*Some adult themes

Kidnapped

by Angela

 

Chapter 1: Missing

Dan Mangan ran his fingers through his thick dark hair. He just couldn’t think of anything else he could do to help the Costner kid. At twenty-seven he was the resident psychologist at the Ten Acres Academy for Underprivileged Boys in Sleepyside, New York. It was his responsibility to provide the counseling necessary to help the students enrolled at the academy overcome the hardships of their pasts and adjust to their new environment. Usually Dan had little trouble relating to these tough, unhappy children because he had been there himself, but fourteen-year-old Jed Costner was proving to be unreachable.

Sighing lightly, Dan rose from his desk and walked to the window of his study. From this vantage point he was able to see his wife Aimée, and their six-year-old daughter Maggie playing catch in the backyard. He smiled. They looked so alive and carefree as they played in the late afternoon sunshine.

Even after seven years of marriage Dan was still head over heels in love with his beautiful wife. Some mornings he would wake up with the sun just to watch the way it brought out the red in Aimée’s strawberry-blonde curls. He loved her radiant smile, and her sparkling green eyes. To him her laugh was music, and her touch magic. She was his strength, his support, his best friend, and his lover.

Out in the backyard Maggie shrieked with laughter as her mother tackled her and rolled her around on the grass. They were having one of their tickle fights again, and, as always, it gave both of them a case of the giggles. With hair as black as a raven’s wing, eyes as green as grass, the face like an angel and the humor of an imp, Maggie was his pride and joy. He’d never known how much he would love being a Dad. Yes, sometimes it wasn’t easy. Maggie could find all kinds of things to do that scared the pants off him. At the same time she had taught him to look at the world in a different way, opening his eyes to the richness and the beauty in his life.

Dan and Aimée were lucky to have Maggie in their lives. They longed to give her a little brother or sister to play with, but, thanks to a miscarriage two years before, that hadn’t happened yet. Try, though, they did, Aimée hadn’t been able to get pregnant again. Someday, Dan promised himself, someday they would have another baby, and if they couldn’t, they would adopt.

Looking back at his desk, Dan suddenly shook his head. The heck with it! There was nothing more he could do about Jed Costner without first consulting some colleagues for advice. Besides, he smiled to himself, he’d much rather be playing outside with his family, than slaving away at his desk late on a Friday afternoon. Putting away the Costner file, he headed out to the back yard to frolic with the women in his life, laughing loudly as they jumped him subjecting him to their tickling fingers.

*     *     *

A tall, dark figure watched from the shadows of the overgrown lilac bushes as the happy family romped playfully in the back yard. Slipping further into the cover of the trees, the man muttered to himself, "Well, well, Danny boy, look at you now, the perfect family man!"

*     *     *

Hannah March looked out the kitchen window to check on her young charge. While the Mangans pursued their respective careers, Hannah had the pleasure of watching over their delightfully well behaved daughter.

On this glorious Monday afternoon, Margaret Elisabeth Mangan sat under the old crabapple tree, playing happily with her Barbie dolls. While other little girls’ dolls were forced to wear off the rack fashions, Maggie’s always sported designer originals created by one of the rising stars on the fashion scene, her mother Aimée Monet-Mangan. Sometimes her friends envied her for the pretty evening gowns, the tailored suits, and the snazzy jeans and sweaters her dolls wore, but most of the time they enjoyed playing with her because she was always willing to share her treasures.

Barbie and her friends were just getting ready to take a trip to the mall, when the strange man appeared out of the bushes. Maggie tried to run for the safety of the house and Hannah, but the tall, skinny man with the scar on his face grabbed her and putting a big hand over her mouth. She kicked wildly, and tried to bite his hand, but he wouldn’t let her go. Suddenly she felt a prick in her arm and she felt her limbs grow too heavy to fight. The last thing she remembered was being strapped into the back seat of a car.

*     *     *

"Maggie," Hannah yelled out the back door, "your bread pudding is ready."

