He had a second scrapbook, too—one of his mother—that he showed his friends. She did more exciting things than most of the kids’ fathers. She was strong, and she took good care of him, but it had recently occurred to him that there was no one to take care of her. He tried his best, but he knew it wasn’t enough. He was just a kid, and she needed a man. He knew that instinctively, just as he knew instinctively that Will was the right man. He smiled, thinking how rad it would be to have an honest-to-God FBI agent for a dad.
The waitress set his Coke on the table. The restaurant was filling with food smells, and his stomach rumbled. He looked at his Timex and hoped they’d be along soon.
***
The interviews had been no more enlightening the second time around. As the door closed behind Carla Edwards’s ex-husband, Al threw his pen down on the desk in disgust.
“This entire day has been a waste of time!” he exploded. “A friggin’ waste!”
“But we didn’t know that till we did it.” Jen flopped into a chair and stretched.
“Yeah, sure. The hell with it. I’m calling it a day. I don’t care if anybody else is waiting to see us or not.”
“Edwards was the last.” Jen stretched again, reaching for the ceiling. “I’m with you about calling it a day. I’m beat.”
She had started for the door before she remembered she didn’t have her car.
“Would it be out of your way to give me a lift home? Will had an emergency and had to go to Indianapolis. His youngest daughter was hit by a car.”
“Is she okay?” Al looked concerned.
“I don’t know. I certainly hope so. She’s only six.”
“If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.” Al shook his head. “Sure, I’ll run you home. Let’s get out of here.”
The last remnants of daylight were fast disappearing, and a light rain was beginning to fall as they hurried to Al’s car. It was a cold and wet fall evening, and she was tired, both in body and soul. She was looking forward to her warm apartment and an evening with her son.
Al was downcast and silent during most of the drive to Jen’s apartment. As they pulled into the lot, she turned to him. He looked tired and old.
“Are you okay?” she said softly.
“Sure.” He didn’t look at her. “It’s just frustrating, that’s all.”
“We’re doing everything we can, Al. You know that.”
“Are we? Sometimes I wonder.”
“Say, would you like to come upstairs with me and have coffee? Or a drink? I promise to behave myself.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Al managed a smile.
“Well, okay, if I don’t behave myself, I promise to respect you in the morning.”
“That’s what they all say.”
“You can trust me.” She squeezed his arm. “All kidding aside, I hate to see you like this. Maybe it would help to talk. Help us both.”
He shook his head.
“I appreciate the thought, Jen, I really do, but I don’t think I’m up to discussing it. It would just depress me more. I’m tired and I’m low and all I want to do is go home, have a couple of stiff drinks, and sleep for about twelve hours.”
“Okay. I understand. But if you need anything, you call me. Promise?”
“Promise. And thanks.”
“What are partners for?”
She kissed him on the cheek and opened the car door. She hurried through the light mist to her building. From the protection of the hall, she watched him pull away. He wasn’t holding up well under the pressure that was bombarding them all. She wondered if she should say something to Lonnie but decided against it. She and Al were partners. She’d help him work it out. She turned and started up the stairs to her apartment, fishing her key out of her purse as she climbed.
CHAPTER 51
“What do you mean, she’s not here?” Will was angry. “How can you misplace a six-year-old girl?”
“Sir, as far as I know, we didn’t misplace her. She’s simply not here nor has she been here.” The matronly nurse spoke in soothing tones, accustomed to dealing with distraught individuals in the emergency department. “Is there someone you can call to check your information? Perhaps it was another hospital.”
“Look, I know what the nurse said. I’m in the right hospital.”
“If you could remember the nurse’s name, that would help.”
“Damn it, I don’t know his name.” Will was becoming more frustrated and angry by the minute. “If I knew his name, don’t you think I’d tell you?”
“I’ve already checked with the only two male nurses on duty. Neither of them called you.” The woman looked genuinely sympathetic. “Why don’t you try contacting your ex-wife?”
Will glared at her for a moment and then took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping. He’d been acting like a jerk, taking out his frustrations on this poor woman. She couldn’t very well produce Christina if Christina wasn’t here.
“You’re right,” he said. “I’m sorry. I’ve been behaving very badly, and you’ve been more than patient with me. I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“I can certainly understand that.” The woman patted his shoulder. “Now, go call your ex-wife.”
He’d tried Gloria’s cell several times on the way to Indianapolis and left messages every time, but she hadn’t called back. Gloria and Joe’s home was situated in a valley, and cell reception depended on where you were standing in the house, so they had kept a landline. Now he tried the landline three times, but like the cell, it rolled to voicemail every time. On the third try, he left another message asking her to call him as soon as possible and then tried her cell again with no success.
He spent the next half hour calling every hospital in the metropolitan area. No Christina Anderson had been admitted to
