“I will.” Sloane gulped. “Officer Jameson, please find Elsie.”
“We’ve got a bunch of officers on this. Everyone wants to bring Elsie home safe to her mother.”
“That’s the best place for her to be. I was never much of a father, but Lydia was a great mom.”
A tear flowed down Lydia’s cheek.
“Thank you, Mr. Caldwell.” River clicked the disconnect button and sat back in his chair. “So where are they?”
Lydia shook her head. “Maybe they haven’t left the state yet, but that must be their ultimate plan, to take Elsie to a foreign country. I still think that the man who attacked me at the river wasn’t Norm. The other times it happened so quick, but that time I was in the car with him for a long time.” Lydia just couldn’t imagine him attacking her in such a direct way.
“They must be getting help from someone.” River rubbed his chin. “So, that means we look at every known associate of both Sheryl and Norm and start questioning them.”
“Do we have that kind of time? If they are still in the area, it’s just a matter of time before they find a way to leave.” Again, she felt as if a weight had been placed on her lungs. Her breathing was shallow. “There has to be a faster way, River. Please.”
River spoke in a calm voice. “I need you to think about who they associate with. Anyone who might be above the law.”
“I have no idea. He’s a retired contractor and she managed an office supply store. Honestly, my interaction with them was in relationship to Elsie. From the time I met them, they were always a little cold to me. I guess they thought I wasn’t good enough for their son.”
River let out a heavy breath. “Not true. You were too good.” He paced into the kitchen. “You’re right. Going through known associates is time-consuming, and it sounds like it would be a rabbit trail anyway. Maybe we should pray to come up with some leads.”
“That’s a good idea.” She reached her hands toward him.
They held hands while River prayed. “God, we need Your help. We need to find Elsie before she’s taken out of the country. Show us where to look, what leads we need to pursue, so we don’t waste time.”
Lydia opened her eyes. “Give me a minute. I’m going to go splash some water on my face and see if I can clear my head.”
“Okay, I need to take Frankie outside,” said River.
Lydia retreated to her bathroom. The cold water felt good on her face. She reached for a towel. It bothered her that she had not seen through Norm and Sheryl’s act in the early hours of the kidnapping. Norm had come to see her. Even before that, Sheryl had called, acting concerned.
She gasped.
The phone call.
Lydia ran back into the living room and then outside, where River was walking the perimeter of the park with Frankie. As she rushed across the yard, she glanced side to side, keenly aware that she was exposed. So far, it appeared that her attacker had not figured out she was staying here.
She sprinted toward him. “Sheryl called me on her cell the morning after Elsie had been taken. There must be a way to trace where that phone call came from. That has to be where they’re keeping Elsie.”
* * *
It took River only a second to realize that this might be the breakthrough they’d prayed for. River ran back to his house with Frankie and Lydia. Once inside, Lydia grabbed her phone and recited Sheryl phone number while River contacted Eva.
“Hello?”
“Eva, I know you have a lot on your plate, but if you could do something for me right now, we might be able to find Elsie.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“I need to know if you can find out where a phone call was made from.”
“Easy-peasy,” said Eva. “It’s just a matter of figuring out what towers the call pinged off of.”
River recited the number. “It was the morning after Elsie was taken.”
“Give me just a little bit of time. I’ll get back to you as fast as I can.”
River hung up. From where they stood in the living room, Lydia gazed at him and then fell into his arms. “I hope this works.”
