53

S ue and Chris Jones were driving in agonized silence. It was too painful for either of them to talk. They were both praying for the safe return of their son. As they were traveling on the Massachusetts Turnpike, the ring of their cell phone through the car speakers made them both flinch. Regan Reilly’s number appeared on the dashboard screen. Sue steepled her hands and closed her eyes as Chris answered.

“Regan?”

“Yes. We found Chip! He’s unconscious but the paramedics think he’s going to be fine.”

A cry of relief emanated from Sue’s mouth. Her head fell to her knees. Chris’s eyes blinked back tears. “Oh, Regan,” Sue said as she slowly sat back up. “Thank you. Thank you. Did she—”

“No, she didn’t brand him. It was a little close for comfort, but we got there in time.”

“Thank you, God,” Sue whispered.

“Where is Chip now?” Chris asked.

“An ambulance is taking him to St. Luke’s Hospital on the west side of Manhattan. It’s on Amsterdam Avenue, two blocks west of Columbus Circle.”

“We’re going to get there as soon as we can,” Chris said. “It’ll be a few more hours, which will seem like forever to us. But nothing can be as bad as the last few.”

“Godspeed.”

54

A rthur was fit to be tied. Zora had stopped in the bathroom on the way out of One Police Plaza and had taken her sweet time.

“All this excitement. My tummy’s a little off,” she explained when she finally climbed in the back of Wally’s car.

Spare me any details, Arthur had thought. Regan and Jack had taken off several minutes earlier, and Arthur had the feeling that every minute counted.

When Wally’s car finally approached the exit off the West Side Highway at Seventy-second Street, the flashing lights of several patrol cars stopped at Riverside Park came into view.

“There they are!” Arthur cried, pointing to Regan and Jack. He punched the seat. “We missed everything!”

Wally stopped the car. “Oh there’s Rod,” he said. “He made it.”

“Who cares?” Arthur mumbled as he jumped out and hurried over to Regan, who was getting off her cell phone.

“Arthur!” she said, greeting him with a hug. “Thank God you found Huck’s address. Georgina was right here in Riverside Park with Chip. We arrived just in time. One more minute and she would have scarred him for life. She must have drugged him—he was out cold—but he’s going to be okay.”

Inwardly Arthur fumed. That idiot Zora, he thought. “I’m glad I could be of help,” he muttered.

“You can’t imagine how Chip’s parents feel. They are beside themselves with relief. And his friend Phil is racing over to the hospital right now. He wants to have a celebration party tomorrow night at Lonnie’s, the bar on the Upper East Side where the search parties were formed. You have to come. They are all going to want to meet you and thank you for what you made possible.”