a millionaire right in the middle of closing a substantial multimillion dollar agreement was completely blindsided by a call from 9 1 1

emergency services he was stunned to hear the dispatcher share that his young son was famished

and pleading for a Happy Meal the heavy stale air of the 9 1 1 dispatch center

was thick with the scent of burnt coffee from a well worn automatic Brewer

Emily gently massaged her temples trying to soothe the persistent ache after 10 hours glued to her monitor

Tuesday afternoon shifts typically settled into a predictable lull mostly filled with calls about felines

stuck high up in trees or minor fender benders in the local supermarkets parking lot

her fingers tapped softly on the keyboard finishing up a report on a mistaken fire alarm downtown

her mind was already drifting toward the welcoming comfort of her bed at home suddenly the signal light for line No.

12 began to flash a bright insistent red there was no blaring ring

just the silent rapidly blinking light quiet yet demanding immediate attention

Emily sighed adjusted her headset and hit the connect button she braced herself for the usual cacophony

of panicked screams wailing sirens or the slurred angry tirades of someone overly enjoying their evening

the familiar sounds of urban commotion she had managed for the past eight years

9 1 1 what is the nature of your emergency Emily asked reflectively her voice low

professional and carefully detached but the response she received was not chaos

a prolonged moment of quiet hung on the line ma’am

a small hesitant voice finally spoke up as if the caller was trying hard not to be a bother

it was the voice of a very young child Emily stopped typing immediately her body stiffened in her ergonomic chair

hello ma’am the voice continued so polite it was heartbreaking I’m sorry but I’m really hungry

daddy told me to call this number if I needed help Emily swallowed hard all the weariness from her 10 hour shift

instantly vanished she glanced at the tracking map on her second monitor the cursor still circling

as it tried to lock onto the GPS signal hello there sweetheart Emily lowered her voice to the gentlest tone

she could manage dropping her usual rigid professionalism my name is Emily what is your name

are you home all by yourself I’m Noah the boy replied

his voice followed by a long deep sigh that sounded far older than his likely age

I’m not alone I’m with great grandma but the house is very big and it’s cold

I’m hiding in the kitchen corner kitchen corner big house

cold those keywords immediately put Emily’s instincts on high alert

why are you hiding in the kitchen Noah where is your great grandma she’s sleeping

Noah answered his voice calm but holding a strange acceptance she’s been asleep on the brown sofa in the living room

since the morning show was on now the news is on and she still hasn’t woken up

I shook her a lot her hands are ice cold like the cubes in the freezer ma’am she just won’t move

the chill traced a path down Emily’s spine she didn’t need to be a medical professional

to understand what ice cold hands and won’t move meant for an elderly person

who had been motionless for hours this was no longer a call from a hungry child

this was a potential disaster unfolding in deadly silence

Emily’s right hand flew across the keyboard activating a Code Red the highest priority danger situation

sending the signal to the nearest police station and emergency medical team in the suburban area

the GPS was finally pinpointing but she knew the most crucial task right now

was keeping Noah calm Noah you are doing such a good job Emily set her eyes fixed on the screen

I bet great grandma is just in a very deep sleep have you had anything to eat since this morning

no ma’am Noah whispered I looked in the big fridge it’s taller than me but there’s nothing to eat inside

just lots of green bottles that belong to daddy I tried to open one

but it smelled very sharp and tasted yucky liquor an empty refrigerator

stocked only with expensive drinks the image of a four year old child standing on tiptoes before a massive

opulent refrigerator desperately searching for a bite of food among bottles of premium spirits formed vividly in Emily’s mind

my tummy hurts so much ma’am Noah continued his voice beginning to tremble not from fear

but from profound loneliness can you can you bring me a Happy Meal

the one with the red emergency vehicle toy please I promise I’ll be good Emily bit her lip to hold back a deep sigh

such a simple heartbreakingly innocent request the boy wasn’t asking for his parents to return

or for comfort he was asking for a meal and a small trinket the most basic necessities

all right Noah I promise Emily said firmly I’m going to ask some nice police officers

to bring one right to you but first you have to help me with something do you know where your mommy and daddy are

daddy is working to earn money Noah replied instantly like reciting a well rehearsed lesson

he’s very busy and mommy Lara great grandma said Mommy Lara went out this morning

to buy daddy a secret present she said we were playing hide and seek but she hid in her sleep for too long

the GPS signal finally locked onto the precise coordinates a flashing

red dot appeared in the middle of Hillsborough an exclusive isolated villa community for the ultra wealthy

on the city’s outskirts where homes were guarded by towering fences and state of the art security systems

Emily clicked the dot to pull up the homeowner’s information the profile appeared and the name on the screen made her gasp

owner David Vance David Vance

the finance titan frequently featured on the covers of glossy business magazines sporting a confident smile

and offering interviews about his philosophy of success the man the entire city knew for his perfect family image

beautiful wife wonderful child Emily stared at the name then heard the faint

painful rumbling of Noah’s stomach echo through her headset the brutal contrast made her feel physically ill

with a slightly trembling hand she pressed the button to dispatch the urgent order to the Hillsborough County Police Department