Lydia fought off the sense of despair she felt. River returned to her while the other handlers led their dogs around the area where the scent had gone cold. He didn’t have to say anything for her to know what was going on. It appeared that her daughter had vanished into thin air.
Her phone dinged. She pulled it out. The text was from Angel.
She read the text. “It’s from my co-teacher. They had to take the other kids back to the school before the parents showed up. She’s going to come back up in her car to take me home.” She rested her palm on her chest as her voice faltered. “She asked if Elsie had been found.”
“I can take you home.” River’s voice flooded with compassion.
None of the dogs had picked up on anything. There must be something else they could do.
She turned to face River. “Has this ever happened before with the K-9s? Be honest with me.”
“I’m not sure what’s going on. Frankie’s nose is second to none.” He pointed at the blond woman with the golden retriever. “Officer Reynolds’ K-9 is trained to track in all kinds of conditions. I’ll see to it that choppers are called in to continue the search. We’ll keep going through the night. Let me take you home first, though. I’d like to get some more information about Elsie that could help the search.”
Her whole body tensed. The scent was gone. Would they just be running around in circles?
She nodded as numbness set in. She just couldn’t process that her daughter had been abducted. Who would do such a thing? “I need to text Angel.”
The phone screen blurred as she pressed the buttons.
No sign of Elsie. I have a ride home.
The answer came back a second later.
So sorry. Call me. I have something to tell you that might be important.
Hope glimmered for Lydia as she pressed Angel’s number. River was standing close. “She has something to tell me that might help.” She pressed the speaker button so River could hear, too.
Angel’s voice came across the line. “Lydia. I’m so sorry this is happening.”
Lydia cleared her throat. “Thank you. What is it you had to tell me?”
“Miles said when we sat down to have our lunch, he saw an old lady’s head pop up from behind the bushes over by the trees.”
Lydia could feel her hope deflating like a balloon losing air. Four-year-old Miles had a habit of making things up to draw attention to himself. She whispered to River. “Miles is one of my students.”
River leaned toward the phone. “Officer Jameson here. Did the little boy give any more details?”
“He just said that the lady had white hair.”
“Thank you, Angel.”
“I’ll keep praying, my friend,” said Angel. “Don’t you worry about your class. I’ll take care of things. I’m sure the school will understand that you need time off.”
“I appreciate that.” Lydia pressed the disconnect button. Her voice gave away the level of despair that she felt.
“Something wrong?” River was still standing close to her.
She shrugged and shook her head. “It’s just that Miles tends to tell stories so he can be in the spotlight.”
River nodded. “Okay. It could be he made it up. It could be he did see someone, and she had nothing to do with what happened here today. We’re just gathering information at this point.” He squeezed her arm above the elbow. “I’m going to call my supervisor to see if I can take lead on this investigation since I was first on the scene.”
Lydia nodded. That he wanted to be in charge suggested that he felt a strong connection to Elsie’s case. He stepped way to make the call and then returned to her.
“Let me give the others instructions and then I’ll take you home.” With Frankie heeling beside him, River gestured for the group to come toward him.
She was shivering by the time they headed back through the trees toward the trail. They stood at his patrol car. A news van had pulled into the parking lot. Being interviewed was the last thing she felt up to doing.
“I can handle them, if you want me to. It would be good to have Elsie’s face on the news,” said River.
