Please Remember Me

Chapter Sixteen

The Intelligence Unit watched as hooded figures led seven kids out of a building adjacent to an alley.

The kids were all in single file, four boys, three girls. All wearing dirty suits and dresses. Everyone was confused. But they all fixated on the little girl at the end of the line. She was definitely the youngest of them all. Her little blue dress covered in dust and what looked like paint. The poor girl, her assumed parents breath caught as they saw her. Erin stumbled a little before Jay caught her shaking body, his eyes were wide. If that little girl was truly his and her daughter. He'd kill whoever took her the first chance he got.

"The cars plates aren't Chicago made. They're from all the way out in Milwaukee, best guess on the offenders. Around 5'10, 210 pounds. Big guys. What do they want with kids?" Kevin said to his team as they all rewatched over and over again the video. Each time Jay fixated on the little girl in the back. Meanwhile, Erin looked at the ground beneath her feet.

"Adam can you zoom in for me, there's something on the car mirror that I can't quite make out. It's like a sticker or something" Erin said as her friend zoomed in and cleared the picture from the side of the SUV. She took a good look at the picture before remembering where she had seen the logo before, Erin picked up the phone and dialed the number she needed in seconds.

"This is the manager Teddy Courtney speaking. How may I help you?" Erin's brothers voice echoed through the phone.

"Teddy" Erin whispered.
"Erin?" Teddy asked quizzically.
"I need you to come down to the district" she said.
"I can't just ditch work Erin" Teddy protested before he was cut off.
"I know Teddy and I'm really sorry to do this but if I thought it wouldn't change anything then I wouldn't have called. This is important and I really need your help" Erin said to her brother, and after a sharp exhale on his end. He said,
"I'm on my way now" which is the only thing she wanted to hear.

Teddy showed up at the district and Erin ran to give her brother a hug. They were both so happy to see each other, ever since Teddy had moved back to Chicago from New York him and Erin had been really trying with their relationship and to give it a go as brother and sister. And thankfully, even when Erin went MIA from Intelligence. She still kept contact with Teddy and talked to him many times over the two years. He knew she was struggling, so he offered to help. Well. He offered to do anything really. Anything to keep his sister in his life. He couldn't loose her.

Teddy was very shy and quiet to everyone except Erin and Hailey whom he had met several times before and had a good friendship with.

All the other people in the unit were confused as to why Erin brought Teddy in on this. Adam coughed to signal that they were all waiting to see why Teddy had been brought in.

"Right sorry. You guys all know my brother Teddy, Teddy you know everyone I assume. Anyways introductions can wait a little, Adam can I see the picture you pulled off the SUV's mirror earlier" Erin asked Adam as he pulled the picture from one of his files and she stuck it on the board. Before grabbing Teddy's shirt and pulling his sleeve up, the symbols matched.

She knew she had seen that logo before,
"Teddy. What is this logo for?" Erin asked her brother. Voice stern but serious.
"I got it when I, um..." Teddy was shutting down, he was nervous. Erin just wrapped him into a bear hug and rubbed his back a little for comfort. Before they pulled away again, and he continued.
"It's from the pedophile ring in New York. They tattoo all the kids when they first join. So we can be traced back to them" He said as his voice fell a little. Teddy was saved from the pedophile ring by Erin and her gang. But unfortunately, it was still going strong.

Their New York base had been shut down. So they moved to Chicago.
"Teddy. Where did they take you to get the tattoo?" Hailey asked Erin's brother.
"Some sketchy shop in an alley on Racine" their heads all shot up in unison.
"Adam where was the SUV parked on the tape?" Kim asked.
"On Racine..." Adams voice fell as everyone got ready to leave except Jay who was still stuck on desk duty. Erin thanked her brother before everyone left the office to go and track down the bad guys or whatever. Jay thought to himself as he dove into some more paperwork.

The whole team drove up to the alley on Racine, it was really sketchy. Perfect for secret tattoos and drug smuggles. Erin was walking down the alley until she saw a little bracelet on the floor. It was blue and pink, with a heart charm on it that said Erin. It was her bracelet. The bracelet she gave to her baby girl when she was born. And she kept it this whole time. She was probably scared and confused. She was only three years old. Poor girl. Erin's eyes started to water. How could anyone do this to a child? That's just plain cruel. Her sadness quickly turned into anger as she walked over to her team.
"This is my daughters" she said holding up the bracelet. "This is Hadleys. I gave it to her when she was born. They were here. She was here" Erin's voice faltered a little before she called Jay.

E : Hadley was here, I know it
J : How do you know?
E : I gave her a bracelet when she was born. I just found it on the ground behind the tattoo shop. What if something horrible happens to her? The poor kid is only three.
J : We'll find them. I promise.

And promise he did. While she dove back into the crime scene. He dove back into his paperwork. Determined to find anything that could help them locate their daughter and the other kidnapped kids. They had to find her. No way were they just going to give up. That's not how their family rolls.