Ignoring her, Sienna turns back to Ivy. “Listen to me, we’ll deal with this later. Right now, I need to know where Poppy and the baby are.”
“What?” Ivy asks, her face blank.
“Ivy, you came back to the trailer with Poppy, and we know that Lisa left Elliott with you two,” Kitty said. “But at some point, you left them to…” Her voice trails off, and she lets out anughsound.
Claudia takes over the questioning. “Were they in the trailer when you left?”
“Yes, and they were both fast asleep. I swear!”
“Are you sure? Because they’re not there anymore.” Sienna’s voice was soothing.
Ivy’s eyes fill with tears. “They were there, Mom. I promise. I made sure they were both asleep before I left.”
Sergeant Chambers stands next to the door and calls inside. “Ivy, did you see anyone hanging around that shouldn’t be here?”
Ivy covers her mouth with one hand and sobs. “Oh, God! You think someone took them?”
“No,” Sienna said. “We don’t know, but we need you to calm down and answer the question. Did you see anyone?”
Sniffing, she shakes her head. “No, there was no one.”
Zane keeps his eyes trained on the low ceiling. “Ivy, are you sure?”
“Positive. I made sure to look because I didn’t want anyone to see me.”
Sienna’s stomach turns to stone as she listens to her daughter. But there’s no time to think about what her eldest child was going to do. She needs to focus on Poppy now.
Sergeant Chambers’ voice comes from outside the trailer. “All right, our best guess at the moment is that Poppy and the baby left the trailer on their own. Most likely the baby woke up and started crying and Poppy went for help but got turned around.”
Zane’s face pales and he puts both hands on top of his head. “Oh God, oh god, oh god.”
“Zane, what? What’s wrong?” Claudia asks.
He stares at Sienna, looking like he might throw up. “She’s just a little kid, right? She wouldn’t … do anything.”
Sienna’s head snaps back. “Like what? Hurt the baby? Of course not. What the hell are you talking about?”
“No, you’re right. Of course not. It’s just that a few weeks ago…” He trails off, then his voice goes quiet. “She said she wished he was dead.”
SIENNA
Sienna glares at Zane, knowing what will come next.
Kitty narrows her eyes. “That’s ridiculous. Why would Poppy want Elliott to die?” She lets out a gasp. “Oh, no. Oh, Zane, youdidn’t.”
A wave of desperation hits Sienna. “No, Kitty, it’s not that… Come on, we need to find my daughter. Can we just focus on Poppy right now?”
“And my son!” Claudia snaps.
“Obviously,” Sienna says.
Kitty sits down on the narrow couch, looking visibly shaken.
Claudia lets out a sob. “Do you really think Poppy would…”
“Of course not!” Sienna shouts. Turning to her husband, she barks out, “Are you insane? Do you even know our child?! She makes me take spiders outside instead of killing them. She wouldneverhurt a baby!”
He holds up both hands. “All right, all right. I’m sorry. I’m just … trying to figure this out.”
