Craig splashed cold water onto his face. He hadn't felt this fatigued in years, not since pulling his last back-to-back all-nighters in college. He gauged his appearance in the mirror: he looked even worse than he felt. His eyes were bloodshot, he needed a shave, and frankly, he needed a shower.
Kara, Craig told his reflection. I have to take care of her. Zach might never be found. It would crush her. It would crush Craig, too—Tiffany all over again, Craig and Kara reliving that nightmare, only so much worse. Every synapse in his weary brain rejected the possibility, but he made himself think it anyway; he needed to be ready, for Kara.
I'll take care of Kara, he persuaded himself. Then…
He didn't know. Life after Zach would never be the same. The thought left his gut hollow and his limbs trembling. Life with Zach—well, the youngster, like Kara, brought a new kind of vitality to Craig, even when Zach's behavior was difficult, which, thankfully, it had not often been. He had a good heart, like his mom. He was unquestionably her son, and Craig loved that about him.
Life without Zach—Craig, childless for so long that he had grown to accept and even prefer it, now found being childless again hard to imagine. He dreaded it.
I'm getting despondent, he thought. I need sleep.
He splashed more water on his face just as Eddie burst through the restroom door. "They found the car!" the young man exclaimed in a rush.
The words, penetrating after a moment, jolted Craig fully awake. Wiping the water from his face, he sped after Eddie back to Agent Nyler's office. "They found the car?"
"Just now," Nyler answered, wrapping a jacket marked "FBI" in bold, yellow letters across the back. "A few blocks from here, beside the waterfront on Alaskan Way. The driver and passengers were gone, but the engine's warm. Judging by the time, they must have come directly from the ferry. We're calling in every agent and police officer we can get to search the entire west side of downtown. If I had to guess, I'd say Zach is very close by."
"No one saw him?"
Agent Nyler shook his head.
"Are we going there?"
"We're going there." Pulling the jacket tight, Agent Nyler gave Craig a wry grin. "Something for us to do."
"It's about time."
Kara took Craig's arm as they left the office at a quick trot. "You okay?" she whispered. "Your eyes are all red."
"So are yours," he snapped in reply. She frowned at him. He exhaled, ashamed. "Sorry. I'll—I'll be all right the moment we find him."