2

After her third cup of coffee, Patti sat at her kitchen table tapping her fingers on the green tile that didn’t match the rest of her blue kitchen.

The operator had discovered the source of the call and assured Patti the police were on their way to the little girl’s house.

Patti hoped Sabrina’s mom would be there when the police arrived, and the problem would be solved.

“Of all the days to rain,” she muttered as she stared out the window. Her tradition of using the first day of summer vacation to plant flowers wouldn’t be happening that day—unless she wanted to crawl around in knee-deep mud.

Sighing, she went to the sink to rinse out the coffee cup. She wandered through the house trying to find something to keep her mind off Sabrina.

Twenty minutes later, the phone rang.

"Is this Patti Jakowski?"

"Who’s this?" she asked.

"I’m Sergeant Carter Caldwell with the Palm Beach Police Department in Florida. Are you the person who called about the young child being left alone?"

"I hope everything turned out all right. Did you find Sabrina?"

A moment’s hesitation made Patti’s heart drop.

"We did, but we’re confused."

Patti’s stomach clenched in a knot. “About what?”

“Are you sure you’re not her aunt?”

“Of course, I’m sure.” The knot tightened. "I would know if she was my niece.”

Another long pause.

"Here's the thing. She wasn't dialing your number by mistake. It was programmed into the cell phone. Sabrina’s mother taught her to speed dial your number. The house belongs to a..."

"Jamie Jakowski." Patti finished his sentence. Her legs shook, and she reached for the closest chair. She plopped down on the seat. I should have known. What has Jamie gotten herself into, now?

"So you do know them?" asked Sergeant Caldwell.

"Jamie’s my sister, but I didn't know anything about Sabrina. It’s been a long time since Jamie and I talked. Last I knew she lived in New York City, not Florida. And I didn’t know she had a daughter." The flush of shame crept up her cheeks. Bad enough having to admit she didn’t speak with her sister, but to admit she didn’t know she had a niece was worse.

"Well, she’s living here, now.”

Fury flowed through her. How could her sister leave her child alone like that? Anything could have happened. “So Sabrina was alone.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Not exactly.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Sabrina was confused when she called you. When she went to bed her mom was at home, but when she woke up she wasn’t in her bedroom or the house. She panicked and called you, but the nanny was in the house the whole time.”

“A nanny?”

How could her sister afford a nanny? The last time she’d seen Jamie she’d been sharing an apartment with roaches.

“The nanny’s confused, too. Not sure why Jamie disappeared in the middle of the night. She was scheduled to leave today on a business trip, so she figured your sister couldn’t sleep and left early.”

Now that was the Jamie she knew. Left without saying goodbye to anyone, and scaring her daughter half-to-death. Apparently, her twin hadn’t grown up at all.

“The nanny says they live a quiet life.”

“A quiet life? That doesn’t sound like Jamie.” Anger bubbled up. Calm down. Patti tapped her fingers on the telephone and closed her eyes.

Jamie had a child and hadn’t told her. That wasn’t the kind of news someone forgot to mention. So Jamie must have decided their relationship was over, kaput. Forever.

Deep down, she always thought she and Jamie would one day reconcile. That spark of hope cooled to an ember and then died out completely.

Her bad day had officially turned into a nightmare. “What’s going to happen to Sabrina?”

More silence on the other end.

Patti wished she hadn’t had the third cup of coffee. Acid churned in her stomach. The caffeine wasn’t helping matters, either. Her knees were shaking.

“Nothing. Sabrina’s fine. Just a little shook up and wondering why Mom didn’t say goodbye to her, but other than that, nothing’s amiss.”

Patti was wondering the same thing.

“And the nanny’s here with the proper documentation proving she’s the legal guardian when Mom is away. So, case closed.”

“What about the fact Jamie disappeared in the middle of the night?”

“She’s an adult. Her daughter had proper supervision the whole time.”

“Has she done this before?”

“I have no idea.”

Just leave well enough alone. Sabrina was safe.

The authorities were saying there wasn’t a problem.

Her sister and her crazy antics weren’t her business, but...Patti could hear Sabrina’s sweet little voice. “I want my aunt.”

“Maybe, I should come down there and check on Sabrina.”

“The nanny is concerned, but at this point it’s not a police matter. As I said, Sabrina is fine.”

She sighed. “I’m sure Jamie will be back before I could get on a plane. It would just be a wasted trip.”

“That’s probably true, ma’am. I just wanted to call and let you know the little girl was safe and sound the whole time. And to thank you for taking the time to get involved. A lot of people wouldn’t have bothered.”

“Thank you for calling me back.”

“Do you want the phone number and address?”

She should hang up, and pretend Sabrina had never called her. “What’s the number?” she asked.

Patti sat in the chair holding the phone. Despite her twin’s many flaws, Patti had a hard time believing Jamie would abandon her child in the middle of the night, no matter what the reason. True, the nanny was there, but to leave without saying goodbye to her child?

Jamie had a daughter.

The thought boggled her mind. Patti chewed the inside of her cheek and then put her head in her hands and cried. Anger surged through her. Her emotions were bouncing faster than a ping-pong ball.

Righteous indignation and compassion for Sabrina, living with a nanny while Jamie went merrily on her way.

Or was she just jealous Jamie had a child and she didn’t?

Patti shook away the horrible thought. She wasn’t that selfish and self-centered, was she?

Patti’s breathing quickened. Not enough air. Trouble breathing. Panic attack. With eyes squeezed shut, she forced herself to slow her breathing down. One. Two. Three. Four. One. Two. Three. She didn’t want to think about having babies, or her sister.

As soon as her breathing returned to normal, her thoughts returned to Sabrina. Even though Patti and her twin didn't have a relationship, they were still sisters. This little girl was her niece, her family. And Jamie trusted Patti enough to teach Sabrina how to dial her number in an emergency.

And even though it wasn’t a real emergency, Sabrina had been terrified, nonetheless.

Thinking of phone numbers, how exactly had Jamie known hers?

Patti hadn’t talked with Jamie since she'd moved into her new house, and Patti’s number was unlisted so students couldn’t find it.