I give her the silence she seems to need to find her courage. “He took my daughter’s planner.”
Um.Say what now?
Perhaps not having kids is making me miss some greater meaning here.
“I don’t follow,” I confess sheepishly.
“Considering he abducted your friend, taking a school planner probably seems like an insulting comparison.”
“Honestly, I don’t even know what a school planner is. Is it a notebook?”
Agent Andrews encourages me, like all good fathers probably do. “You’re doing fantastic. Keep her talking. The more comfortable she gets, the more she’ll share.”
Dana bats her eyelashes at me as if she’s sayingbless your heart.“It’s a notebook agenda type thing Ava takes to school each day. She keeps it in her backpack. And yet, somehow, Silas ended up with it. I hate to imagine how.”
Offering her comfort as she did for me, I rub small circles on her upper back. “How did you find out?”
She purses her lips, kicking her head back morosely. “The fucker followed me to a gas station near school after I picked her up. While I pumped gas, Ava was in the back seat, minding her own business. Silas and this other guy parked at the opposite pump. I recognized him as your boyfriend right away since he used to hang around here. He returned the planner and told me they’d take my daughter next if I didn’t comply.”
It isn’t hard to find that common ground Andrews was talking about. We’re standing square on it.
“That’s awful. No wonder you went along with it. I don’t blame you.”
Dana’s upper lip curls into a slight snarl. “That big ugly fucker who came with Silas had the audacity to stick his head in my car to wave at my daughter. I wanted to kill him.”
“I wonder if it was the same creep who showed up here to intimidate me,” I toss, hoping she’ll be able to confirm that for the FBI.
And she does.
After she gives me a brief description, Reed says, “Sounds like Elliott Riddick. Keep going, Lila.”
Even the cashmere of his voice can’t dispel this nauseous sensation.
Given Dana’s home invasion was several weeks after Kenzie was taken, perhaps I could have prevented this. If I’d gone straight to the cops, maybe Silas would’ve been stopped before they got to her.
“Dana, I’msosorry this happened to you.” My voice shakes as my guilt and genuine worry for her daughter spring to the middle of my chest. “At least, my best friend is an adult, but your daughter is so young and innocent. How can they be so ruthless?”
“Shh,” she admonishes me.
Oops. Guess my volume was spiking with my emotions.
My reaction shifts dramatically, moving me from overwhelmed sadness to justifiable rage in two heartbeats. “Sorry,” I offer, returning to a whisper. “But this is...?it’s just...?it’sbullshit. That’s what this is. We need to stop them.”
I’m so dang livid on her behalf that the curse didn’t even make my gut sink.
“We can’t stop them.” Ardently, she shakes her head. “I already tried. It only made it worse.”
My breath catches in my throat. “What do you mean? Did they?” I let my question trail off, not wanting to imagine what she means byworse.
“No, they didn’t take her yet.” Her pain cushions her words. “The day after Silas and his goon gave me the rings and the instructions, I drove to the police station. Sat in the parking lot for so long. But I was too scared to go in. And the next morning, they sent someone to my house, attacked my mother, and fired gunshots into pictures of my daughter and me.”
A shot of morbid vindication streaks through me. I freaking knew Silas wasn’t bluffing when he said they’d be watching. If I went to the cops, Kenzie would’ve been killed. There’s no doubt in my mind now.
“Lila, listen to me,” the female agent says. “Find out which gas station. There are three near her daughter’s school. And get an approximate date if you can.”
How the heck do I pivot back to that?
“Um. Where was-uh. I mean. Uh.” I open my mouth and close it three times, positively unable to find the words that won’t scare her off. Ultimately, I go with more honesty. It’s working thus far. “I know you said you tried before, but maybe I can help.”
