Page 49 of Secret
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Noam tossed the file he'd been looking through to the side, frustrated that he wasn't getting anywhere. He was starting to worry they would never find the young boy taken from the park after his soccer game. All the leads they had were going nowhere.
He glanced at the clock, wishing he was headed home. Kasey was supposed to meet him and spend the night, and after the day Noam had, he wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch and forget everything but Kasey and the movie they were going to watch.
He smiled, thinking about Kasey. They'd been together almost a month officially, and things had never been better. They took turns spending the night at each other's homes when Kasey didn't have to work, and nights where he did have to work, they often managed to at least get dinner together. On his days off, they went out, usually doing nothing important, but the walks through the park, the hours at the gun range, and the simple trips to the grocery store together meant everything to him. It was great having someone to do things with.
As stressful as work was, having Kasey in his life helped take the pressure off. He found comfort and relief in his arms, the job not being so central in his life anymore. He had an escape, someone to lean on.
Forcing his mind back onto the case, he started reviewing the park surveillance video again, hoping for some clue, some little thing they'd missed before. Having no leads on the two girls, and now the young boy, didn't sit well with him. It was his job to figure out what happened, to find the kids.
His phone rang, pulling his attention from the video. He saw Kasey's name and grinned. "Hey."
"Hi, sorry to bother you at work." Kasey didn't sound like his usual happy self.
"You know you're no bother. What's up?" He eased back in his chair, glad for the short break.
"I have to skip out on tonight. I'll have time for dinner, but that's about it. I have a job late, then I'm headed out of town first thing in the morning for a few days. There's some job they need help with and the money is good, so I told them I could go. I shouldn't be gone more than three or four days."
Noam bit back the sigh that wanted to leave him. It was only a few days, but it sounded as if it was going to be forever. "You warned me this happens from time to time. I understand. I'll be here when you get back. Do you want to still do dinner tonight? I'd like to at least see you before you go."
"Yeah, I can drop by about six. Want me to bring something to eat?" Kasey asked.
"No, I'll cook. I'm off at four and I have some meat in the fridge I need to use. Where are they sending you?"
"It's a town just outside of Vegas," Kasey told him. "There's four of us going."
"Vegas, huh? Wish I was able to go with you. We could sneak away and enjoy ourselves a little." He closed his eyes, imagining them standing in front of a wedding chapel. He quickly forced the thought from his mind. It was way too early in their relationship for something like that, but the thought caused his stomach to flutter.
"We'll have to plan a trip soon. I like the idea of going on vacation with you. We could both use the time away." Kasey sighed. "I need to go. Boss wants to talk about the Vegas job. I'll be by as soon as I can tonight."
"I'll see you then." Noam hung up.
As he set his phone down, he tried not to feel let down that Kasey was going away. It was only a few days, and they had been spending all their free time together. While he would miss him, maybe the time apart would be good. It would give him time to think about their relationship and where he wanted it to go. It was hard to take things slow. What he felt for Kasey had grown quickly, and already he was wondering if they might think about moving in together. He wasn't going to ask, not so soon, but it was where his mind was going.
His phone rang again, and Noam smiled, hoping it was Kasey calling back, but as he grabbed it off the desk, his smile faded. "Levinsky here." He answered after seeing it was his boss.
"We've got a lead on that van from the park. It was seen in an attempted kidnapping in South Ridge this morning. The kid managed to get away, but the whole thing was caught on video. I'm forwarding you the file and video, but I've also arranged to have you meet with the kid and his parents this afternoon. He got a good look at the man. He's with a sketch artist now, but as soon as he's done, I'd like you to talk to him."
Noam sat up straighter. "Give me the address and I'll be there. Is he okay? The kid?"
"Shaken up, but fine. He was older. Fourteen. Everything should be in your email."
"Thanks, I'll give it a look before I head over." He ended the call and clicked on his email, hoping that something might break the case open. Nothing weighed him down more than not being able to bring kids home. People looked to him to do his job, and when weeks or months went by and the family was still waiting for their child, he failed to do his job.
He ignored the file and went to the video first. He leaned in, watching as a young boy was walking out of a convenience store. As he left the building and started to walk down the sidewalk, he had to pass by a small alleyway. It was there the man had tried to grab him.
Noam hit pause on the computer, taking a second to look at the man closer. He appeared to be in his forties. He wore all black, but he hadn't covered his face. Noam stared at the man, trying to make out the details of his appearance. He was a white man with dark hair, maybe six feet tall. It was hard to say. He'd have a better idea once he saw the boy and knew how tall he was, so he could compare.
Picking up his phone he called one of his friends, leaving a message when he didn't answer. "Hey, Jess, I'm sending you a file. Can you run it through facial recognition for me? I know the guys here will be on it, but you're faster. I don't have days to wait on this."
After hanging up, he sent the file, then watched it again. The boy was tough, using some kind of martial arts looking moves to manage to escape. It was pure luck, the kid seemed to have some kind of training in self-defense. If not, he would have easily been hauled into the van.
Focusing on the van, Noam looked for any identifying marks he hadn't seen in the older video. There wasn't much, and the quality of the video wasn't the best. He hoped that there might be other cameras in the area, but for now, this was all he had to work with.
He spent nearly an hour going over the video and file before it was time to go meet with the kid. He was glad that they'd arranged to meet at the boy's home. Interviews were easier when they were done in a familiar place. He wasn't sure how much the boy would be able to tell him, but he hoped he could get something.
It was nearly five by the time he left the kid's house, but he'd gotten a ton of information from the boy. Not only had the kid gotten a very good look at the man, he'd seen inside the back of the van and saw speakers and guitars as if the man was part of a band. It was a small lead, but it gave Noam hope that maybe one of the bars or clubs in the area might recognize the van and lead him to the owner.
