The commander-in-chiefs coming to town. How about that, Shelby thought.
That report was followed by one showing sketches of two people sought by police.
The FBI is investigating the case of a baby boy, five-month-old Caleb Cooper of Dallas, who vanished from his mothers hold in the storm at the Old Southern Glory Flea Market near Kleberg.
The FBI says the babys clothing was found under suspicious circumstances 20 miles away in Duncanville. They are appealing to the public for help locating two persons of interest-a white male and white female, who may be traveling with the baby.
After providing descriptions of the couple, the TV news displayed two sketches of the woman and two of the man.
Shelby pressed the button on the remote to replay the details.
The woman could have short spiky red hair, or shorter dark hair and dark-framed glasses.
Shelby replayed the details again and again then hit the pause button for the part of the report that displayed all four images at once.
Damn, he said aloud.
Excuse me?
Two older women were standing at the counter, waiting to check out.
Im sorry, ladies, just caught up in the news, Shelby said. How was everything?
Fine, the taller one said.
The bed was lumpy-you need to get a new mattress, her friend said.
Our apologies, Ill take ten percent off your account. And how will you be settling with us today?
The taller one placed her credit card on the counter. Shelby processed their bill, provided a receipt and thanked them. Then he resumed studying the report.
Hell, I think its them, he said to himself. I think theyre here.
Unit 21. That couple with the baby. They were arguing yesterday, disturbing everyone near them, prompting complaints.
Shelbys fingers clicked on the keyboard and he looked up their account. Luke and Ashley Johnson. They didnt list the babys name, which was fine. They gave their address as Houston, no other details. They paid cash in advance to last five nights.
They havent checked out yet.
Shelby scratched his beard.
He looked under the counter at the small TV screen that displayed images from the motels security cameras. The insurance company insisted the owners install them, but they went with a cheaper system. Shelby manipulated the images to show the view of the lot and unit doors by the north side, including Unit 21. Their pickup truck was gone.
Blinking, Shelby gave the situation more consideration.
Then he reached under the counter for the little laminated clock sign and set it to read: Be Back in 10 Minutes.
He walked along the north side of the motel, coming to Unit 21. He pressed his ear to the door and heard voices, quickly determining that it was the TV over the drone of the air conditioner.
Someones in there.
Walking back to the office, Shelby recalled how the woman definitely had red spiky hair when they checked in and that maybe she changed it, made it darker-he wasnt sure, but she definitely had a baby that was screaming. She was definitely with a man who had the height, build and tattoos that fit the description. By the time hed returned to the office he was convinced that the young woman and man wanted by the FBI were in Unit 21.
First, Shelby had to take care of the guests who were at his counter waiting to check out. Once he finished their transactions, he reached for his phone.
His pulse quickened as he pressed 911.
38
Dallas, Texas
The day after Kate Page broke the story on the FBIs investigation into the babys case, she arrived at her desk at 6:45 a.m.
The stream of radio dispatches coming from the emergency scanners echoed in the morning calm of the desolate newsroom. At this hour, the only other person in the bureau was Tommy Koop, the news assistant, who was listening to the scanners.
After settling in, Kate sifted through her notes and the business cards shed collected. Like a miner panning for gold, she searched for a new lead for her story. Given that the FBI had blitzed the press last night with an appeal for help in Caleb Coopers case, the first person she reached out to was FBI Special Agent Phil Grogan. Shed established a good relationship with him at the shelter and emailed him.
Hi, Agent Grogan: Are there any breaks rising from the appeal? Im willing to discuss trading any data that comes our way.-Kate Page, Newslead
Most investigators, the good ones, wanted to keep all channels of information open.
Kate went online and stared at the sketches of the woman and man wanted by the FBI.
Who are these people? Weve got to be getting closer to finding out what happened to the baby. Somethings got to break on this.
Dr. Butler at the shelter had given Kate her phone number, so she texted her, as well.
Kate sent messages to Jenna and Blake Cooper, and Jennas sister, Holly, asking if there were any developments. As she began checking local news outlets and other news agencies to see if anyone had advanced her story, a large mug of steaming coffee appeared on her desk.
Congratulations. Tommy stood before her. Your item got play everywhere-Boston Globe, Miami Herald, New York Daily News, Denver Post, Los Angeles Times. It was tweeted like crazy. Nice work.
Thanks, Tommy. Whats happening on the scanners?
Not much, the usual rush-hour traffic problems.
Thats it?
