Her situation, he echoed. It was a euphemism that could mean anything, encompass anything. He needed everything spelled out so that somehow, some way, he could find a little bit of peace, grasp on to a little bit of hope. Can you tell what her situation is?
She heard the quiet edge in his voice. The storm was coming.
I dont think theyre treating her badly. At this point, she couldnt tell him that with any certainty, and she refused to lie.
Walkers temper erupted again. He was having less and less success keeping it in check. How can they not be treating
her badly? They kidnapped her.
She wished there were some way to calm him. All she could do was tell him what she knew. Therere many reasons people kidnap children. Its not just for ransom, or for child pornography, she added, reading the unspoken fear that had surfaced in his eyes. Some children are abducted to fill a void left by either a child who died, or one who was never there to begin with.
He shook his head. It was as if her words were bouncing off him, refusing to sink in. Emotionally frustrated, with no outlet, he felt himself becoming almost dull-witted. Meaning?
People, women predominately, want a baby so badly, theyll do anything to get one. She spoke slowly, measuring out her words. Trying to reach him before he became lost in the place where hed retreated. When they cant get pregnant either because of infertility or lack of opportunity, they become obsessed with having a baby. Some women have been known to go through all the stages of pregnancy, right up through the contractions involved in labor, when theyre not pregnant to begin with.
He looked at her as if he thought she were making it up. He was a skeptic, through and through, Eliza thought, smiling. Shed encountered more than her share.
The mind is a very powerful, underused tool. Any scientist will tell you that, she added as she saw him open his mouth to protest. Whoever took Bonnie wanted a child so badly, when they saw yours, everything just clicked into place. They had to have her. Desire, means and opportunity all came together for one split second, and they grabbed that second and ran.
If he was to control his anger, he couldnt think about that, about someone swooping down and snatching his little girl away.
Which would explain why the ransom note never came. He shook his head, remembering. I was so certain she was taken for the money. I didnt sleep for three days, waiting for the kidnapper to call. The phone rang off the hook, Walker added bitterly, but it was never the kidnapper. Half the time it was some reporter wanting to interview us. As if Bonnie being kidnapped was some kind of diversionary entertainment for the public to watch on the evening news.
She understood where he was coming from. Shed had a few run-ins with insensitive reporters herself, though shed found others to be tactful and caring, putting people above stories. Being on the Fortune 500 list unfortunately makes you a target for all sorts of things. Invasion of your privacy included. Its only natural that the first thing you think of is that your daughter was taken for the money. You might find this hard to believe, but in a way, its a good thing that she wasnt.
A good thing? How could it possibly be a good thing? he demanded angrily. How can having your daughter kidnapped ever be a good thing?
Not the kidnapping itself, she corrected gently. I meant the fact she wasnt taken for ransom. She chose her words carefully, knowing that, his rugged appearance to the contrary, Walker Banacek was in a delicate state. There are times, too many times, when the child is not returned in exchange for the ransom money. The moneys taken and the child is never seen again.
He looked at her, stealing himself off from her words, his expression stoic. Because theyve been done away with.
She accepted the euphemism, understanding Walker needed to use it in order to keep the horror at bay. Because theyve been done away with, she echoed. Whoever took Bonnie from that parking lot wanted to have a child to love. That will keep her safe.
Usually, she added silently.
That was something else Walker didnt need to be made aware of: the fact that there were no hard-and-fast rules to this, only generalities that formed patterns.
Eliza couldnt help wondering how the man in her office would react if he knew she was acting as his protector, keeping things from him she sensed might be too devastating for him to deal with. Probably not well at all, despite the good intentions behind it, she concluded. Walker Banacek didnt strike her as a man who took kindly to being kept in the dark.
You said they, Walker began, then hesitated. He couldnt believe he was asking this. Moreover, he couldnt believe that he was actually ready to believe whatever her answer might be. But Eliza had somehow known about the toe shoes, and no one but the FBI had been given that piece of information. That did make her claim more credible.
Did you see how many of them there were? In your dream? he added, feeling foolish and agitated at the same time.