“How do they think the clothes got there?”
Benbow licked his lips. “They think you took them off the boy and threw them over the side of the building.”
“They believe I stripped Gerry Fletcher down to his birthday suit and threw his clothes from the building?” Megan felt confused and disoriented. In some ways, the present confusion she was going through was worse than watching Gerry Fletcher slip from her grip. That had ended in seconds, and with—she believed with all her heart—Gerry safe somewhere. The conspiracy to make her a kidnapper seemed like an endless loop of madness—madness that just wouldn’t stop. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Most of the people involved think you’d do that to protect the boy. The MPs are on your side. They believe that Private Fletcher would have hurt his son if he’d gotten his hands on him.”
“They’re not on my side if they think I hid Gerry. How do they think I got him down from that building? And without his clothing?”
“There is some belief that you had an accomplice inside the resident building.”
“Do you realize what you’re saying?” Megan asked. “You make it sound like I had this whole night planned out.”
“There are some who think you’ve had this planned for some time,” Benbow said. “I’ve been told that you were very frustrated with how things were developing with the Fletcher family. Private Fletcher’s wife—”
“Her name is Tonya,” Megan said automatically. She felt overwhelmed. How could anyone think that she had planned anything that had happened tonight?
“Tonya,” Benbow acknowledged, “told the provost marshal’s office that you had been acting possessive of Gerry. She states that she started getting the feeling that you would have taken him away from her if you could have.”
“Tonya ignored what was happening to Gerry,” Megan said. “She knew her husband was abusing her son, and she chose to ignore that.”
“Can you prove that, ma’am?” Benbow looked at Megan hopefully.
“She never acted to help the situation or her son,” Megan said. “Check through the files I have on Gerry. You’ll find that every referral I received came from the base hospital or a base teacher. Never from Tonya. You should have reports in there from Helen Cordell. Have you talked with Helen?”
Benbow regarded Megan silently for a moment. “You don’t know what’s taking place on the base, do you?”
Megan made herself breathe out. “Lieutenant, Gerry Fletcher fell from that building over an hour and a half ago. He disappeared before he hit the ground. I don’t care how incredible you think that event is, it happened. I saw it. Even if you can’t find anyone else who will admit that they did.” Please, God, I did see that, didn’t I? I haven’t gone crazy! How can I take care of my family if I’m insane? She barely managed to cap the rising panic that filled her. God, please help me. I don’t know what to believe.
Benbow waited patiently for her to go on.
“I was taken down from that building and brought here,” Megan said in a hoarse voice. “I didn’t know I was being taken into custody until I wasn’t allowed to leave this room without an escort while I went to the bathroom. I don’t know anything at all that’s happened outside of this room since I was put in it. Nobody’s told me a thing. I’ve got family out there, and I want to know that they’re okay. It’s driving me crazy to be held like this.”
“Then no one has even talked to you about what has happened on the base?”
“No. And I’m starting to worry about that, too. I’ve noticed a lot of activity outside whenever the door was open. I thought that maybe the MPs were organizing a widespread search for Gerry, since everyone kept coming to me, wanting to know where he was.”
“Mrs. Gander,” Benbow said in a deliberate voice, “there have been other disappearances on the base. In Columbus as well. In fact, I’ve heard news stories that say the disappearances are worldwide.”
“What? What disappearances?”
Benbow leaned forward. “Gerry Fletcher wasn’t the only person to disappear tonight, Mrs. Gander. At about the same time that you’re claiming Gerry disappeared, several personnel and civilians around the base went missing as well.”
“Who?”
“Helen Cordell was one of those people.” Benbow hesitated. “There were others. All of the children on the base seem to be missing. Not just Gerry.”
A cold, hard band of fear encircled Megan’s heart. She forced herself to speak. “All of the children?”
Benbow nodded, flipping through his notes. “The age range of the missing children appears to be from newborn to the age of twelve. At least, twelve is the oldest reported age I have here on base. Some of the radio and TV networks that are still on air are reporting that about the same age group has gone missing throughout the world.”
Chris! Sharp pain lanced through Megan’s chest. She felt the heat of her son’s face against her palm, felt the feathery softness of his breath against her cheek, felt his arms so tight around her neck as he’d rebelled against being left.
The memory of his voice came to her, so innocent and sweet. “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. I’m just going to sleep for a little while, Mommy, so you can come and get me soon.”
“Lieutenant Benbow,” Megan said, her voice thick with emotion, “I have a son—” She meant to say that she had a son in that age range, but she couldn’t get the words out.
“Yes, ma’am. I know.” The lieutenant referred to the legal pad. “He’s here on base. I’ve cleared him for visitation.”
Thank You, God. Thank You that Joey’s home safe. Megan tried to speak, but there wasn’t enough air in her lungs. Then her thoughts turned to Chris, and the images of her baby tumbled through her head. So many of them included Goose. He had spent so much time with Chris. Was he among the missing?