The rotund woman waited for the child to answer, but when she heard nothing she called a second, then a third time.

"That’s strange," the nanny said to herself. "Maggie loves my pudding. Generally she’s in here before I am finished calling for her. Maybe I should go out and see what she’s doing. It’s mighty unusual, but maybe she’s out there getting into something she’s not supposed to."

Hannah trudged out into the yard to begin looking for her errant charge. Was the little imp purposely hiding from her, or had she just wandered off somewhere to play? She checked all of Maggie’s favorite play areas before returning to the crabapple tree. There she found the little girl’s dolls and their clothes scattered all over the grass. This just wasn’t like Maggie, she always kept such good care of her toys.

Bending to pick up one of the dolls, Hannah noticed that its legs had been trampled into the ground. "What’s this?" Hannah knelt down to take a closer look, noticing the faint imprint of a large foot. "It looks like a man’s footprint. I think it’s too large to be Mr. Mangan’s." Had a stranger been in the yard? Could he have taken Maggie while Hannah had been preparing the child’s afternoon snack? "I’ll check the house first, but if she isn’t there, I had better call Mr. Mangan. He won’t thank me for calling him at work if the child’s just playing a game of hide-and-go-seek, but I really do think she’s gone missing."

 

Chapter 2: Raising the Alarm

Dan was in the midst of a meeting with his friend, and boss, Jim Frayne when the school secretary, Nancy Garbutt, buzzed the office.

"Excuse me a moment, Jim." Dan answered the intercom. "Yes, Nancy, what can I do for you?"

"Mr. Mangan, I know you asked not to be disturbed, but I have your daughter’s nanny on line two. She says that it is urgent." Nancy’s voice sounded hesitant.

"That’s okay, Nancy, we’ve just about wound up the meeting. Please put the call through."

Hannah’s frantic voice came over the line. "Oh, Mr. Mangan! Thank God you’re in the office." The usually jolly woman began to cry softly.

Alarmed, Dan asked, "Is something wrong at the house, Hannah?"

"It’s Maggie, sir. I don’t know how it happened, but somehow she’s missing. I’ve looked all over the house and grounds but I can’t find her anywhere."

He felt his heart leap into his throat, choking him. Maggie missing, that’s wasn’t possible. She never went far from the house. Pictures of his beautiful daughter lying at the bottom of the cliff on the Wheeler game preserve, or floating face down in the lake passed across his inner vision. God, Mangan, now is not the time to fall apart. Hold it together.

"Hannah, you’re certain you checked all the places Maggie likes to play? Did you check the attic? I know she’s been told not to go up there, but if she was bored and believed she wouldn’t get caught, she might have snuck up there."

"I checked there too, Mr. Mangan," the hysterical woman wailed. "She isn’t here!"

"Oh God!" Dan groaned aloud.

"And Mr. Mangan, there’s something else. Maggie’s dolls were scattered around under the crabapple tree. One of them was trampled into the ground by someone with very big feet."

Someone’s taken my baby, the voice in his head screamed. Where’s my little girl?

Struggling to gain control of his voice, Dan croaked, "Hannah, I want you to call the police and ask to speak directly to Sergeant Molinson. Be certain to tell the officer who answers the phone that you’re calling for me. He should put you right through." Gasping for breath he continued, "I’m going to send someone to get my wife, and I’m on my way home immediately."

Dan hung up the phone with a trembling hand, then lowered his head into his hands with an anguished groan. He had never been so afraid in his entire life. Where was his baby? Had somebody taken her?

He felt Jim’s strong hand on his shoulder and looked up into his friend’s worried green eyes. "What’s happened Dan?"

"Maggie’s missing! Hannah thinks somebody may have taken her."

"Oh God," Jim let out a shocked groan as he collapsed into his chair. Shaking his head, Jim picked up the phone and pushed the intercom button. "Hi Nancy, it's Mr. Frayne, will you page Dr. Belden and ask him to come to Mr. Mangan’s office, please."

