Getting Real — Stan Washburn

Paul, an odd misfit, kidnaps Jeremy, a 5-year-old boy, to be his companion, but finds that becoming friends is harder than he expected. Meanwhile, Jeremy's much-blamed teen babysitter, Essie, runs away in despair. Soon she is working in a restaurant while living secretly in the crawl space above the kitchen. The police search for Jeremy and also for Essie, thinking that she may have seen the kidnapper, and be able to identify him. Paul works in the police department, and follows the investigation closely. As Essie's return becomes increasingly likely, he prepares to intercept her. Published in an earlier version as Into Thin Air.