Chapter 6

Felicity woke up with energy, for the first time in a long time. Her sleep hadn’t been interrupted by any visions or the anguish following one that most time prevented her from relaxing and sleeping. Maybe it was from the fact that someone believed her—making her feel a lot less like a freak of nature.

She took her time getting ready for a change. It wasn’t often she felt like taking special care of how she looked. Then again, how often did she have plans to actually speak to people? She paused in front of the tiny closet and thought. She couldn’t remember the last time.

Selecting a long flowing dark blue skirt, she held it up to a white blouse. She shook her head. Just doing that gave her a flashback to her mother’s endless lectures, when she’d been younger on dressing appropriately. Shrugging, she pulled the blouse out of the closet. Her mother hadn’t been around for a long time to critique her selection of clothes.

Brent was just reaching to get out of the car when her front door opened. He dropped his hand and watched. She was smiling. He suddenly felt underdressed in his black jeans. But she looked just like a porcelain figurine in her dark skirt with a tight hugging top. The sunlight reflected through her long, pale hair as it hugged down passed her shoulders. When she looked at him through the windshield and smiled, he was glad he had a few seconds to compose himself before he’d have to speak.

Felicity climbed into the passenger seat and smiled over at the grinning detective. “Morning.”

“Morning.” He paused for another second to look at her, then turned and started the car.

He’d driven silently for several blocks. Felicity noticed him glancing at her a few times. She looked down at the folder of sketches on her lap. “After the sketches, what then?”

Brent stopped at the corner and briefly looked at her. “We’ll run them with the missing children’s database.”

She pressed her lips together thoughtfully. “Oh. I check the websites quite often though…”

“They’re rarely up to the minute.” She gave him a puzzled look. He turned into the parking lot near Jac’s building. “It’s sad, but there are too many cases to keep the sites and networks up-to-date constantly.” Parking the car, he turned toward her. “Ready?”

She looked around. “We’re there already?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” She reached over and opened the door. “I’m just a bit nervous.”

Brent climbed out and glanced at her over the roof. “Don’t be, I’m sure you’ll be just fine.” He winked at her. “I’ll sing and distract everyone if you phase out.”

Laughing, she walked over to stand in front of him. Even with the heeled boots she had decided to wear, she still had to tip her head back to look up at him. “Please get someone to record it, so I can hear it later.”

He cleared his throat. “Trust me; it’s not anything you’d want to hear.” Turning, he led the way into the building. Standing there looking down into her lustrous eyes had made him think of things he had no business thinking.

Jac got up from the table when they walked in. “Hi.” She gave Brent a huge grin. “I knew you’d be gallant and pick Felicity up.”

Brent grinned back at her. “Of course. I carried her groceries last night too.”

Jac’s eyebrows went up then she glanced at Felicity. She was laughing. Jac motioned them in. “Have a seat. Reid just ran out to get coffee, and Ricky is running a few minutes late.” Felicity walked past her. Jac frowned. “Felicity, you’re cheating.”

Felicity turned and gave her a puzzled look. “I am?”

Jac grinned. “You wore heels. I liked that you were just as short as I was.”

Felicity set the folder down and shrugged. “I felt like I was standing in a forest last night when the two detectives stood talking over my head.”

Jac chuckled. “You get used to it.”

Brent walked over and leaned against Jac’s desk. He looked down at Felicity. “Hey, I’m the short one.”

“Sure you are.” She followed his eyes when he looked towards the door to see his partner coming through the door. Maybe he had a point. The larger man almost filled the doorway. She smirked at him. “So, did you two get kicked off a football team or something? Decided to scare and protect instead?”

Brent laughed at Reid’s bewildered look. Taking the cup his partner held out he shrugged towards her. “Felicity thinks we’re trees.”

Reid smirked. “I’m just a little guy, my father was big.”

Felicity stood there looking up at him.

Jacinda handed her a cup. “Regular, right?”

Felicity nodded and took the coffee. “Yes, thanks.” She glared up at Reid, who she was sure was purposely standing at full height to make her feel very small. “Sit.” She told him quietly.

Brent laughed as Reid gave her a peculiar look but sat down anyways. He waited for Jac to stop giggling. “What time is Ricky going to be here?” He had barely finished the question when someone knocked on the door.

“Now,” Reid said in a bland tone.

Felicity looked at the door, then over to Brent. He winked at her, making her feel less anxious. “Don’t forget you promised to sing.”

He laughed, not even knowing where to begin to explain to his partner why he was singing.

***

Brent thanked Ricky as he walked out the door, and then turned to look at Felicity. She’d been sitting there holding the sketch of the boy for a few minutes now. He didn’t have to ask if Ricky had captured him the way she’d seen him, the anguished look in her eyes told him the sketch was the boy in her visions. He walked over quietly when he realized both Jac and Reid were also watching her silently. Sitting in the small chair across from her, he clasped his hands on the table. “Would you like to come down to the station with us while we run these?” When the pained blue eyes looked at him suddenly over the sketch, he felt his heart stutter.

“Please,” she said quietly. Taking the two sketches she quickly tucked them into the folder with her own. She wasn’t sure she could stand just yet. Not once had she thought of how she’d feel to watch the little boy’s face appear on the paper. The child that for some reason, she would never know or ever be able to explain was reaching out to her.

“We’ll meet you down there,” Reid said it quietly as Jac pulled him back towards the door. “Just lock the door on your way out, Brent.”

Brent nodded without looking away from the trembling woman he sat across from. He waited until he heard the door close. “Are you all right?”

