Creed waited. He told Jason to do the same. Sheriff Norwich was introducing Taylor to one of her deputies. He knew Jason was already going against his first impulse to go to her and see how she was doing. It would probably be Creed’s impulse, as well. But the best thing they could do for Will right now was get to work. Comforting his mother wouldn’t speed that up.
Taylor pulled something from the backseat of her car. She handed it to Norwich. A deputy joined them, ready with a notepad and pen.
The sheriff gestured for them to park across the street instead of pulling into the circle drive. Three lots stood empty, ground dug up, excavator and backhoe parked at the rear of the properties where the woods began.
He left the Jeep running with the windows down and the fan sucking in the cool, fresh air for Grace. He met Norwich at the driver’s side of Jason’s Jeep. They were far enough away that their conversation couldn’t drift across the road to reach Taylor or Dora Ramsey. Although he hadn’t seen Mrs. Ramsey come out yet. Still, Norwich threw a look over her shoulder as though she needed to make sure.
“Dora Ramsey insists Taylor took Will and is hiding him.”
“Taylor told me that,” Jason offered.
“What do you think?”
“I think it’s crazy.”
“Even if her custody battle might be going south?”
Creed stood quietly and watched the exchange. Jason Seaver had struggled to overcome more challenges than men twice his age, but he was loyal and probably to a fault. Yet Creed knew he wouldn’t let his emotions interfere with the safety of a seven-year-old boy.
“Part of the reason she’s in a custody battle is because she thought she was doing what was best for Will by having him live with his grandparents.”
“So she wouldn’t take him?”
“No, she wouldn’t. Unless...” He paused. Gave it some thought. A long sigh, then he added, “Unless she believed he might be harmed or in some kind of danger.”
“Has she ever mentioned anything?”
“No. I just had lunch with the two of them yesterday. They were laughing and having fun.”
“Well, her mother-in-law is convinced that Taylor’s taken him and has hidden him. Whatever her reasoning, she’s not cooperating. I have to operate on the facts. I have a seven-year-old who didn’t show up at school this morning. With a child this young, the first two to four hours are crucial, and we’re already eight hours behind. The school said he didn’t show up. I’m waiting for one of my deputies to tell me what the bus driver knows.”
“But he was here this morning, right?” Jason asked. “Taylor took him back last night?”
“Dora said they had breakfast together, and he walked to meet the school bus at the entrance to the neighborhood.” She craned her neck to look in that direction. Houses and a couple of trees blocked the view.
“So PLS is the Ramsey’s house?” Creed asked. Place Last Seen. It helped to have a starting point.
“Yes, until we have a witness who says otherwise.” Norwich looked over at the Ramseys again. Creed could see Dora’s behavior wasn’t sitting well with the sheriff. “She couldn’t tell me what the boy was wearing. That’s not as critical as it sounds. Some people just don’t pay attention. Can’t even tell you what they had for their last meal. Minds get occupied. However, this woman is extremely hostile, not just to her daughter-in-law, but to me.”
“Do you two have a history?” Creed asked.
“Not that I’m aware of. I’ve seen her at a few different events, but this is the first time we’ve spoken to one another. For whatever reason, she doesn’t respect or trust our department. She’s already called an FBI agent she knows from the Jacksonville field office.”
“Doesn’t the FBI have to be requested by local law enforcement?” Jason asked.
“Yes. But not if there’s evidence a child has been kidnapped and possibly or potentially taken across state lines.”
“Does she have evidence?” Creed asked.
“No, not that she’s presented.”
“So, are you thinking she’s a control freak? Or does she have something to hide?”
“Maybe both. Right now, I can’t care about pissing contests.” She handed Creed a plastic bag. “Taylor had an old pair of Will’s sneakers in her car. I’m hoping you can do your thing without access to his bedroom.”
“How long has it been since he’s worn these?”
“She said she just bought him a new pair over the weekend.”
“These will work.”
“I need to get my deputies started with a door-to-door canvasing.”
