But she could do with some exercise. If her walk took her past the school, she could check that everything was all right. The kids might still be on their lunch break. She grabbed her hat, keys and phone, and then exhaled, to calm her nerves.
Jordan was safe at school. The teachers would not allow him to leave with anyone they didn’t know. But she couldn’t quite settle today.
Maybe it was finding the treasure.
That much money was enough to make even the most sensible person do something crazy, and Kurt wasn’t sensible. If word got out…
She’d reiterated to Jordan when she’d dropped him off this morning that he couldn’t breathe a word about the treasure to anyone, not even Cody, and he promised he wouldn’t say anything.
Her phone rang as she reached the end of her street. “Hello?”
“Gretchen, it’s Myra Simpson from the school.”
Dread lodged in her stomach. “Is Jordan all right?”
“He’s not with you? Jordan and Cody didn’t come back to class after lunch.”
She froze. No, that couldn’t be right. “Where are they?” Panic laced her tone.
“We’re not sure. My colleague called Cody’s mother, but she hasn’t seen them either.”
Gretchen started running down the road towards the school, her mind whirling. “Is Lara Stokes there?”
“Yes. She’s upset and all the children are spouting some nonsense about buried treasure.”
Shit. “Let me speak to her.”
“She’s in the classroom.”
“Then get her,” Gretchen growled. “Now! Every second counts.”
Jordan’s teacher huffed, but it didn’t take long before Lara was on the line.
“Lara, it’s Gretchen. What happened?”
“Jordan brought one of the coins to school,” Lara exclaimed. “Natasha stole it and showed everyone. Then at lunch, this man came and Jordan and Cody left with him. I told Miss Simpson, but she didn’t believe me.”
Gretchen fought back the nausea and stopped running. “What did the man look like?”
“Short, scary and with lots of tattoos.”
Kurt. “What kind of car was he driving?” She sucked in air, to get her breath back.
“A black four-wheel drive.”
“Thanks Lara. You stay inside with your class until Faith picks you up, all right? Don’t go anywhere alone.”
“Is Jordan going to be OK?”
“Yeah, we’ll find him. Call your dad and tell him what happened.” A black four-wheel drive turned onto the street in front of her. “I think the man who took Jordan is coming towards me now. Pass me back to your teacher.”
Miss Simpson spoke. “Gretchen, Lara’s distraught. She has an active imagination.”
How dare she ignore Lara! “Call the police. Tell them the following number plate.” She read it out as Kurt pulled up in front of her. “Do it now.” She stared down the barrel of a handgun and hung up. “Where’re Jordan and Cody?”
“Safe, for now. Get in.” He flicked the gun, gesturing her around to the passenger side.
The tinting was too dark to see into the car. Slowly she walked around. Getting into his car was stupid, but Jordan was missing, and Kurt knew where he was. This was the only way to get to him. She opened the door, glancing into the empty back seat. “I want to see my son.”
