80

Ten minutes later, Loren opened the Lincoln’s rear passenger door. “Hey sis. How you doin’?”

“What was that all about?”

“Nothing. Nothing to worry about.”

Amy squinted disbelief.

Loren placed a hand on Amy’s forearm. “Everything’s gonna work out.”

“What does that mean?” Amy asked, studying Loren’s face. “How?”

“Barring a major flub by the assistant US Attorney, Melissa’s parents are going to prison. They’ll be out of the picture. Melissa would go to a foster home. She has no next of kin.” Loren laughed. “Except that’s not really true, is it? She’s got you.”

“What are you saying?”

Loren looked at the sleeping girl, her head comfortably resting in Amy’s lap. She was in that kind of very deep slumber when kids can sleep through almost anything. “We’re arranging for you to be given new identities. Someone who used to do this for the Marshals Service will be relocating you. We’ll get you set up at a hotel tonight. Tomorrow a man named Butch Thurston will come and pick you up. Listen to everything he says. Do whatever he says. Don’t question it. You and Melissa will start new lives together.”

Amy’s eye began twitching uncontrollably. “Where?”

“Don’t know. And I can’t know. Somewhere safe.”

“But what about you? And Zach, and the boys?”

Loren pursed her lips. “There’s a cost for this, sis. And that’s the price. No contact with us. For a while. How long, I don’t know. The statute of limitations in California for kidnapping a child younger than fourteen is six years.

“But kidnapping on a federal level is much more serious—there’s no statute of limitations. Charges can be filed at any time following the crime.”

“That means I can never come home, can never see you guys again.”

“We don’t know that. Using intermediaries, Zach and I will try to find a way out of this for you. Maybe an attorney somewhere will have a novel approach. But that’s—”

“Wishful thinking.”

Loren moved her hand over Amy’s. “We won’t give up hope. And you shouldn’t either.” She gave a squeeze. “In the meantime, you get to make a life with your daughter.” Loren laughed quietly. “Never thought I’d ever get to say that to you.”

Amy allowed a smile to spread her lips. “I know.” The grin evaporated. “But the Ellises? You really think they’re going to prison?”

“I do. But Christine is a vindictive bitch. I’m not sure she’ll admit defeat. That’s another reason why I want to make sure you’re safe.”

“If the feds can’t find me, I doubt anyone Christine hired could, either.”

Loren looked into Amy’s eyes with intensity. “I would not make that assumption, sis. That’s why no contact means no contact. No emails. No text messages. No photos in the mail. No social media posts. Don’t log into any of your existing accounts. Nothing. One mistake could be all it takes, because people will be listening. It’s too risky. Your cover gets blown, if you’re lucky enough to escape, you and Melissa will have to uproot and leave, start over again.”

Amy wiped a tear from her cheek. “Okay.”

“When things calm down, I’ll get in touch with Butch and he’ll get word to you. It could be a year, probably more before you hear from us.” Loren touched the side of Amy’s face, then gave her a hug. “You’ve gotta go now. My partners are on the way and they can’t find you here. Mickey’s gonna take you to a safe place.”

She looked left, out the window. “He’s—are you sure I can trust him?”

Loren could not help but laugh. “Yeah, I trust him. I’ve known him a long time. It’s complicated. He’s complicated. But at his core, he’s a good guy.”

“Okay.”

“Okay. You take care. I love you.” She dug out the burner and gave it to her. “I’ll have Zach call you on this sometime tonight. Then give it to Butch to get rid of.”

Amy nodded. Loren stole one last look at Melissa—at the niece she might never get to know—and closed the door.