“Shh.” He hugged her tighter. She wasn’t the one to blame here. If anyone was, Alexander felt he needed to shoulder that burden. On their wedding day, he vowed to protect his family, to always put them first. Looking around Melanie’s vacant room, a dozen different scenarios about where she was and who could be responsible circling through his head, he realized he had turned into his father.
“Don’t think about any of that.” He kissed her head once more, feeling so violated at the notion that someone had come into his home, into his sanctuary, and took his world. The dread and unease he had felt since pulling back the comforter on Melanie’s bed quickly turned to anger. His body tensed. His jaw clenched. The vein in his neck pulsed. His voice turned into an animalistic growl.
“I’ll find her, and when I do, whoever took her is going to pay for what they’ve done.”
Chapter Eleven
December 19
9:30 AM
ALEXANDER’S HEAD WAS CLOUDY as his house became a beehive of activity. Martin had arrived almost immediately and began touching base with the parents of all Melanie’s friends, getting word out that she was missing. Police and crime scene techs swarmed the formerly quiet house, snapping photos and dusting for prints, while Olivia and Alexander answered question after question. He grew irritated as the seconds ticked by and the questions became more and more ridiculous. He was wasting precious time when he could be out there trying to find his daughter. He kept glancing at the front door, waiting for her to magically reappear. He knew she was gone, but that didn’t stop him from checking each room in his house over and over again.
“Sorry to interrupt,” a man said, approaching where they stood in the formal living room speaking to a local detective. Alexander looked up, observing he was of average height and build, had short, sandy hair, and the expression on his face was a dead giveaway for someone in law enforcement. Alexander had been around it his entire life and could pick a cop out of a lineup. “My name is Agent Moretti.” He flipped open his wallet and showed his ID and badge. “I work for the FBI out of the field office in Boston. When the local LEOs got the call about a possible missing child, they notified our office since the FBI has a bit of expertise in this area, and due to the probability this will turn into a media frenzy since you’re a high-profile target.”
“High-profile target” was all Alexander heard, as if saying it were his fault Melanie was in this dangerous situation. Crossing his arms over his chest, he widened his stance and peered down at Agent Moretti. Alexander was used to being the one asking questions and calling the shots. The combination of his tall, muscular body and his decisive demeanor intimidated most people. However, it seemed this agent was not most people. He didn’t draw back or blink. His eye contact and stature remained steady, unwavering. There was a smugness about him. He’d barely spoken a word to Alexander, but he already didn’t like him.
“How can we help, Agent Moretti?” Olivia asked, stepping in front of Alexander. She placed a hand on his arm, silently telling him to play nice for the sake of their daughter.
“I overheard you talking about your security system here.”
“Yes,” Alexander replied, taking charge, ignoring the agent’s pompous demeanor. He had to remind himself this agent was here to help, that the FBI had a great deal of expertise in finding missing children. He needed to put his ego aside for a minute and answer every question. It might just bring Melanie back.
“Like I was telling the detective here…” He gestured to the local police officer he had been speaking with before Agent Moretti interrupted. “Everyone who lives here or has access to this house has their own unique code they enter on a keypad before placing their thumbprint on the pad. The code and thumbprint must match before anyone can enter. A keypad and scanner are located at every entry point to the house — the front door, rear door, and garage. When the system is armed, all the windows have sensors that will trigger the alarm if any amount of pressure is applied.”
“I noticed a few small cameras mounted at various points on the exterior of the house. I assume this is all part of your system?”
“Yes.”
Agent Moretti jotted a few notes in his pad, nodding. “Sounds like quite the setup,” he mused.
Alexander didn’t respond. He didn’t appreciate Moretti’s backhanded accusation that even the best security system around wasn’t enough.
“Well, I suppose there’s no such thing as being too cautious in your line of work.”
“What does all of this have to do with finding my daughter?” Olivia interrupted. She shifted from foot to foot as she kept glancing at the large clock hanging on the wall. Alexander knew what she was thinking. Melanie had been gone for hours and it seemed as if nothing was getting done, that they weren’t moving fast enough.
“I understand how difficult this is for you, Mrs. Burnham,” Agent Moretti began in a tone that was borderline condescending.
“Don’t give us that speech,” Alexander shot back. He imagined Moretti had given the same one to countless other families desperate for answers, grasping at any bit of information in the hopes of finding their loved one. He wondered how many of the cases Moretti worked on had a happy ending. “Just tell us how you intend to find our daughter.”
Flipping his notepad closed, Moretti shoved it into his jacket pocket. “I’ve called in the rest of the regional CARD team.”
“CARD team?” Olivia asked, her brows furrowed.
“Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team,” Moretti answered, meeting Olivia’s concerned eyes. “I’m leading them. The rest of my people will be on-site within the hour. In the meantime, I’m trying to gather as much information as possible to get a jump start on finding your daughter.” He turned to face Alexander. “Now, these exterior cameras of yours… Do they record?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Yes.”
“Can we take a look at the footage?”
“One of my men has been going through it all morning. He hasn’t found anything yet.”
“Nevertheless, I’d like to take a look at it.”
Alexander widened his stance and glared at Moretti. It was ludicrous to think this FBI agent would be able to see something in those video feeds he or his employees couldn’t. They had advanced training far beyond anything they taught at the academy.
“Need I remind you that, if need be, I can get a court order for it. It’s in your best interest to cooperate with this investigation. I wouldn’t want word to get out that the father of a missing girl refused to cooperate with the FBI. I don’t think it would be very good for your public image.”