to join the others.
“My name is Clay, and this is Tate and Max. If it’s alright with you, we’d like to help you get back to your mama.”
At the child’s unhappy frown, Clay shifted so that he could get his fingers into his pocket. He pulled out his badge, flipped it open. “Do you know what this is?” he asked as the little girl studied the bright gold shield.
She shook her head again. “This badge says that I’m a policeman.” Of sorts. “Did your mama explain to you that it’s okay to trust a policeman if you’re lost?”
“But I’m not the one who’s lost.”
At that, Clay frowned in confusion.
“Is your sister lost?” Max piped up from his position between Clay and his mom.
The little girl nodded and Clay turned his frown toward Max. “I saw them earlier,” Max explained with a shrug. “She pointed at my bear and told her sister she wanted one. Her sister said ‘get real’.”
Impressed with Max’s powers of observation, Clay’s mouth moved in the hint of a smile before he returned his attention to the other child. “Where did you lose your sister?”
“Here,” the little girl explained. “She always waits for me to do the Ferris wheel ‘cause she’s scared of heights. But when I got off this time she wasn’t here.”
“How old is your sister?”
“Thirteen,” the child supplied. “But she’ll be fourteen real soon. She wants an iPhone for her birthday, but Mommy told her she couldn’t have one.”
Clay relaxed a little as he catalogued the information. A disgruntled teen being pressed into babysitting duty had most likely simply wandered away. She was probably hanging out by the picnic tables where he’d seen the other teenagers gathering. He started to suggest that he and Tate walk the child back to her mother, and let the other woman deal with her misplaced teen, but Tate’s next comment stopped him cold.
“I think I saw your sister talking to your daddy,” she told the little girl.
“I don’t have a daddy.”
As Tate winced over her inadvertent blunder, Clay’s instincts kicked into gear. “Why did you assume the man was her father?”
“I don’t know.” Tate shrugged. “He loo ked… older. I guess I just assumed he was her father. I should know better.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Well, like I said, he was probably somewhere in his thirties, although I could be off because his face was partially hidden by the cap. He was big, though. Really bulky.” She used her hands to guesstimate shoulder width. “Like maybe he lifted a lot of weights.”
Clay cursed under his breath, just loud enough for Tate to hear. “Do you remember how he was dressed?”
Tate shrugged, clearly growing uneasy. She unconsciously pulled Max against her side. “To be honest, I didn’t really notice. I just remember that he was wearing a cap.”
“Anything on the cap? Any words or emblems?”
“Ah,” she struggled to remember. “There might have been an ‘A’, like for the Braves.”
With that, Clay returned his attention to the child. “Do you think you could tell me your name?”
The girl looked at the shield, which Clay had purposefully kept visible. Then she lifted her eyes toward his. “Amber.”
“Okay, Amber.” His smile was gentle. “Does your mommy have any friends that wear a cap with a letter ‘A’ sewn onto it?” There was always the chance the man was someone they knew.
Amber shook her head and frowned. “I don’t think so. Old Tom wears a hat, but his is made out of straw.”
Clay gathered that she was referring to the man in charge of the ponies. Not wanting to alarm her, he kept a smile in his voice when he spoke. “Amber, Miss Tate and I are going to take you back to your mama. And then you have my word, as a policeman, that I will help you find your sister.”
He stood and offered his hand to Max. “Max, if it’s okay with you, I think
“My name is Clay, and this is Tate and Max. If it’s alright with you, we’d like to help you get back to your mama.”
At the child’s unhappy frown, Clay shifted so that he could get his fingers into his pocket. He pulled out his badge, flipped it open. “Do you know what this is?” he asked as the little girl studied the bright gold shield.
She shook her head again. “This badge says that I’m a policeman.” Of sorts. “Did your mama explain to you that it’s okay to trust a policeman if you’re lost?”
“But I’m not the one who’s lost.”
At that, Clay frowned in confusion.
“Is your sister lost?” Max piped up from his position between Clay and his mom.
The little girl nodded and Clay turned his frown toward Max. “I saw them earlier,” Max explained with a shrug. “She pointed at my bear and told her sister she wanted one. Her sister said ‘get real’.”
Impressed with Max’s powers of observation, Clay’s mouth moved in the hint of a smile before he returned his attention to the other child. “Where did you lose your sister?”
“Here,” the little girl explained. “She always waits for me to do the Ferris wheel ‘cause she’s scared of heights. But when I got off this time she wasn’t here.”
“How old is your sister?”
“Thirteen,” the child supplied. “But she’ll be fourteen real soon. She wants an iPhone for her birthday, but Mommy told her she couldn’t have one.”
Clay relaxed a little as he catalogued the information. A disgruntled teen being pressed into babysitting duty had most likely simply wandered away. She was probably hanging out by the picnic tables where he’d seen the other teenagers gathering. He started to suggest that he and Tate walk the child back to her mother, and let the other woman deal with her misplaced teen, but Tate’s next comment stopped him cold.
“I think I saw your sister talking to your daddy,” she told the little girl.
“I don’t have a daddy.”
As Tate winced over her inadvertent blunder, Clay’s instincts kicked into gear. “Why did you assume the man was her father?”
“I don’t know.” Tate shrugged. “He loo ked… older. I guess I just assumed he was her father. I should know better.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Well, like I said, he was probably somewhere in his thirties, although I could be off because his face was partially hidden by the cap. He was big, though. Really bulky.” She used her hands to guesstimate shoulder width. “Like maybe he lifted a lot of weights.”
Clay cursed under his breath, just loud enough for Tate to hear. “Do you remember how he was dressed?”
Tate shrugged, clearly growing uneasy. She unconsciously pulled Max against her side. “To be honest, I didn’t really notice. I just remember that he was wearing a cap.”
“Anything on the cap? Any words or emblems?”
“Ah,” she struggled to remember. “There might have been an ‘A’, like for the Braves.”
With that, Clay returned his attention to the child. “Do you think you could tell me your name?”
The girl looked at the shield, which Clay had purposefully kept visible. Then she lifted her eyes toward his. “Amber.”
“Okay, Amber.” His smile was gentle. “Does your mommy have any friends that wear a cap with a letter ‘A’ sewn onto it?” There was always the chance the man was someone they knew.
Amber shook her head and frowned. “I don’t think so. Old Tom wears a hat, but his is made out of straw.”
Clay gathered that she was referring to the man in charge of the ponies. Not wanting to alarm her, he kept a smile in his voice when he spoke. “Amber, Miss Tate and I are going to take you back to your mama. And then you have my word, as a policeman, that I will help you find your sister.”
He stood and offered his hand to Max. “Max, if it’s okay with you, I think
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