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“No, I’ll be fine.” She was lying to him, to herself, but whatever got her through the next half hour or so. Informing May that her niece had been taken wasn’t going to be easy.
Inside, they sidestepped a line that went from the door to the counter. As they did so, a possible motive behind Katherine’s abduction hit. It may be far-fetched, and it was just one of many theories, but the diner’s financial growth could have caught the eye of someone who thought they could hold Katherine in exchange for ransom.
May handed the customer at the front two to-go cups and a paper bag. Her motions were robotic and slow, in contrast to her usual flair. Normally she was quick to smile and part with terms of endearment. She barely mumbled a thank-you to the man. Her gray hair was frizzy around her face and her cheeks were flushed, obviously haggard. The next customer stepped up, but May met Amanda’s eye.
“Just stepping away for a bit, Hattie,” May told her help.
The woman seemed to kick things into high gear in May’s wake.
May rounded the counter quickly, but slowed her steps as she approached Amanda. “Don’t tell me that something happened to her. Is she… is she alive?” May’s chin quivered. She must have been unsuccessful in reaching Katherine, and it had planted the worst-case scenario in her mind. Sadly, those imaginings weren’t far from the truth.
“Let’s take a seat.” Amanda spoke slowly, calmly, doing her best to evenly space her words, wanting to exude strength. She didn’t want to shock her. Putting an arm around May, she guided her to an available booth, knowing in just a few seconds she would deliver news that would break her heart.
EIGHT
May dropped heavily on the bench as if her legs had given out beneath her.
Amanda sat across from her and moved along to make room for Trent. “There is a situation,” she said.
May’s mouth opened, then shut. Her eyes filled with tears.
“Katherine was abducted this morning from the Fill N Go in Woodbridge.” The nightmare rolled off Amanda’s tongue in a torrent with a power all its own. It wielded the strength to destroy, but she had to redeem the situation for May’s sake. “She’s alive,” Amanda quickly added. At least she was three hours ago, but why bring that up?
“Abducted,” May muttered. “I just knew something bad had happened for her not to be here, to not answer her phone. I was going to give it another half an hour and call you. But why? Who would do this?”
“We’re going to figure that out.” Amanda’s words indicated confidence and bordered close to a promise.
“Where will you start? Do you have any clue where she might be, where they’ve taken her? What they want from her?”
“A lot of questions still need answers.” Amanda wanted to cover more ground before she shared possible theories for motive, including the one of ransom. “A man and an accomplice were working together. We’re confident the accomplice is a woman. Would you have any idea who might do this?”
“Not a clue,” May shot out, her chin trembling and tears spilling onto her cheeks.
Amanda thought back to how Katherine had seemed aware of her abductor from the moment he walked through the door. Katherine’s pre-emptive attack also struck Amanda as prepared. Was her action the result of a trained cop who read the room and detected danger? Or had she anticipated trouble coming her way? It was possible Amanda was reading too much into what she saw. Still, she asked, “Has Katherine been any different lately? Acting mysterious or anxious? Maybe even coming across like she was afraid of someone or something?”
“I never noticed any of that, but I’ve always gotten the sense she’s holding back from me.”
“Any idea what that might be?” Trent asked.
May shook her head. “I didn’t press her on it. You must keep in mind we just came back into each other’s lives fairly recently, and the reunion wasn’t without its emotional baggage. It’s been a year and a half, which might sound like a long time, but deep hurts need time to heal.”
“I can imagine,” Amanda empathized. There would be a lot to process. May could harbor bitterness from the fallout with her sister, Katherine’s mother, but some of that may get projected onto her niece. And Katherine might be holding on to the fear of being abandoned or rejected by her aunt. After all, it had been May who left their lives all those years ago. “But you both seem to be working through everything just fine. Whenever I see the two of you together, you’re always smiling or laughing.”
May sniffled. “Her returning to me was a real gift. She makes me happy, Mandy.”
“I bet she does.” Amanda reached out and squeezed May’s hand. The woman was doing a pretty good job of holding herself together except for a few tears earlier, but her twitching lips and wavering voice revealed she was a hair’s breadth away from really breaking down. It hurt to see May suffering like this. “We will get her back for you.” The clearcut promise tumbled out, hitting Amanda’s ears with the weight of a locomotive.
“I know you’ll do all you can, Mandy, but nothing is guaranteed in this life, as you know.”
Amanda nodded, that widow and mother who lost her child turning over within her. “Do you have a hunch about what she might have been withholding?”
“No. I get the sense you think whatever it is resulted in her being taken.”
“We can’t ignore the possibility.” The light dulled in May’s eyes, and Amanda rushed out, “None of this is your fault.” She suspected May was assuming the burden because she hadn’t pushed and pried.
“I know, but it doesn’t really make me feel better. Sometimes when we’d get talking, her eyes would take on a darkness.”
“What were you discussing when this happened?” Trent asked.