Leaning over, Jim laid his hand on his friend’s arm. "Okay, Dan, I’m going to send Brian to pick up Aimée and then I’m going to drive you home. There is no way I’m going to let you drive."

A quiet knock sounded on the door. "Hey boss!" Dr. Brian Belden said as he looked around the door. "Nancy said you were looking for me." Noticing Dan’s pallor he strode to his side. "Dan, you look terrible! Are you feeling ill?"

Dan slowly shook his head. "No. I’m not sick. Brian, somebody may have snatched Maggie while she was playing in the yard."

Brian blanched. He loved Maggie as if she were his own niece. "Are you sure, Dan?"

Jim explained Hannah’s call before asking Brian to pick up Aimée at the gallery where she worked part time.

"Come on, Dan, let’s head for your place. The cops may be there before long."

"Brian, don’t tell Aimée. Just bring her home. I have to be the one to tell her," Dan managed to say. "And Brian, call Trixie! I think we’re going to need her help." He wasn’t sure how he managed to keep his head. His insides were churning like a cement mixer, and his brain felt as if it were turning into a bowl of mush.

 

Chapter 3: Waiting

Dan was quiet on the way home. Happy scenes of his life with Aimée and Maggie kept running through his head: playing in the park, swimming at the Wheeler Lake, picnics in the game preserve, Uncle Bill teaching Maggie to ride her first pony, Maggie climbing into bed between he and Aimée after having a bad dream. Would any of these things ever happen again?

Who could have brought this darkness into their happy lives? Was his baby girl out there crying for her Daddy? He knew she was scared, alone. "Oh princess," he promised her, "somehow Daddy’s going to find you."

How was he going to tell Aimée their little girl was gone? Why didn’t he just let Brian tell her, it would have been so much easier? Not for Aimée it wouldn’t. It was better for Aimée that he be the one to tell her, that he be there to hold her close and give her the strength to get through this. Together he and Aimée could get through anything, through years of school, through her grandmother’s death, through the miscarriage, and through this too. They drew strength from their love for each other. Neither of them was ever truly alone.

Jim pulled the car into the long gravel driveway leading up to the Maples, the Mangans' Sleepyside home. Dan looked at the yellow-framed Queen Anne styled house that had been his home for the last two years. Aimée had fallen in love with the wraparound porch, the gingerbread trim, and the beautiful old maple trees lining the long driveway. It had taken a lot of work, but they had turned a rundown old building into a home filled with love and laughter.

Would they lose that laughter in their life? Dan stared at the house. He just couldn’t seem to make himself move. Maybe if he just sat there, he’d wake up and find this was all a nightmare, nothing more than a bad dream. No, he had to move. Had to get Hannah to another part of the house before Aimée and Brian got there. The hysterical woman wouldn’t give him a chance to tell Aimée as gently as possible.

He saw Jim glance over at him. His old friend must have read his thoughts because he said, "Dan, I’ll go talk to Hannah while you wait for Aimée. Hopefully she gets here before the police. I’d hate to see her come home to find the house surrounded with cruisers."

Dan nodded as he climbed from the car. "Thanks Jim."

As Jim walked toward the house, Dan turned to watch the driveway. He didn’t realize that he was holding his breath until he saw Brian’s car turn off Glen Road. Thank God, they’re here! I hope he had a chance to call Trixie and Honey at the agency before he got to the gallery.

Brian had barely pulled the car to a stop when Aimée flew out of the passenger door and ran up the sidewalk into Dan’s arms. For a second he just stood there and held her, inhaling the soft floral scent of her hair. How was he going to tell her? Where would he find the words?

"Dan," Aimée looked up at him with worried green eyes, "why did you send Brian to pick me up? Has something happened to Papa?"

He cleared his throat, searching frantically for the words to break the horrible news he had to tell her. "Uhhh ... Aimée, I have something really difficult to tell you. Um ... Hannah called me at work. She ... uh ... looked all over ... but ... she ... uh ... couldn’t find Maggie? Aimée sweetheart ... God, I don’t know how to say this!" Dan ran frustrated hands through his hair. "Aimée, it looks as though somebody has taken her!"

