Abduction!

Bonnie and Anita notify their neighbors and friends of Matt’s disappearance, urging everyone to keep an eye out for him. Nancy’s mother takes Bonnie and Nancy to the school, and they help the police search for Matt. Their K-9 traces Matt’s scent from a side door of the school, across the playground, and to a nearby curb, where they assume Matt entered a vehicle. The police ask the neighbors if they noticed a vehicle parked in the area earlier in the day.

Fred and Ruth Faulkner, a couple in their 70s, stop at Marymoor Park to walk and stretch during an outing and find Pookie still tied to a post. Denny took off Pookie’s collar when he first abducted the dog, so without a way to identify Pookie or call his owners, the couple decides to take the dog, leaving a note on the post, mentioning a dog was found and listing their phone number. When they get home, they take Pookie for a walk instead of watching the nightly news, which Fred claims is never good because “[i]t’s always murder and arson and missing children” (75).

With no leads, Bonnie returns home to find TV and newspaper reporters flooding her lawn, seeking information. Bonnie and Anita are up late into the night, waiting for a call from Matt as they make missing child posters to distribute around town. Bonnie is comforted by the fact that so many people are searching for Matt.

The following morning, Bonnie searches the yard for clues and finds Pookie’s discarded collar near the weeds bordering their fence. Officer Calvin comes to collect the evidence and shows Bonnie and Anita a drawing of the UPS driver Mrs. Williams saw in the school office. They don’t recognize Denny in his disguise, but Officer Calvin says the rose tattoo is “an excellent clue because it’s specific” (83). That night, Bonnie begins having nightmares again and regrets complaining about having to take care of Matt when Nancy had invited her to the mall the day he went missing.

On Sunday, Bonnie continues to make new posters for Matt and hands them out at school and the grocery store. She decides to email everyone in her mom’s address book, certain the internet will help spread the information on Matt’s abduction more quickly. The police receive a tip that an elderly couple was seen with Pookie at Marymoor Park late Friday afternoon. The police sort through theories to guide them, and as the day passes, friends and neighbors bring Bonnie and Anita food. Bonnie bursts into tears, believing food is only brought to people who are grieving the death of a loved one, but her mother comforts her by saying it’s “what people do for each other in any time of trouble” (93).

On Monday morning, Matt bothers Denny by insisting he needs to go to school if he wants to graduate kindergarten. Denny, who’s become increasingly annoyed with Matt, doesn’t allow him to go. When Denny also refuses to buy a baseball for Matt and play catch, Matt becomes sad that his father doesn’t like him. His friend, Stanley, has divorced parents who still visit and play catch with him. Meanwhile, “[h]is dad didn’t love him to pieces. His dad didn’t even like him” (97).

Bonnie and Anita skip work and school on Monday to talk to reporters and keep Matt’s story alive, yet the police call off the AMBER Alert, deeming that “using the emergency services is no longer necessary” (98). They do not find further evidence of Pookie or Matt at Marymoor Park, but the police do investigate Denny. They find out he’s been married and divorced twice more since Anita, has a history of compulsive gambling, was convicted of assault and spent six months in prison and was diagnosed with an antisocial personality by a psychiatrist—meaning he “doesn’t care who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants” (100). When questioned, Anita divulges the names of Denny’s sister and her husband: Celia and Woodson or Weston, but she’s not sure. She believes the police are wasting their time investigating Denny, who would never have any interest in Matt, but the police remain diligent in exploring all possibilities. As days pass, news coverage on Matt lessens, and Bonnie wonders if anyone still cares. After a call, a reporter agrees to run a one-week anniversary story on Matt’s disappearance.

Fred and Ruth Faulkner decide to watch the news one night and learn about Matt and Pookie’s disappearance. Certain the dog they found is Pookie, Ruth dials the number on the screen. Fred and Ruth happily return Pookie to Bonnie and Anita.

As the days go by, Denny cycles through good and bad moods, based on whether he wins or loses his bets. One day, after a big win, Denny excitedly asks Matt what he’d like to do. Matt wants to go to a Mariners baseball game, so Denny buys the tickets. Denny mentions the game is Saturday, and afterward, he’ll take Matt to visit his Aunt Celia, Uncle Winston, and his cousins, Thomas and Tim. Later in the week, Denny’s good mood turns sour. He confiscates the movies, PlayStation, video games, DVD player, Walkman, and the baseball glove, claiming he’s “returning all this stuff and getting a refund” (111). Matt walks on eggshells around Denny, concerned that Denny’s easy-to-flare anger might result in violence. The morning of the baseball game, Denny forces Matt to wear glasses and puts black shoe polish in his blonde hair. He convinces Matt to go by the name of Travis for the weekend. Matt does not complain because “he didn’t want to take any chances on making Denny angry” (116).