thoughts.
"What’s he doing here?"
He turned around to see Kate’s daughter glaring at him.
"Alison!" Kate’s voice rang just as sharp and accusing. But Alison was in no mood to listen. Her eyes bright with fury, she stomped into the kitchen, one angry fist on her hip.
"Haven’t you done enough harm?" she snapped at Mitch. "You already sent one innocent man to prison. Now you want to do the same to my dad?"
"Alison, that’s enough."
Alison’s eyes brimmed with tears as she turned to her mother. "I thought you were on Daddy’s side. I thought you were going to help him."
"I am helping him. I’ve done nothing since this morning but try to sort through the mess he left behind."
"And that’s how you do it?" Alison cried, emotion cracking her youthful voice. "By talking to him? By letting him in our house?"
Devastated by the child’s anguish, Kate went to her. "Darling, Detective Calhoon is conducting an investigation. I was merely answering his questions-"
Before Kate could finish her sentence, Alison let out a small cry of frustration and fled the room.
It took Kate a few moments to collect herself and a few more to realize that the door Alison had just slammed was not to her bedroom, but the front door.
Alarmed, she ran into the foyer. "Alison!" Her eyes darted toward the coat rack where Alison’s red coat always hung. It was gone. Mitch right behind her, Kate threw the door open and ran the few steps to the sidewalk. Alison was nowhere in sight. "Oh, my God."
"She can’t be far," Mitch said in a voice that was instantly calming. "Take your car and ride around that block." He pointed toward the left. "I’ll go the other way." He squeezed her arm. "We’ll find her."
As Kate ran back inside the house to get her car keys, a dozen terrifying thoughts bounced in her head. Where could Alison have gone? What if they didn’t find her? What if someone took her? She was only thirteen. Anything could happen to a young girl these days. Even in this neighborhood.
By the time she reached her car, Mitch was already gone.
Her heart pounding, Kate jumped into the Saab and drove around the familiar streets, peering through the windshield and into the night, hoping to see Alison’s red coat. She even got out of the car a few times to knock at
her neighbors’ doors. But no one had seen Alison. Yes, they would call if they heard anything.
Ten agonizing minutes later, having searched every nook and cranny of Cleveland Park, including the Forest Hill playground where kids sometimes gathered, she drove back to the house. Mitch was already there, standing by his car and talking on a cellular phone.
She kept her eyes riveted to him as he gave the police dispatcher a thorough description of Alison, grateful for his extraordinary memory.
When he was finished, he hung up and looked at Kate. "Did she have any money? Enough to take a cab?"
Not trusting her voice, Kate nodded.
"Let me have your phone book," he said as they hurried back toward the house.
In the kitchen, he took the heavy yellow pages she handed him, laid it on top of the island and started flipping through it. Once he had located the listing for local cab companies, he dialed each one, explaining who he was and why he was calling.
"They’re going to check with all their drivers," he said when he was finished.
Kate sank into a chair. "I’m scared." She couldn’t remember the last time she had admitted that to anyone.
Mitch crouched down in front of her and took her hands in his. "I know, Kate. Just hang in there."
Her heart continued to pound furiously as she imagined the worst-Alison hurt, bleeding, calling for her. "What if someone drove by and saw her and…took her?"
"We were right behind her, Kate. We would have heard something." He remembered the girl’s violent outburst earlier. "She wouldn’t have gone quietly."
The words,
"What’s he doing here?"
He turned around to see Kate’s daughter glaring at him.
"Alison!" Kate’s voice rang just as sharp and accusing. But Alison was in no mood to listen. Her eyes bright with fury, she stomped into the kitchen, one angry fist on her hip.
"Haven’t you done enough harm?" she snapped at Mitch. "You already sent one innocent man to prison. Now you want to do the same to my dad?"
"Alison, that’s enough."
Alison’s eyes brimmed with tears as she turned to her mother. "I thought you were on Daddy’s side. I thought you were going to help him."
"I am helping him. I’ve done nothing since this morning but try to sort through the mess he left behind."
"And that’s how you do it?" Alison cried, emotion cracking her youthful voice. "By talking to him? By letting him in our house?"
Devastated by the child’s anguish, Kate went to her. "Darling, Detective Calhoon is conducting an investigation. I was merely answering his questions-"
Before Kate could finish her sentence, Alison let out a small cry of frustration and fled the room.
It took Kate a few moments to collect herself and a few more to realize that the door Alison had just slammed was not to her bedroom, but the front door.
Alarmed, she ran into the foyer. "Alison!" Her eyes darted toward the coat rack where Alison’s red coat always hung. It was gone. Mitch right behind her, Kate threw the door open and ran the few steps to the sidewalk. Alison was nowhere in sight. "Oh, my God."
"She can’t be far," Mitch said in a voice that was instantly calming. "Take your car and ride around that block." He pointed toward the left. "I’ll go the other way." He squeezed her arm. "We’ll find her."
As Kate ran back inside the house to get her car keys, a dozen terrifying thoughts bounced in her head. Where could Alison have gone? What if they didn’t find her? What if someone took her? She was only thirteen. Anything could happen to a young girl these days. Even in this neighborhood.
By the time she reached her car, Mitch was already gone.
Her heart pounding, Kate jumped into the Saab and drove around the familiar streets, peering through the windshield and into the night, hoping to see Alison’s red coat. She even got out of the car a few times to knock at
her neighbors’ doors. But no one had seen Alison. Yes, they would call if they heard anything.
Ten agonizing minutes later, having searched every nook and cranny of Cleveland Park, including the Forest Hill playground where kids sometimes gathered, she drove back to the house. Mitch was already there, standing by his car and talking on a cellular phone.
She kept her eyes riveted to him as he gave the police dispatcher a thorough description of Alison, grateful for his extraordinary memory.
When he was finished, he hung up and looked at Kate. "Did she have any money? Enough to take a cab?"
Not trusting her voice, Kate nodded.
"Let me have your phone book," he said as they hurried back toward the house.
In the kitchen, he took the heavy yellow pages she handed him, laid it on top of the island and started flipping through it. Once he had located the listing for local cab companies, he dialed each one, explaining who he was and why he was calling.
"They’re going to check with all their drivers," he said when he was finished.
Kate sank into a chair. "I’m scared." She couldn’t remember the last time she had admitted that to anyone.
Mitch crouched down in front of her and took her hands in his. "I know, Kate. Just hang in there."
Her heart continued to pound furiously as she imagined the worst-Alison hurt, bleeding, calling for her. "What if someone drove by and saw her and…took her?"
"We were right behind her, Kate. We would have heard something." He remembered the girl’s violent outburst earlier. "She wouldn’t have gone quietly."
The words,
Similar Books
