I check my watch again, noting that she’s late.
The chef almost has dinner ready.
She said her son’s favorite food is pizza, so I got the chef to make pizza, mac and cheese, salad, and some cupcakes, since I’m not sure what a kid eats. I had to Google it.
I try calling her, but she doesn’t answer.
When I call a second time, it’s her ex-husband who answers the phone. “She can’t talk right now,” he says with venom in his voice.
“Why not?”
“Because we’re trying to find our fucking son,” he growls, then hangs up.
What does he mean by that?
My phone rings, and I accept the call, not realizing it’s Boston.
“Soren.”
“Yes.”
“We have an issue.”
“What type of issue?” I ask.
“Cressida is at the police station, talking to an officer.”
“Okay…” I reply, confused.
“Her son is missing.” I clutch the edge of the countertop until my knuckles turn white. “It gets worse.” He pauses. “I hacked the school’s cameras, and nothing came up. So, I searched around the area, found a convenience store across the road with a camera, and asked to see their footage.”
It’s only been two hours since I left her.How could this all happen in that time span?I know she was going straight to the school to collect Oliver. He goes to an after-school program for working parents. I assumed she would pick him up and come straight here.
She didn’t.
And now I know why.
“Look, I haven’t shared it yet. But you might want to know.”
“What?”
“It was Maya, Soren. Maya has him.”
Jesus Christ!My heart drops into my stomach.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it’s Maya I saw walking off with him. And I think you might have an hour or so before Cressida and her ex find out. This is a child, Soren.Fix it.” He hangs up.
I tell the chef to leave and that I will pay him for his time, and then I call my sister.
She doesn’t answer.
Pulling up the tracker I have on her phone, I easily find her location.
I stopthe car outside the familiar house, our childhood home, which I had to sell after Dad died to pay off his debts. As soon as I had the money to do so, I bought it back. It’s been sitting empty ever since. I gave Maya the keys to the place many years ago, and while I send someone around every three months to mow the lawns, I don’t really do much else for it. The grass is currently overgrown, and the hedges need a really good trim.
I think I bought it for her so she could hold on to some good memories—what few there are. I figured she might want to live in it, but it turns out she likes the life of luxury a lot more.
