Peterson nodded. “I want you two on this job.” He said. “Scorcher, you’re one of our most senior officers here. You’ve had the most experience in the field more than anyone else in the FHPD other than myself. And Sorcha, you have an advanced canine working alongside with you, and you’re from a line of officers. I believe that the two of you, the four of you can do this.”

“Yeah, sorry to cut the whole motivational speech and preach moment, but if we really want to find Jamie, Sorcha and I have to leave now. We’ll keep you updated on the radios.” He stood up and whistled for Nyx to stand and follow him out of the office. Running his hands down his face, Ajax groaned and muttered, “Idiot. We’ve already wastes so much time on the investigation.” He gave Nyx a once-over, making sure she had everything she would need for hours out in the cold and for her safety while being in the field. Vest: check. Booties: check. He glanced at Hades and noticed that he didn’t have any paw-covering on. He didn’t know if Sorcha had the booties on her or not, but his mind was racing, flicking through the information he learned and possible places to start their search, so all he said was: “Make sure you have paw-coverings for Hades. We’ll be out there for a long while. I’m going to go grab torches for the two of us.”

He walked quickly to the locker rooms, motioning for Nyx to stay with Sorcha. He glanced around the room until his eyes landed on a box near the back row of the lockers labled ‘Flashlight’. “They’re called torches.” He clipped his tongue, grabbing two of them for he and Sorcha and meeting her back in the hallway near the front door.

“Alright, here’s the whole thing. I know you know all of this, but saying it outloud helps me think more.” He said as they walked out. “It’s been three days since Jamie’s disappearance. Three days in December. If she was kidnapped, she will most likely not be dead yet, but she still could be injured, so that gives us no time to spare. Not even a bloodhound could pick up a three day scent that had been covered in snow, so we can’t rely on Nyx or Hades and their sense of smell yet. We could still look around the area she was last seen to see if there’s any sighs of…something. Peterson mentioned the river and the woods on Jamie and her brother’s way home from school. I have an idea of where that may be.”

He looked Sorcha in the eye. “What do you think should be our first corse of action?” He asked. “We need to put everything else to the side and focus on working together to find this girl.”

"I want you two on this job. Scorcher, you're one of our most senior officers here. You've had the most experience in the field more than anyone else in the FHPD other than myself. And Sorcha, you have an advanced canine working alongside with you, and you're from a line of officers. I believe that the two of you, the four of you can do this." Advanced canine? Police bloodlines? That's why he wanted her on the job. If she wasn't so focused on the case, she'd call him out. Sure, Hades was a veteran K9, and her family had been in the police force for generations. But she wouldn't deny that she wanted recognition for her work.

Sorcha gets to her feet swiftly, Hades following suit, before the two follow Ajax and Nyx out the door. Sorcha grunts in agreement, three days and three nights. The likelihood that Jamie Heathens was still alive was getting lower every second. Thankfully, Hades had everything but his paw protection. Now that she was aware that they would be out in the cold for a while, she would have to go get it. Even the weather acclimated Hades wouldn't survive in the cold long without protection.

Sorcha leads Hades to the locker rooms, where she reached into her locker to pull out the boots for Hades. "Paw." She mutters, pulling on the boot for the paw that Hades offered. "Good boy." Then she repeats the process with the other three paws, until all four boots were on the K9's feet. Sorcha gives Hades another once over, satisfied that he had everything he would need. She turns and quickly makes her way out of the locker rooms, headed for the front, where she met Ajax just at the door. She follows Ajax out the doors, as he gives a rundown. Three days gone, scent would be almost impossible to find in this snow, and they could search the area Jamie was last seen.

Sorcha was quick to answer,"We could go to the scene of the crime and search for any clues that could have been missed." She glances down at Hades briefly,"But, in my personal opinion, we should go find Jamie's friends. They will know things about her, her parents wouldn't." Sorcha use to hid certain things from her parents, and so she always confined in her friends. Which had taught her that most teenagers did that. "If experience has taught me anything, the parents may be able to help, but her friends will know more. Jamie would have confined in them things she would never tell her parents. Perhaps they know of anything that had been scaring Jamie."

"We could go to the scene of the crime and search for any clues that could have been missed. But, in my personal opinion, we should go find Jamie's friends. They will know things about her, her parents wouldn't. If experience has taught me anything, the parents may be able to help, but her friends will know more. Jamie would have confined in them things she would never tell her parents. Perhaps they know of anything that had been scaring Jamie.” Ajax thought for a second, and then nodded.

