Chapter Two
"Excuse me, but I’m looking for Chief Sam Bennett"
Luis’ head snapped up at the sound of a familiar voice. He stood up quickly, banging his knee on the desk. He let
out a quiet sound of pain.
"Are you all right?" Sheridan asked.
"Yes, Ms. Crane. I’m fine."
"Good"
"Ms Crane, I’m Chief Bennett," Sam said and shook her hand.
"Oh, good. I got a call from the FBI saying I needed to come here."
Luis raised an eyebrow. What did the FBI want with Sheridan Crane?
"Okay. Well, they’re sending an agent here. He or she should arrive in a couple of minutes. We can wait by
my desk over there. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"
"No. Thank you, anyway. I don’t drink coffee."
"Well, let’s just move over here. Oh, and Luis, I need you to finish with that paperwork. Then when the agent
gets here, I’ll need you to talk with us."
"Will do, Sam."
"Ms. Crane. This way"
Luis watched as Sam led Sheridan to his desk. He sat down and tried to concentrate on his paperwork. Every couple
of seconds, he would glance up at her. Unexpectedly, he wanted to be the one Ms. Crane was talking to.
"Get a hold of yourself, Lopez-Fitzgerald. This is no time for such ideas," he muttered to himself.
He glanced up one last time. This time, Sheridan caught him looking. For a second, he held her eyes and was surprised
as her face turned red with a becoming blush. They both looked way abruptly, embarrassed. Sam saw the look they
shared and frowned deeply.
5 minutes later, the Agent Andrea Phillips arrived. Sam, Luis and Sheridan joined her in an office in the back
of the station. There were no seats, so everyone had to stand.
"The reason I’m here is because there has recently been the kidnapping of a child. This girl, her name is
Rachel McHugh, is what the Bureau believes to be the third victim of a man who recently escaped from a jail in
Pennsylvania. The first missing girl, Samantha Carter and he second, Angela Corrigan were both found in Harmony.
Samantha died and Angela is in the hospital. All three of the victims were from Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
We think that Rachel is still alive and may be here in Harmony."
"On what grounds, Agent Phillips, do you think she’s alive?" Sam asked.
"Well, Samantha was found three months after she had been taken. He had been dead for a couple of hours. It
was the same for Angela. 3 months exactly, he kept them both. Rachel has been missing for two months."
All of this sounded familiar to Sheridan, which made her wonder why she was here. She hesitated before saying something.
Luis, who was behind her, could feel her indecision.
"Go ahead, Ms. Crane" he prompted her.
"Ms. Crane?" Phillips asked.
"I was just wondering. Why does the FBI want me here? What can I possibly do to help this girl, Rachel? Sheridan
asked Agent Phillips, but was afraid she already knew the answer.
"The man who escaped from jail, who we believe took those children was Brian Watts."
Sheridan took in a deep breath. Taking a step backwards, she bumped straight into Luis. She would have collapsed
had Luis not grabbed onto her shoulders. She took in another breath and let the air out shakily.
"I see you haven’t forgotten" Phillips said.
"No...I haven’t forgotten. How could I?" she replied.
Sheridan couldn’t believe it. She was absolutely stunned. After years of trying to forget it, her past was coming
back to haunt her. |