Aimée looked up at him, her face blank with shock. "Taken ... Hannah?"

"No, sweetheart." Dan ran a gentle hand down his wife’s back. "Taken Maggie," he said softly.

"Noooo ..." she moaned. "Not my baby! Dan, please tell me my baby’s all right." He caught her just as her knees buckled under her. Lifting her gently, he carried her to the porch swing where he sat holding her as she wept wildly in his arms. He let her cry because he understood how badly she needed to let out some of the fear.

"Oh baby, I’m so sorry! I wish I could have saved you from this pain." He cradled her trembling body against him, each sob she uttered clenching his already aching heart.

"Aimée precious, listen to me." Raising her face to his, he looked deep into her tear glazed eyes. "I asked Brian to call Trixie. Trixie will find the guy who did this. She’ll bring Maggie home to us. You know she will."

Dan was trying to convince himself as much as he was Aimée, but it wasn’t working. He could feel a big black hole filled with desperation opening up inside him.

He heard the sound of sirens. Molinson was finally here.

 

Chapter 4: Ransom Demand

Private detectives Trixie Belden and Honey Wheeler had arrived soon after Sergeant Molinson and his men. They had gone over the house and grounds with a fine-tooth comb, as well as questioning the distraught nanny, Hannah March. The search had expanded to include the neighboring woods where Trixie had found evidence of a parked car, as well as an empty syringe that may have been used to subdue the young girl.

One of Molinson’s officers had made plaster casts of the tire tracks, and the syringe had been sent to the police lab to be analyzed for prints and contents. Casts had also been made of the footprints under the crabapple tree, and a deeper set found in the lilac bushes bordering the backyard.

Sergeant Molinson stood nervously before the small group gathered in the Mangan living room as he explained what they had discovered. "First of all, Mr. and Mrs. Mangan, I want you to know that my people and I will do everything we can to help recover your daughter safe and sound. Although the evidence we have found strongly suggests that little Maggie has been abducted, I intend to continue the search of the surrounding woodlands with the help of the men in the community until such time as the search is completed or a ransom is demanded."

Nodding towards Trixie and Honey, Molinson acknowledged, "I understand that you have retained the services of Ms. Belden and Ms. Wheeler, and I’m hoping that we can work together to bring about a happy ending to this situation."

Molinson shifted uncomfortably. "We’ve tapped your phone to record the ransom call, if the perpetrator should try to contact you that way. I know it is an invasion of your privacy, but it may help us trace the origins of any call from the man who took your child. There is still a strong possibility that the kidnapper may find an alternative way to contact you. In that case I’ve asked Ms. Belden to contact us immediately, and considering the safety of the child, not to act on her own."

With those words Molinson took leave of the small group to return to the police station, and set the wheels in motion to widen the search.

Dan looked around the room at their friends and family. First of all, there was his uncle, Bill Regan, his freckled face pale with concern. Then there were Uncle Peter and Aunt Helen Belden, Aimée’s honorary aunt and uncle. Three of the Belden children, Brian, Mart and Trixie, were also present, their love and concern for Maggie obvious in their strained faces. Jim Frayne sat beside Trixie, while his adoptive sister Honey Wheeler talked quietly with Brian. They had been his friends for years, and had always been there to support him when times got rough. He felt a sense of release knowing that they were there for him today.

Things hadn’t been this rough for him since his mother died, and he had been left alone on the streets of New York. He’d gotten into a real bad crowd back then, but, after he was arrested during a gang fight, his Uncle Bill had brought him to Sleepyside giving him a second chance. Dan made the best of that opportunity, working hard to win his uncle’s love and trust, while trying to better himself at the same time.

