happening. But I honestly believe it’ll be easier on her if she can get her act together. She just needs to feel hopeful about something. Feel good about herself and the future, instead of focusing on the past.”
“What she needs is therapy,” Jake added coolly as he twirled the spaghetti noodles around his fork.
Maybe I was a fool—and too optimistic for my own good—but I genuinely believed that if my sister moved in with me, I’d be able to help her.
Interestingly, it didn’t turn out that way. Not even close.
Riley
Chapter Fifteen
November 13
“Good news.” Detective Miller walked into the kitchen where I was standing at the counter, drinking coffee. “Lieutenant Holmes was able to glean a few more details from your daughter. It’s not much, but it’s something.”
Holmes was a female detective who, no doubt, had a gentler touch than I did. She was still in the living room with Trudy—playing Barbies—while a team of investigators were making their way through the house dusting for prints. Others were outside talking to neighbors.
I set my coffee cup down on the counter. “What did she say?”
He consulted his notepad. “She described the woman as tall, slender with brown hair in a single ponytail. She also described a tattoo on the inside of her forearm, which tells us she may not have been wearing a coat.”
“A tattoo?” That didn’t sit well in my mind. I’d known too many guys in prison with tattoos. “Was she able to describe it?”
Miller hesitated. “She’s only four so her descriptions aren’t exactly articulate. From what we can gather, it’s possibly a word, about seven to ten letters long, but she wasn’t able to tell us what it said.”
“She can’t read yet,” I explained, “but she knows her alphabet. We have a wooden alphabet puzzle. If Lieutenant Holmes wants to give it a try, Trudy might be able to identify some of the letters she saw.”
“That would be helpful. Can you get it?”
I went into Trudy’s room to find the puzzle on her bookshelf, returned to the kitchen and handed it to Detective Miller, who called Holmes into the kitchen.
While Holmes resumed “playing” with Trudy, I went to check on Danny, who was in his room with his portable Nintendo device. “You okay, buddy?” I asked.
He set the device down and sat up on the bed. “Are the police going to find her?”
I moved fully into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “They’re doing everything they can. All we can do is stay positive.”
“What do you mean?”
I squeezed his shoulder. “Think good thoughts. Say prayers. And we need to take care of each other.”
“I already said a prayer,” Danny replied, reaching for a sheet of paper on the bed beside him. “I even wrote it down, like a letter.” He handed it to me. The words were simple, written in light blue marker.
Dear God,
Please take care of my baby sister and help us find her soon. I promise to be good.
Danny James
“This is wonderful,” I said. “I’ll do the same thing.”
I handed the paper back to him but his eyes remained downcast. He was quiet for a long moment until at last his eyes lifted. “Why didn’t you tell me when you picked me up at school? Why did you lie?”
My stomach dropped and I swallowed uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, Danny… I didn’t mean to lie. I just didn’t want to scare you and I was waiting for the right time to tell you and Trudy. I thought maybe we’d find your sister first and then everything would be okay, but you’re right. I should have told you.”
He sat forward and hugged me. “I’m scared, Dad. What if they take me and Trudy, too?”
I held him tight. “They won’t. I promise. Everything’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
But after what happened to my newborn daughter, could I live up to that promise to my son?
*
Holmes was still working with Trudy when I realized I hadn’t called my family in Boston since very early
“What she needs is therapy,” Jake added coolly as he twirled the spaghetti noodles around his fork.
Maybe I was a fool—and too optimistic for my own good—but I genuinely believed that if my sister moved in with me, I’d be able to help her.
Interestingly, it didn’t turn out that way. Not even close.
Riley
Chapter Fifteen
November 13
“Good news.” Detective Miller walked into the kitchen where I was standing at the counter, drinking coffee. “Lieutenant Holmes was able to glean a few more details from your daughter. It’s not much, but it’s something.”
Holmes was a female detective who, no doubt, had a gentler touch than I did. She was still in the living room with Trudy—playing Barbies—while a team of investigators were making their way through the house dusting for prints. Others were outside talking to neighbors.
I set my coffee cup down on the counter. “What did she say?”
He consulted his notepad. “She described the woman as tall, slender with brown hair in a single ponytail. She also described a tattoo on the inside of her forearm, which tells us she may not have been wearing a coat.”
“A tattoo?” That didn’t sit well in my mind. I’d known too many guys in prison with tattoos. “Was she able to describe it?”
Miller hesitated. “She’s only four so her descriptions aren’t exactly articulate. From what we can gather, it’s possibly a word, about seven to ten letters long, but she wasn’t able to tell us what it said.”
“She can’t read yet,” I explained, “but she knows her alphabet. We have a wooden alphabet puzzle. If Lieutenant Holmes wants to give it a try, Trudy might be able to identify some of the letters she saw.”
“That would be helpful. Can you get it?”
I went into Trudy’s room to find the puzzle on her bookshelf, returned to the kitchen and handed it to Detective Miller, who called Holmes into the kitchen.
While Holmes resumed “playing” with Trudy, I went to check on Danny, who was in his room with his portable Nintendo device. “You okay, buddy?” I asked.
He set the device down and sat up on the bed. “Are the police going to find her?”
I moved fully into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “They’re doing everything they can. All we can do is stay positive.”
“What do you mean?”
I squeezed his shoulder. “Think good thoughts. Say prayers. And we need to take care of each other.”
“I already said a prayer,” Danny replied, reaching for a sheet of paper on the bed beside him. “I even wrote it down, like a letter.” He handed it to me. The words were simple, written in light blue marker.
Dear God,
Please take care of my baby sister and help us find her soon. I promise to be good.
Danny James
“This is wonderful,” I said. “I’ll do the same thing.”
I handed the paper back to him but his eyes remained downcast. He was quiet for a long moment until at last his eyes lifted. “Why didn’t you tell me when you picked me up at school? Why did you lie?”
My stomach dropped and I swallowed uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, Danny… I didn’t mean to lie. I just didn’t want to scare you and I was waiting for the right time to tell you and Trudy. I thought maybe we’d find your sister first and then everything would be okay, but you’re right. I should have told you.”
He sat forward and hugged me. “I’m scared, Dad. What if they take me and Trudy, too?”
I held him tight. “They won’t. I promise. Everything’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
But after what happened to my newborn daughter, could I live up to that promise to my son?
*
Holmes was still working with Trudy when I realized I hadn’t called my family in Boston since very early
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