“Her friends are a good idea. We can head to Jamie’s house and talk with her parents and see where some of her friends live. And we can ask her friends if there are any others we should talk to, just in case if Jamie hid one or two of her friends from her parents.” He suggested, his brow furrowed in thought. “Her parents can give us something of hers, like a jacket or shirt, for a scent for the dogs. I know that the snow would have made it almost impossible for a canine to follow a three-day-old scent, but if we’re searching, they may smell her and can lead us to her.”

“After we do that, we can go to the last spot she was seen in to, as you said, look for anything that could have been missed.” He continued. Nyx shifted her weight from one paw to the other as if she was itching to get to work, and Ajax couldn’t help but agree. He didn’t like just standing around.

He started walking towards the parking lot, stopping next to the driver’s side of a sleek black car. He didn’t want to take the marked police car, just in case the people who took Jamie, if she was kidnapped, which Ajax had no doubt that’s what happened to her, were watching her parent's house. It was a long stretch, but Ajax didn’t want to risk it. He opened the back door of the car and commanded Nyx to jump in, which she did without hesitation. He left the door open for Hades since he knew that Nyx wouldn’t hop out of the car unless ordered too.

He slipped into the front driver’s seat, quickly putting on his seat belt and reaching into the glove box for the keys that had been hidden there by a false wall. The FHPD kept the keys in the car for any officer that needed to immediately drive somewhere but to prevent anyone from stealing the cars, they hid the keys, and only the officers knew where they were kept

"Her friends are a good idea. We can head to Jamie's house and talk with her parents and see where some of her friends live. And we can ask her friends if there are any others we should talk yo, just in case if Jamie hid one or two of her friends from her parents." Sorcha nods in agreement, that would be a good start. "Her parents can give us something of hers, like a jacket or shirt, for a scent for the dogs. I know that the snow would have made it almost impossible for a canine to follow a three-day-old scent, but if we're searching, they may smell her and can lead us to her."

That was true, while out, if either K9 happened to pick up Jamie's scent, they could find her. But only if the K9's had Jamie's scent, which they could only get from her clothes. Sorcha sighs, this was the first big case she had worked. Sure she had other cases, but this one was different. This was a kidnapping in broad daylight. Sure there hadn't been a whole lot of people around, but still. And it was winter, the harshest season of the year. And there was a chance they were just looking for a dead body. Or, they were hunting down a girl who only had limited time left if they didn't find her. "After we do that, we can go to the last spot she was seen in to, as you said, look for anything that could have been missed."

Sorcha grunts in agreement, the quicker they got moving, the better. Standing around was wasting time. She was quick to follow after Ajax as he walks to an unmarked. Good idea, they needed to stay low too. Just in case the kidnappers were watching out for cops. Sorcha directs Hades into the back of the car beside Nyx, before shutting the door behind the K9. Sorcha's lips thin as she looks around before climbing into the passenger seat. Pulling on her seat belt before glancing at Ajax briefly.

Let the search began.

The moment Ajax heard the light click of Sorcha’s seatbeat they were off. He quickly pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, doing the three mandatory consecutive right turns to make sure no one was watching them from the station or following them. It was an old habit he had learned from his mentor, who before coming to be a canine trainer, was a big city cop.

Without wasting anymore time, Ajax kept the speedlimits at the back of his mind as he drove as quickly as they could to Jamie’s parent’s house, making a couple of misdirectional turns to make it seem like they weren’t in a big hurry to get somewhere. Even though they both were police officers, they didn’t have their identifying regular uniforms on. They had light vests on which were covered by winter coats. At the waist, covered by said coat, were their holsters and other things like that.

He had no intentions of enlonging the search, even by a few seconds, if he could help it. And being pulled over by one of his colleagues…that would waste time. Time which they already didn’t have, in which they were already behind.

A while later, the two K9 officers pulled up to a good-sized house in the middle of a neiborhood. When Ajax stepped out of the car, he looked down the street where he saw the tops of trees sticking out over the tops of the houses. “That must be the park Peterson was talking about.” He said, pushing his hands in his pockets. Shit, in his haste to get out the door, he must have hadforgotten to grab his gloves. No matter, he would deal with that later. “And past that, the river. Then the school. He was right, it would have been a tight window for someone to grab her with how short the walk would have been.”

He walked up the front steps to the house and rapping his knuckles against the door.

{How long do we want it to take them to find the girl?}

The ride was quiet, which did not bother Sorcha. It gave her time to think and plan, her eyes sweeping the area. Trying to see if there was anything that could possibly give her a hint. It was a long shot, but she was going to take it. She also kept an eye on Hades, but the K9 remained incredibly still. Remaining in a sitting position as he looked out the window, like a statue.

Sorcha noted how Ajax threw a few random turns into their trip, but thankfully it didn't add too much time to their trip. Every second of time that was added to the search, the lower the probability of them finding the girl. Especially in this cold and snowy weather. This one was definitely one of the harsher winters Sorcha had ever faced. At least it wasn't snowing, fresh snow would make everything harder. Hell, they already had to trek through the snow already on the ground.