Thats it, so far. You know, Kate, your story blew Roy and Mandy out of the water. I dont think Dorothea had counted on you being so good.
Kind of you to say. But in this business, youre only as good as your last story. Roy and Mandy are strong reporters.
When the internship ends theyd be crazy if they dont hire you.
The scanners flared.
Is something up? Kate had put in enough years on the police desk to know how to keep an ear cocked for the telltale signs of emotion or urgency seeping into a dispatchers voice.
Tommy turned his attention to the scanners.
Not sure, he said. There was a noninjury four-car pileup on LBJ causing a lot of headaches. Ill check it out.
He returned to his desk.
Several long minutes passed and all seemed quiet. Tommy continued concentrating on the flow of transmissions.
As Kate resumed working, her screen saver displayed her daughters smiling face, and she was struck with a sudden, overwhelming need to hold her. It felt as if theyd been apart for a lifetime. Kate glanced at the time. It was an hour later in Ohio. She checked to see if any of her sources had responded yet. No one had.
She texted her friend Heather in Canton.
Hi, Heather. Im missing Grace. Is now a good time to call her?
Heathers response came back within seconds.
Sure is. Ill give her the phone. You hanging in there?
Doing my best. Calling now.
A moment later, Kates heart swelled when she heard her daughters voice on her cell phone.
Hi, Mom.
Hi, sweetheart. Did you have a good sleep?
Yup.
I forgot to ask you last night, did you have fun at the movie with Aubrey and your friends?
Uh-hhuhh, and guess what happened?
Kates computer pinged with a message from Chuck:
Good story, Kate. Whatve you got for a follow today?
Kate held her cell phone to her ear with her shoulder and typed:
Working on it. Checking with sources.
What happened, sweetie? she asked her daughter.
Well, Grace said, Billy Franklin tried to hold Aubreys hand. I think hes in love with her because he said she was pretty.
Chuck responded:
Keep digging. We own this story and need to stay in front.
Kates focus shifted to Tommy whod increased the volume of the scanners and was now taking note of some of the dispatches.
And what did Aubrey do?
She told him boys are smelly.
Tommy was now headed for Kates desk with a note in his hand.
Oh, thats all so silly. Listen, sweetie, Im sorry but I have to go now. I miss you and I love you a whole bunch.
I miss you and I love you, too.
Kate hung up. Whats up, Tommy?
Dallas SWAT is rolling on a location in the southeast. It came in through 911. They think the two people are in a motel.
Got an address? Kate stood, collecting her things.
Im working on it. Ive alerted Mark Danson. He was on his way here when he heard it on his scanner. Hell pick you up downstairs, out front in ten minutes.
39
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas
The window and door of Unit 21 of the Tumbleweed Dreams Motel filled the viewfinder of Mark Dansons Canon camera.
With his face clenched behind it, Kate noticed the fan of wrinkles around his eye as he rolled his long lens to focus. They were over a hundred yards from the unit in a small park. Dallas police had sealed the area and were setting up for the SWAT team to make an entry.
Kates pulse was still pounding as it had been since the news broke on the scanner.
By the time Danson had picked her up at the bureau, Tommy Koop had sent them the address for the motel in the southeast.
I know that place, Danson said as he keyed coordinates into his GPS then adjusted his portable police scanner so they could listen to updates.
Kate had watched the Metroplex blur by her window as Dansons Jeep Wrangler sailed along the expressways to the scene. Marked Dallas patrol cars had moved into the area without lights or sirens and had set up an outer perimeter a few blocks from the motel. They stopped traffic from entering the hot zone. Danson drove along the boundary before coming to a park, which offered a line of sight on the motel.
Hed tucked his portable scanner into a pocket of his photographers vest, connected an earpiece to monitor transmissions. Then hed crouched at a park bench, where he was now, using the backrest to steady his lock on Unit 21.
Theyre still setting up, Danson said. Take a look, Kate.
He held the camera as Kate drew her eye to the viewfinder. The image of the door and window, with its drawn curtains was powerful; close and crisp, silent and ominous until-
The curtains moved! she said.
Yup, Danson said. Someones definitely in there.
Kate kept her face welded to the camera as her pulse continued its steady pumping.
Is that them? Is the baby in there?
Out of sight a block north of the motel, the Dallas SWAT team set up a command post in the parking lot of the Diamond Lake Flooring Depot. Team leader Mitch Osweiler used the hood of an unmarked Dodge to unfurl a map of the motel property and the floor plan, while outlining the inner perimeter and developing an entry and arrest strategy for Unit 21.