"We've got a hit," Agent Kendall's driver said.
"What is it?" Kendall asked, leaning forward from the back seat.
"The mother's car. It's just up the street."
"Then get going. I don't want that kid to slip through my fingers again."
The driver pressed down on the gas and in almost no time at all, he parked behind a dark gray sedan. The agent got out and inspected the car. It was empty, but the license plate matched his records. It definitely belonged to the mother, Jane Madison.
Agent Kendall looked around, but didn't see anyone. It was odd. Downtown there were crowds of people, but here it was like a ghost town. He looked directly across the street and saw a pawn shop, then decided to check it out.
He walked across the street and into the shop, immediately spotting the proprietor. He turned and looked at the agent. "Got something to pawn?"
"No. But I have this," he said, holding up his FBI identification and badge. "I need to know if you've seen this girl." He held up a photo of Meagan O'Shea.
"Yeah. Yeah, she was in here earlier, with a little kid."
"How long ago?"
"Not long. Maybe twenty minutes, maybe less."
Kendall clenched his fist. He just missed him.
"Is that all you wanted?" the guy asked.
"Yeah," Kendall said, with agitation in his voice, then he left the shop. He walked out to the edge of the road and then stopped to get his bearings. Where would Jon go next? He shook his head. He'd have to think about this. At the moment, the trail was dead. But Jon Madison wouldn't be able to run forever. They knew what he looked like now. And they were still keeping an eye out for him.
Agent Kendall was about to cross the street, back to the car, but then stopped when something odd caught his eye. He turned and looked down the alley that ran alongside the pawn shop.
"What the hell?" he said out loud, walking towards a pile of sand that had the uncanny shape of a person. When he got close enough, he saw that it was a person. But not just any person. It was Jane Madison and she was dead.
