“You got it.”
Reid made his way down the hallway Megan had walked with the intruder. He searched for anything that might lead him to her. He reached the nurses’ station with nothing to go on.
“Excuse me,” he said to the two nurses staffing the desk. “Megan Cash is missing, and I’m trying to find her. Did you see her leave?”
“Not me,” the guy said.
The woman, whose name tag identified her as Dora, looked at him. “I saw her in Ella’s room. I had to hang some fluids so I told her I would stay with Ella if she wanted to go to the lounge for coffee.”
“Did anything seem odd when you saw her?” Reid asked.
“No. She was upset and tired like most mothers whose children are in the PICU. But nothing else seemed odd. But then she didn’t come back, and I had an urgent call for another patient and had to leave Ella.”
“Did either of you see a man wearing a Rainiers cap in the hallway?”
They both shook their heads.
“See any man go into that lounge?”
More head shakes.
Dora’s eyes narrowed. “Is she in some kind of trouble?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out.” Reid didn’t want to worry the nurses, so he kept his answer vague. “Can you tell me how to get to the lounge?”
“It’s easier if I show you.” Dora came out from behind the desk.
He followed her down the hallway, his eyes alert. Near the end of the hall, she stepped into a door on the right. He surveyed the route Megan would have taken from Ella’s room. They’d passed only five rooms, and the foot traffic would’ve been light. Especially this early in the morning. It would be a miracle if anyone had seen her.
Reid entered the lounge. An empty paper cup lay on the tiles, and coffee pooled on the floor. Maybe a struggle. Maybe she tossed her coffee at the guy. Maybe it had nothing to do with Megan.
“Did you actually see Ms. Cash come in here?” he asked.
“No. All I saw was her leaving Ella’s room.”
“And you’re sure you didn’t see a man who didn’t belong in this area?”
“If I had, I would’ve called security.” She twisted her hands together. “I’ll get housekeeping to clean up this mess.”
“No!” Reid shot out a hand. “There may be some evidence in this room that could help us find Megan. Call security and have the room sealed off until the police arrive.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Nothing to be afraid of. The police are on the way and this man is long gone.” Reid smiled, but he knew it came out tight and flat and did nothing to ease her concern. “Go ahead and make that call to security. I’ll be in Ella’s room if you think of anything that might help.”
He left the room and made his way down the hall, checking the area with every step. He arrived at Ella’s room without locating a stitch of evidence. Ella slept with Boo-Boo tucked under her arm. Her skin had lost some of the gray pallor and pinked up. A good sign? Hopefully.
Megan’s jacket and purse remained in the room. If he hadn’t seen her on camera, this would tell him she hadn’t planned to leave the building. She wouldn’t have gone out into the cold without the jacket or leave the building without her purse.
He sat in the chair by Ella’s bed, drew out his phone, and dialed Megan again. He heard the ringtone not only from his cell, but also from Megan’s jacket. He dug into the pocket and located her phone. No wonder she wasn’t answering. He clicked through the recent calls. Only one call had been made in the past few hours. One to her ex-husband. Reid would follow up on this, but he doubted it had anything to do with Megan’s disappearance.
He held the cell in his hand and stared at the black screen. They couldn’t use it to locate her. His best hope in finding Megan was now gone. How could he find her before this man who had taken her did her irreparable harm?
He wanted to be here for Ella but he also had to find her mother. At this point finding Megan had to take precedence. He dialed Russ, and he agreed to take Jessie to stay with their parents and return with Sydney to watch over Ella.
Reid ended the call, his mind searching for how to locate Megan. But where? Where?
Ella stirred. He bent over the child and gazed into her eyes.
