her office. "I remember seeing Eliana leave the building, Mrs. Zeldin. But we had a little problem, a couple of the boys got in a scuffle on the bus and we had to bring them back inside and call their parents, so I'm afraid the teachers who supervise dismissal were a little distracted. Nevertheless, if someone had seen her waiting, they would have brought her inside and called you."
Annette used the secretary's phone to call home; she let it ring and ring but no one answered. Then she called Nell. Nell had been home all afternoon but hadn't seen Eliana.
Annette hurried out of the office and raced down the hall.She slipped on the waxed linoleum floor and nearly fell, and she was angry with herself because she knew she was on the verge of breaking down. How can you help if you break down? In the car, her hands were shaking so badly that she had difficulty fitting the key into the ignition.
And then it began again. The cries. She knew it would. She could tell it was coming on. She mashed the accelerator to the floor and the car skidded away from the curb, kicking up sand and dirt behind her. It was very important that she stay calm and alert, that she slow down and look around for clues, anything that might help the police.
A light rain had begun, and she turned on the windshield wipers and slowed to a crawl, looking down every side street as she drove through the neighborhood. When she reached the end of her block she could see her backyard. Was that Eliana there? In the rain. Why would she be outdoors in the rain? No, it was just the hedge, a dark shadow in the gray drizzled light.
She parked in the driveway and raced to the front door, calling her daughter's name as she threw it open. Her father had gone to Emporia for the day to a trustees meeting, and the house was dreary and silent. She went through every room but Eliana wasn't home.
Annette was cursing herself for not buying a cell phone while she was here. Why would she need a cell phone in a place like this? For a few months? Stubbornness, that's what it was. Just like your father. She found some paper and scribbled a note: Looking all over for you. So sorry I was late. Where are you??? If you come home, don't go out. Wait for me. She tried to tape the note to the front door but the tape stuck to the roll inside the dispenser. She fumbled with it, picked at it and held it up to the light trying to find the end. It was cheap tape. Her father always bought the cheap, generic brands.
Angrily she hurled the dispenser across the room, then she laid the note on the carpet in the middle of the floor. Annette didn't have a clue where she'd left her umbrella, so she turned up the collar of her coat and headed down the street in the cold rain looking for her daughter. She'd walk every inch of this damn town to find her. She'd walk into the dark hours, through the night and all across the county if that's what it took.
By now the cries had returned, incessant, startlingly clear, not at all like something imagined. It was frightening how clear they were. It was raining heavily now.
* * *
Ethan looked up at the sound of footsteps running up the stairs. Bonnie knocked loudly, then threw open the door.
"Ethan! Come quickly!"
Ethan shot up and followed her but she was ahead of him by a flight of stairs, and when he got to the second landing he saw her at the foot of the stairs with Mrs. Zeldin.
Annette's hair was dripping wet; her coat was drenched and the sable collar matted with rain. She turned haunted brown eyes up to him, and the sight of her coming to him in need and despair wrenched his heart.
"Bonnie, do we have any blankets?" he said as he rushed down to Annette.
"I think I have one in the trunk of my car."
"Go get it."
He put an arm around Annette and helped her up the stairs. Her skin was like ice and she was shivering violently.
"What happened?"
"She's gone," gasped Annette.
"Who?"
"My daughter. She's gone."
His warm touch, his protective arm around her
Annette used the secretary's phone to call home; she let it ring and ring but no one answered. Then she called Nell. Nell had been home all afternoon but hadn't seen Eliana.
Annette hurried out of the office and raced down the hall.She slipped on the waxed linoleum floor and nearly fell, and she was angry with herself because she knew she was on the verge of breaking down. How can you help if you break down? In the car, her hands were shaking so badly that she had difficulty fitting the key into the ignition.
And then it began again. The cries. She knew it would. She could tell it was coming on. She mashed the accelerator to the floor and the car skidded away from the curb, kicking up sand and dirt behind her. It was very important that she stay calm and alert, that she slow down and look around for clues, anything that might help the police.
A light rain had begun, and she turned on the windshield wipers and slowed to a crawl, looking down every side street as she drove through the neighborhood. When she reached the end of her block she could see her backyard. Was that Eliana there? In the rain. Why would she be outdoors in the rain? No, it was just the hedge, a dark shadow in the gray drizzled light.
She parked in the driveway and raced to the front door, calling her daughter's name as she threw it open. Her father had gone to Emporia for the day to a trustees meeting, and the house was dreary and silent. She went through every room but Eliana wasn't home.
Annette was cursing herself for not buying a cell phone while she was here. Why would she need a cell phone in a place like this? For a few months? Stubbornness, that's what it was. Just like your father. She found some paper and scribbled a note: Looking all over for you. So sorry I was late. Where are you??? If you come home, don't go out. Wait for me. She tried to tape the note to the front door but the tape stuck to the roll inside the dispenser. She fumbled with it, picked at it and held it up to the light trying to find the end. It was cheap tape. Her father always bought the cheap, generic brands.
Angrily she hurled the dispenser across the room, then she laid the note on the carpet in the middle of the floor. Annette didn't have a clue where she'd left her umbrella, so she turned up the collar of her coat and headed down the street in the cold rain looking for her daughter. She'd walk every inch of this damn town to find her. She'd walk into the dark hours, through the night and all across the county if that's what it took.
By now the cries had returned, incessant, startlingly clear, not at all like something imagined. It was frightening how clear they were. It was raining heavily now.
* * *
Ethan looked up at the sound of footsteps running up the stairs. Bonnie knocked loudly, then threw open the door.
"Ethan! Come quickly!"
Ethan shot up and followed her but she was ahead of him by a flight of stairs, and when he got to the second landing he saw her at the foot of the stairs with Mrs. Zeldin.
Annette's hair was dripping wet; her coat was drenched and the sable collar matted with rain. She turned haunted brown eyes up to him, and the sight of her coming to him in need and despair wrenched his heart.
"Bonnie, do we have any blankets?" he said as he rushed down to Annette.
"I think I have one in the trunk of my car."
"Go get it."
He put an arm around Annette and helped her up the stairs. Her skin was like ice and she was shivering violently.
"What happened?"
"She's gone," gasped Annette.
"Who?"
"My daughter. She's gone."
His warm touch, his protective arm around her
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