Felicity looked up from her hands pressing the folder closed. “Yes.” Her voice vibrated with emotion. She cleared her throat. “It’s just— I’ve never actually seen this child outside of my own head, I’m …” She couldn’t even describe the feelings she was having.

Brent reached over and placed his hand over hers. He felt the tremors going through her. He watched her look down at his hand. He wasn’t sure what the expression was that crossed her face. “Let’s go see if we can find out who this little guy is.” She nodded abruptly.

Brent glanced up from the list he’d been reading. He checked to see if the women were still wandering back and forth in front of the computer. Looking at the pages in his hand he got up nonchalantly and walked over to Reid’s desk. Waiting until his partner looked up at him, he held out the list. Reid looked at it then back up at him. Holding a finger over his lips Brent handed him the papers.

Reid frowned but took them.

Turning. Brent went over and stood by the computer. “It’s going to take time ladies.” He glanced back towards Reid. Obviously, by the irritated look on his partner’s face, he’d read the list. “I’m going up to see if we can borrow a few minutes of Alec’s time.” Reid nodded. They both knew Alec McGowan had a passion when it came to missing children’s cases. No one knew why exactly, but the fellow detective would go out of her way to get assigned any related cases.

Brent sighed as he walked slowly up the stairs. Personally, he wasn’t fond of cases like this, the statistics for finding missing children were not favorable and he admitted— to himself only— that his heart couldn’t take the ache that went with it.

Felicity sat and watched the faces flying by on the screen. So many young faces went across it. Were there really that many children out there with such uncertain futures? Glancing over at the tall detective, she noticed he still hadn’t spoken a word in the whole time she’d been here. The only time he deviated from whatever it was he was working on was so he could follow Jacinda around the room with his eyes. Small pains of jealously stabbed at her a few times when she thought of how different Jacinda was from the norm and that she was able to find someone. Her mind was dying to know how that worked, with Jacinda picking up emotions when she touched someone, but common sense told her some things were better not being asked in front of a male. Shoes echoing on the stairs had her turn back towards the door to see Brent come meandering through the door in his easy way. She was surprised when a tall blonde followed him. Her jeans were faded, and her t-shirt tucked in to reveal a badge clipped to her belt.

Brent stopped just inside the door. “Felicity, this is detective McGowan. I’ve borrowed her for a bit to help us out.”

Felicity stood up and tried not to notice how the other woman towered over her. She had to be at least six feet tall. She offered her hand. “Felicity Dante.” The woman shook her hand briefly.

“Alec.” She turned and nodded to Jac. “Hey.”

Jacinda smiled and stood up. “Hi Alec, thanks for coming down.”

Alec shrugged indifferently. “No problem, I was falling asleep over paperwork.” Her eyes went to the monitor for a moment then to the sketch sitting on the desk. Flipping the long ponytail behind her she bent down and studied it. “You’ve seen him?”

Felicity walked over nodding. “Yes.” She chanced a glance at Brent, not sure if she should explain. He just shook his head so she didn’t say anything else.

Alec looked up at the screen as she spoke. “Good eye. It’s shocking how many people don’t realize what they see, or care to do anything about it.”

Reid walked over and handed Alec the list he’d been studying. She took and glanced at it briefly before tossing it onto the desk. “You don’t need to show me that Reid, I’m more than aware of that pathetic list.”

Felicity stood there, not sure if she wanted to know what the list was. She looked over at Brent hoping for some insight then Alec sighed.

“Sorry, I get a little worked up when it comes to the missing kids.” She blew out a long breath. “There isn’t much that can be done until a match comes up though. Hopefully, a match comes up.”

Felicity frowned. “What do you mean?”

Alec stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “Some people don’t care. They should be shot, but regardless, they don’t care enough to report it. Poverty-stricken families…”

Brent cleared his throat to get her attention. “I thought you could explain the statistics for Felicity, Alec. You know them by heart.”

Alec nodded slowly. “Yeah, unfortunately.” She looked back at the sketch on the desk before looking back at the others. “The sad reality is usually after forty-eight hours there isn’t much we can do unless someone sees a particular child … and cares.” She leaned back against the desk and crossed her arms in front of her. “In Canada and the US, there are over eight hundred thousand kids that go missing each year.” She watched the shocked expressions cross over Jacinda and Felicity’s faces. “I could break it down to how many kidnappings, parental abductions and go down the list, but I won’t.” She looked at the monitor again. “How long has this been running?”

Brent looked over at the clock. “A few hours.”

She pursed her lips for a second before speaking. “You still have a bit of a wait then, it goes through the database from the longest to most recent.”

Felicity sighed. “And there’s no other way?”

Alec shook her head. “Not unless the parents come walking through that door to file a report.” She pushed away from the desk and gave Brent a nod. “Let me know if you need any help once it comes up.”

Brent nodded slowly. “Thanks, Alec.”

Felicity watched her walk out of the office before turning back to Brent. “We just wait?”

Jac paced across the floor a few feet. “Do you have those journals and drawings with you?” Felicity nodded. “Can I see them? Maybe there’s something that will give us an idea.”

Reid put his arm around Jac’s shoulder. “If anyone is going to pull something out of there, it will be you.” He was rewarded with a stunning smile and a kiss on the cheek.

Brent chuckled and walked back over to his desk. “I’ll make a few calls to the neighboring towns and see if anyone has reported anything while you ladies go through the journals.” Jac was already looking through Felicity’s notes before he even got to sit down.