Chapter 21: Hugo

"Ok, I think it is time for a new case," Tagas said, as they made it back to the apartment.

"Do you have something in mind?" Harry asked, and Tagas shook his head.

"I had just two lined up, before. Help me search?" Tagas went in his room, and got his tablet. He began to search for hints of missing children. It disheartened him that there were so many found dead after a couple of days. He finally found a case, of a baby going missing from his house, and went to find Harry.

"I found something," Tagas spoke, and Harry showed him an article he was reading.

"So did I, of a girl this time," Harry said, and began to read. "Dianna is five, and she walked out of her kindergarten one day, and didn't show up at home after."

"My case is about a baby," Tagas said, and he went to Harry. "We can take them both. Come on, we must find the baby first."

"If you say so," Harry offered his hand to the angel, and got the image of the baby's house in exchange. There were missing posters of a nice baby clad in orange all over the neighborhood. They rang the doorbell, and a woman with a tear-streaked face opened the door for them.

"Can I help you?" She asked, and Tagas did his best to smile at her.

"Actually, I was thinking we can help you. We come in here to help search for Hugo," Tagas said, and the woman let them in.

"My name is Greta," she offered, not knowing if the two knew. "And Hugo went missing last Tuesday."

"Tell us all you can think of that happened on that day," Tagas asked, and Greta led them to the living room.

"It was windy. We had the baby monitor on, but during the night, we didn't hear a pep. Both Augustine and I figured that Hugo must have been sleeping through the wind. But, when we came to check up on him that morning, he was gone," Greta let out a sob at the memory.

"Windy?" Harry asked, and he shared a look with Tagas.

"Yes, it was awful. I thought that the roof will get damaged," Greta said absentmindedly.

Harry pulled Tagas to the side, and whispered in his ear.

"The wind could have been something created," Harry said, as Tagas's eyes narrowed. "Something to take the mortal's minds off things?"

"Could be, or it could have been just change," Tagas whispered back.

"Why do you two care about the wind?" Greta asked, and Tagas edged his hand towards hers.

"We think that the kidnapper had used the weather as a cover," Tagas told her, and she nodded.

"Yes, the police think so too," Greta told them. She looked down at her hand, which was in Tagas's grip. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, in our line of work, we find that it is good to get some skin contact with the parents of the missing children. It calms them down," Tagas told her. He already had the information he needed. "Tell us something more about Hugo. Would he have fussed as he was taken?"

"No, he is the calmest baby there is," Greta said. "Are you real detectives? Can I see your badges?"

"We are simply volunteers. You will see your son soon. We have never failed before," Harry told her, and he stood. Tagas followed suit.

"I do hope you can bring Hugo back," Greta said, and then sighed. "Many came, but the most they did was take some of the missing posters."

Greta then showed them out, and Tagas turned to Harry.

"Here is the place," Tagas forwarded the image of an apartment complex to Harry, and they were off. There was nothing strange about the apartment complex. It looked well-kept, and like middle income families lived inside.

The angel and demon duo rushed to the second floor, and knocked on apartment 236. A woman opened the door.

"Hello, can I help you?" As she spoke, Tagas's eyes widened. This was no ordinary woman; this was a demon. Her eyes also widened when she saw the angel, and she made to close the door. Harry placed his foot between the door and the space, and prevented that.

"Being let out of Hell, only to kidnap children?" Harry said with a snarl, and he muscled his way in. "Where is the baby? What were you going to do with him?"

"The baby?" The demon woman looked like she wanted to buy time. Tagas went in as well, and he made a beeline towards one of the rooms. He entered it, and saw a crib with the small boy lying inside. There were numerous toys with the boy in the crib, and Tagas went and scooped him up.

"What were you going to do with the child?" Harry insisted. His blood was boiling.

"I was going to raise him," the demon woman said. "I finally got out of Hell, and I am a crossroads demon. I had time between gigs, so I figured I could have a son."

Tagas leveled the woman with a glare.

"So, instead of adopting, you kidnapped a boy from his home?" The angel accused, and the woman bared her teeth at him.

"See here, you flying rat. What right do you have to judge? You angels have the luxury of being close to children, if you so wish. Why can't I have the same privilege?"

"Big brother, please come over here, it is urgent," Tagas yelled, and the demon's eyes widened. There was a flame in the air, and a blonde fallen angel appeared.

Lucifer took one look at the baby, his brother, Harry, and finally the demon woman, and rounded up at her.

"Your job is to remain unnoticed, and you kidnap children?" Lucifer snapped. The demon woman was shaking now. Close to whimpering.

"My lord, I..." the excuse was on her lips, but she couldn't utter it.

"It is a lava bath for you," Lucifer snapped. He nodded at his baby brother, glared at Harry, and then looked at the baby.

The boy was looking at him with interest. He went to Hugo, and pocked the child's nose.

"You monkeys are not that bad, when you are small," Lucifer told the boy, as he giggled.

"Thank you for coming," Tagas said, and the fallen angel nodded.

"If you find any other fools that would do something similar, just tell me. They think they are on a vacation in here, can you believe it?" Lucifer gave Tagas a one-armed hug, and then went to the demon woman, and got her back to Hell.