Mommy Mouse (sequel to City Mouse)

Chapter 33: NYPD Blue

"Can you tell me what he was wearing?"

Detective Chen held his pen poised over his notebook, looking from Mouse to Henry and back again.

Detective Morris took a sip of her coffee, as they waited. She looked over at her partner, who gave her a knowing look back. She was pretty and blonde, he was husky, noticeably shorter than her. They had a look and feel of having worked together a long time.

Henry had called 911, and they'd redirected him to the police department, explaining that, horrifying thought it was, a missing child wasn't considered emergent. Detectives Chen and Morris had arrived at their house within fifteen minutes, and had been very kind.

"Um, well, he was in his pjs last night, though he could've changed? Or put on a coat or something?" Mouse, voice trembling, turned to Henry, her eyes enormous. "Oh my god, Henry, he can't be outside in nothing but his pajamas, can he? He'll freeze!" Tears spilled over as she began breathing rapid shallow breaths.

Henry rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. "Shh, you have to relax, Mouse, it's not good for you guys when you get all riled, please."

"But Henry, it's so cold! It's twenty degrees right now! He could get frostbite, or hypothermia, or--"

"How about if you check his dresser and closet?" Detective Morris suggested, not unkindly, rising. She motioned an "after you" gesture, and Mouse and Henry rose to lead the detectives to Leo's room.

"Shouldn't there be more of you?" Henry asked as they walked. "Like people to dust for fingerprints and forensic people?"

"That's only for active crime scenes," Detective Chen explained, again, very patiently. He was used to dealing with distraught parents, unfortunately. "We're just taking a report for now."

"But someone took him," Mouse said as they entered Leo's room. "Isn't kidnapping a crime? Please, you have to help us."

"Please look through his clothes and try to figure out what he was wearing," Detective Morris said implacably.

"And it doesn't look like anyone took him," Detective Chen continued, waiting by the door. "There's no sign of forced entry, no one's contacted you for ransom or anything."

Ransom.

Forced entry.

Mouse forced herself to calm down as she quickly looked through Leo's things. His drawers full of tiny socks, all of his shirts and pants, mocked her.

"Nothing's missing," she told the detectives. "He must still be in his pjs."

At the detectives' looks, she continued.

"SpongeBob, his pjs have SpongeBob on them," she supplied. "Button down fleece, top and bottom, long sleeves." She put her hand to her mouth and swallowed before continuing. "None of his shoes are missing, and his boots are still here, too, so he must be in his little slippers--" her voice trailed off into a sob, and she leaned into Henry for a moment. "Pikachu, yellow Pikachu slippers," she told Detective Chen, who wrote it down. "And his robe is right here, too," she added softly, touching it where it hung. "Oh no."

"I'm going to call in this description," he said to his partner, going back to the living room.

Detective Morris nodded and turned back to Leo's distraught parents.

"So tell me what's been going on in Leo's life lately," she suggested gently, leading them from their son's room. "Any trouble at home, or at school?"

Henry stared at her. "Do we have to do this right now?" he asked. "I mean, he's missing, Leo's missing, right now, and we're just standing around talking."