The phone had captured the moment perfectly, painfully clear. The woman in the picture was Mrs. Betsy Higgins.
Everybody knew her. She was practically part of the park itself. She wore her floral sweaters in every season, always carried old bread for the pigeons, always smiled at officers passing by.
She leaned over a stroller—a fancy, pink model with ribbons and a frilled hood. But the angle of the shot revealed something you’d never see standing up. The fabric cover under the stroller got caught on the wheel.
And inside the basket meant for snacks or bags was a tiny, pale arm. A child’s arm. Around the small wrist was a black zip-tie pulled so tight it dug into the skin.
“Holy hell,” Kowalski whispered behind me, his voice shaking. “She’s not pushing the child for a stroll,” I said, my tone dropping to a deadly calm. “She’s hiding her.
Underneath.”
Leo began sobbing quietly now, the adrenaline draining out of him. “She said she had candy,” he whispered. “She told Janie she was a grandma who got lost.”
I slammed into motion.
“Kowalski!” I barked, vaulting over the desk. “Code Red. Silent perimeter around the West Sector of the park.
No sirens. I repeat—no sirens.”
“Because she’s skilled,” I snapped, shoving into my tactical vest. “She’s clearly been doing this for years.
If she hears a siren, she’ll dump the stroller. Or she’ll harm the girl. We take her by surprise.”
I turned to the tech officer.
“Track the phone. Now.”
“It’s already pinging,” he stammered. “It’s getting location requests from another number.
Someone is monitoring it.”
“A partner,” I realized, cold dread crawling over me. “She lost her communication device. Whoever’s waiting for her doesn’t know that.”
“The delivery entrance at the West Gate. There’s a camera blind spot. That’s exactly where she’ll go.”
I knelt beside Leo, placing my hands gently on his trembling shoulders.
“Leo, listen to me. You were amazing. You’re brave.
Now I need you to stay here with Officer Kowalski. Can you handle that?”
“You’ll get Janie?” he whispered, trembling. “She’s… she’s like a monster.
She looks old, but she’s a monster.”
“I know,” I said, tightening the straps on my vest. “But she made one terrible mistake, Leo.”
“What mistake?” he asked, wiping his nose. “She messed with a big brother.”
I slammed a magazine into my Glock.
The sharp metallic click cut through the tension. “Everyone move out,” I ordered. “We’re ending this.”
The park glowed with golden late-afternoon light.
The scene looked peaceful—too peaceful. Couples strolled, kids played, dogs barked. And somewhere among them, a predator blended in perfectly. Continue reading…
