"Did you see these guys? What they looked like?"

"Only one. I think he was Asian."

"Asian? Anything else about him? What he was wearing?"

"He had on a black shirt, but it was hard to tell because his whole body was tattooed." He moved his hand all around his upper body. "And he had black, spiky hair, all pointed up."

"What about the other guy?"

Thaddeus shook his head. "I couldn't see him because of Ms. Vitagliano."

"Marisa was with them?" Jack tried to picture the three people and the car outside the door. "Was she standing in front of him?"

Thaddeus nodded yes. "They brought her out, and when she saw me, she gave me a look, so I hid."

"Did they see you?"

He shook his head no.

"What did Marisa look like?"

"Scared. She was really scared."

The t.i.tans Sirens and lights filled the alley as cruisers continued to arrive. Jack stood outside the rear door until Sheriff Collins's car pulled in.

"Sheriff Collins, I didn't think-"

"You and that statement seem inseparable, Stratton! You didn't think," Sheriff Collins snapped in his tw.a.n.g.

"Sir, I have a witness who-"

"You have a witness who filed a police report last night, Jack. Last night. You're not the only cop in the station, Stratton. Get yourself and your witness in my car. We're going back to the station."

"But, sir-"

"It's not a request, Stratton." Sheriff Collins spun on his heel and then marched for the car. Jack took Thaddeus by the elbow and followed after Collins.

"It's okay, Thaddeus. We just-"

"Actually, it's not okay, Jack." Collins's tan face was beet red as he waited for the doors to close before he rammed the cruiser into gear.

"Sheriff Collins, Thaddeus saw-"

"I know what he saw, Jack. You might not think it, but I do my job."

"I'm not saying that, sir, but this is a possible abduction and nothing was done."

"Nothing?" Collins strangled the steering wheel. "We checked it out, Jack, and that's what it looks like-nothing. But something was done. I did report it to the state, and now I have two Feds sitting in my office. They want to speak to the both of you."

"Me?"

"You called it in, Jack. They heard. Why the h.e.l.l would you call for backup when he filed the report yesterday?"

"I didn't know he filed a report." Jack's hand went up.

"I told him I went to the police station," Thaddeus corrected him.

Collins glared at Jack.

"I didn't think-"

"There it is again, Stratton: I didn't think." Collins drove up to the steps of the police station. "I just got all the news crews out of my lobby, and now two Feds are taking their place. Go fix this."

"Fix this?" Jack snapped. "Marisa may have been abducted."

Collins turned quickly in his seat to look at Thaddeus. "Nice to see you again, Thaddeus." The older man smiled. "Do you remember when you spoke with me last night?" He stressed the word and shot a quick scowl in Jack's direction.

Thaddeus nodded.

"You told me about those men who walked out to the car with Ms. Vitagliano?"

Thaddeus nodded.

"You said she was walking and didn't appear hurt?"

He nodded again.

"Was she struggling or fighting?"

He shook his head.

"You said you were upset because maybe she gave them your ham sandwich?"

He hesitated and then nodded.

"And you wanted a coffee because it kept you warm?"

Another nod.

"Then you asked me if I knew why this winter was so warm. I didn't know, but you said you did. Can you tell Officer Stratton what you told me?"

Thaddeus smiled as he pulled himself forward. Jack saw Collins's nose wrinkle at the smell but, other than that, his expression was blank.

Thaddeus cleared his throat, and then spoke. "Well, the Russians and the Chinese have been drilling in both the North and South Poles in search of methane. This is very significant because only a little change in the amount of methane in the atmosphere will spell disaster for humans."

"Now..." Collins closed his eyes briefly and turned his head to inhale before he continued, "Why would the Russians and Chinese be purposely making the Earth uninhabitable?"

"Uninhabitable for us." Thaddeus held up a finger. "But not for the t.i.tans."

"The t.i.tans...you're not talking about a football team are you, Thaddeus?" Collins directed the question to Thaddeus, but looked at Jack with eyes that would have made any drill sergeant proud.

"No, no, no. They're from t.i.tan, the sixth ellipsoidal moon from Saturn."

"So, they live on one of Saturn's moons-that would make them..." Collins held out his hand for Thaddeus to finish his sentence.

"They're aliens."

