Chapter 2 - The Girl Who Vanished
Ben came around the cart so fast he knocked over a box of napkins.
"Hey!" he shouted.
Maya cut across the grass, red sweater flashing between trees. The man from the sedan moved faster than Ben expected. Mid-forties. Expensive coat. Angry face.
"Maya! Stop!"
She didn't.
Ben abandoned the cart and sprinted after them.
The man caught Maya near the fountain and grabbed her wrist.
She screamed.
Ben reached them a second later. "Let her go."
The man turned. "Mind your business."
"A kid screaming is my business."
"She's my niece."
Maya shook her head hard.
The man's fingers tightened.
Ben stepped closer. "She doesn't look like she wants to go with you."
For a moment the two men just stared at each other.
Then a park security officer appeared on the path.
The stranger released Maya instantly.
"Family argument," he said with a smooth smile.
Maya backed behind Ben.
The officer asked her, "You know this man?"
Her mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
The man looked at her with a smile that never reached his eyes.
"Tell him, sweetheart."
Maya's shoulders folded.
"He's my uncle," she whispered.
Ben felt something cold move through him.
The officer relaxed. "Then let's all calm down."
The man thanked him. Too politely.
Before leaving, Maya looked back at Ben. Her eyes were wet, but she didn't cry.
Then she slipped something onto the ground.
The green sedan drove away.
Ben waited until it disappeared before picking up the object.
It was the foil square from the hot dog.
Inside it, written in ketchup with the tip of a finger, were three crooked letters.
H-E-L-P.
Ben looked toward the street.
The car was already gone.
But he had memorized the license plate.
May you like
And that night, when he gave the number to police, the officer behind the desk typed for a few seconds, frowned, and looked up.
"Mr. Harper," he said quietly, "that plate doesn't exist."
