I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 164 : James Akrington

Gregory was stuck in the traffic, a burning cup of coffee in one  hand, humming to the tune the radio was playing. He was coming home from  Scotland Yard after a successful day and was in the best mood to spend  his evening in the patio that had just been finished. He was drinking a  sip of his coffee when the programme suddenly interrupted.

"BBC  Radio 4, London. We are interrupting our programs after the Met as  released a statement that a baby had been abducted this afternoon around  twenty past six in Saint James Park as his mother was away for a second  to throw something in a bin. The baby is believed to be wearing pale  blue pyjamas and a matching hat. He is four months old and wear a fine  golden necklace. If you think you may have seen him, please call the  police as soon as possible." the host announced in a concerned voice.

As he was hearing  the news, the detective heard his phone ringing in his pocket. He  grabbed it, only partially aware that he was spilling some of his coffee  on the floor while doing so.

"Greg, we need you done here." he heard Donovan say, on the other side of the phone. "Little James Akrington as been abducted."

"I'll be at the Yard as soon as I possibly can." the inspector nodded before hanging up the call and throwing the phone on the passenger seat.

He  switched on the blue lights of his car and tried to turn around in the  crowded street. He had to blow the horn a couple of time before managing  to move but, even in the right direction, he couldn't really make it to  his destination, the traffic being so heavy in the street not large  enough to allow him to pass. It took him more than 10 minutes to reach  the Yard's car park when it would usually take only 3 for a police car.

He  grabbed back his phone and, without locking the door of his BMW, ran to  the elevator. Of course, the lift was already moving to the top of the  building so, cursing under his breath, Lestrade resorted to take the  stairs, climbing the steps three by three to the eleventh floor were  Sally's office was located.

The woman was standing beside the  door of her office, which once had been her friend's, giving orders to  her team. The crime was not usually supposed to work on disappearance  cases but, as the child was less than two years, they were the one in  charge instead of the local police officers.

"I'm sorry to ruin your evening but I have never done that kind of case and I really need your help not to fuck up." Sally admitted as soon as she noticed her out of breath ex-boss.

"Don't worry, my pleasure to help."  Greg nodded, admiring the courage it must have taken for someone as  ambitious as the policewoman to admit she couldn't get out of it alone  and that she needed help. He wasn't even sure he would have had the same  kind of courage when he had been put up in charge of the crime some  years ago.

"Alright,  so we've started watching the CCTV from around Saint James' Park, and  we may have identified James on this video filmed from 10 Downing  Street." the woman commented as she showed him a still picture from a blurry surveillance camera. "That  person carrying him hasn't yet been identified but might have gone off  on Whitehall or even right in front of us on the embankment."

"Alright." Greg acknowledged, figuring out in his head where those streets could have led the abductor. "Continue  checking on CCTV but also put some people looking for all the places  someone could disappear nearby from where they had last been seen. There  is a lot of chance the abductor know that they can't just run around  with a baby without attracting attention and tried to disappear."

Donovan  agreed and started separating her men into two teams to investigate all  the possibilities. The DCI on another hand had stepped back in the  small cubicle and grabbed his phone. He composed a number and was  answered on the second ring.