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“I don’t know, love. She’s been hurt by women. Maybe she’d be leery of asking a woman for help. We need to consider all of Sean’s closest friends. Maybe start with some of his workers and see who he hung out with.”
“Mason might have more evidence gleaned from his initial investigation. He wouldn’t have necessarily been looking for casual acquaintances like we are. I think I’ll call him.”
She reached for her phone and placed the call. “Mason, it’s Annie.”
“I was about to call you. The Child Abduction Rapid Deployment coordinator is on her way. She works out of the Marquette FBI field office. Having CARD on our side will be a big help.”
She tried to feel a sense of relief, but Kylie was still gone and not in her arms. Annie had no idea what might be happening to her daughter right now. Her thoughts were crazy-making. For the first time Annie fully understood how her parents felt when Sarah went missing. They’d lived for years never knowing what had happened. How had they gone on every day?
Tears gathered in her throat. “Great. Listen, Sarah had tohave had help. Someone picked her up. The only one she knew in this area was Sean. But what if she contacted a friend of Sean’s for help? Did you run into anything when you went through his house? Who were his best friends? Was he dating anyone? That kind of thing.”
“We didn’t find anything of value in Sean’s house. And we don’t know for sure Sarah took her,” Mason reminded her. “But let me pull my records and see if anything stands out that will give us a lead. We questioned his friends, and we knew he dated Lissa Sanchez at one time but found no other person of interest. I should have something for us by the time you get to my office to meet up with Siela.”
“Siela?”
“The CARD coordinator. Siela Cheng.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. I am having trouble thinking.”
“I know you are. This is very difficult, but we’re doing everything we can.”
Platitudes. Annie had never realized how much they hurt when you’re waiting for answers. “Jon and I are heading in now. What about the ransom? Did she say whether we should start gathering cash?”
“No, she said she’d discuss options when she got here. Her ETA is half an hour.”
He must have known for a while she was on her way. At least it wouldn’t be another hour. She desperately wanted her baby girl back in her arms, and she’d move the Porcupine Mountains to find her.
Thirty-Two
Jon could feel the tension vibrating off Annie as he parked the truck in front of the jail. He leaned over and took her hand. “Hang in there, love. We’re going to find her.”
She held tightly to his fingers. “Jon, I’m in law enforcement. Seventy-fivepercent of abducted children are killed in the first three hours.” Her voice broke, and tears spilled down her cheeks. “What if she’s already dead? Oh, Jon, what if she’s dead?”
The wail from Annie broke his heart and echoed his own fears. He gathered her into his arms. “We have to keep the faith, Annie. Try not to focus on the statistics but the fact that God is good and he has us and Kylie in his hands.”
Her head bobbed against his chest. “I know, I know. But, Jon, Mason reminded me we don’t even know who has her. I had a bit of hope when I was sure it was Sarah. She cares about Kylie, and I didn’t think she would hurt her. But what if it’s not Sarah? What if someone else has both of them?”
“What’s your process when you work a crime?”
“Gather the evidence and stay focused on one step at a time.”
“So that’s what we do right now too. We need to stay focused on what’s in front of us and what we can do in this moment to find our Kylie. You’re a good investigator. Do your best to pushyour fears aside and use those skills to find her. I’m the pot calling the kettle black because I’m scared too. But we can do this together.”
Moisture clung to her lashes, and her lips trembled. “I know you’re right. We have a little bit to go on. I’m going to assume Sarah has her until we find evidence to the contrary because at least it’s a lead. We always look at the evidence as it comes in. It’s all we can do right now.”
He pressed a kiss on her forehead. “Let’s go see what Mason’s found out.”
He released her and opened his door. The sudden movement made him a little dizzy, but he held on to the door to hide it from Annie. She’d try to get him to rest, and he wasn’t going to stop trying to find his daughter.
She came around the front of the truck to join him and watched a black SUV pull to a stop behind them. A woman in her early thirties got out. Dressed in a pair of gray slacks and matching blazer over a white shirt, she hurried toward the jail in sensible pumps. Her long black hair was tied back at her nape, and she walked with a confident stride. She was likely the FBI coordinator Mason had mentioned, Siela Cheng. She probably got grief about her name all the time when she was in high school.
He stepped in front of her. “Agent Cheng?”
Her dark-brown eyes looked him over. “And you are?”
“Kylie’s father, Jon Dunstan.” He reached for Annie. “This is Annie, her mother. Did the sheriff tell you I received a ransom demand? I’ve been waiting to find out if I need to begin the process of acquiring the money, and it’s already getting late in the afternoon. What should I do?”
“Mr. Dunstan, let’s go inside to a room where we can discuss next steps. I’m so sorry you and your wife are going through this. I need to gather some information before I can answer your question. If you’ll lead the way, we can get this done quickly.”