Sorcha forced herself to wait until the car came to a complete stop to unbuckle and open the door. She steps out and closes the door behind her, taking a deep breath as she scans her surroundings. She listens to Ajax, nodding as she turns her gaze to where he was looking. Her lips thin,"Whoever kidnapped her knew what they were doing." Being able to kidnap a girl walking her brothers home in broad daylight, there had been such a small window available and they had seized it, perfectly. Sorcha sighs, shaking her head as she turns to follow Ajax to the door.

The door in front of them swung open to reveal a devilish-looking Mrs. Heathens, her gaunt form shaking, the bags under her eyes a bruising purplish-blue, and her wild, deep-sunken eyes flickering from the officer’s faces to the world behind them.

She was obviously very shaken by her daughter’s disappearance, and Ajax couldn’t blame her. Losing your child in the dead of winter and spending three days worrying endlessly about their well-being couldn’t by easy.

She didn’t recognize the officers, bundled in their coats, because she hissed lowly, “Are you the kidnappers? Are you here for your ransom?” The woman looked tense and skittish, like she was either ready to flee or fight. “I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever I need to do to get my child back!” Her voice had began to rise near the end of the sentence.

Ajax slipped his hand out of his coat pocket, flashing his ID at her. He knew he must tread carefully, and be aware of what he said. He didn’t miss the way her eyes widened in panic as his hand came out of his coat as if she was expecting something else. She was close to snapping.

“Mrs. Heathens, my name is Officer Ajax Scorcher, and this is my partner Sorcha MacKintosh. We’re with the Fallen Hills Police Department or the FHPD. We’d like to talk to you about Jamie if that’s alright. May we come in?” He made his voice as polite and kind as he possibly could.

As the door swung open, Sorcha plasters on a smile, trying to look as friendly as possible. She didn't want to scare the woman, who was no doubt Jamie's mother, as she looked frightened enough. Sorcha's heart twisted slightly, no one should ever have to go through something like this it was absolutely terrible.

Sorcha couldn't help but wonder how the rest of the family felt. Were the younger brothers doing okay? They were the ones who were closest to the whole thing. After all, they may not have witnessed the kidnapping, but they had been nearby. Sorcha did hope to get to speak to them, perhaps they had noticed something or heard something. Perhaps they were too scared to say anything and needed a kinder hand. After all, who knew how kind the officers had been when questioning the boys.

"Are you the kidnappers? Are you here for your ransom?" Sorcha's heart twisted again, this woman's trust had been destroyed because of whoever had kidnapped Jamie. "I'll do it. I'll do whatever I need to do to get my child back!" Of course she would, most every parent would.

Sorcha keeps an eye out as she listens, watching as Ajax moved carefully or the way the woman reacted as Ajax's hand came out of his pocket. This was going to be a very hard case, that Sorcha had no doubt.

"Mrs. Heathens, my name is Officer Ajax Scorcher, and this is my partner Sorcha MacKintosh. We're with the Fallen Hills Police Department or the FHPD. We'd like to talk to you about Jamie if that's alright. May we come in?" Sorcha flashes another friendly smile, hoping that as long as they remained friendly, Mrs. Heathens would be more willing.

(I just realized I never answered your question. So sorry, I meant to and just forgot. Um, I'd say no more than a month, but at least a week and a half?)

Mrs. Hawkens looked from Ajax to Sorcha and back again, doubt still flickering in her eyes as she gulped nervously, then closed the door. He could hear the sound of tiny voices calling out, and the hoarse response of their mother, the woman they had just talked to. The door swung slowly open without a sound, Mrs. Hawkens standing a little way away from the door, beckoning them in quietly with a jerk of her head while both of her arms were wrapped around two young boys, who looked almost identical.

Those must have been Jamie’s brothers. He thought grimly, stepping into the house first and looking around wearily. The house looked surprisingly clean. With two young sons and a mind crazed with thoughts of a missing daughter, he didn’t think that the woman would have enough strength to be taking care of her house. She hadn’t been taking care of herself, that’s for sure.

Ajax smiled sadly as he walked into the living room and saw Mrs. Hawkens crouching in front of her sons, trying to cheer them up with smiles and playful pokes and tickles. He immediately got it.

She wasn’t being strong for herself. She was putting on a brave, motherly face for her sons. She didn’t want them to worry any more than they already were. He felt a strong rush of respect for this woman as she shooed her sons upstairs to get them away from the living room.

{Sorry for being late and this being so short! I've been preparing for my solo in the concert coming up tomorrow, XD}