WHERE'S MY SON? Read Online Free PDF Page A

own baby, but the arrival of the little boy was the best medicine they could ever have hoped for.

 

     
    Chapter 3
     
    Tammy Barton sat in the shade with their baby. Her husband, Michael, stood in the hot afternoon sun with the camera. He was trying to get the perfect picture, and after several attempts, he announced he was satisfied. “Got it!”
    “Finally!” Tammy groaned. “I'm going back in the house.”
    She kissed Michael, and he kissed his son, before he headed off to work. She retreated into the cool house for her afternoon nap, which she tried to get every day, while the baby slept.
    Sitting on the couch and feeding their son , Kristian, it only took a few minutes before he was full and nodding off.
    She gently carried him to t he first room down the hall. The nursery, all blue and yellow, was decorated with clowns, a circus throw rug, and a balloon mobile that hung over the crib.
    She changed her son and laid him down. Leaving the door cracked open, she stretched out on the couch for her nap.
     
    *******
     
    Watching the whole scene from just down the road was Benny. He knew the mother’s routine as well. He was counting on her taking her regular nap. He had been watching for several days, and so far, she hadn’t missed one. He’d hoped today was no different.
    Benny was in his mother’s 1968 Pontiac Bonneville. She’d left it to him when she died, and he hated it. One of the first things he planned to do with the money was get a new car. In the backseat, a baby carrier and blanket laid ready to be used.
    It was hot, and even though he'd parked in the shade, sweat poured off him. He didn't know how much perspiration was nerves and how much was due to the heat, but he was miserable.
    It was forty-five minutes before Benny got out of the car and casually walked up the street. He went around the corner and down the alley leading behind the Barton home. He had dressed in beige clothes, a tan hat, and brown shoes to blend in with the dry west Texas summer.
    When he reached the back gate, he flipped the latch and walked up to the sliding glass door. Lying on the couch with her back to him was the mother, her chest rising and falling in the rhythmic pattern of sleep. He tested the door. It slid open easily.
    A mazing how careless people are!
    He walked carefully past the living room and into the hall, stopping at the first door. It sat cracked slightly, and when he gently pushed it open, he found the crib.
    Benny had brought the blanket with him , and he quickly wrapped the sleeping baby in it. Retracing his steps back to the sliding glass door, he was in and out in less than three minutes.
    He tucked the baby against his chest and tried to keep an easy pace, but his heart pounded, urging him to run. If he were confronted now, he’d be put away for a very long time.
    He kept his focus, and a steady pace, until he reached his car. Laying the sleeping baby into the carrier, he’d jumped in the front, started the car, and was gone. He hadn't seen anyone or heard anything unusual. As far as he could tell, he had completed his task undetected.
    “You just be nice and quiet ,” he whispered, more to himself than to the baby. “We’ll have you in a new home soon.”
    Benny turned the car onto Highway 1601 East and then caught 281 North. The route chosen by Zeb would take Benny into Oklahoma, where he would meet his connection. A small town off the interstate called Paul’s Valley. A payday was waiting for him there.
    He focused on his driving ; now was not a good time to do something stupid.
     
    *******
     
    Michael Barton got home three hours later. Coming through the door, he was surprised to find his wife still asleep on the couch.
    “Honey?” He touched her shoulder and she sat up with a start.
    “Oh, it's you .” She rubbed her eyes. “You get off early?”
    “No, it's five-fifteen. Is the baby still asleep?”
    “I guess so. He must have needed the nap as much as I did.”
    Michael went over to