"I apologize for distressing you." The woman was at his side, rubbing his back soothingly.
Devon waved her off, and she moved away. After a minute, he straightened and wiped his mouth on the tail of his shirt. The sergeant offered him the thermos he'd recovered from the ground and Devon accepted it from him.
"It's better you know, Mr. McMillan. We believe that initially, Hailey wandered outside your shop unassisted, but once she was a decent distance away, someone picked her up. We have to focus on hiking trails and abandoned properties now."
Devon looked at the petite brunette and tried to process her words. "You think she—she's . . ."
"We don't know anything for sure, but as you said, it's highly unlikely a five-year-old could wander past the boundaries of our previous search on her own."
"God." He fisted his hand to his lips and tried to hold in the scream of anger and despair building in his throat.Kidnapped. He didn't like the sound of the word as it swirled around in his head.
"We should keep moving."
"Hemsworth," John said in annoyance.
"You know I'm right," she mumbled.
"Wait." Devon interrupted their brimming argument. "You're related to the chief?" He could see the resemblance now the Sergeant had put the name out there.
"I'm her daughter, and the dispatcher that answered your sister-in-law's call yesterday afternoon."
"Oh."
John gave her a pointed look and started walking. Devon followed him, and the woman trailed behind them.
"Base, this is Hemsworth and Hurley. We had a minor setback, but we're headed to our initial destination now. Over."
The radio crackled in her hand. "Everybody good, Chloe? Over."
"All good, Mom. Over and out."
The trio walked in silence for several more minutes. Devon's head was a mess of worrying thoughts about what could have happened to Hailey. He didn't like the way the Hemsworth woman had spit out the information, but he agreed he was better off knowing.
The sun was halfway up in the sky by the time they stopped to rest. They had called in their location several more times, John or Chloe checking their compass and a map often. They had found nothing, but Devon had a new appreciation for what they were doing. They checked under bushes, looked up in the trees, and called Hailey's name over and over. Occasionally, Devon could hear others calling his baby girl's name, too. He figured it was a good sign that so many people had come together to help look for Hailey. He hoped it meant the chances were greater that they would find her sooner.
When they stopped, John said they were near the Nash Stream Forest boundary line. It wasn't officially marked, it was just another patch of forest, but the map had it marked specifically. John handed out the power bars and bottles of water he carried, but Devon could only toy with his.
It was Chloe who spoke up after ten minutes had passed and Devon hadn't eaten. "You need to rehydrate, Mr. McMillan. The body can only sustain itself for so long with a lack of water. Longer without food, but it's the water that's the most vital."
Devon stared at her, thinking of Hailey out there somewhere without food and water. His stomach clenched, and he couldn't eat even if he tried. "I can't." If he choked on his own words, how was he supposed to force food down his closed-off esophagus?
"You should try. If you collapse, you'll end up in the hospital and you’ll be of no use to anyone."
He couldn't imagine how the nervous energy he was currently feeling would morph if he was stuck in a hospital bed. Though his stomach churned, he nibbled on one of the power bars. He had to take small bites and follow them with plenty of water because his mouth was so freaking dry.
"Base to Hemsworth and Hurley."
Chloe picked up the two-way radio and spoke into it. "Hemsworth to base. Over."
"The team on Nash has finished and found nothing of significance. Over."
Chloe took a deep breath and smiled at Devon. "Thanks for the news," she said into the radio. "Over."
"Base over and out."
"Devon, that means they didn’t find her in Nash Stream," John explained. "None of her clothing or belongings were there, either."
Devon closed his eyes and leaned forward until his forehead nearly touched his knees. He was glad to be sitting down. It was the first piece of good news he'd had since Hailey went missing, and he clung to it.
