Page 13 of Stolen Angels
Ellie had heard the woman’s name—some of the other women in town talked about her. Dottie Clark was trying to organize a neighborhood watch program. Of course, Carol Sue from the Beauty Barn—who fed the gossip mill—was doing the talking, and Ellie didn’t put much stock in what she said.
“True.” Or Lara could have lied. “Has the neighbor seen the father around lately?”
“She saw him drive by a few times,” Heath said. “Once he stopped and went to the door, but the wife refused to let him come in. Screamed that he scared Ava when he got mad.”
Ellie’s stomach tightened. So Jasper had a temper. Maybe he’d snatched the little girl to get back at his wife. “Did any of the neighbors see anyone else watching Ava?”
“Three of the families work full-time and have no kids so they aren’t home much. I have one more neighbor to check with.”
Her phone buzzed with a call from Derrick, so she said thanks and clicked over.
“I’m at Jasper Truman’s place,” Derrick started, filling her in on what he’d found.
“Lara said he hadn’t seen Ava much, but lately had hinted at wanting shared custody. They argued about that.” Ellie hesitated. “Derrick, I found Ava’s stuffed bunny at the park across from the bus stop. It was in the bushes as if she dropped it. It looks like she was taken.”
Derrick cursed. “The father’s suitcase is gone. He may have run off with her.”
“Let’s issue a bulletin for his vehicle and for him.”
“I’ll handle it. Don’t know if it means anything, but it looks like the man was behind on his bills. After I checked the closet, I skimmed through them. He owed the children’s hospital a big chunk. I’m going to dig into their financials and see if they owe anyone else, someone who might have kidnapped Ava to send a message to them.”
“Definitely dig into the husband.” Ellie sighed. “Lara didn’t mention anything about Ava having been in the hospital,” she said, wondering why. “I’m on my way back to the house. I’ll find out the reason.”
Thirteen
To cover all bases, Ellie called Ranger Cord McClain and asked him to bring his Search and Rescue dog to comb the neighborhood for Ava. Cord was the best tracker in the area. Every year hikers began the Appalachian Trail —2,200 miles of untamed wilderness from Georgia to Maine—with high aspirations. But many fell foul to the elements, had accidents on the sharp ridges and steep cliffs, and others got lost, keeping SAR busy.
Cord knew the AT like the back of his hand and had been instrumental in other cases. She and the tough, brooding ranger had been friends since she was in high school and she’d tagged along with him on several search missions.
“I’ll organize a team and meet you at the Truman house,” Cord said. “We’ll need something with Ava’s scent on it.”
Ellie’s gut clenched. “I know. I’ll talk to the mother.”
They hung up, and she made her way back to Lara’s house. She knocked gently but there was no answer. Uneasy, she slipped inside and heard Lara’s voice coming from the kitchen.
“Jasper, if you took Ava, call me right now!” Lara cried. “If you hurt one hair on her head, I’ll kill you with my bare hands!”
Ellie went still, but the floor creaked and Lara turned and saw her. Her mouth opened in a gasp and she slammed the phone onto the table.
“I… I didn’t mean that,” she said, her voice hysterical. “I… just want my daughter home.”
Ellie crossed the room, the bunny in her hands.
Lara spotted it immediately and panic seared her face. “That’s Ava’s. Where did you find it?”
“In the park, near the parking lot,” Ellie said.
Confusion clouded Lara’s eyes. “Not at the bus stop?”
“No, it was in the bushes.”
A dozen emotions flickered in Lara’s eyes as she realized the implications. “Ava would never leave Bunny behind. Never,” she insisted. “I tried to get her to leave it at home when she went to school, and a couple of times she left it on her bed. But then she started crying for it at the bus stop and we wound up running back to the house to get it.”
Ellie didn’t like the scenario forming in her head.
“You think someone kidnapped Ava, don’t you?” Lara’s hand shook as she shoved a strand of hair from her face.
Ellie gave her a sympathetic look. “We’re still looking at the possibility that your husband has her. You mentioned that the two of you argued about custody.” She claimed the seat across from Lara. “One of the neighbors said that they overheard your husband accuse you of leaving Ava alone sometimes.”