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Anne blew out the breath she was holding. “Well, I’m not sure. When I made the appointment, I was, but I only have one side of the information, and I don’t want someone to get into trouble if I’m wrong or misreading something.”
Well, if that wasn’t a run-on sentence that said little. Anne mentally chastised herself. She was a college graduate, a teacher, and she just rambled on in one long sentence.
Lily gave her a small smile. “Why don’t you start at the beginning, and we’ll sort it out?”
Anne pulled out the drawing Silas drew and passed it over to Lily. “This little boy is in my class and is a real sweetheart.”
“Oh dear,” exclaimed Lily as she looked at the picture. “What’s the child’s name?”
“Silas Archer.”
“Silas?” Lily’s eyes widened. “Oh, my goodness. What a coincidence. I just got a call from his foster parent, and he’s missing.”
“Missing? I don’t understand. I just saw him walk home with the girls who live there.”
“Cheryl said he arrived home and had peed his pants. She told him to change and play until dinner. When she went to check on him, he was gone, snuck out a window.” Lily sighed. “He’s done this before.” She closed and opened her eyes. “I’m going to have to call the police to help find him.”
Oh, Silas. Anne’s chest ached. No child should have to go through this. The police would probably frighten him. She wondered if she could get KnightGuard Security to look for him.
“I’m friends with Sam Knight. Her organization is used to providing security to abused women and children. Could I ask her if some of the employees could look for Silas before you get the police involved?”
Lily’s lips pressed together in a small grimace. Silence.
Anne was sure she would be shot down.
“Well, it’s highly irregular. However, I know KnightGuard Security’s reputation and Sam Knight.” She tapped her fingers on the desk. “Okay, I’ll give you three hours, then I’m calling the police.” Her brow furrowed. “I hope this ends well, or I’m out of a job.”
Anne stood. “I’ll let you know if or when they find him. Thank you for trusting me.” Three hours wasn’t a lot of time, but she was grateful Lily gave her that. Silas had to be frightened, especially of the police, after being found the last time and returned to another crappy foster home.
Lily followed Anne out of the office. “Call as soon as you hear.”
Walking out, Anne reviewed all the places a five-year-old could hide. There were too many. She knew he left with Cheryl’s daughters, and he couldn’t hide in the school since it was locked for the day. Her stomach churned. He could get into so much trouble and situations that a little boy couldn’t handle alone.
When she got into the car, she immediately dialed Sam’s number. After a couple of rings, she answered. Anne blurted out the situation, praying that Sam would help and that someone was around to look for Silas.
There was a brief pause. Was Sam going to turn her down? It wasn’t as if this was a paying job, but KnightGuard did security for the shelter for free.
“Okay,” said Sam. “I just looked at the roster. Danny and Killian are free. Do you have a picture of Silas to show them?”
“Yes, social services gave me one.”
“I’ll have them meet you at your house in a half hour.”
“Thanks, Sam.”
“Anne, you know how I feel about kids. Don’t thank me. I’m happy to help.”
Anne drove home, all the while wondering where Silas could be. Was he in danger? Hungry? Lost?
It was too much to think about. Finally, she arrived home, parked and locked the car and went into the house. Danny and Killian would be here soon, and she needed to be ready to talk to them.
* * *
Killian and Danny arrived at Anne’s house less than a half hour after she called Sam. They’d only been given the basics: find a runaway kid in three hours. Great. No pressure there.
Danny parked on the street and got out of his car when he spotted Killian. “This will not be easy. I mean…” Danny hesitated. “Where do you even begin looking for a five-year-old?”
“Beats me. Hopefully, we find Silas before he gets hurt or worse.”