Sheriff Collins turned to look at Jack. Jack swallowed and shifted in his seat before he spoke. "Sir, I know it sounds crazy-no offense, Thaddeus-but he saw those men, and Marisa told me-"

Collins looked at the ceiling as he loudly exhaled. "So you know this girl?"

Jack paused for a moment. "Yes. And if you were aware...I know certain information."

"What information, Jack?"

Jack's lips pressed together.

I wish I had earplugs.

"I can't say, sir."

As Collins looked at him, Jack watched the veins in his neck slowly expand. In a voice slightly lower than normal, and through clenched teeth, Collins asked, "Do I really have to remind you I'm the sheriff?"

"No, sir."

Collins waited. Jack tried to stop it, but he could feel his right eyebrow arch.

"Get out," Collins said.

He didn't even raise his voice.

Jack opened the door. Collins turned to look straight out the windshield before he added, "Take him with you."

That's bad.

Jack opened the door and hurried Thaddeus up the steps. A man and a woman were waiting for them. The man was close to six feet tall with a thin build. Judging by the gray hair and lined face, Jack guessed he was in his mid-fifties. He wore a blue suit, white shirt with a tie, and black shoes. The woman was dressed in a dark blue business suit. She was close to Jack's age, if not a little older. She had short red hair with light makeup. Under different circ.u.mstances, Jack would have found her quite attractive.

"Stratton?" The thin man's voice was gravelly. Jack nodded and shook his hand. "I'm Walter Prescott. This is Jennifer Rivers," the man said.

She smiled and shook his hand.

"This is Thaddeus..."

"Ferguson," Thaddeus added as he shook Jennifer's extended hand, but Jack noticed Walter kept his hands at his sides.

"Is there a room inside where we can speak?" she asked.

Jack led Thaddeus down the hall by the elbow while Walter and Jennifer followed.

"I'd like to talk to him for a few minutes, alone." Walter's tone left no question-it wasn't a request.

"We have a room right down here." Jack stopped in front of an interrogation room. He held the door open, which Walter closed after Thaddeus went in, leaving the three of them out in the hallway. "There's a viewing room right here." Jack pointed to the door, trying not to frown.

"Rivers, I got this. You watch. Stratton, you stay here."

Jack stood tall while he turned to glare at the older man. Walter seemed like an old, grumpy, by-the-book type of Fed.

"I'm the reporting officer," Jack protested.

Walter moved closer to get nose to nose with Jack.

"Let me explain a few things to you, son." His low voice sounded like grating rock. "If it's an abduction, I have jurisdiction. If it isn't an abduction, I have jurisdiction, anyway. That means you have squat. I just spent a half hour with your boss and, reading between the lines, he doesn't like you. Now, do you want to push this?"

Jack's hand tightened.

"Listen." Jennifer stepped forward. "We're on the same side. If something happened to that girl, we want to know. If it didn't, we all want to rule that out, too. Let us talk to him and we can go from there."

Jack nodded.

Walter hesitated before he opened the door. "This isn't my first dance. I'll find out what happened."

He pulled the door closed while Jennifer turned to Jack.

"Thank you for bringing him in, Officer. Walter wants me to observe so-"

Jack shot her a look. "Wait, are you new to fieldwork?"

Jennifer's nostrils flared. "I'm a federal investigator."

"But you've never done fieldwork?"

"There you go again. I've been an a.n.a.lyst for three years, but I've been rea.s.signed to fieldwork."

"Desk a.n.a.lyst?" He shook his head. "But you haven't been in the field? Is this the first time he's brought you out? A kidnapping is your debutante ball?"

She winced slightly at the jab. "Possible kidnapping. So far this is just a routine welfare check on a woman, but trust me, Walter's been at this for twenty years. He's very good."

She marched over to the observation room door, shot Jack a glare, and went inside.

Jack paced back and forth for half an hour before his phone buzzed. He looked down to see a text from Kendra.

JUST HEARD YOU'RE AT THE STATION. RAINCHECK ON DRINK? HOPE EVERYTHING IS GOOD. K.

As he clicked the phone off, he went back to pacing. Fifteen minutes later, both doors opened. Jennifer's lips were pressed together, Walter looked as if he'd drunk paint thinner, and Thaddeus looked sad.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Ferguson. Ms. Rivers will see you out."