“How did we know each other?” I ask him.
“Hmmm?” His pause almost seems natural, but I notice it for what it is. He’s thinking about his answer. “Not that well. We ran into each other… as colleagues.”
“Where?”
Before he can answer, the SEAL assigned to the two of us signals to us that we need to end the dive. That’s odd. We were scheduled for two hours, and Jamie is still going through his emergency drills. Why is he calling it early?
Confused, we begin our ascent to the surface.
As soon as we’re back on deck, Scott darts to me, phone in hand. “Nathan, get dressed now.”
When we leave the marina, he’s still on the phone. He glances up every few seconds to update me on everything going on.
Kidnapped.
Two hours ago, while I was playing around in the Shield instead of protecting my family.
The whirlpool of fear and confusion I’m feeling right now is like nothing I’ve ever known. I picture her big brown eyes and large white-blonde curls. With her sweet face looking at me. Calling meDaddy.
I can’t let anything happen to her.
Scott whips the truck into the police station and parks at the entrance.
“We’ll find her,” he says, squeezing my shoulder.
Numb, I follow him through the double doors.
The officer at the front desk takes us into a quiet room where Crystal and Mads wait. I rush to Crystal.
Her pretty blue sundress is wrinkled and dirty, and her hair is tangled. She doesn’t wear much makeup, but remnants of the light strokes of mascara she wore this morning when she playfully said goodbye shade her cheeks, and her lips are dry.
“Baby.” I pull her into my arms, and we cry together.
After staying with us a few minutes, Mads and Scott get up to take Christopher home.
“Give me your keys. We’ll bring back your car,” Maddie says. I give her the keys to my Corolla, and she hugs me goodbye.
“Nathan, they asked so many questions,” Crystal says. “I couldn’t think of everything. What if I didn’t tell them something they need to know?” Crystal and Mads were interviewed as soon as they got here.
“This isn’t your fault.” I squeeze her tighter. We’re sitting in cold, uncomfortable seats, like the ones little kids use at school.
“I told them about you. That you’re Natalie’s father.”
Another officer comes in to speak with us.
“We’ve issued abe on the lookoutand have been pulling video from home and business cameras in the area.” He hands over a packet of information including the case number and contact numbers for victim services. “We’ve already issued the AMBER Alert. We’ll find your daughter.”
He gently touches Crystal’s arm and steps out to speak with his sergeant.
We sit in silence, letting our thoughts run free for a few minutes.
Crystal pulls out her wallet and takes out a photo. Natalie as a baby. She has a few patches of fuzzy white hair and the biggest smile, showing off her two tiny bottom teeth.
“She’d just said her first word and was so proud of herself.”
“What was it?”
“Momma.” Bursting into another round of tears, she puts the photo away. “Where is she, Nathan? Where is our baby girl?”
