Kat did her best to stave off panic. Panic wouldn’t help find Emma. She had to keep a clear head, even when her heart was about to pound right out of her chest. By the time she got to Principal Layton’s office and told her that Emma Danvers was missing, Kat’s panic had turned into resolve.
Gavin might’ve broken her heart, but she was not going to let them go through another tragedy. He’d already almost lost his first wife. The thought that something would happen to his daughter? It was unthinkable.
“Do you have any idea where she could be?” Principal Layton said hurriedly as she dialed the police. “Did you look in the closets?”
“Yes. They’re all locked. I don’t see how she could’ve gotten inside them.”
“I have a skeleton key: I’ll check them.”
“Someone needs to inform her father,” said Kat quietly.
Principal Layton nodded tightly. “I’ll do that once I get off the phone with the police. If you find her, call my cell phone.” She handed Kat a Post-it with her cell phone number on it.
Kat realized she’d left her own phone in the computer room. As she grabbed her things, thankful she didn’t have another class to teach that afternoon, Silas stepped inside the room.
“I ran into Jenny,” he said, referring to Mrs. Gentry. “Any idea where Emma is?”
Kat checked her coat: purse, keys, phone. Hat. She’d brought a hat—right? She dug around in her bag and found her hat at the bottom.
“No, no idea,” she said in a rush. “I’m going to go looking for her now.”
Silas’s face creased. “Kat, it’s raining. You shouldn’t go out there.”
Kat didn’t have time to argue. “I need to go. I’m going to keep looking in the school first before I go outside.” A few months ago, she would’ve invited Silas to come along, but since he’d been so weird with her staying with Gavin, an awkwardness had formed between them.
“I’ll help. Tell me where to go.”
Kat instantly felt guilty for not including Silas, who just wanted to help. She shouldn’t let personal matters get in the way of finding Emma. “I’m going to search the first floor. Principal Layton has a key to open the janitorial closets, if she somehow got into one. How about you search down here?”
“Will do.” Silas touched Kat’s arm, squeezing it. “We’ll find her. Don’t worry.”
Kat met up with Principal Layton and they split up to cover more of the school. The police were on their way, although Principal Layton had told them to keep things on the down-low so as to not upset the other students. Kat had a feeling Principal Layton wanted to avoid any parents finding out before it was necessary. There was no need to create an entire panic throughout the community.
Kat and Principal Layton—Linda, as she’d insisted Kat call her—began to open one closet after the other. Considering the school was hardly huge, it didn’t take long to see that Emma wasn’t hiding in any of them. Inside the closet she’d hidden in earlier in the school year, Kat pushed aside a mop and lifted up a bucket, as if the young girl could’ve hidden underneath it like some woodland creature.
“How could she have run away without anyone noticing?” Linda’s voice was low and anguished. “And where are the police? It’s been fifteen minutes.”
“What about an Amber alert?” said Kat. “Would that help?”
“I’m not sure if this would count—yet.” Linda rubbed her temples. “Let’s look in the classrooms that aren’t in use.”
Linda unlocked the few classrooms that were mostly for storage—old books, desks, chairs filled one room almost to the ceiling—but no Emma. Right then, the wind started blowing so hard that Kat could hear it whistling from inside the school.
Emma had been doing so much better lately, but something must’ve triggered her into hiding. Kat just prayed that nothing more sinister had happened this time. If Emma had been taken, or was hurt… Gavin wouldn’t survive, she knew that much.
“Wait, did you call Gavin—I mean, Mr. Danvers?” said Kat to Linda.
Linda swore, words that Kat rarely heard at the elementary school. “No. Shit. I was too preoccupied with the police and then I wanted to find you--”
Kat didn’t wait for her to explain further. “I’ve got this. I’ll meet up with you in a second.”
Kat’s heart pounded as she called Gavin. When he didn’t pick up for a long second, she prayed under her breath that he wouldn’t ignore her call.
When he finally answered, she could’ve sobbed with relief.
“Gavin,” she said in a shaky voice, “Emma is missing.”
Chapter Sixteen
Gavin had never driven so fast in his entire life. He gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles, praying and begging anyone listening to keep his daughter safe.
Emma had to be safe. She was most likely hiding somewhere, and they just hadn’t found her yet. Rage at the school bubbled over, and he didn’t realize he’d accelerated until he almost ran himself off of the road. He forced himself to slow down, even as it felt like hours before he’d reach the school when it was only across town.
After Gavin had left River’s Bend, Adam had assured him that he’d follow behind him as soon as he found Joy so she could help in the search. Gavin had hardly listened to his brother. Adam could bring the entire family if he wanted, but Gavin wasn’t about to wait around for them all, either.
How had the school lost his daughter? Again? He wanted to throttle someone. He wanted to demand why everyone at that damn school couldn’t keep track of one little girl. If she had gotten hurt, or worse…
He took a deep breath. Then another. The panic he’d felt when he’d found Teagan on the bathroom floor. He hated feeling this helpless, and he couldn’t understand how the past seemed to be repeating itself.
Before he went to the school, he planned to check the apartment. The school was about three miles from home, so although it
