Page 101 of Blood Money

Daisy caught Alex’s eye. “Something’s definitely wrong with him.”

Dan clicked the mouse and the image froze just as Nicky left the screen. “Now I’ll cue up the camera facing the stairs leading back inside the school.” Another click of the mouse, and Nicky walked into the image. He paused at the base of the stairs and turned, as if someone called his name. A man appeared and talked to Nicky for a few minutes. Soon after, Nicky smiled and nodded.

Alex clutched her hands to her chest. “Oh my God. He was kidnapped.”

“Do you recognize him?” Gray asked.

“No.” Alex shook her head, yet something about him was familiar. Whatever the man was saying to Nicky, he had her son’s full attention.

“Can you magnify the image?” Gray asked.

“To a point.” Dan clicked the mouse several times. “If I magnify too much, the image will get distorted and blur.”

Alex watched intently as the man’s image enlarged, but all they could see was the back of his head. The digital counter in the upper right corner of the monitor ticked by for another thirty seconds before he turned. His face was now visible to the camera.

She gasped. “No. It can’t be.” The man put his arm around Nicky’s shoulder and led him out of the camera’s range. “Go back!” Alex shouted. “I want to see his face again.”

“Who is it?” Gray slipped his arm around her shoulder.

“Just go back.” She began to shake. “I need to be sure.”

Dan put the cursor onto the progress bar at the bottom of the screen to rewind the video. Again, the man entered the image. Alex waited for him to turn until the camera captured his face. “Stop!” She held her breath. Her eyes widened with fear and certainty. She turned to Gray and clutched his shirt in her hands. “It’s Jan.” She gripped his shirt tighter. “It’s my husband.”

“You’re married?” Daisy’s eyes went round.

Gray gently clasped her upper arms. “Are you sure it’s him?”

“Positive.” She nodded, absorbing the strength in his steady gaze, grateful that after everything that had passed between them, he was here for her now.

“John,” Gray said to Detective Shanahan, “the kidnapper is Alex’s estranged husband, Jan Mohammad. We have his photo on file. He’s on the Watchlist.”

Dom yanked his phone from his belt. “Give me five and I’ll have a photo of this guy for the BOLO and an Amber Alert.” He headed for the door, the phone already pressed to his ear.

“Wait,” Gray grabbed his arm. “Notify HSI and the Port Authority Police. Mohammad may try to get Nicky out of the country. We should assume he’s been planning this for a while and already has travel documents for the boy.”

“Ten-four.” Dom disappeared out the door.

Alex released Gray’s shirt and covered her face with her hands. “I should have seen this coming. I just didn’t want to believe it could really happen.”

“How?” He tugged her hands from her face. “You haven’t seen your husband in seven years. How in the world could you have seen this coming?”

“Fatima.” Alex looked up into Gray’s face. “It was something she said. Something she did.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What did she do?”

“After I refused to cooperate, she did something on her cell phone. I don’t know what, but afterward she smiled as if she already had something planned. I think she sent Jan a message telling him where Nicky was. I know she told Jan. I know it in the depths of my heart. That woman was evil. Even in death, she’s still a vindictive bitch.”

Alex began to shake violently, consumed first with shock then rage at the woman who essentially orchestrated Nicky’s kidnapping.

“Sweetheart.” Gray brought her hands to his mouth and kissed them. “We’ll do everything in our power to find Nicky. You have to trust that the entire department will be searching for them.”

“As soon as Dom gets me that photo of Mohammad, I’ll get the BOLO and the Amber Alert on the wire.” Detective Shanahan held up the photo Alex had given him. “Don’t worry, Ms. Romano, we’ll get Nicky’s photo out there, too. Gray, I’ll be in my car making calls. Before you leave, you need to fill me in on what’s going on here.”

“Hold on.” Gray tipped his head to Shanahan. To Alex, he said, “Sounds like Nicky’s running a fever. When is he due for his next treatment?”

“Not until next week. He was fine this morning, but I called the doctor anyway, and we scheduled an appointment for tomorrow.” Alex gazed into the eyes of the man she still loved. “I’m worried. Jan has no idea Nicky has leukemia. If he doesn’t get another treatment soon, he could die.”

Shanahan headed for the door. “I’ll include that in the alerts and make sure all the hospitals get notified.”