I exchange a look with Morgan. This is bad. If Evan is removing his daughter from the school, he's either planning or running. Neither option is good.
"Did he say where he was taking her?" I ask.
Ms. Davis shakes her head. "Just that he'd send for her records. I tried to convince him to reconsider as Charlie has been thriving here, but he was quite firm."
Morgan's hand finds mine, her fingers cold. "Thank you for telling us."
As we walk to her classroom, I can feel the tension radiating from her body. "This is my fault," she whispers. "If I hadn't said anything?—"
"Stop." I turn her to face me. "This is not your fault. This is his reaction to being challenged to realizing you're not alone."
"But Charlie?—"
"We'll find her," I promise, though I'm not sure how. "Greyson's connections extend to the school system. If he's enrolled her somewhere else, we'll know."
Morgan nods, but the worry doesn't leave her eyes. "I just keep thinking about those too small shoes."
I pull her into my arms, feeling her tremble against me. "We'll figure this out. Together."
The classroom is empty when we arrive, the children not yet dropped off for the day. Morgan moves through her morning routine, preparing activities, setting up learning centers, but her heart isn't in it.
I help where I can, my mind already working through scenarios.
My gut twists. He's isolating her. That means he's either running or getting ready to make his move.
Matthew arrives just as the first wave of children are being dropped off, his expression serious. "Greyson's place. Now."
I look at Morgan. "Can you handle the class alone for a few minutes?"
She nods, already moving toward a little girl who's crying at the door. "Go. Find out what's happening."
The atmosphere in Greyson's office is tense enough to suffocate.
"We found something," Greyson says without preamble as we enter. "Evan Harris has a record."
Matthew leans forward. "What kind?"
"Stalking charges. Three different women over the past eight years." Greyson slides a folder across the desk. "All dismissed. All settled out of court with NDAs."
I open the folder, scanning the police reports. The pattern is clear: Evan fixates on a woman, begins with "innocent" contact, escalates to following, breaking into homes, and leaving gifts."
"The last one was two years ago," Greyson continues. "A teacher at his daughter's previous day care. She moved across the country after the charges were dropped."
My stomach goes very still. "He's done this before."
"Looks like it." Greyson's expression is hard. "The pattern is the same. Single father, charming at first, then the obsession begins."
"Where is he now?" I ask.
"We're working on that." Greyson checks his phone. "Techy's monitoring his credit cards and phone records. But he's smart. Cash transactions, burner phones."
Matthew runs a hand through his hair. "And Charlie?"
"No school transfers yet," Greyson says. "Which means he's either keeping her home or using a private arrangement."
I think of those too small shoes once again, the desperate way Charlie had clung onto Morgan. "We need to find her. Today."
Greyson nods. "The club's on it. We've got eyes on his house, his workplace, his usual haunts."
