The Vanishing Point Read Online Free Page A

pat her down. So far, so good. Vivian realised she was holding her breath, as if she was watching a thriller.
    A few seconds passed. The boy shuffled from one foot to the other; the woman watched him. Then a man dressed in what appeared to be a TSA uniform shirt and black trousers appeared from the concourse and approached the boy. Just before he reached him, Vivian paused the video. ‘What’s wrong with this picture?’
    ‘He’s wearing a ball cap,’ Parton said without hesitation. ‘That’s not uniform issue. We don’t wear headgear.’
    ‘And he’s wearing the one kind of headgear guaranteed to obscure your face when you’re dealing with overhead cameras.’ Vivian set the video running again.
    ‘He’s not one of my team. No way.’ Parton unfolded his arms and clenched his fists.
    The man walked straight up to the boy and put a hand on his back. The boy looked up and nodded. The man in the TSA uniform picked up a backpack from one of the plastic boxes then ushered the boy away from the belt and towards the concourse. The effect on the woman was electrifying. As soon as the man put a hand on the boy, she started moving. They’d barely cleared the end of the scanner conveyor belt when she was out of the plastic box.
    Vivian ignored the drama in the foreground and concentrated on the man and boy. They remained in sight for a few yards then, as the concourse curved round to the right, they cut sharply left. ‘Shit,’ Parton said again.
    ‘That’s an exit, isn’t it?’
    ‘Takes you landside,’ Parton confirmed. ‘You’d be kerbside inside a minute. Then you could be anywhere.’
    Vivian paused the video again. ‘Looks like the lady was telling the truth,’ she said, her voice as bleak as her heart. A child had been snatched and the bureaucracy of airport security had handed the kidnapper a head start. ‘Christ, Parton. How come nobody listened to this woman?’ She was already reaching for the phone again.
    ‘Nobody could understand her at first,’ he said. ‘I swear to God.’
    ‘I’m sure that’s going to cover your back when the lawsuits come down. But as of now, I need you to get me a list of everyone who was on duty this afternoon. We’re going to have to interview them all. Find out who saw what.’
    Parton didn’t move. He seemed fascinated by the hand holding the phone. ‘Parton,’ Vivian said impatiently. ‘Get me that list of names.’
    His eyes met hers. He seemed dazed. ‘He’ll be OK, right? The kid? You’ll find him, right?’
    He didn’t deserve the effort of lies. ‘Alive? Probably not. Now go.’ She watched him stumble over the chair on his way out. Then Vivian took a deep breath and composed herself. She pressed the speed-dial number for her boss. The number rang out, signalling the end of her autonomy on the case of the kidnapped child.

4
    T he urge to get up and pace was almost overwhelming. Stephanie had already tried to stand up, only to have Lopez insist sharply that she stay seated. ‘Don’t make me have to cuff you again,’ she’d warned.
    ‘Don’t I get a phone call or something?’ Stephanie asked. ‘I thought you Americans made a big deal out of people’s right to legal representation?’
    Lopez gave a mirthless laugh. ‘You never heard of Guantanamo Bay? We’re not so keen on human rights when it comes to the kind of people who want to blow us off the planet.’
    ‘But I’m not a terrorist. I’m obviously not a terrorist. I’m a woman whose child was kidnapped in front of her eyes and you’re treating me like I’m the criminal. When is someone going to start taking me seriously?’ In spite of her determination to stay calm, Stephanie couldn’t help her voice rising. She felt nauseous and sweaty, sick with fear and worry. But she had to keep it together. For Jimmy’s sake. For the sake of the promises she’d made.
    They should never have come on this holiday. But she’d allowed herself to be seduced by the idea of California. Beaches