Shadows at the Treeline
Within twelve minutes, two patrol cruisers pulled onto the quiet suburban street, their roof lights spinning in silent amber patterns to avoid drawing undue attention.
Detective Miller, a seasoned investigator with sharp gray eyes and a heavy woolen coat, stepped into the hallway. He knelt down immediately in front of Lily, his expression shifting from investigative scrutiny to gentle, disarming warmth.
"Hi there, Lily," Miller said softly, taking off his leather gloves. "I’m Mark. May I take a look at Barnaby for a second? He looks like he’s been on a very important mission."
Lily hesitated, then held up the bunny. Miller touched the stuffed animal's ear gently, his eyes scanning the girl's face, noting the lingering terror beneath her quiet demeanor.
Claire handed Miller the laminated card with a pair of sterile plastic tweezers from her first-aid kit.
Miller took one look at the embossed seal in the bottom right corner and his jaw hardened. "This isn't amateur work. This is a synthetic Canadian permanent resident identity slip. It uses authentic security laminates."
"He told her to practice hiding," Claire said, her voice shaking as she wrapped an arm around Lily’s shoulders. "He turned an international kidnapping into a hide-and-seek game."
Miller stood up, pulling out his radio. "Dispatch, this is Unit 4. Issue an immediate BOLO for Patrick Ross. 2024 charcoal gray sedan, license plate Delta-Seven-Echo. Notify Border Patrol at the northern crossings and place an emergency alert on Port Authority departures at Logan Airport."
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He turned back to Claire. "Mrs. Ross, Patrick’s vehicle was logged exiting his apartment garage sixty minutes ago. His mobile signal went dead three miles from here. He isn't running north yet. He’s nearby, waiting for nightfall."
Claire looked through the window toward the dense pine woods bordering her backyard. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long, sharp shadows across the lawn.
