Detective Dash knocked on the front door of the small two-story house. It was early evening and he could see the lights on inside. He had been here many times before on far happier occasions. It was bad enough when he had to deliver news like this to a stranger, but to deliver it to his best friend's wife...
Kate Langley opened the door. She had only gotten home from work minutes before and was still dressed in her pinstriped business suit. In the back, the sounds of her two young boys could be heard as they played video games in the living room.
"Ty! What a great surprise. Danny isn't home yet -- " Her voice trailed off as she saw the even expression on Tyrone Dash's face.
The next few hours were rough on Kate. Her husband Det. Daniel Langley was still alive – or at least believed to be – but was missing and presumed taken hostage during the deep cover operation he'd been working on. Dash explained how Danny had failed to check in and what was being done to find him and the people responsible. Because Danny had been working for months on the case, they had many leads that they could follow up on. More importantly, the police didn't believe his cover had been blown. If that were the case, they likely would've killed him on the spot. Instead, they felt he was being used to obtain a ransom; his cover was that of a wealthy investor. But that created other problems, Kate and her children might be potential targets as well if the kidnappers were to learn the truth. Until Danny was safe, they would get round the clock protection.
"I'll personally make sure nothing happens to you or the kids, Kate. And I swear to you we'll get Danny back home, safe, and that these guys are gonna pay." Tyrone's confidence could only give Kate minor comfort. She spent the night lying awake in her husband's bed with both her boys at her side. The tears wouldn't go away anytime soon, but she had to be strong, if only for her children's sake.
--
Nearly seven weeks passed before there was a major break in the case. No ransom had been asked for and all the main suspects had been questioned and released without any charges. The ransom demand Dash and his fellow officer's had been expecting had not come to fruition. What went unsaid was the fear Danny really had been killed and his body buried. But now the FBI had a tip that Danny might be being held somewhere in Mexico. As much as Dash wanted to go down and lead the investigation, the FBI was running the show now. Instead, he contented himself with updating Kate on all the details he knew and making sure her and the boys were being taken care of.
Tyrone and Danny had first become friends at the academy. Danny and Kate had already been dating since college and he would often join them on nights out. The young couple got a kick out of watching their friend make a fool of himself each week in front of some beautiful young woman at the bar. Tyrone was an attractive young man, but alcohol would bring out the immature cad in him which was a distinct turn off to the girls. Danny and Kate often told themselves how thankful they were to have found each other and to have been able to avoid the dating scene.
As the years passed and Kate became Mrs. Daniel Langley and Tyrone continued to live the single life. Danny and Kate doubted he would ever settle down, and Tyrone agreed with them. Although the two friends worked within the same division at the police department, they were not partners. So, often the only time they got to see each other was off hours. The Langley's often hosted weekend get-togethers for Danny's colleagues, and Tyrone never failed to show up, always entertaining the crowd with his misadventures in dating.
The topic was never discussed, but Danny and Kate knew it was often difficult for Tyrone being the only black detective on the force, and one of the few African-American officers in the entire department. But Tyrone had worked hard and was highly respected by all his colleagues. Though he was light-skinned, Tyrone was the only son of two black parents from Michigan. In a rare show of emotion, Tyrone had privately thanked Kate after receiving his gold shield for all the years of support she and Daniel had given him. As godparent to their two children, Jeremy and Chris, and because of all the things they had been through together, Dash had a sense of loyalty to the Langley's that was unbreakable.
That weekend, Kate was sending the boys to visit her parents upstate. They had come to stay with her the first couple of weeks after Daniel's disappearance, and she found Jeremy and Chris spirits had lifted in their company. All the worrying and the burden of having had to return to work had left her on the verge of exhaustion. She hoped a brief, quiet weekend by herself would help renew her energy.
Kate sat on the sofa as Dash explained the new developments. He had hoped to see Kate brighten at news of the new lead, but she remained solemn. Kate refused to get her hopes up, only to have something eventual bring them crashing back down. Privately, she had resigned herself to the reality that the chances of Daniel coming back alive were low. In her mind, she was already a widow. She only awaited confirmation of the fact.
"Boy's, grandpa is here." She called out to the 10 and 8 year old kids. The pair came down with their backpacks and each gave their mom a kiss on the check and a hug before running toward her father's car. Kate stepped out to waive goodbye as the vehicle drove off in the late summer twilight. Stationed nearby, a marked police car that was part of the twenty-four hour protection the Langley's still received. As her father's car faded into the distance, Tyrone stood behind Kate, grabbing her shoulder in support.
"C'mon, let me buy you dinner. When was the last time you had a decent meal?" Tyrone asked with his deep voice.
"No, I think I'll just call it an early night. I'm not very hungry."
"I insist. Those boys need their mom healthy. You've been so busying looking after them, you haven't had any time for yourself."
Kate turned and smiled. She hugged Tyrone and let out a soft sigh. "Thank you, Ty. Thank you for everything."
The two friends went to theirs and Danny's favorite restaurant downtown. The last time Danny, Ty, and Kate had been here together was a few days before the kidnapping. Kate surprised herself by how hungry she was. For his part, Tyrone was glad to see something of her old self return. She had even manage a couple of attempts at humor. She had only drank a small glass of wine, but it was enough to relax her.
"Tell me the truth," Kate asked as they finished their meal. "Danny's not coming back, is he?"
"Don't say that. You know there's always hope. We've got a hundred people working night and day on getting him back."
"Ty, I need to be realistic. I spend every day waiting for news that doesn't come. I feel like my life is draining away with each hour. I cry myself to sleep every night, hoping when I wake up you or someone will tell me that he's okay, and his coming home. But it never happens." Kate dropped her head, and looked away as tears began to form.
"Kate, I promised you when all this started we'd get him back alive. We will." Tyrone took Kate's hand from across the table and held it tightly. "We will get him back."
"Sometimes I imagine where he might be; if he's just sitting in some dark cell left alone or being beaten. I can't imagine what he must be going through, and that's assuming he's actually alive." Kate wiped her eyes and tried to put on a smile.
"You don't have to pretend to be brave for me. We're all scared of what's happened. All you can do is make sure you take care of yourself and those two boys. That's what Danny would want," Tyrone reassured her.
"You always know what to say, Ty. Thank you." Kate began to get up. "I need to use the ladies room for a sec." She turned and headed toward the back.
As Kate walked away, Tyrone couldn't help but notice the way the breezy, summer dress she was wearing hugged the curves of her body. Though it showed off very little skin – the beige dress went almost to her ankles – it revealed her figure quite nicely. Though Kate was fast approaching forty, she was still easy on the eyes. Despite a deep hatred of working out – something Tyrone liked to rib her about – Kate had managed to stay quite tone.
