Cradle Angel

Chapter 5

“Okay. Chief Rhodes, we need to step up the town’s security. Now my daughter and niece have gone missing!”

Chief Rhodes shook his head.

            “Your niece, she’s Amanda Rayne Barnes, correct?”

            “That is correct, chief.”

            “Well, runaway teens have been a problem nationwide lately…”

Mark cut him off before he could say anything else.

            “My niece would never do that. Especially with my daughter! Plus, I found some evidence that could be a lead to them getting kidnapped.”

Chief Rhodes walked out of the police area and into the public area of the police department.

            “You have evidence?” Chief Rhodes asked.

Mark nodded, and led Chief Rhodes along with the crime scene investigators to the area where the stroller and pacifier were located.

            “Mark, this is quite some find. Guys get your gloves on and put this in the car. Even one fingerprint of a foreign person will indicate who took these girls.

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Amanda walked through the strangely long corridor with Adaline in her arms as the man behind her kept pushing them forward.

            “Please… Just let us go!”

He chuckled.

            “You girls are precious. Now Amanda, babe, see that room to the right? Yes right there, at the end of the hall? Go place baby Adaline in there. Then you come with me. I will be waiting here, no go.”

He pushed her forward, almost causing her to lose her balance.

Inside of the room was an empty floor but walls lined with cribs. Amanda slowly walked to one of them, and it was dirty, the bars rusting away and nothing on the almost flat mattress but a slim bed sheet. There were three empty cribs, one with a barely breathing newborn, and six with corpses of babies anywhere in the age range of newborn to one year. Amanda put her hand over her nose at the smell and placed Adaline in the crib with the still alive newborn, since it was the least rusted and dusty than the other three empty cribs.

            “Amanda! Get your pretty self back down here, now!” Amanda shook and tears began to fill her eyes. She was scared, nervous, and afraid.

            “I… I’m coming...”

She slowly backed out of the room and faced the man in the hallway. She was 5'7'' tall but this man still towered over her. He was slim, but muscular. He grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hallway into another one that was lined with bloodstained doors. You could tell some blood was older than other spots by its discoloration.

            “Oh, here we go, this room is perfect!”

Amanda held back the tears all she could. A few leaked out of her eyes and down her cheeks as she closed her eyes to avoid letting out a wail. The room was small, about the size of an average bathroom. The man threw her on the ground and slammed the door shut, facing her through every movement.

            “Did your mommy and daddy never tell you about strangers? I know you must have been so cold, so sopping wet by the rain waters…”

He placed his hand on her cheek. Amanda knew now she made a mistake for the worst. Not only for her, but for Adaline too. No telling what he was going to do with either one of them, especially if he’s the kidnapper of her Aunt Amy.