“Excuse me, Mr. Hardy, may I refill your coffee?”

The flight attendant drew Fenton’s attention away from the laptop in front of him.  “Yes, thank you,” he responded with a smile.

Much to his relief, Fenton had been able to get a seat in first class. Jeff Cutter was on the same flight and Fenton hadn’t relished the thought of being Jeff’s captive audience for the four-plus hours it would take to reach Arizona. Seated in First class he knew there was no chance of seeing Jeff during the flight unless he chose to.  Fenton chuckled and sipped the hot coffee, recalling the look of mild surprise on Jeff’s face when he saw Fenton boarding with the few other First class passengers.

‘Mean-spirited?  Maybe, but after what he cost Joe… and Vanessa…’ Fenton thought, not feeling the least bit guilty.

Returning his attention to the laptop, Fenton focused on the website for Myelin Manufacturing, Kevin’s employer.  With virtually nothing to go on Fenton knew he’d have to probe every aspect of Kevin’s life, letting nothing escape his scrutiny.  He decided to use the time spent traveling to check the most easily accessible part of Kevin’s life – his job. 

Fenton went over the company’s website in excruciating detail, making sure to study every link no matter how unimportant it appeared.  Over the years he’d often found things that seemed inconsequential were the key to breaking an investigation wide open. As a result, nothing was considered meaningless.

He learned Myelin Manufacturing was located in a town about thirty miles outside of Phoenix.  It had been started by Marcus Andresson over fifty years earlier and specialized in making and repairing parts for the various machines used in offices and retail business.  Over the years, the company had kept pace with changing technology and was now the number one maker of computer chips in the country.  It was still run by the same family with Marcus Andresson III now the Chief Executive Officer.  The company prided itself on treating all of its employees as family and in fact several of Marcus’ close friends held the positions in the highest levels of management.  Both Marcus Andresson and his company were well known for giving back to the community and were held in high esteem by the citizens and local government of the small town.

With all the new technological devices appearing on the market, seemingly on a daily basis, the company was doing extremely well.  Their stock prices – and profits – had soared over the last ten or so years, making their stock one of the most sought-after by knowledgeable investors.

After studying the company’s website for almost two hours, Fenton sat back and rubbed his eyes tiredly.  There was absolutely nothing contained in the public information that raised even the slightest suspicion.  Frowning in disgust, Fenton realized he needed to know the specifics of Kevin’s job.  He had hoped to make it to Arizona and out of the airport without having to give his brother-in-law so much as a passing glance.  He now realized that would be impossible.  Resigning himself to the inevitable, Fenton sighed and released his seat belt.  He stepped out in the aisle and stretched.  Picking up a pen and notepad, he made his way back to coach.

Spotting an empty seat across the aisle from Jeff, Fenton strode forward and sat down.  “I need some information,” he said curtly, surprising Jeff with his sudden appearance.

“Sure, anything to help,” Jeff stammered.

Fenton couldn’t help but feel a little pleased that Jeff was so uncomfortable around him.  ‘A small price to pay for what you put my son through…’

Shaking off the resentful thoughts, Fenton bombarded Jeff with question after question, making the information-gathering session sound more like an interrogation.  Fenton took fastidious notes, keeping his gaze squarely on the notepad and never once making eye contact with Jeff. 

Growing silent, Fenton leaned back and studied the new information.  Kevin worked in the financial department at Myelin Manufacturing.  He was one of several employees who reported directly to the vice president in charge of acquiring new clients for the company.  Kevin was responsible for preparing spreadsheets, reports, charts, graphs and other visual aids that would highlight the financial benefits to both companies should the new client choose Myelin for their computer chip needs.

As he studied the notes, Fenton frowned. There didn’t seem to be anything in Kevin’s job duties that would warrant a kidnapping. As a kernel of frustration planted itself in his mind, Fenton’s arm was bumped causing the pen to slide across the page leaving a garish mark.

“Tyler, come back here!” a female voice cried out.  The only response to her demand was a high-pitched squeal of laughter.

Fenton looked up to see a small blonde boy, running up the aisle in a blur of movement.

“Now, Tyler!” a male voice demanded, exasperation tempered with obvious affection.

Watching with open amusement, Fenton saw the little boy stop and slowly turn around.  With a look that could melt even the coldest heart, he began making his way back towards his parents.  Literally bouncing down the aisle, Tyler had a ready smile and some kind of greeting for everyone he passed.  As he reached Fenton, the little boy stopped and looked at the notepad, his eyes fixed on the black streak across the page.  He looked up and Fenton’s heart skipped a beat. The impish grin, the playful personality, the sparkling blue eyes that held a mischievous twinkle…

‘God, he’s the spitting image of Joe at that age!’ Fenton thought.  He smiled and winked conspiratorially at the little boy, as his rather embarrassed parents finally corralled him.     

