Harriet jumped up from her chair in the waiting room. “Harriet?” Bud asked. “Are you all right?”
“Bud, I had the most horrible feeling!” Harriet exclaimed.
“Harriet,” Bud whispered, taking her hands in his. She was shaking uncontrollably. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“Little AJ...” Harriet was near tears now. “I-I have to call Commander Rabb, Bud. Give me your cell phone.”
Bud guided his wife back onto the chair. “Calm down, Harriet. I’ll call him. Just relax, okay?” Harriet nodded as Bud’s mother came into the room.
“Bud, Harriet, what’s going on? Are you both all right?”
“Mom, could you stay with Harriet? I need to make a phone call.”
“Yes, of course, dear,” Mrs. Roberts replied, sitting next to her daughter-in-law.
Bud walked out of earshot from the two women and dialed Harm’s home number. No answer. He then dialed his cell phone. Again, no answer. *The Commander always has his cell phone on when he’s not home...* Bud decided to call Colonel MacKenzie. She knew the two hadn’t spoken since the Brumby incident, but maybe she could find out what was going on.
~~~~~
Mac’s Apartment
Georgetown
1015 hours
This was going to be a long night. Mac had one thing on her mind, or person, rather. Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. Ever since the day she learned that her fiancee had conspired with a friend to pit them against each other, she had thought about the Commander. She had been devastated to learn that the man she thought loved her betrayed her.
“It’s your fault this happened!” Mac said angrily. “How could you have been so stupid, Marine?” She remembered back to the ferry in Australia. She had, in a way, told Harm her feelings for him. However, he ignored what she said and talked about something else. Mac couldn’t even recall now because she blocked it out. “Another stupid thing, Marine! He had a lot on his mind! Like a murder case.”
Sighing, Mac tuned on the television. “Julia, what else can you tell us?”
“Well, Todd, the police are still searching for any signs of the man and his son. They found a witness, but we haven’t been told anything yet.”
“Thank you, Julia,” Todd replied. “Stay tuned to channel 5, we’ll have up to date information regarding the crisis. We’ll take a short break while the stations identify themselves.”
Mac’s eyes were wide. “How horrible!” she said.
She was about to change the channel, when the newscaster came back on. “Our contact at McDonald’s has new information. Julia, what can you tell us now?”
“The witness, David Williams, said he had spoken to the man about ten minutes before he left. Apparently, he was just watching the boy for a friend. Mr. Williams’ son was looking out the window when he saw someone grab the child from the man. He yelled for his father just as the man was knocked unconscious.”
“Julia, do the police know who the man was?”
“Yes, Todd,” Julia said, looking at her notes. “His name is Harmon Rabb, Jr. A Commander in the United States Navy.”
Mac gasped. “HARM!” Running to the phone, she realized who that little boy must have been. “AJ!” She jumped when the phone rang. “H-hello?”
“Colonel?”
“Bud?” Mac asked. *Oh God, I have to be the one to tell him!* “What are you calling for? Is your grandmother all right?”
“She’s fine, Colonel, but Harriet had a bad feeling earlier. We can’t get a hold of Commander Rabb at home or on his cell phone and were wondering if you had heard from him.”
“Bud ... you might want to sit down,” Mac told him, taking her own advice.
“Ma’me? What are you talking about? Are you telling me I should warrant Harriet’s feelings? What happened?”
“Bud, Harm is missing...” she took a breath, “and so is little AJ.”
~~~~~
Unknown Address
Crystal City, Virginia
May 24, 2001
0655 hours
Harm noticed that he was sitting on a chair, hands tied behind his back. Looking around, he couldn’t see any sign of little AJ. *What kind of godfather am I?* Harm turned his head when the door opened. A man entered. He had sandy blond hair and he was a little over six feet tall. “Who are you?” Harm demanded.
“Oh, I’m Bobby, Mr. Rabb,” the man replied nonchalantly. “Please forgive me for knocking you out, but we couldn’t have you running off with your son.”
“Excuse me?” Harm didn’t want to tell them that AJ was his son. He didn’t want Bobby to kill him because all hope would be lost for the Roberts child. “You mind telling me what this is about? I mean, since you have me tied up and all.”
Bobby sighed. “Fine. My girlfriend, Josie, and I want a child desperately and yours would be perfect.”
“What’s wrong with the two of you? Your parents forget to teach you about the birds and the bees?”
“That was uncalled for, Rabb!” Bobby growled, punching Harm in the stomach. Harm attempted to catch his breath. “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue? Remember this! You so much as try to escape, I will kill your son. Understood?”
Harm nodded slowly as Bobby laughed and headed out the door. What could have happened to make this couple kidnap someone else’s child?