He quickly assessed the woman. She had a grandmotherly look about her, and when she softly whispered into the boy’s ear and rearranged the teddy bear he was clutching, Kellan instantly knew she was a safe bet.
So where was Leah?
He caught the woman’s eye and she must have known what he was thinking, because her face bunched with distress and she shook her head.
The woman wouldn’t be able to talk fast enough when it came to telling him this story.
He stepped forward and spoke gently, “You must be Grammy Jane.”
She nodded. “Chief Marks?”
“Yes.” The word came out as a croak and she smiled in response.
Embarrassed, he quickly pointed to his office and swallowed the boulder in his throat. “Please, come through.”
It wasn’t until the woman was sitting down in a chair that the little boy finally emerged, his head popping up to check out the new surroundings.
Yes, it was Arnold Watson. His hair was shorter, but other than that, he looked exactly like the photo they’d had pinned on the bulletin board for the last five months.
Arnold’s eyes were red-rimmed and instant fear swamped his expression. He clutched the yellow teddy to his chest and shrank against the woman.
Putting on a soft smile, Kellan crouched down to the boy’s level. “Hey, little guy. I’m Chief Marks. I know your friend, Leah. You’re Arnold, right?”
The boy bobbed his head, still holding the bear like it was some kind of lifeline. His voice was small and barely audible when he whispered, “Leah said you were safe. That I was s’posed to talk to you.”
“That’s good, buddy. I’m glad she said that.”
“You’re going to get me to my mama?”
“You bet.” Kellan glanced over his shoulder. Blaine was hovering in the doorway, exactly the way Kellan needed him to.
Standing tall, he moved to the door and gave Blaine a few soft instructions. “Call Arnold’s mother and let her know he’s here. Better yet, offer to go get her. Solomon is only forty-five minutes away. It’ll be a quick run at this time of night. On your way there, call Agent Stein.” Kellan grabbed his notepad off the desk and ripped off the number, handing it to Blaine. “Inform her that Arnold is at the station with us. She’s going to send some agents over.”
“Got it.” Blaine nodded.
“And let Melina know. I’ve already given her a heads-up and she’s on her way in, but she’ll probably want an update on the situation before she arrives.”
Blaine nodded again and then disappeared while Kellan checked his watch and hoped to God the FBI were working slowly tonight. He really wanted a little time with Arnold first, so he could ask some of his own questions and find out why Leah wasn’t with them.
Pulling in a calming breath, he perched on the edge of the spare chair and leaned his elbows on his knees.
“So, one of my officers is going to get your mom now. She’ll be here soon, okay?”
The boy blinked, two little dimples appearing as he bobbed his head.
“While we’re waiting for her, could you tell me why Leah isn’t with you? What happened?”
“Well she just took off,” Jane answered for him. “After she hung up the phone, she gave me clear instructions to drive Arnie to the police station and to ask for Chief Kellan Marks. Then she crouched down, whispered something in his ear and snuck out of my trailer while I was collecting my keys. She just ran into the night and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop her.” The woman’s voice rose, the distress clear on her face.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Kellan gave her a kind smile. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I just feel so terrible. She was just a kid. She gave me some story about being out past curfew and breaking up with her boyfriend and then finding Arnie in a field. She seemed kind of anxious and agitated. Then she said you were her uncle and how she didn’t want me to call 911. I figured she’d been drinking and you were her safe bet, but then she just took off.”
“She had to go back,” the boy spoke up, his voice wobbling as tears filled his eyes. “She told me I had to be brave and if I was brave enough I’d get to see Mama again. She also said to tell you she’s sorry, but she couldn’t stay. She has work to do.”
Kellan frowned, an unexpected fear clutching his stomach. “What does that mean?”
The boy’s tears began to overflow, a couple trickling free when he closed his eyes. “Are you going to take me to Mama?”
“She’s coming here, buddy. Don’t you worry.” Kellan looked to the woman again. “Did she say anything else before she left?”
The woman shook her head. “She seemed worried about getting in trouble with her parents. I’m guessing she left so she could sneak back home unnoticed.”
“Robin’s not her dad,” Arnold mumbled.
Kellan flinched and looked across at him, his heart rate accelerating as another little crack appeared in the case. He licked his lips and made sure his voice was light and even. “Who’s Robin?”
The little boy shied away from the question, his eyes rounding just the way Leah’s had when she’d uttered her name in the jail cell. Like Leah, this little kid thought he was about to get in big trouble, and Kellan had a feeling he wouldn’t get much out of him if he kept up a questioning approach.
Jane rubbed circles on the boy’s back, speaking over his head. “He started sobbing like a baby when she first left. Took me a while to calm him. I imagine he’s tired, but it did make me wonder if that girl’s story is really true. About her just finding him. They seemed to have a stronger connection than that.”
Kellan nodded but didn’t say anything.