Aimée seemed strangely quiet. He was worried about it. After the police had arrived she had pulled into herself. It had been a long time since she had shut him out when something was tearing her apart. Even after the miscarriage they had been able to open up to each other, sharing their grief, and finding strength in the relationship they had together. Tonight was different, she seemed to have built some kind of wall around her soul and she wouldn’t let him in to share the grief.

The doorbell pealed loudly, making him start. Was that Molinson? Had the police found Maggie? Dan made his way quickly to the door but was disappointed to find only a courier waiting for him.

"Mr. Mangan?" the young man queried respectfully.

"Yes."

"I’ve a special delivery for you, will you please sign here."

Dan signed the book, then accepting the proffered package. Taking note of the young man’s name, Paul Jones, and the name of his service, United Couriers, he thanked the young man and tipped him generously.

As he walked back into the living room Trixie met him at the door. "Dan, can I see that package?"

"Why?" he asked, puzzled.

Patiently, she explained. "It might have something to do with the abduction. If it does, I don’t want to destroy any evidence that might be taken from it."

He felt the blood rush from his face. Looking Trixie directly in the eye he asked, "Do you think this might be the ransom demand?"

At Trixie’s nod he handed her the small parcel, knowing that there was no way in the world he’d be able to bring himself to slit open the envelope for fear of what he would find.

Everyone in the room watched as Trixie donned a pair of latex gloves before carefully slitting open the manila envelope. They held their breath as she withdrew a small lock of black hair from the package. Aimée gasped softly, and started to tremble. Seeing this, Dan moved immediately to her side and wrapped his arm around her to pull her close.

The second thing Trixie removed from the envelope was a Polaroid. Looking at the picture brought tears to their eyes for it showed little Maggie, bound and gagged, her green eyes wide with fright.

Aimée had started to weep. Dan held her, his own body trembling with tension and suppressed grief. Why couldn’t he protect his little girl? How could he have failed his little angel?

Regan placed a strong hand on Dan’s shoulder as if trying to impart some of his own strength to get him through the next few moments.

Trixie pulled the final item from the package. It was a cassette tape. Walking over to the stereo system she put it in and pressed play. A familiar voice cut through the quiet of the small room. "Hello, Danny Boy, remember me, or has living among the high and mighty made you forget your old pal? Tell me something, Mangan, you still yeller? Well, I want you to know I’m really glad to meet your little girl. We’re going to become really close if her Daddy don’t pay up fast! Don’t worry, Danny, I’ll play fair, I know you’re not rich like your friends up in the big house, but it’s still going to cost you two hundred and fifty grand to get your little girl back safe and sound. If I were you, I wouldn’t wait too long to gather the money, Danny Boy, or else I might have to give you a little encouragement. I’ll send more instructions soon! And Danny, no more cops!"

 

Chapter 5: A Time to Grieve

That voice, Dan hadn’t heard it in years. "Luke! Luke has Maggie!"

"Are you sure, Dan?" Regan’s strong grip was bruising his shoulder.

"I’m sure, Uncle Bill. I’d recognize his voice anywhere. Oh God! This is all my fault, if it wasn’t for me, he never would have grabbed Maggie. Luke wants revenge. I helped send him to prison. I betrayed him and it’s payback time." Groaning, Dan buried his face in Aimée’s thick hair. "I’m sorry, baby, Daddy’s so sorry," he whispered.

No one heard him but Aimée. Dan’s quiet grief drew her out of herself. She and Dan needed time to deal with this together. As much as she appreciated the support of their friends and family, she had to get them out of the house.

Squeezing Dan’s hand, Aimée rose to her feet. "Guys, Dan and I really appreciate all your support, but there’s nothing else you can do tonight. What we all need to do is try and get a little sleep, so we can approach this fresh in the morning. As much as I know you’d like to stay and keep an eye on us, I know you’d sleep better in your own beds. Besides," she smiled softly, "we don’t have enough room for all of you."

Aunt Helen nodded slowly, suddenly understanding Aimée’s attempt to clear her house. She and Dan needed to be alone to share their pain. "Are you sure, Aimée?" she asked softly, not wanting to desert the girl if she really needed her.

