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“Oh, my word. I would be, too,” Connie said.
“We’re hoping he has Ava,” Ellie explained. She wanted to question Jasper’s coworkers, but right now she had to divide up the tasks. “Please ask the other employees if Jasper mentioned where he was going and get back to me if they know.”
“Sure thing,” the woman replied.
“Did he ever talk about his wife or Ava?” Ellie asked.
Lara leaned forward, jiggling her leg nervously.
“Not to me,” Connie said. “I don’t cotton to men bashing their wives and the guys around here know it.”
Good for you, Ellie thought. “Thanks, Connie. If you hear from him, try to find out where he is, then please give me a call.”
“Of course,” the receptionist said, her voice filled with concern. “I’ll get on it right away. I know Lara must be going out of her mind.”
After ending the call, Lara tried her husband’s number again. This time, the phone went straight to voicemail, so Ellie texted Derrick and asked him to check out Jasper’s residence. Derrick responded that he would and Ellie said a silent prayer that he would find Ava there safe and sound.
“Come on,” Ellie said gently. “Let’s go back to the class and see if Deputy Eastwood learned anything from the students.”
Lara stood on wobbly legs, clutching a tissue in one hand and her phone in the other as they walked down the hall.
“Jasper has to have her, he has to,” Lara whispered. “He just has to.”
Ellie’s chest squeezed with emotions. The alternatives were not a place she wanted to go.
As they reached the classroom, Shondra let them in. The holiday party was underway, the students chattering and laughing as they gobbled pizza. Lara walked over to the table and studied the display of glittery ornaments the kids had made. Her body shook silently as she picked up a silver and pink round ball that must have been Ava’s.
Ms.Lovett curved an arm around Lara, quietly comforting her, while two other mothers roamed through the rows of desks handing out cupcakes and shooting furtive worried looks to each other. Once this story aired, all the parents in town would be panicking.
Ellie angled her head toward Shondra. “Did any of the students see Ava this morning?” she asked under her breath.
Shondra shook her head. “Afraid not.”
“Lara and her husband Jasper are separated. We called Jasper to see if Ava was with him, but he didn’t answer,” Ellie said quietly. “According to the receptionist where he worked, he was taking a couple of days off.”
“You think he took her?” Shondra’s eyes narrowed.
Ellie shrugged. “We have to consider it. The principal is talking to other students who rode that bus. Wait here and check with her before you leave. Maybe one of them saw something.” She gestured toward Lara. “I’m going to follow her home, take a look around the house and the neighborhood.”
As she walked over to Lara, she kept her voice low. “Let’s go back to your house. I want you to show me the exact route Ava takes to the bus stop.”
Lara clutched the Christmas ornament in her hands and silently followed Ellie to the door. The other mothers gave her sympathetic looks, and a little dark-haired girl with brown eyes ran up and wrapped her arms around Lara’s legs.
“I hope Ava isn’t lost too long,” she said. “I miss her.”
Fresh tears filled Lara’s eyes as she hugged the little girl.
Determination fueled Ellie. A missing child was every parent’s worst nightmare. Ellie had a feeling every mother in town would be clinging to their own children tonight.
Eight
Honeysuckle Lane
The moment they stepped into Lara’s kitchen, the emptiness hit Lara like a fist in the gut. The kitchen was still a mess from where she’d hurriedly decorated the cupcakes. Sprinkles dotted the counter and the mixing bowl still sat in the sink along with Ava’s cereal bowl and empty juice cup. The pieces of the snowman puzzle she and Ava had been working on were scattered across the table.
The detective glanced around the room, her eyes assessing. “Looks like you were busy this morning.”
Lara rubbed her temple where her headache was starting to build again. The change in the barometric pressure always triggered her migraines. “Mornings usually are. But this morning I had a migraine and then the smoke alarm went off.” She glanced out the window. “You know, we bought this house because of the honeysuckle along the back. When we first moved in, you could smell it all the way to the back porch. Ava loved it.”