Leaning back in his chair, he gazed at the little boy. Half of him was elated that Arnold Watson had been found and was about to be reunited with his mother. It was in direct contrast to the other half of him that was being eaten alive by the fact that Leah wasn’t with him. By the sounds of it, she’d chosen to run back to this Robin guy.
But why?
What possible work did she have to do?
And what would happen to her when she returned without Arnold?
37
Thursday, October 4th
1:25am
Leah’s lungs were burning, her heart beating so hard and fast she thought it might explode.
Leaving Bobby had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. Part of her had wanted to stay and be rescued too, but the brave part of her screamed that she had to go back. She couldn’t leave her friends. She had to save them all, convince them Robin was a liar. That he’d taken them away and tricked them into thinking he was their savior.
The night creatures squawked and hooted as she tore down the embankment, back toward the stream. She hoped she was going in the right direction. She could have been miles off, but she had to keep pushing. She had to make it back before sunrise.
She’d already worked out a story to explain Bobby’s disappearance, so all she had to do was sneak back into the barn and hope that no one would wake while she was doing it.
Stumbling over an invisible tree root, she landed with a thud.
“Ouch! Shit!” She scrambled back to her feet, ignoring the sting in her hands and knees. Rubbing her cold fingers together, she took a shaky step forward and peered into the darkness. The moon must have gone behind a cloud, because she had no light to follow.
Tremors worked their way up her body as she tried to regulate her breathing. It was impossible. Panic was setting in, kicking her heart rate up and making her breaths come out as punchy excuses for breathing.
The urge to crumple into a ball and hug her knees was overpowering. She could just rock and whimper until the sun came up.
But she couldn’t do that.
If she was caught—if Robin found out what she’d done—he’d lock her away before she could rescue anybody.
Tears sprang onto her lashes.
“No,” she hissed, rubbing them away before they could fall.
; She had to get back.
She had to make it back.
“Move forward, Leah. Move.”
The stream had to be around somewhere. Straining for the sound of bubbling water, she inched forward into the darkness—the big, ominous darkness that wanted to swallow her whole.
Taking a few tentative steps, she forced air through her nose and kept walking.
Her body was Jell-O on a plate, wobbling and uncertain.
Each step felt like she was on the edge of a black abyss. Would she fall into the great big nothing?
“Move,” she panted when her legs were begging her to stop. “Move.”
And so she did.
One inch at a time, she struggled through the darkness until it had captured her on all sides.
Flailing her hands in front of her, she stretched out looking for something to hold onto, but all she caught was a dream.
The air in her lungs turned icy.
A dream?
Or a memory?
A little girl, lost in the woods, searching for her parents.
Scared. Alone. Panicking.
Suddenly Leah was falling, her body crashing to the earth as another tree root tripped her up. A sharp pain sliced the back of her elbow and she cried out, unable to deny the tears.
Falling back onto her butt, she squeezed her elbow. Wet blood coated her fingers. And the dream took her once more.
Fear. Woods. Darkness.
“Daddy? Daddy where are you? Mommy! I’m lost! I’m scared!” She started to cry, big ugly tears that streamed down her face and shook her body. Her chest heaved as she wandered in circles. At least she thought it might be circles. She couldn’t tell.
It was dark.
It was scary.
“Hey,” a soft voice cooed.
She gasped and jerked away from the shadowy figure slowly approaching her. His flashlight illuminated the ground at his feet but then rose into the air as he raised his hand up. “Hey, it’s okay. Are you lost?”
She nodded, grateful for the beam of light she could focus on. “I can’t find my daddy. He told me to stay by the lake, but I wanted to explore and now I can’t find him anymore. I shouldn’t have run so fast.” A sob caught in her throat and she whimpered, tears dripping off the end of her chin.
“That’s okay.” The man crouched down, his face murky in the darkness. “Being a fast runner is a good thing. Like a cheetah.”
A short giggle burst out of her. Cheetahs were her first favorite animal. She liked panthers too, but cheetahs had those spots. She liked the spots. And Mommy always used the best voices when she read her Cheetah the Champion Chaser.
“Come on.” The man stood and held out his hand to her. “Take my hand and I’ll help you find your parents.”
She hesitated for a moment. She wasn’t supposed to talk to strangers, but this man was nice. He had a kind voice and was going to help her.
So she took his big, strong hand and whispered, “Thank you.”
Relief flooded through her as they followed his flashlight beam through the woods. The bushes and trees were thick and close together, but he seemed to know where he was going, so she followed him, desperate to see her parents again. They might be mad, but maybe when they saw how scared she was, they’d give her hugs and kisses.
She smiled.
They would.
Her daddy would squeeze her tight and promise to never let her go again.
The man started to slow and she glanced up, catching a glimpse of a white van on the road ahead.
And something inside of her gripped tight. A feeling. A warning.
She went to rip her hand free, but the man held on tight.
“I’ve got you, sweetie. Don’t you worry.”
“I want to go home.”
“That’s where I’m taking you.” His reply was simple, but still it felt wrong.
