter, Will assumed.
    Graham looked at her with steel in his eyes. “I have no way of knowing the child’s whereabouts, therefore I have no opinion. Until the boy is found, wherever that may be, I would like to think I can make a contribution.”
    The young woman nodded respectfully but was clearly not cowed. Beautiful and tough, Will thought. Network material.
    A young man shouted, “Agent Graham, what do you make of this second, much higher ransom demand?”
    The agent looked uncomfortable. “I’m not sure what to make of it. It could be that, having succeeded in abducting the boy and eluding capture, the kidnappers are now flushed with success and are thinking, Hey, why not go for a lot more?”
    A tall young man stood up. “Isn’t that a problem, sir? Theoretically, the kidnappers could escalate their demands out of sight. Would those demands be met?”
    While Graham thought about his reply, Will studied the reporter: midtwenties, long hair in studied disarray, a short-sleeve shirt in winter weather to show off his biceps. For a moment, Will hoped the reporter would apply to the Gazette someday. So Will could turn him down.
    â€œI’m not dealing in theories,” Graham said finally. “Our practice is to place the safe return of the victim above all else. We are waiting for the kidnappers to deliver instructions on the safe return of the boy.”
    â€œSir, if the boy is farther away, does that make him harder to find?” asked a young man with a high voice.
    What a stupid goddamned question, Will thought. I’d rather not ask anything than ask one like that.
    Will studied Graham’s expression. Yes, he still puts on the poker face. The academy must teach them that.
    â€œEvery kidnapping is different,” Graham said at last. “If the boy is not close by, it does increase the territory we have to search, obviously.”
    â€œSo the authorities are actively hunting for the boy even as you wait for more instructions from the kidnappers?” the high voice went on.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œWould you care to go into more detail?” the high voice pressed.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œSir, do you yourself have children, and, if so, does it affect how you approach this case?”
    â€œYes. And no.”
    There was a rumble of laughter at Graham’s neat put-down.
    â€œDo you think the boy is still alive, and what do you think the chances are of