The Night Stalker_ A Novel of Suspense - James Swain [5]
“He’s beautiful,” she said.
“Thank you.”
“Does he help you find missing children?”
Hearing the hope in her voice, I nodded.
“I need to ask you some questions,” I said.
“Of course.”
“Is this the first time Angelica has been at the school?”
“Yes.”
“What about her mother?”
“Her mother appeared in my office yesterday and told me she wanted to register her daughter for our pre-k program. I gave her the necessary forms to fill out, and told her to bring Angelica in this morning. This morning was the first time I actually saw the child.”
I glanced at the wall beside her desk. It was covered with framed diplomas from various universities around the state. Heller was extremely well-educated, but none of her schooling had prepared her for this.
“I’m going to tell you what I think happened,” I said. “It isn’t pretty, but you need to hear it before we continue.”
Heller placed her hands on her desk. “Go ahead.”
“The person who abducted Angelica Suarez has been planning an abduction for a long time. He plans to sell Angelica to someone who’s shopping for a little girl.”
She put her hand over her mouth. “Oh, my Lord.”
“I know this for several reasons,” I said. “First, Angelica is a girl, and although I haven’t seen a photo, I’m guessing she’s pretty.”
“She’s a little angel,” Heller said.
“Well, little angels fetch a lot of money, sometimes a hundred thousands dollars or more. They’re prime targets for abductors.”
Heller closed her eyes, then opened them.
“Second, Angelica doesn’t speak English,” I said. “That makes the abductor’s job easier. If the child were to start screaming when she’s out in public, most people won’t understand what she’s saying.”
“A perfect victim,” Heller said.
“That’s right. The third factor is that Angelica is not in the school’s abduction prevention computer database. She’s new, and doesn’t have a file.”
“You think the abductor knew this?”
“Yes. Which leads me to my final conclusion. Someone on the inside, an employee of the school, was waiting for this kind of situation, and abducted this little girl.”
Heller sat up in her chair like she’d been hit with a cattle prod. “But parents come into the school every day. Couldn’t one of them have grabbed her?”
I shook my head.
“How can you know this for certain?”
“Your school has one entrance, and there’s a security guard in a golf cart parked next to it,” I said. “He would have seen them leave. One of your staff did this.”
“Oh, God,” she said.
“I’m guessing the girl was moved to an empty room inside the school, given a mild sedative, and then hidden.”
“Hidden how?”
“She might be in a closet or a locker.”
“But that’s barbaric.”
“The person who did this does not care about Angelica’s wellbeing. He plans to sell her and collect his money.”
“So you believe Angelica’s still in the school.”
“Yes. Once the police leave, her abductor will change Angelica’s appearance, put her into the trunk of his car, and go see the buyer.”
Heller shut her eyes and took a deep breath. What I had just described to her was inconceivable. Adults did not do this to little children. I had to bring her back to earth, and I loudly cleared my throat. Her eyes snapped open.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“I’m not done,” I said.
“I’m sorry.”
“Who knew that Angelica was coming to school today?”
“Do you think one of them is responsible?”
“Please answer the question.”
“Let me think. Her new teacher knew, and Sally, my receptionist. I also spoke to the school doctor, since all new children are required to have checkups.”
“So four people knew,” I said.
“That’s only three,” Heller said.
“I’m including you,” I said.
Heller’s mouth dropped open, but no words came out. An uncomfortable silence filled the office. I pointed at the phone on her desk.
“Please round up the other three,” I said.
Heller called her receptionist, the school doctor, and Angelica’s new teacher, and asked them to meet us