Digging her heels in, she tugged to get out of his grasp. “Let me go! I don’t want to go with you anymore.”
“Hey,” he snapped. “Quit struggling, kid. I’m trying to help you.”
She yanked and fought, waving her arm up and down. He captured her wrist and pulled her, hard.
It hurt and she cried out, trying again for freedom.
She managed to slip from his grasp and quickly spun, sprinting into the bushes. He came after her, his loud footsteps monstrous as he crashed through the bush.
Panic clawed her insides, sobs punching out of her as she pumped her arms. Suddenly the ground tipped to the side and she rolled her ankle, stumbling down the small, dark slope. She cried out when she hit the ground. A sharp sting pinched her hand.
Blood.
She could feel the wetness.
She must have cut herself when she fell, and Mommy wasn’t there to put on a Band-Aid.
Tears overtook her again.
“Come here.” A gruff voice made her scream and she spun to face the monster, shuffling away from him until she crashed back against a prickly bush. She yelped and tried to scramble to her feet, but her hair had caught on the thorns. She struggled to free it, yanking the ribbon out of her hair.
The man snatched her arm and hauled her up.
“You’re coming with me!” he barked. “I’m helping you.”
It didn’t feel like it.
“Let me go,” she whimpered, once again trying to tug her arm out of his grasp.
And once again he pulled back, swinging her around until her head went crack and everything disappeared.
Her eyes snapped open. She was panting and sweating. Her elbow still hurt.
The dream had gone, but she could still feel it.
Like it was a memory, one she’d never had before.
What was happening to her?
Those flashes in her mind were scarily clear.
Did that make them real?
She groped the tree behind her and forced herself to stand, suddenly unsure if going back was the right thing to do.
But her friends.
Cricket.
JJ.
“Leah!” A sharp voice made her jump. She jerked with a gasp and squinted against the flashlight shining on her face. “Oh thank God,” someone muttered before lowering the light and racing toward her.
The person was puffing and agitated when they reached her and it wasn’t until he was less than a foot away that she finally realized who it was.
JJ snatched her arm, his voice shaking when he asked, “What the hell are you doing out here?”
She wanted to crumple into his strength, rest her forehead against his chest and dissolve into a puddle of tears.
But she couldn’t do any of those things. All she could do was stare at him.
He huffed. “Robin is going ballistic. He’s gotten everybody up. We’ve been looking for you everywhere! Where’s Bobby?”
Shit. It was too late. She’d been caught.
Leah’s heart felt like it’d stopped beating. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t see past the haze of fear that was taking over her senses.
“He’s not with you?” JJ sounded really worried.
With a heavy sigh, he ran a hand through his hair. It flopped back over his face, hiding his expression.
“Come on, let’s head back. Maybe one of the others has found him.”
When he snatched her arm, she hissed and he quickly shone the flashlight over her.
“You’re hurt.” His voice hitched as he spotted the blood trickling down her arm. “Why didn’t you say?” His tone had softened, his grip on her arm loosening. “Leah? What’s wrong? Why aren’t you talking?”
She shook her head, still unable to form any words. Instead her eyes flooded with tears and JJ let her off the hook.
Gently brushing his fingers down her cheek, he whispered, “It’s okay. I’ll take you back to the house and get you cleaned up. At least we’ve found one of you.”
Without another word, he helped her down the slope. With the flashlight guiding them, the stream was easy to find. They cr
ossed it and headed up to the fence and the expanse of cornfields.
As they walked in silence through the tall stalks, Leah’s mind began to reel.
The closer they got to the barn, the house…the bunker, the more Leah felt like she was walking toward death row.
They shuffled through the cornfields in silence, Leah freaking out the whole time.
Robin knew she’d snuck out.
Of course he did. He wasn’t stupid.
What was he going to do with her?
As soon as they were in sight of the house, JJ started calling out, “I’ve found Leah! I’ve found her.”
Leah cringed and wished he’d shut the hell up, but she couldn’t find the voice to tell him.
Fear had clamped its talons around her throat, her heart, her stomach. Its grip only tightened as they reached the house.
Robin stood there on the porch. His feet were planted apart like a soldier at ease, but his arms were crossed and the look on his face was murderous.
Oh yeah, he knew what she’d done.
And the repercussions for her were not going to be good.
38
Thursday, October 4th
2:15am
Kellan stepped out of his office, relief flooding him the second he saw Melina walking through the station.
Jane and Arnold were still snuggled up in his office. Arnold had stopped crying, but was obviously still distressed. The singing teddy bear was no longer cutting it, and Grammy Jane was running out of words.
But now Melina was here—the woman with the lullaby voice that could soothe anybody. She’d be the perfect balm until Blaine arrived with Arnold’s mother.
After the way he’d dismissed Melina, she’d left him alone. Kellan had wondered if it was out of anger, but when he saw her gentle smile as she approached him, he realized once again that Melina wasn’t like that. She’d probably left him alone for his sake and he berated himself for being such a jerk.
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