They drove on in silence for a while. Then, out of nowhere Jimmy said, "I'm sorry for everything, Lori-Sue."

She scrunched up her mouth and took a deep, slow breath through her nose. That statement was a little too little and a little too late, but it was the first time she'd ever heard Jimmy apologize for anything in his life, so she figured she'd better honor the occasion with a response.

"Thank you for apologizing," she said,

"I know I've been a failure as a husband and a pretty crappy dad, too."

She didn't expect him to keep going like that and figured he must be in severe pain. LoriSue glanced across the seat and saw his profile. He looked very old and tired.

"Thank you for saying that."

"You deserve better than me. You always have."

Oh, my. Which of the hundred possible smart-ass responses would she choose? She counted to ten instead, then said, "I wish you happiness, too, Jimmy."

"I'm going to try my best with Justin."

"So am I…"

"I've pissed away so much precious time." He looked at her with clear eyes. "Things are going to be different, starting right now, LoriSue."

She nodded. Things felt different already.

Joe left through the drugstore's service entrance, made his way along the back of the strip mall, and boarded a County Commuter bus just pulling up to a stop across the street. He got off at city hall in downtown Minton and used the pay phone in the lobby of the Minton Police Department to call Roger.

"Rich Baum and four agents are on their way to Charlotte's."

"Thank God."

"It's not good, Joe. It took me exactly three minutes to figure out how they found you."

Joe let his forehead fall against the cool metal of the pay phone. "Tell me."

"I did an Internet search on Minton, Ohio, and there you were-on the little League home page, flipping burgers."

Joe straightened. "Say again?"

"The Minton Little League Web site has a big picture of you and your soccer mom, describing you as dedicated volunteers. I don't know how they were tipped off, but that's how they found you."

Joe's head buzzed. His heart was now in his throat. "Charlotte? She's with me in the photo?"

"And the way you're looking at each other says it all. Any fool could tell you love her."

Oh God-no. "Was her name on the site?"

"No."

Maybe that would buy a little time…

"Look, Joe, I just tried her number. No answer."

Please, God, let them be all right.

Joe checked his watch. "They've probably already left for Hank's ballet recital. It's at the high school auditorium. Reroute the agents there."

"Will do."

They have to be all right.

"Wait-call Ned Preston down the street. I told him everything. He may still be at home and he could get to Charlotte and the kids quicker than anybody-tell him to get them out of the school, then call with a pickup location for Rich."

"Done. Do not move, Joe. If you move, I'll kill you myself, and I'm not kidding."

"I'm going back for them."

"Dammit, Joe! Five minutes! I need five minutes to take care of this before you commit fuckin' suicide. It's an order-stay put and call me back in five!"

The line went dead.

Joe looked at his watch and began counting the seconds.

She was in no mood for games, and Charlotte rubbed her forehead with force, hoping the pressure would prevent her head from exploding.

She called the kids once more. Not even a giggle from behind the pine trees. Nothing.

Charlotte took two halting steps toward the van. Both side doors were shoved open. Their stuff was in there- Hank's ballet bag, Matt's Game Boy, and one of Justin's sneakers-but there wasn't a sign of the kids.

She stood utterly still, feet planted on the driveway, hands at her sides, suddenly feeling as if she were the only object on the surface of the earth that wasn't starting to spin. At her core she was calm, but everything around her began to gain speed, spin faster and faster…

Why did Justin take only one shoe? Why had Hoover been barking like that? Where was Joe?

Then her gaze landed on the three bobby pins scattered on the empty seat, right next to the little band of purple flowers Hank had worn in her hair. Then she saw the strands of red curls.

Charlotte went cold. She felt the urge to vomit.

From somewhere far away she heard a car squeal into the drive, but she could only stare into space as Ned's words reached her.

"Thank God! We need to get you guys out of here!"

Her body was shaking violently by the time Ned gripped her by the upper arms. She stared at him and Bonnie, not really seeing them, as Ned continued to shout at her.

"Charlotte! Where the hell are your kids?"

She tried to open her mouth to speak, but the words were lodged in her throat.

Ned snatched a piece of paper off the steering wheel. Charlotte heard him start to read it aloud, then stop himself.

"We're too late" is what he said instead.

They didn't even have time to scream.

Somebody had smacked Matt across the face and put a hand over his mouth and he'd watched a man do the same to Hank and Justin. Then they threw them in the backseat of a ear. Then the driver hit the gas even before the other guy jumped in and pulled a gun on them. Then the doors locked.

And they'd all just sat there in the backseat, crying, and Matt was thinking, So this is how you get kidnapped; then he got a real good look at the men. He caught Justin's eye and they both said it silently in their heads- we were right!

Then, while they drove, one of the men told them the weirdest stuff about how some kid played third base on the Garvin Glass Little League team, his sister's stepkid or something. Matt didn't recognize the name and didn't know what this had to do with anything and was too scared to pay real close attention anyway. Plus, his nose was bleeding.

Now the three of them were locked in a walk-in kitchen pantry in some empty house with Justin's dad's face on the sign out front. It was totally dark in there. Every once in a while they heard the guys talking to each other in Spanish in a nearby room, but otherwise it was silent.

"They gonna kill us, Mattie?"

How was he supposed to answer that? He couldn't very well come right out and tell his baby sister that, yes, he was pretty sure they were going to die. But he couldn't lie to her, either. If they were going to at least try to get out of this, they needed to work together.

"I think that's their plan." Matt heard sniffles and immediately regretted his answer. "Don't cry, Hank."

"That's not me. It's Justin."

"I only have one shoe," Justin said in a small voice.

Matt felt sad for his friend. "I know."

"I want my mom," Justin said.

"I want my mama, too," Hank said. "And Joe."

"Yeah," Matt agreed.

After a few seconds, Hank said, "My tutu is itchy and I gotta pee real bad. Where am I supposed to pee?"

"Damn, Joe- they got the Tasker kids."

"What?"

"Took 'em right out of the driveway. Neighbor kid, too."

"Charlotte?"

"No. She's at the house. Look, there was a ransom note."

"Tell me."

"You for the kids. The FBI's hostage negotiators are on the way and-"

Joe hung up the pay phone and ran to the police department reception desk, knowing this was going to be a delicate sell without his badge.