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Ava wanted to scream again, but her voice wouldn’t work, and she looked out at the woods again. Her legs wobbled as the lady led her back to the living room.
Her breakfast was gone now. Kaylee stood by the Christmas tree in the angel costume and black shiny leather shoes with a big red bow in her hair. The lady dragged the other angel costume over Ava’s head and pajamas then straightened the wings.
She brushed Ava’s hair and clipped the bow in place.
Ava felt tears running into her mouth, but stood still, too afraid to do anything.
“You’re on stage now,” the lady said as she gently pushed Ava toward Kaylee. Then she started the music and Ava wanted to cry all over again. It was the same music from the Angel Pageant. Kaylee gave her an odd look then took her hand. She began to dance and sing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, nudging Ava to join in.
She didn’t feel like singing or dancing but the lady pointed a finger at her and gave her a look like Mommy did when she meant business. Ava closed her eyes and pretended she was dancing for her real mommy, and that when she spread her angel wings, she could fly back home, way high over the forest and the wild animals until she was back in her bed with Bunny.
Eighty-Five
Big Boulder
Priscilla had lain awake all night thinking about that phone call with the sheriff. She should have known the police wouldn’t help her.
Over her morning chamomile tea, she flipped on the TV to watch the morning news.
“Angelica Gomez, Channel Five News, coming to you from Crooked Creek again,” said the local reporter on the screen. “Folks, it’s day three that six-year-old Ava Truman has been missing and her parents are desperate for answers.
“While Detective Ellie Reeves has no new updates that she can share at the moment, she had this to say. ‘I want to assure the public that we are doing everything within our power to find Ava Truman. At this point, we are working a substantial lead and hope to have more information on this development soon. Again, anyone with information regarding Ava’s disappearance or her whereabouts, please call the police ASAP.’”
Priscilla’s phone dinged, signaling a Facebook post. Checking it, she saw it was from Jan.
Did you decide to call that detective?
Her fingers flew over the keys:I did but he brushed me off.
Jan:People think I’m crazy, too, because I haven’t given up looking for my Becky. But I’ll never give up.
Priscilla inhaled a deep breath and glanced back at the reporter on the news.I’ll call Angelica Gomez. If the police won’t listen, maybe she will.
Eighty-Six
Somewhere on the AT
All she’d ever wanted was a child.
As a little girl she’d played with baby dolls, pretending to feed them and rock them and cuddle them. She’d dreamed of a big family with lots of children running around laughing and playing. And for a second in time, she’d thought that dream would come true.
Then… that awful, horrible day had happened…
And she’d lost everything.
She closed her eyes. God help her, she wished she’d died in place of Piper.
“We can have another child,” Silas had said.
But that hadn’t happened. She couldn’t get pregnant.
“We’ll pay for a private adoption,” Silas promised. “I’ll make the arrangements.”
But she couldn’t bring herself to do that either.
The sound of Kaylee and Ava’s low whispers jarred her back to reality. They were making cards for the children’s hospital with markers and glitter, although Ava had clammed up and wasn’t talking again.
All night she’d worried about Becky and that conversation between Priscilla and Jan on that stupid Facebook site. While the girls worked at the table, she checked it again.