Hearing the flight attendant’s announcement that they were on final approach, Fenton glanced back at the little boy and his parents, who were trying to get the squirming and obviously excited child buckled in, feeling a sense of déjà vu.  Without so much as a second glance at Jeff, Fenton returned to his seat and began putting his laptop away in preparation for landing. 

After disembarking from the plane, Fenton went straight to the restroom to freshen up before heading to the car rental agency.  As he turned to leave the restroom, Fenton literally ran into Tyler who had apparently preceded his father into the bathroom with enthusiasm.

“Whoa, Cowboy,” Fenton laughed, steadying the small boy who had run straight into his legs.

“Tyler!” his father called out, sounding tired.  When he saw Fenton, he looked more than a little embarrassed.  Scooping the little boy up in his arms, he scolded his son.  “I’ve told you a thousand times not to run away from me!  We could get separated and I’d never want to lose you!”

As Fenton listened to the conversation, his heart ached.  How many times had he said something similar to Joe as a little boy?  Anger at his brother-in-law quickly resurfaced as he was reminded yet again that Joe had never gotten ‘lost’ when in the care of his parents or his older brother.  It was only when he’d been entrusted to Laura’s sister and her husband, who swore they wouldn’t let Joe out of their sight for a second, that he’d disappeared.

‘We told them!’ Fenton thought bitterly, still harboring a modicum of guilt at having trusted his son to them. ‘We warned them not to take their eyes off Joe for a second; that he’d take off in a heartbeat if something caught his attention!’  As he’d done for the past eighteen years, Fenton conveniently ignored the fact that Joe hadn’t wandered off that day; he’d been forcibly abducted.

Having intimate knowledge of the way the criminal mind worked, Fenton had drilled it into his sons from a very young age that they should never wander away from the adults who were with them, no matter what.  While Frank took the warning to heart, Joe occasionally forgot when he saw something that he felt needed exploring immediately.  Joe’s friendly, outgoing personality and penchant for chatting up total strangers didn’t make it any easier to keep tabs on him. 

A fleeting memory of a frantic phone call from Laura tried to push its way up to conscious thought, causing Fenton a moment of intense distress.  He quickly forced it back into the dark recesses of his mind, refusing to acknowledge its existence.  No, Laura had never let Joe out of her sight; never… neither had he…  They weren’t like Jeff and Carole; not at all…

“I’m so sorry,” the man’s voice brought Fenton back to the present.  “You seem to be the recipient of Tyler’s uncontrollable excitement today.”

“No apologies necessary,” Fenton replied, reaching out to tousle the little boy’s hair.  “He reminds me of my son when he was a child.”

“You had one this bad?” the man said, gazing at his son with obvious affection.

“Worse.”

The young man groaned.  “Please tell me they mellow as they grow up.”

Fenton chuckled and shook his head sympathetically.  “I can tell you from personal experience, this is only the beginning.”  He watched Tyler snuggle closer to his father, all the while looking at Fenton with a mixture of innocence and mischief.  “I can also tell you it’s worth every second,” he said softly. 

He suddenly missed the way Joe, as a child, would literally leap into his arms when he returned home from a case that had taken him out of town.  He’d have to carry Joe around the house for what seemed like hours, while Joe talked a mile a minute, cuddling close to his father and bringing him up to date on all the exciting things he and Frank had done during Fenton’s absence.

“Does he have kids of his own now?”  the man asked curiously.

“Not yet.  He and his fiancée are getting married in the fall,” Fenton replied and then smiled.  “But if there is any justice in this world, when he does become a father, he’ll be blessed with a little carbon copy of himself!”

“I hear ya!” the man laughed.

Readjusting the bags on his shoulder, Fenton extended his hand to the little boy.  “Tyler, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

Tyler reached out, trying to wrap his little fingers around Fenton’s hand and shake.  Giggling at the size difference, Tyler quickly withdrew his hand and partially hid his face on his father’s shoulder, causing Fenton’s heart to melt a little more.

As Fenton nodded a goodbye, he headed for the exit.  “Bye-bye!” Tyler’s voice echoed behind him.  Turning, Fenton saw the brilliant blue eyes staring at him as the little boy grinned and waved enthusiastically.

“Goodbye, Tyler,” Fenton replied.  Walking through the airport terminal, Fenton felt an unexpected sense of melancholy and homesickness.  Picking up the pace, he hoped finding Kevin would be one of those textbook cases that he could solve with his eyes closed; suddenly he wanted nothing more than to be back home with his wife and sons.