Mr. Lewis loaded the last of his luggage into his Saturn when his three year old daughter came running out. “I’m ready, Daddy!” She jumped up and down making her red pigtails bounce. “Okay.” He came around lifted her in the car and fastened her into the special child safety seat. He went around and shut the trunk. Just as he was about get into the car himself, his wife came out of the house holding a casserole dish. “You almost forgot this,” Mrs. Lewis called. “If you forgot my chocolate soufflé your father will never let me hear the end of it.” “You’re the best, baby. What would I ever do without you?” Mr. Lewis gave his wife a kiss. “Have fun. Bye, honey,” Mrs. Lewis called to her daughter. “I love you.” “Bye-bye, Mommy,” the little girl answered. They waved happily until the car was out of view.
Mrs. Lewis let out a long sigh. With her husband and daughter gone for the weekend, she could have some time to herself and get the much needed chores out of the way. She wouldn’t have to worry about keeping an eye on a precocious three year old.
She folded and put away the laundry, did the dishes, which been sitting in the sink for two days and swept and mopped the kitchen floor. She had planned to dust, do the vacuuming and clean the bathrooms later. She heated up some eggrolls for dinner. She was the only one in her family who liked them and she didn’t get them very often. After dinner, she sipped a cup of herbal tea while watching a romantic comedy. It was midnight and she was getting ready for bed, when the telephone rang.
“Who would be calling at this hour?” she wondered. She remembered her husband hadn’t called to let her know they had arrived at his parents’ house. She figured they had started talking and lost track of the time.
Little did Mrs. Lewis know when she picked up the phone and said; “Hello?” her whole life would change forever in a split second.

Four years later… Erin Fuller loved the park. First, they would stop at a roadside market and pick up some fruit and vegetables. They would have a picnic lunch and her mother would push her on the swings. Her father would kick around the soccer ball. They would walk along the lake and feed the ducks. Fresh air and sunshine was good for anyone. Before they headed home, Erin would get a slushy.
Today was no different. She swung on the swings, kicked the soccer ball and walked around the lake. Candace Fuller stood watching her daughter get in line and order a lime slushy. Erin turned around and took a long sip, just as two men wearing gray hooded sweatshirts jumped out of the bushes and tried to grab her. Erin screamed and dropped her slushy, spilling it on the man wearing a red baseball cap. He let go of her and the two of them ran off when they saw her parents coming. Candace picked Erin up and started running the other way, while Mr. Fuller took off after the men. But they had gotten away. The only thing Mr. Fuller saw was a gray van driving away. Emily Pascal gave an exasperation sigh. She had just spilled hot chocolate on her desk as well as herself. A light brown stain appeared on her lavender button down shirt. She got some paper towels and started blotting her shirt, but it only made the stain worse. She was a detective of the Hartford Police Department in Connecticut.
“Pascal,” the captain snapped his fingers to get her attention. “Singer needs you. Possible kidnapping case. Conference room four.” Then he walked out.
“Good morning to you, too,” Emily muttered. The captain wasn’t big on pleasantries.
Dillon Singer had been her partner for five years now. They had participated in the DARE program at the local junior high schools. Cruiser and Max, two of the K9 officers had also participated. They knew the dogs would help keep the kids interested and attention.
Emily would walk around and demonstrate how Max