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“Don’t sweat what Bryce thinks,” Derrick said. “You put Ava first and went by the law. That’s being a smart cop, not acting on emotions and playing judge and jury.”
Ellie shrugged and poured herself a vodka. Derrick accepted the bourbon she offered him, and they carried the food and drink to the table, where Derrick had already set up his laptop with Autumn’s beside it.
Yawning, Ellie felt brain-dead and exhausted with worry, but realized she needed fuel so she nibbled on the burger and fries, then forced herself to slowly sip the vodka. One drink was her limit tonight. She needed a clear head. She couldn’t imagine how Lara was managing.
Derrick inhaled his food as if he hadn’t eaten in days, then tossed his wrappers in the trash and returned to search Autumn’s computer. His expression grew darker and darker as he searched, then he rocked back in his chair with a labored sigh.
“What did you find?”
He tapped the table with his knuckles. “Autumn looked at a brokerage site for children on the dark web. It’s called MWC.”
Goosebumps skated over Ellie’s skin. “MWC?”
He nodded grimly. “Mother Wants Child.”
Ellie went cold all over.
Sixty
Somewhere on the AT
Ava had been petulant and pouty all afternoon, but the girl would learn. It would just take patience. One day she’d accept that her mommy was gone, and she’d learn to love her. Kaylee had taken a while and then Becky… although Becky was the sickly one.
She didn’t know what she was going to do about that.
Now, her husband was in there giving Becky her medicine. She’d made Kaylee and Ava take theirs, and they were watchingRudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. That would occupy them for a while. It washerfavorite movie!
Silas came out of Becky’s room, his hair disheveled, his brows pinched together. “For God’s sake, I can’t believe you brought Ava here. Have you seen the news?”
She shook her head. “No, and I won’t allow you to ruin this holiday for me.”
“For you?” he barked. “You can’t just keep collecting children. It’s illegal.”
Her eyes bore into his. “So what are you going to do? Tell on me?” She poked him in the chest. “You’ll lose everything then because I’ll tell everyone it was your idea.”
A vein throbbed in his neck, then his anger melted like snow on a hot day. Guilt replaced it, making his eyes look flat and lifeless.
Guilt he deserved, she reminded herself.
For a tense heartbeat, he stared at her as if he didn’t know who she was anymore, but she ignored him, made herself a cup of hot tea, then slipped over to her desk and opened her computer. If Ava’s disappearance was all over the news, the police would be looking for her.
Although no one knew where they were. They were far away from town and other people, and it would stay that way. She didn’t need other people anyway.
Just her family.
Still, she had to check on Kaylee’s aunt Priscilla and Becky’s mother. Last month, she’d discovered that Jan Hornsby organized a Facebook group for mothers of missing children, and she’d checked it out.
Kaylee’s aunt had joined it and the two women had become chummy.
She didn’t like that one little bit. But as long as all they did was bitch and moan, she’d leave them alone. She’d already taken too many chances and couldn’t risk bringing attention to herself. She never chimed in, just kept an eye on them.
She skimmed the posts today, her hands shaking as she read the exchange. Priscilla had made the connection that Kaylee and Ava had disappeared on the same day.
Then Jan’s comment: It could mean something. Maybe you should call that detective in Crooked Creek.
She gripped the table edge. Her chest hurt as she gasped and struggled for air. Those two women were trouble. If they started piecing things together, she’d have to put a stop to it.
An image of Renee’s trusting face just before she’d died taunted her. She hadn’t let Renee interfere. She wouldn’t let Priscilla or Jan either.