"I’m sure." Aimée hugged her, thankful for her understanding, hoping that the others would catch on as well.

"Okay, gang." Jim rose to his feet. "I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready to go home and hit the sack. Honey, do you want to come with me, or are you going with Trixie?"

"I’m with you, Jim." Honey gave Aimée a big hug and whispered, "Hold in there, girl, I think Dan really needs you right now." Before leaving she bent and kissed Dan gently on the cheek. "Be strong, Dan. We’re all here for you. We’ll get her back."

The others departed quickly leaving only Trixie and Regan.

"Aimée ... I--" Trixie looked at her with tears in her eyes. "I love you both ... and ... I’m going to do everything I can to bring Maggie home. I'll be here around ten tomorrow. If you need me earlier, just call and I’ll be here. Night guys!" Trixie left quickly, afraid that she would burst into tears. She couldn’t do that to Dan and Aimée. She had to be strong for them.

Regan, a look of helplessness on his face, watched his silent nephew. Why couldn’t Dan escape his past? It always seemed to be catching up to him and knocking him in the teeth? What could he do?

Suddenly he found himself enwrapped in Aimée’s arms. She said softly, "It’s okay, Uncle Bill, I’ll take it from here. You can’t give him what he needs right now, but I can."

Regan nodded in understanding. Dan needed time to grieve, and he couldn’t do it in front of his friends or his family. Only Aimée could make him feel safe enough to open himself to the pain. Gently, he kissed her cheek before addressing them both, "Well, I guess I’ll be going. If you need me before tomorrow, call me." Squeezing Dan’s shoulder in silent support, he left.

Finally alone, Aimée led Dan toward the bedroom. Changing quickly into one of her thin muslin gowns, she helped Dan out of his clothes and they climbed into the cozy warmth of their bed. She pulled him into her arms like a small child, and waited.

Dan relaxed against Aimée’s soft warmth. She wasn’t shutting him out any longer. Maybe together they could get through this time.

He could feel the dark pain inside him growing, expanding, filling him up and twisting his insides. The pain began to mingle with the guilt. He’d failed to protect his family, and now his Maggie was paying the price for the mistakes he had made in the past. Then fear trickled into the mixture. Luke was a cruel man, and he hated Dan for betraying him. How far would he go to make Dan pay? What would he do to Maggie?

"Aimée," he said hoarsely, "I’m so sorry. I never expected anything like this to happen. I never thought Luke would come back."

His eyes burned with unshed tears. Speaking became more and more difficult, words coming out in short bursts. It felt as if someone was tearing his heart from his chest with hot tongs. "Oh Maggie, Maggie, my precious baby," he moaned. "I’m so sorry, baby."

Dan felt the first tear as it flowed slowly down his cheek. He just wasn’t strong enough to hold them back any longer. Aimée understood, she held him close and let him weep. The tears came with increasing frequency, soaking the thin fabric of Aimée’s nightdress. She rocked him as gently as she had rocked their daughter when Maggie was an infant.

Dan finally opened up, letting all the pain flow out in racking sobs. He found comfort in her arms, drawing on her strength to pull him through the pain. They cried together, then talked softly, before falling into an exhausted sleep.

 

Chapter 6: Closing In

Trixie was there the next morning as promised, Honey at her side. Dan met them at the door, eyes red with the tears he’d shed, but a look of determination written across his lean features.

"Morning, Trixie! Hi, Honey! You guys ready to get down to business?"

"We’re ready, but we’d better not start without the rest of the gang," Trixie said grimly.

"The rest of the gang?" Aimée asked walking into the kitchen.

"Once a Bob-White, always a Bob-White," Honey said. "We may have grown up, but we’ll always be there for each other."

Brian and Mart arrived together, closely followed by Jim and Regan. Nobody questioned the older man’s presence. Dan, Aimée, and Maggie were his family. Besides that, he had always been there for the Bob-Whites in the past and he was welcome to work with them in the present.

