Mason rushed into the main hall of the police station, where Amy was standing against the wall in tears. “I’ll take it from here,” he said to the surrounding officers, who’d been trying to comfort her.
When Amy saw her father, she ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. Her wet cheek buried into his stomach. “They’re gone,” she said, sniveling.
“What?” Mason eased her away and knelt down in front of her. She was growing so fast he realized he might not have to kneel for much longer. “Who’s gone?”
“Mom and Joshua.”
Mason felt a chill shoot down his spine. On some level, he knew exactly what had happened to them. Of course, it was possible something else had made the couple go missing, but Mason knew better. It was too coincidental.
He showed Amy into an interview room, where he got her a cup of water and sat beside her. “I need you to breathe nice and slow, then tell me what happened.”
“I came home from the mall, and the door was open.” Her hands were shaking around the paper cup. Water rippled over the brim, spilling onto the floor. “At first I was too scared to go inside, but when I did the house was a mess. I-I didn’t know what to do, so I came here to speak to Bill. But Bill said you were here, so I asked if I could see you, and then…” Her words trailed off as her face turned red and the tears flowed again.
Mason rubbed her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay, honey.” This is the second time this girl has been torn apart because of me. “I have an idea where they are.”
“You do?” She looked up at him.
“I think so, yeah. In fact, that’s why I’m here. And they’re going to be okay.”
Amy leaned off her chair and hugged him tight.
“Now, I want you to stay here for a few hours while I run some errands. I’ll have an officer look after you. Will you be okay? Do you have a book with you?” He realized it was a stupid question—Amy always had a book with her. Whether she was in the mood to read was another matter altogether.
Mason left her with Sergeant Brooke—who’d never let Mason down in the past—and made his way back to the captain.
Soon, he had to make the exchange with Alison Wendell. It was unclear if she had anything to do with Sandra and Joshua’s disappearance. If she hadn’t, then another problem was on the horizon.
And if she had, the stakes had just gone up.