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“Bryce, that is not what happened. I think Kaylee’s disappearance is connected to the abduction of two other kids. One is Ava Truman.”
Bryce’s beard stubble rustled as he raked his hand across his chin. “Why do you think that?”
“Ava was abducted exactly one year to the day that Kaylee went missing.” She fisted her hands on her hips. “And when Priscilla decided to meet Angelica, someone tried to kill her.”
Interest sparked in his eyes, but his mouth flattened into a thin line. The stubborn man hated to admit when he was wrong.
“If we’re on to something and the girls’ kidnapper murdered Renee and then attempted to kill Priscilla, they might come back and try to finish the job.” She pinned him with a look that warned him not to argue. “Or if this person is panicked, they might try to flee the state or country. I need you to stay here and protect Priscilla while I find out who hurt her.”
“But—”
“No buts, Bryce. If you’d dug into Priscilla’s story, she might not be in the hospital now. We could have saved time, and maybe Ava and Kaylee wouldn’t still be missing.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and strode away from him. She had three precious little girls to find. And the clock was ticking.
One Hundred Seventeen
Honeysuckle Lane
Lara’s coffee threatened to come up as she flipped off the news. She’d been struggling to hold on to hope that the police would find Ava before Christmas.
But the reporter’s story about the forgotten children sent a wave of despair over her. One of those little girls had been missing an entire year and the other six months. How had their parents gone on day after day?
She walked over to the tree, her lungs straining for air as she looked at the reindeer ornament Ava had made with the two different colored eyes. It was her favorite.
How could she survive without Ava?
Jasper’s footsteps echoed on the deck outside as he paced back and forth. He’d just talked to that FBI agent and learned that Autumn had been involved in the child kidnapping ring, although they were certain that she hadn’t taken Ava. Her head spun with it all.
She hugged her arms around her waist, her fear so mind-numbing she felt as if her legs would give way.Where are you, baby?
The twinkling lights of the Christmas tree painted the family room in colors. Tonight, she and Ava would have set out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer and readThe Night Before Christmasin their matching holiday pajamas.
And in the morning… Ava would crawl in her bed and wake her and they’d race into the living room to see what Santa had left. In her mind, she could hear Ava’s squeal of delight at the wiggling puppy she’d reserved for her.
Now the quiet was unbearable.
She walked back to the kitchen where she’d put the stockings she’d purchased. Today, she’d planned for her and Ava to fill them for the seniors at the nursing home nearby. Stomach churning, she set the bags on the table and laid the stockings across the kitchen bar.
Did she have the heart to do it without Ava?
Her daughter’s voice echoed in her head, “Why do we go there?” Ava had asked last year.
Lara closed her eyes as the sweet memory washed over her. Although money had been tight, she scrimped and saved and clipped coupons all year so she could still help the needy. “Because some of those people have no family, honey. They’re lonely and we can be their family for a little while.”
Ava had nodded, grabbed a stocking and began to stuff it. Together they worked, adding warm socks, hand lotions, body spray, new toothbrushes and toothpaste, and soft warm scarves for winter. Even inside the rooms, the patients got cold and needed the comfort of being wrapped up. Ava had made cards and they added those last.
On the way to the nursing home, they’d picked up cinnamon muffins and peppermint candies. Ava had held her hand, timid, as they went in, but when she saw the excited smiles on the older people’s faces, Ava beamed herself. All year, she’d been asking if they could go back this year.
Emotions welled in Lara’s throat, but she made a snap decision. Those people were lonely and so was she. They didn’t deserve to be let down.
She’d just pretend Ava was with her. And when Ava came home, she’d carry her to visit them.
One Hundred Eighteen
Somewhere on the AT
Ava’s eyes widened as she saw herself in the mirror. “It’s all wrong. You colored it,” she whispered.