"Me first," Aimée began. "I made arrangements with Uncle Peter today to get full access to the funds in the trust fund that my grandparents set up for me, there is more than enough to pay the ransom if necessary."

Trixie nodded. "That’s good, Aimée, we’re definitely going to have to go through the motions demonstrating your willingness to pay just in case Luke is working with someone else."

Honey, her face serious, reported. "I dropped the ransom package off at the police station this morning, but Molinson was good enough to give me a colored laser copy of the Polaroid, and a copy of the tape as well. I have them here so we can listen go over them and see if we can find any clues." She popped the tape into a portable tape deck, and they listened intently for background noises.

"Hey, did anyone else hear that?"

"What, Mart?" Regan asked.

"It sounded like a baby crying." Mart frowned. "Rewind it a bit, Honey, then play it again."

They listened intently as a faint, but shrill, crying sound echoed in the background.

"That sounds like a newborn," Aimée said softly.

"So either Luke’s shacked up with some woman who has a baby, or he’s got Maggie in some place that has really thin walls," Dan said.

"An apartment building," Honey suggested.

"Don’t think so, he’d probably have to sign a long term lease and I can’t see him doing that." Trixie chewed pensively at her lip. "It’s more likely one of those fleabag hotels around Hawthorne Street where people can rent rooms by the month if they want."

"Wait a minute," Jim said excitedly, "that rumbling sounds like an earthquake, it must be somewhere really close to the railroad tracks."

"Dan, do you have a map of Sleepyside?" Trixie asked. "I think there’s a short street that runs parallel to the tracks."

Aimée left the room at Trixie’s question, returning immediately with a small map that she lay on the table.

"Here it is," Honey pointed. "Archer’s Lane!"

"Anyone know if there is any tenant housing or some kind of seedy hotel on Archer’s Lane?" Trixie asked.

"No, but I know who would," Brian answered. "Molinson."

"Honey ...?"

"Right on it, Trix!" Honey crossed to the telephone and quickly dialed the police station. "Yes, Sergeant Molinson, please. Tell him it’s Honey Wheeler and it's urgent! ... Hi Sergeant! Yeah ... uh-huh. We think we’re onto something, but we’re not sure. Would you know whether there are any tenant buildings on Archer’s Lane? Yes, thank you, Sergeant! We’ll meet you there in thirty minutes."

"Yes?" Seven pairs of questioning eyes watched as Honey hung up the phone.

"Yes! Molinson contacted the local office of United Couriers just after I left. They were able to trace the package to room 104, 200 Archer’s Lane. It’s an old tenement building, and they’re definitely not fussy about who their tenants are," she answered.

"Well, what are we waiting for, let’s go get our little girl back!" Dan grinned hopefully at his wife.

 

Chapter 7: The Rescue

Dan pulled up beside Molinson’s cruiser on the far end of Archer’s Lane. He and Aimée slipped quietly from the car, then walked hand in hand, to join the others where they clustered around the Sergeant.

Molinson smiled as the young couple approached. "I’ve good news, Mr. and Mrs. Mangan, our man Luke is definitely there. According to the neighbor one of my undercover men questioned, he moved in about three weeks ago. My guess is that he’s been watching for a chance ever since. He’s in a small apartment on the first floor, back of the building."

"So what’s the next step, Sergeant?" Dan asked quietly.

"Well, we’ve got plainclothes men stationed along the street and around the neighboring buildings. We’re going to try to send in one of our policewomen, disguised as a neighbor wanting to use the telephone. It’s a good excuse because the payphone in the building is out of order, and, other than the superintendent, the suspect is the only resident with a telephone. She’s a martial arts expert so if she can get into the apartment, she can take the guy down without any harm coming to your little girl."

"You’re certain of that, Sergeant?" Aimée asked hesitantly.

"Considering Mr. Mangan’s past with this guy, I think your husband can tell you this is the only way you’ll get your little girl back safely Mrs. Mangan."

