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Their youthful exuberance was contagious, and Lara found herself with a spring in her step as she approached Ava’s room. Her teacher, a twenty-something young brunette named Ms.Lovett, had decorated the door like a giant igloo, something Ava had talked about for weeks. Lara knocked, waiting until the teacher opened the door for her, and she stepped in. Two other mothers had already arrived and were setting up the refreshments on a long table in the back of the room. The children’s handmade ornaments hung from the ceiling and red and green streamers draped the walls.
Lara scanned the room for Ava but didn’t see her at her desk. She swept her gaze over the children on the floor building with blocks, then the art area, but she wasn’t there either.
She turned to the teacher. “Where’s Ava?”
Ms.Lovett arched a brow. “That’s what I was going to ask you. I thought maybe she stayed home this morning and was coming to school with you.”
Lara’s pulse jumped. “What are you talking about? She caught the bus this morning.”
Confusion clouded the teacher’s face. “Ms.Truman, Ava never showed up at school today. They tried to call you from the office but said there was no answer, so I assumed you were bringing her.”
She’d been in such a hurry to make it to the party she hadn’t bothered to check her messages. Pure panic seized Lara and the cupcakes slid from her hand. Ms.Lovett caught them before they hit the floor and set them on the table. The other two mothers turned with questioning eyes, aware something was wrong.
“What do you mean she never showed up?” Lara asked. “She was so happy this morning, she ran out the door with her backpack and her book and…”And you didn’t walk her to the bus…
Fear clawed at her, and she rushed over to Jenny Mathis, Ava’s friend who she always shared a seat with. “Jenny, honey, did you see Ava this morning on the bus?”
Jenny’s hazel eyes widened, and she shook her head. “She wasn’t at the bus stop.”
“What?” Lara gently took the little girl’s arms.“Are you sure?”
Jenny bobbed her head up and down, her lip quivering. Lara realized she was scaring the child and released her, softening her tone. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” Lara said. “I’m just worried. I thought she got on the bus.”
“I saved her a seat but she didn’t come.” The other mothers exchanged worried looks, and Lara thought she was going to be sick.
She choked back a cry of panic and turned to Ms.Lovett. “Call the bus driver. See if she saw Ava.”
Terror darkened the young woman’s face, and she asked the other mothers to monitor the party. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Lara was so terrified she could barely move, but the teacher nudged her arm. “Come with me, we need to talk to the principal and that driver.”
The waver in Ms.Lovett’s voice catapulted Lara from her stupor, and she found herself running down the hall behind Ava’s teacher. As soon as they reached the principal’s office, she gave a quick knock on the door but didn’t bother to wait until Mrs.Remington answered. She burst into the room and told the principal what had happened.
“I thought she was here,” Lara said in a strained voice. “That she got on the bus and was at school all morning.”
“What bus does she ride?” Mrs.Remington asked, reaching for her phone.
“Number seventeen,” Lara cried. “The driver is Terry Barker. I met her when school started.”
Mrs.Remington gestured for her to wait a second, then she consulted her contact list and called the number. “Terry, this is the principal at Crooked Creek Elementary. Did Ava Truman get on the bus this morning? It would have been the stop nearest Honeysuckle Lane.”
Lara’s heart pounded as she waited. Then the principal looked up at her, shaking her head, and Lara’s world completely crumbled.
Six
Ellie clenched her hands together as she studied her boss, Captain Hale. Judging from the deep frown lines around his eyes and his furrowed brows, something was wrong.
“Five-year-old little girl, Ava Truman, is missing,” he said. “Mother said she ran to the bus stop, but apparently never got on the bus.”
Ellie’s heart stuttered, and she stood, instantly alert. “Where’s the mother now?”
“The school,” he replied. “They were having a holiday party and she took cupcakes in for the kids. That’s when she realized her daughter didn’t make it to school.” He wiped sweat from his forehead. “Principal made the call. The mom is terrified. Bus driver claims she didn’t see the child at all this morning.”
“What about the father?”
“Don’t know yet,” he said.
She pulled her keys from inside her desk. “If she disappeared this morning, that was hours ago. Issue an Amber Alert. I’ll go talk to the mother. I’ll get Deputy Eastwood to meet me at the school. Have Deputy Landrum start searching the area around where the Trumans live.”
