There was some fresh worry in his already intense dark brown eyes. “Yvette has a record for being drunk and disorderly, and she got three DUIs before she lost her license. And her kids. Twins.”
“Oh, God,” Addie managed to say.
“No, the kids, her son and daughter, are alive,” Judson was quick to add, cutting through what would have been some horrible worst-case scenarios for Addie. “They’re in their early twenties now and were adopted by what appears to be a stable family, but Yvette lost custody of them when they were infants.”He paused again. “For a while, her kids were fostered at the Horseshoe Ranch.”
Addie groaned and fought back both fresh tears and a hot fury over this happening. Two decades ago, both Judson and she had been at the ranch in foster care, and kids came and went all the time. Sometimes they would be there for only a couple of days before their adoptive parents or other family members came to get them.
The Horseshoe hadn’t changed much in those decades, so Yvette would likely have known not only the location of the ranch but where in the house to find the nursery. Added to that, the news and social media had been jammed with reports and comments about the orphaned Alcott twins. Yvette would have had all the info she needed to pull off this abduction.
But why?
Was she trying to replace her own kids? If so, why wait all this time? Or did Yvette have a personal connection to Lily and Rose?
Addie desperately wanted the answers to those questions, but for now, she focused on keeping watch, looking for that black car. Livvy continued to drive, slowing when they reached a four-way intersection. Then stopping. Livvy cursed and smacked her palm on the steering wheel. Addie totally understood her frustration.
Four roads and not another vehicle in sight.
A hoarse sob tore from Addie’s mouth. This was crushing her heart, but she had to keep focusing. Had to keep thinking.
“Do you have a phone number for Yvette?” Addie asked.
“Getting it now,” Judson replied.
Addie wanted to talk to her, wanted to try to convince the woman to surrender both herself and the babies. They were still so little, preemies, and they needed special formula every three to four hours. Addie thought if she could just speak to Yvette, she could make her understand the harm she might be doing.
“Got the number,” Judson said, “and I’m calling it now.”
From the back seat, Addie heard Judson’s phone that was now on speaker. Heard the ringing on the other end of the line. The sound of each ring echoed through the cruiser. But there was no answer, and the call went to a generic voicemail, saying to leave a message.
Addie saw the debate Judson was having with himself. If he left a threatening message, Yvette might panic and do something even more horrible than she’d already done. Instead, Judson hung up and rang the police station again to request the contact info for both of Yvette’s kids.
“It might not even be Yvette in the car,” Livvy said, taking one of the concerns right out of Addie’s mouth.
Yes, someone could have borrowed or stolen the vehicle, and if it was the latter, then that was only going to complicate the search. Addie didn’t want more complications. She wanted those babies safely back at the ranch.
“I’m going to drive toward the interstate,” Livvy let them know. “I’ll have Grace contact the county sheriff’s office so they can check these other routes.”
Livvy took off again, using her hands-free function to call Grace. Addie tuned that out and instead listened to the info Judson was getting. He apparently had the phone number for Yvette’s daughter, Jennifer Rankin, and he tried to call her. Addie prayed Jennifer would answer.
And someone did.
“Hello,” the woman barely managed to get out before Judson started talking.
“I’m Deputy Judson Docherty from Renegade Canyon PD,” he said. “Is this Jennifer Rankin?”
“It is,” she verified, and there was instant concern in her voice. “What’s happened? What’s wrong?”
“I’m looking for your bio mother, Yvette O’Dell. Do you have any idea where she is?” he asked.
“Yvette?” she questioned, and now there was some surprise mixed with the apprehension. “No, sorry, I don’t know. I thought you were calling about my brother, Shane. I’ve been trying to reach him all morning, and he’s not answering—” She stopped. “Wait, is he with Yvette?” And that concern skyrocketed. “Did Yvette do something to him?”
Addie’s gaze snared Judson’s. Their concerns were soaring even more as well.
“I’m not sure if your brother is with Yvette or not,” Judson let Jennifer know. “I’m trying to locate her about another matter. When’s the last time you saw her?”
“Last night,” she said on a heavy sigh. “Before that, I hadn’t seen or heard from her in weeks. But last night she just showed up at my apartment shortly after I got home from work. She was crying and going on about how sorry she was for what happened when Shane and I were kids. She does this about once a year, usually on our birthday. Today is our twenty-second birthday.”
Oh God. Had that been some sort of trigger for Yvette to abduct the twins?