Aimée paled as Dan nodded. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"When’s this going down?" Trixie asked.

Sergeant Molinson looked at his watch. "I’d say right now, Ms. Belden."

Shouting could be heard from the area around the tenement building. The group watched as a skinny dark figure climbed from one of the windows on the side of the tenement building, and headed for the tracks at a dead run. Another man burst from the shadows of a neighboring building and raced after the fleeing suspect. Looking over his shoulder at the man who pursued him, Luke was taken down with a flying tackle by another plainclothes officer who had left cover from a position in front of him.

Aimée and Dan weren’t watching the pursuit. Their eyes were turned toward the young police woman who was currently leaving the tenement building. In her arms, she carried a small dark-haired child. They began to run hand in hand to meet the approaching officer. Maggie was safe at last.

Officer Dana O’Malley watched with warm brown eyes the young couple running toward her. Risking her life was a feasible price to pay if it meant reuniting grieving parents with their lost children.

Dan Mangan could feel the tears filling his eyes as he swept his frightened daughter into his arms. Setting Maggie on his hip, he was able to pull Aimée into the embrace with his free arm. Cradling the two women in his life against his lean body, he felt the love that flowed through them, binding them together as a family. They clung together weeping with joy.

"Daddy," Maggie said softly as she lay her head against his chest, "I knew you’d come. I knew you’d save me from the bad man."

Tears flowing freely Dan kissed his daughter on the forehead. "Maggie love, how would you like to go home?"

"I’d like that, Daddy. I miss my teddy!"

Dan and Aimée were laughing as they walked back to join their friends and family.

*     *     *

The two plainclothes officers walked toward their Sergeant, pushing the handcuffed man known as Luke before them. As they approached the group surrounding the squad cars, Luke met Dan’s eyes. There was no doubting the challenge Dan saw in the other man’s eyes. He felt himself stiffen.

"Well, well, if it ain’t the regular family guy! Poor sap, stuck with a nagging wife and a whining brat. When you going to learn, Danny Boy?" he taunted. Running his eyes over Aimée’s slender figure and licking his lips, he continued, "But then maybe I can see what the attraction was. Maybe I should have grabbed your woman instead of your brat. How’d you like to be with a real man, sugar?" he taunted, his eyes meeting Aimée’s

Dan’s body tensed, ready to spring, but then he remembered the child in his arms and the woman at his side. How would they feel to see father and husband attack a handcuffed man because of a slight to his ego? Luke was no longer a threat, his family was safe. Faced with this realization Dan straightened his shoulders, pulled Aimée closer into the protective circle of his arm, and turning his back on the past, walked away. Finally he was sure of himself, and sure of Aimée’s love. He didn’t have to prove himself to anyone. Dan Mangan had finally grown up.

*     *     *

Later that night, Dan and Aimée stood in the doorway to Maggie’s room watching their sleeping daughter.

"Dan," Aimée began, laying her head against the solid wall of his chest, "do you think she’ll be all right?"

He nodded, but then realizing she couldn’t see him, he answered, "It will take a little time, but with some professional help, I’m sure she’ll get past this. We all will! Getting through this time in our lives will only make us stronger."

Gently he stroked his fingers through Aimée’s hair. He loved this woman with all his heart. Somehow, she’d found her way into his soul, and entwined it with her own. Life had conspired to bring them together, and love would keep them that way through thick and thin.

"Do you think you’re ready for another one?" she asked.

"Another what?" he asked, bewildered. Had he missed something in his musings?

"Another child," she murmured shyly against his chest.

Lifting her chin so that he could look into the depths of her beautiful green eyes he asked, "Are you sure?"

She smiled up at him. "I’m sure."

Another baby, another legacy of their love! He felt his heart expand, making room for the love of this new life. Dan Mangan was no longer the lost, lonely boy who ran the streets of New York. Dan Mangan was a man, confident and sure of himself, a man who finally knew how to love.

The End

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