AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ellie patted her arm. “Her height and weight?”
Lara blinked away tears. “I don’t know exactly. But last time we marked it on the wall, she was about three feet ten, maybe. And I think she weighed about forty-five pounds.”
“Thanks, Lara, that’s really helpful.” Ellie texted the captain the description, then asked him to forward it to Angelica Gomez, her half-sister and the reporter who’d covered the recent cases she’d worked. The more people they had looking for Ava the better.
“I promise you we’ll do everything we can to find Ava and bring her home,” Ellie said softly. “Now let’s sit down. I need to ask you a few more questions.” She coaxed the mother onto a loveseat in the corner.
“You spoke with the bus driver?” Ellie asked Ms.Remington.
“Yes, she said Ava wasn’t at the stop.”
“And you’re certain the bus driver didn’t see Ava?” Ellie asked the principal.
The woman’s eyes widened as if she was surprised Ellie would ask. “Our employees are vetted. And Terry has been driving for us for fifteen years. The kids all love her and so do the parents.”
“Can you pull a list of all the children who rode that bus so we can talk to them?” Ellie asked. “I don’t want to scare them, but maybe one of them saw something.”
“Of course.” Mrs.Remington went to her computer, clicked a few keys, then printed out a list.
Ellie turned to Shondra. “Walk Ms.Lovett to the classroom. And Ms.Lovett,” she said, directing a look at her. “Please ask the children if they saw Ava this morning. Maybe she was on the street or wandered off.”
“Her little friend Jenny said she wasn’t at the bus stop,” replied the teacher. “But I’ll talk to the others.”
Shondra exchanged a worried look with Ellie before following the teacher from the office.
The principal stood, a list in her hand. “I’ll check with the students in other classes who ride that bus.”
Ellie thanked her, hoping that one of them saw something as the principal left the room.
Knowing she had to explore every possibility, and that required using all the manpower they had, she texted her boss and asked if the sheriff could verify the bus driver’s story.
Lara was rocking herself back and forth, tears streaming down her face as she mumbled her daughter’s name over and over. She appeared to be going into shock. Ellie noticed bottled water on the credenza behind the principal’s desk.
She offered one to Lara, but the woman only shook her head and glared at her.
“I don’t want water, I want Ava,” she said through her sobs.
Ellie placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “I know you’re upset and worried, but I’m here to help,” she assured her. “I need you to take a deep breath and talk to me. Tell me everything that happened this morning.”
Lara clutched Ellie’s hands, her fingernails digging into Ellie’s arms. “She was so excited about the party. They were having pizza and I made cupcakes with sprinkles, and she had a book to donate to the children’s hospital.” Her voice broke off.
“Go on,” Ellie said gently. “Any detail, no matter how small, might help.”
She nodded, sniffing and wiping at her nose, then the words seem to spill from her. “It was time for the bus and Ava yelled she needed to go, but the smoke alarm went off and I had a migraine and ran to get the cupcakes out of the oven so they wouldn’t burn. I… couldn’t take burned cupcakes to the children!” Another sob was wrenched from deep within her gut and she doubled over, holding her stomach as if she physically needed to or she’d come apart. “I told her to wait… but by the time I put the cupcakes on the counter, she’d run out the door.”
“How far is the bus stop from your house?” Ellie asked, keeping her voice neutral.
“Only a couple of blocks, but it’s around the curve near the park,” she choked out.
“Where is your house on her route?” Ellie asked. “First house? Last?”
“About midway,” Lara said. “It’s usually about half full when Ava gets on.”
Ellie gave a little nod. “Has Ava walked to the bus stop by herself before?”
Lara shook her head. “No, I always go with her, but this morning she was in such a hurry… she couldn’t contain herself…” She swiped at more tears. “Where is she? What if some crazy person took her?”
Ellie had dealt with enough depravity to know that was possible. But she didn’t want to exacerbate the woman’s fear by admitting it. “First, let’s cover the basics. Would Ava have wandered off somewhere? Or have gotten into a car with a stranger?”
