A minute passed while Molly skimmed through her phone. When she finally turned it so JJ could see the screen, a cold chill ran down her spine.
There was a picture of Molly and Baz and a tiny bundle wrapped in blue. Molly slid her finger across the screen to show several more, all with the three of them in different poses. They were obviously photoshopped—not very well, either. Neither one of them was quite holding the baby, but it was clear that was the intention.
“This was a few days after Sebastian Junior was born.”
JJ looked at Molly. “Where was it taken?”
“At our house in Coyote Ridge. It belonged to a friend of ours. She sold it to us when she got married. We’ve been fixing it up, so that’s why I don’t live there right now. It’s almost done, though. Any day now.”
JJ swallowed hard, real fear beginning to trickle into her bloodstream. That was almost all true, except none of that actually happened to Molly. It was JJ’s story. She and Baz had bought the house from Bristol after she moved in with Kaden and Keegan. And yes, JJ and Baz had it remodeled completely. But it was finished, and they now lived there. She wondered whether Molly wasn’t aware of that or if her twisted brain had blocked that part out.
“Where’s Sebastian Junior now?” JJ dared to ask.
Molly smiled brightly. “Well, silly. You know where he is.”
“I do?”
Molly nodded. “He’s in your belly. But as soon as he’s born, I’ll take him home to Sebastian. We’re gonna be a real family.” Her eyes glittered oddly. “He loves me, you know.”
A cold chill swept across JJ’s skin, and she shivered. This was so much worse than she thought.
***
“Do you mind takin’ the lead onthis?” Holly asked as Charlie pulled her car in front of Molly Ryan’s parents’ house.
At least Charlie hoped this was their house. It was the address Luca had from when he’d done background on Molly last year. Considering the amount of time that had passed, there was a chance the Ryans had since moved.
“I’ve never done anything like this,” Holly continued. “I just don’t want to mess it up.”
“I don’t mind,” Charlie assured the younger woman. “But don’t discredit yourself just yet. We’re here to see if her parents know where she is or know anything about the guy we believe she’s hanging out with. You can’t really mess that up.”
“Have you met me?” Holly chuckled as she peered up at the house.
Charlie leaned forward, taking in the single-story brick house. It looked similar to all the other houses in the cookie-cutter neighborhood. At least three sides brick, with a well-maintained front yard. There were no flowers or decorations like in some of the other yards, but the grass had recently been mowed, and the shrubs lining the front of the house were neatly trimmed.
Being that it was Saturday, there were cars in most of the driveways despite the two-car attached garages. The Ryans, provided they still owned this place, drove a dark blue Nissan Pathfinder and a gold KIA, which were parked side by side in the driveway.
Holly took a deep breath and then opened the door.
Charlie followed, getting out and skimming the neighborhood. As a former police officer, Charlie had made these impromptu visits often. Primarily for welfare checks and sometimes to follow up after she’d been called out for a domestic dispute. In her role on the task force, she’d spent more than her fair share of time going door to door talking to people. It wasn’t something that was new to her, but Charlie always wondered what she would find on the other side of someone’s front door.
As they passed the cars in the driveway, Charlie peeked into the Pathfinder. There was one of those booster seats for kids in the back, along with a couple of toys and a tub of wipes sitting on the passenger seat. Did they have more kids besides Molly? Or did that booster seat belong to one of the ones Molly had given birth to?
Charlie tucked those questions away for later as they made their way up the short concrete path to the front porch. It was roughly four feet by four feet, with a small statue of a dog. More than likely, a spare key was hidden underneath it, but Charlie didn’t look.
Holly pressed the doorbell button and took a step back. It was one of those fancy Ring doorbells. The kind with the camera in it. She made a mental note to tell Luca. Maybe he could hack into it or something.
As they waited, they could hear muffled voices coming from inside, one male for sure, his voice getting louder the closer he got to the door.
A moment later, the door opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue polo shirt and tan slacks appeared, a questioning expression on his face.
“Mr. Ryan?” Charlie asked.
His thick eyebrows dipped. “Yes.”
“Hi. My name’s Charlotte Miller. I work for a private security company.” She produced her credentials and held them for him to see. “We’re currently working a missing persons case, and we had a few questions about your daughter Mol—Liz.”
“Is she okay?”
