Chapter 1

Nathan sat in a TransMet light rail coach as it worked its underground route. Rider volume was light due to it being mid-morning on a spring Saturday. The train stopped at a station and a woman and her little girl boarded and sat across from him.

He regarded the woman. She appeared to be in her early-to-middle thirties, with a round face and shoulder-length brunette hair. Her daughter looked to be about eight. He caught the girl staring at him and flashed a smile.

"Excuse me," the girl said nervously. "Are you a vampire?"

Nathan was dressed in black. Over black shirt and black twill pants he wore a black frock coat. His hair was cut short, but with bangs trimmed to come to a point on his forehead. He wore a black bowler hat and in his pierced, left earlobe he had a bone stud carved in the shape of a skull. He had gold-tone, wire-frame glasses with small, circular lenses and across his lap rested a silver knobbed walking stick.

"Katie!" her mother hissed.

He chortled. "No, I am not a vampire. You know -- vampires can't be out in the sunlight."

"There isn't any sunlight down here," the girl replied.

"You are right -- there isn't." Nathan glanced at her mother. "She's a smart girl. What is she, eight?"

"Eight going on eighteen," the woman replied.

The train stopped at another station and exchanged passengers. Nathan began playing a little game with the girl, trying to catch her staring at him. Then, aware that his stop was next he picked up his stick, and stood, holding onto the overhead rail.

"This is our stop," the woman said to the girl. "Let's stand by the door. Follow me and stay close by."

Several passengers lined up at the door. Nathan stood behind the woman and the girl. The train lurched through the tunnel, approached the platform and stopped. The doors opened and the passengers began to exit the car. An elderly man at the front of the line had some difficulty negotiating the exit. Those behind him filed out once he was clear of the doorway.

The brunette woman stepped onto the platform, her daughter following. Before the girl could step out, the doors began to close. "Hey!" she shouted.

Nathan reached over her head with his stick and wedged it between the doors in an attempt to force them open. Through the window he could see the girl's mother's frantic face. "Katie!" she shouted. The train began to move. Nathan pounded the emergency stop button to no avail.

"Mommy!" the girl wailed.

"It's all right," Nathan said. "The next stop is close by. We'll find a transit cop and tell him what happened. I'm sure your mom is looking for one right now. You're name is Katie?"

"Yes..." she said sniffling.

"I'm Nathan. Let's get ready. We have to get off this train."

The train stopped at the next platform and the doors opened. Putting his palm against the small of the girl's back he whisked her out of the car as soon as the doors opened. "Let's find a transit officer," he said. Taking Katie's hand he headed toward the turnstiles. He spotted a transit cop. "This way, Katie."

He heard footsteps approaching at a run. "There he is, officer," he heard a woman's voice call out.

He turned and saw another transit cop with his Taser in his hand. "Freeze!"

"He tried to abduct her," the woman said.

"I did not," Nathan protested. "This girl got separated from her mother. I was trying to help."

The woman put her arms around Katie. "It's all right, sweetie. You're safe, now."

"Against the column," the officer said. "Spread 'em." The cop grasped Nathan's wrists, pulled them back and snapped handcuffs on them. "Come along."

He could hear Katie's wailing as the officer led him outside the station and pushed him into the back seat of a squad car.

The squad car drove to Police Headquarters. Nathan was let to a detention area. An officer took his fingerprints and photograph. "You're making a mistake," he protested. "I was trying to help."

"Tell it to the captain," the officer said and led Nathan to a small room. "Strip down."

Nathan stripped to his underwear. The officer handed him an orange jumpsuit and slip-on shoes. "Don't I get one phone call?" he asked.

"Sign for your personals and we'll get you your phone call."

The officer led him to a booth with a wall phone. Nathan punched in a number. It rang and he heard a pause. He hung up the phone before the call could transfer to voicemail. "No answer -- can I try again, later?"

"Sure, pal." The officer led him into a cell and closed the door. Nathan sat on a bench, rested his elbows on his knees and planted his face in his palms.

Another officer opened the cell door. "North?"

"Yeah?"

"Captain wants to see you."

Nathan was led to an interview room. A plain-clothes officer sat across from him. He placed a document in front of him. "Is this your signature?"

"Yes," Nathan replied.

"This acknowledges you've heard your Miranda rights."

"This is all a big mistake," Nathan replied. "The little girl got separated from her mother and I was trying to help..."

"This is a witness statement that says you were seen dragging the little girl off the train."

"I didn't want her stuck on it. The door on that car must be defective." He sighed. "Do you know if they were reunited?"

"Who?"

"The girl and her mother."

"That's Transit business. We're City Police."

"Look -- I'm single and live in a loft with another guy. Why would I want to abduct a little girl?"

"You tell me, pal."

"I'm not saying anything else until I see an attorney."

"Suit yourself. We're forwarding this to the D.A. We're recommending attempted child abduction. We'll let the D.A. give you a bail recommendation."

"Don't I get my one call?" Nathan asked.

"You didn't get a call?"

"I called but no answer. He said I could try again."

A uniformed officer escorted Nathan from the interview room. "Make sure he gets his call," the captain said.

Nathan found himself back at the telephone booth. He punched in the number and again hung up before it could transfer. "Still no answer."

"We'll try later."

Nathan looked at the walls of the cell. He sat and ground his teeth. An officer opened the door. "Now what?" he asked.

"You're being sprung. Come get your street clothes."

"Sprung?"

"Yeah ... It seems the lady and the little girl came in and corroborated your story. Seems our witness is some busybody who wasn't even on the train." He led Nathan to a changing room. Slipping out of the jumpsuit Nathan pulled on his own clothes. He pocketed his keys, wallet and cell phone. Then he picked up his hat and walking stick.

"This way," the officer said and led him to a waiting room.

"That's it?" Nathan said. "Just out the door -- no apology, no nothing?"

"Have a better one, pal."

Nathan headed for the street. The woman from the train and her little girl approached him. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said. "Katie told me what happened and we've been frantic to get it straightened out. This whole thing has ruined our Saturday."

"Yeah? Mine, too." He regarded her. "I'm sorry -- it wasn't your fault."

"Can you give me your name and number? I have a cousin who's an attorney. I think you might have a case. I'll pass along your information and see what she thinks."

Nathan opened his wallet and handed her a business card. She reviewed it. "Nathan North ... Network Engineer." She held out her hand. "I'm Iris Longfield and this is Katie."

"We've met, haven't we, Katie?" Nathan replied.

"I have my car outside. Can I give you a lift anywhere?"

"No thanks. I'm just going back to my apartment and try to forget today ever happened."

Nathan unlocked his apartment and stepped in. Sitting on a worn sofa was a pudgy young man with an unkempt beard wearing jeans and a tee shirt, watching the TV. "Hi Larry. Where were you all day? I tried to call."

"My cell went a-roaming last night and the battery's dead. It's been on the charger all day. Why? What did you want?"

"It's moot, now." Nathan removed his hat and coat and hung them on a coat tree by the door. He opened the refrigerator and removed a half-empty carton from a Chinese restaurant. Popping it into a microwave oven he pressed the keys to warm it up.

Abduction or good Samaritan? came an announcer's voice from the television. This and more after these messages.

Nathan carried the warmed container to the sofa and dug into it with a fork. "Hey!" said his roommate. "HEY!" Larry jabbed him with his elbow.

"Hey, what?"

"Look at this! That looks like you, man!" Nathan regarded the news broadcast and saw video of the TransMet station. "Who else wears that getup?" Next came a slide of his mug shots. "It is you, man! They busted you?"