“We’ll start at his house,” Creed told her. “We’re going to run two dog teams with Brodie coordinating. Kids have higher metabolisms, so they shed more skin rafts. But since this is his neighborhood, there’ll be a lot of his scent. It’ll be difficult to determine whether it’s from today or yesterday or even last week.”
“Sounds like you can’t just follow his route from this morning?”
“Afraid not. But if he hasn’t been here all weekend, today’s scent will be fresh.”
“A thunderstorm went through early this morning,” she said, her eyes flashed the question.
“Shouldn’t be a problem. It might actually play in our favor.” He didn’t mind her going through the list, even though she already knew the answers.
“We’re checking to see if he took his bicycle,” she continued. “That could make a difference, right?”
“A little, yes. But the dogs will still be able to follow. If he got into a vehicle, though, the scent would stop there.”
Norwich took in a deep breath. Her eyes darted around to take in the other houses on the street. “I’m hoping one of these neighbors has a security camera that’ll show us exactly what happened. The Ramsey’s camera will only show him leaving.”
From what Creed could see, the massive house that blocked everyone’s view of the entrance was still under construction, with Tyvek walls and hollow window wells. When Norwich looked back at him, he could see she might be thinking the same thing he was. There would be no security footage of the school bus pickup.
“All this construction,” Norwich waved her hand. “Do me a favor and have your dogs do a quick check of the Dumpsters. I counted three. There may be more.” Then she locked eyes with Creed and asked, “They can do that, right? Or is it too confusing?”
She was delicately asking if the dogs could switch from search and rescue of a missing person to recovery of a body.
“Grace can,” he assured her. Sometimes Grace found things he didn’t ask her to find. She was a multi-task dog and couldn’t help it if other scents she was trained to find happened to show up on the trail. And if he asked, she could easily go from search and rescue to recovery.
“We’re long past two hours.” Norwich didn’t take her eyes from his.
“I know.”
She gave him a quick nod.
He didn’t dare glance at Brodie or Jason, but could feel them watching, wondering. Maybe he should have prepared them better. He already knew if they didn’t find a missing child within the first two or three hours, the likelihood of finding him alive decreased with each passing hour.
“You all have radios?” Norwich asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jason answered.
She told them what frequency to use. “I’ll assign Deputy Trevor as your liaison. He’s worked with K9s before. Of course, if you find something you aren’t comfortable advertising over the radio, call or text me directly. I have my cell phone.” She waved to another police cruiser as it turned onto their street.
“Sheriff, I know this isn’t the best time, but I have to ask, what about Caleb Monroe? This morning we talked about a new search for him?”
“Oh, yeah.” She raked her fingers through her hair. “His parents insist he’s staying with friends. Of course, they won’t give me names or present any proof. I’m weighing all my options, including arresting them both. But a fifteen-year-old who’s known to have run away a time or two is a bit different from a seven-year-old who didn’t make it to his bus stop three blocks from his home.”
Creed nodded. “We don’t have much daylight left.”
“Your dogs can still search after dark?”
He felt himself bristle. He glanced at Jason and Brodie. Both already knew his stance. Whether they agreed or not, they would never say so. Jason was still a new handler and respected Creed’s experience. As far as Creed was concerned, darkness counted as its own obstacle. One that was impossible to predict and prepare for. And he knew he was prejudiced on the issue because of his experiences in Afghanistan.
Technically, nighttime was better for scent detection. Scent pooled downward after the sunset. Moisture refreshed particles dried out in the light of day. But a handler couldn’t see the dangers lurking in the shadows, and dogs hardly paid attention when they were following a trail.
“They can,” he finally told Norwich. “But it’s not safe, and I’ve never felt comfortable taking the risks. Remember, some of those garbage dumps we saw in the woods? In the daylight, it’s just trash that we have to navigate a dog around. In the dark? That trash becomes dangerous and toxic.
“Also, because of the development in this area, a lot of the wildlife gets disturbed. Keep in mind that we’re close enough to fresh water. We’ll need to watch out for alligators. And these woods are dense enough that there could be black bears.”
A session of blinks and what looked like a hard swallow told him Norwich hadn’t thought about either of those obstacles.
“Then let’s find this boy as soon as possible,” was all she said.