Page 97 of The Saint

“Great. Anything you can tell me to help us out?”

Clearing my throat, I looked up at the light flakes falling from the sky. “She likes the trees. She likes to sit under them and listen to the birds and watch the people pass. One of her favorite places is near the ball courts, but I’ve already looked there.”

“Ok. Thanks for your help. We’ll do everything we can, Rolly. We’ll find her and bring her home.”

Her voice cut out, and a moment later, Jael’s head tipped to the side. She nodded, then looked up at me before glancing around at the crowd.

“Listen up, people!” Those talking stopped, everyone quieting down as Jael jumped onto the bench beside us and turned to address them. “We’re going to spread out and search everywhere we can. We’ve got a helicopter starting at the north end of the park. They’ll be making their way south as they do their sweep. Mrs. T likes trees, watching people and birds, so keep your eye out in quiet, wooded places and on the edge of any groups. She’s been gone since late yesterday afternoon, so she’s probably cold and hungry by now. You’ve all been emailed photos of her, but if you have any questions at all, please call the number on that email and let us know.”

She pointed to the left. “Jet, take your crew to the 86th Street Transverse, and sweep to the west. I want the Vincis and the Davids to head to the other side of the lake, sweeping north toward Jet’s crew. Alvarez, take your guys to the south side and head this way. Everyone else, stay here a moment and I’ll split you up to take the rest of the park and head south.”

As each team headed off to their designated zones of the park, I stood by, both amazed and grateful at the way Jael handled the search parties. She’d never met Mrs. T, knew nothing about her, and was spending this cold day searching for her.

I didn't want to imagine what would happen if we didn't find Mrs. T in time. But with Jael and all these people here, hopefully she'd have a chance.

* * *

People continued to join the search as the day wore on. And as more people came, more attention was drawn to what was happening at Central Park. Jael had to be pulled off the search in order to coordinate the new recruits, who ranged from people connected to Zio’s syndicate to people who’d seen the stories of the missing elderly woman running on the news and wanted to help.

It was overwhelming, and I wasn’t even near Jael to see most of what she had to do. I was walking through the woody areas, hopping from one place to another as memories popped up of conversations Mrs. T and I once had. How she loved to look out over the Lake at the Bethesda Terrace, or to sit in the shade at Wagner Cove. There were spots along the Mall that she loved to stay for hours, watching people as they passed.

She’d once gotten shooed away by the beggars at Strawberry Fields because she tried to sing along as they played their guitars. They’d thought she was trying to steal their money, when all she’d wanted to do was to enjoy their songs.

And she’d loved sitting next to Hanging Rock, to see if the giant stone would roll away, or watch the birds that gathered near the paths by the Loeb Boathouse.

Each stop I took, I called in the results: Not here.

Not here.

Not here.

Penny had called, in tears, worried to death for her grandmother. I blamed myself for her disappearance. I hadn’t been around enough. I hadn’t spent as much time with them since Jael came back into my life. I should have told her about them. I should have done so many things. And my failure to do so had resulted in this.

I was crossing the Mall for the third time, feeling disheartened that I hadn’t been able to find her yet, when Shaw’s voice came over my ear.

“We’ve got a possible sighting.”

“Where?” I asked, spinning in a circle as if I could see them from where I stood.

“Someone just radioed in. He thinks he found her near the Tree House for Dreaming, over by 5th Avenue. How close are you?”

My feet were already moving in that direction before I spoke. “Not far. I can be there in a couple minutes.”

“Jael is on her way. She should be there any minute now.”

I ran as fast as I could, dashing through trees and over the lawn instead of sticking to the sidewalks and streets. A car damn near hit me as I raced across the street, and I didn’t bother waving him off as I rushed on. By the time I got to the top of the rock structure behind the treehouse, my breath was ragged, and my heart was pumping too fast.

Movement on the far side of the hill caught my attention, and I raced that way, not even stopping to look. There was a large lump on the ground, and as I got closer, I saw what it really was.

Hector Alvarez was sitting on the cold ground beside Mrs. T, his coat covering her body and his hat on her head. He peered up at me as I nearly stumbled down the slight hill, his brow furrowed and his head giving a small shake.

“She keeps asking for Edgar,” he said as I knelt at her side and took her frozen hand in mine.

“That’s her late husband,” I told him as I leaned down to look her in the eye. “Mrs. T? You okay?”

She blinked at me, her eyes going in and out of focus. Finally, she gave me a smile. “There you are, my guardian angel.”

My throat squeezed, and I tried to return her smile. I dusted a bit of dirt from her cheek, and the woman winced. “Where are you hurt?”