“Have you heard anything?” Tracy asked tearfully.
“Nothing new, but I’m on my way to HQ now. I’ll let you know of any developments the minute they happen.”
“I’m going out of my mind, Sam. Where is he?”
“I don’t know, but we’re bringing in all the best people to look for him.”
“I’m glad you’re still on the case even though they told you not to be.”
“I’ll be right here for as long as it takes to bring him home. I promise.”
“Thank you. I love you.”
“I love you, too. I’ll be back to you as soon as I have anything to tell you.”
“Okay.”
“Hang in there, Trace.”
“Hanging by a thread.”
They said their goodbyes for now, and Sam closed her phone quietly as tears rolled down her face. She’d said what her sister needed to hear, but the truth was she had no idea whether anything they were doing would lead to Ethan’s safe return. At the moment, she felt like they were throwing things at the wall to see what would stick rather than doing something strategic to find the three missing kids.
Her phone rang again, this time from a number she didn’t recognize. “Holland.”
“This is Joaquin Cambra, Tomas’s father, wondering if there’s any news. We haven’t heard anything in a few hours.”
“There’s nothing new, but I’m on my way to MPD headquarters to get an update from Patrol and the officers who’ve been out looking for them tonight. If I hear anything new, I’ll be right back to you.”
“We don’t know what to do. It’s… We’re sick with worry.”
“I’m so sorry. I wish I had more news for you. Hopefully soon.”
“Thank you for taking my call. We appreciate what everyone is doing to find them.”
“We’re bringing in federal agents this morning to assist.”
“Oh God… That makes it sound so dire, which it is, but…”
“I understand, but the more help we have, the better. I’ll be back to you as soon as I have anything to report.”
“Thank you.”
Sam closed her phone and held back the urgent need to scream her head off with frustration and fear. She hated feeling out of control of anything, and this situation was so far outside her control…
Her phone rang again, with a call from Gonzo. It was a good thing she hadn’t tried to sleep. She hadn’t given the murder at the hotel a single thought in hours. “Hey, what’s up?”
“We’re finishing up the canvass, speaking to every guest and employee. We’re still waiting for the warrant to enter the victim’s room, but I’m sending everyone home to get a few hours of sleep. Freddie texted that he’ll be here shortly to take over.”
“I’m getting a call from Dispatch. Hang on.” She accepted the new call, hoping she wasn’t cutting off Gonzo. “Holland.”
“Lieutenant, we’ve received a call from a woman, Trisha Carver, in Spokane, Washington. She’s been trying to reach her husband for hours and has been unable to get through. He was staying at the Vacation Inn and Suites on 10th Avenue Northwest. She said no one at the hotel will tell her if he’s in his room or what’s going on. What would you like us to do?”
“Can you please give her information to Sergeant Gonzales? He’s working the scene at the hotel.”
“Will do. Thank you.”
Sam returned to the call with Gonzo. “Your vic’s wife is looking for him. Dispatch is sending you her name and number.”
