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But nothing did.
Everything, from the sound of the marching band warming up in the distance to the excited voices of people arriving for the game, was completely normal.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling in my gut that something wasn’t right. It was the same, sinking sensation I experienced whenever I’d return from the bathroom at the mall. Or from grabbing a snack at the beach. Or from talking to a childhood friend at a county fair, only to learn Imogene wasn’t where I’d left her. That she’d vanished into thin air.
I tried to convince myself I was overreacting. That she had a security escort with her. But her escort couldn’t go into the shower with her. What if something happened to her there?
I quickened my steps, my anxiety increasing with every passing moment. Suddenly, a hand grasped my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
I blinked, meeting Lachlan’s concerned gaze.
“Nothing.” I shook my head, not wanting to worry him if this were simply a result of spending years living in a constant state of fear that Nick would find a way to take my daughter from me. “I just… Imogene hasn’t come out yet, and it’s been much longer than twenty minutes. She’s probably just taking her time getting ready.” I forced a smile. “But I want to make sure.”
“Take Nikko with you,” he insisted, glancing around at the growing crowd descending on the football field. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I nodded, still in a daze as I set off toward the athletic building once more, Nikko at my side. We only made it a few feet when his phone rang. He paused, checking the screen.
“Agent Curran.”
“The memorial,” I murmured.
Nikko brought his cell up to his ear. “Detective Kekoa.”
“We got fucking played!” I heard Agent Curran shout.
Adrenaline shot through me at the outrage in his voice. In the seven years I’d known this man, I’d never heard him show this much emotion.
“What happened?” Nikko looked my way, putting the call on speaker, then glanced in Lachlan’s direction. In an instant, Lachlan jogged toward us.
“He figured out our plan! He knew all along! Probably even knew Christine was still alive!”
With every word he spoke, my anxiety increased even more, dread filling me that even Lachlan’s reassuring touch on my lower back couldn’t diminish.
“He knew it was a setup. Even knew exactly where I’d stationed a lookout.”
“How?” Nikko asked. “What happened to make you say that?”
“He sent a fucking courier. Gave me a book.”
“A…book?”
“The Count of Monte Cristo. When I went to visit Nick in prison last month, I gave him a copy, since he’d been asking for one. It’s not the one I gave him, but there’s no doubt in my mind it’s from him. The message inside, though… I can’t make sense of it.”
“What does it say?”
“‘Smile’. All I can think is maybe he’s watching us? Recording us? What else could that mean?”
I pushed out a quivering breath, feeling like all the oxygen had been ripped from my body. “Oh god…”
I spun around, taking off at a sprint, legs pumping, heart racing as I screamed Imogene’s name.
I didn’t care if I made a scene. Didn’t care if I were overreacting and ended up embarrassing her. If I did, so be it. It was a small price to pay to ensure she was still here. That she was still with me.
But I knew she wasn’t.
I threw open the doors to the athletic building, my flip-flops slapping against the linoleum as I raced down the hallway. The short distance felt like miles as I hurried toward the locker room. As I feared, her escort wasn’t guarding the door, like I’d been assured he would be.
