Chapter 41
Holt
Principal Grant walks out of her office and asks what’s going on.
Sandy explains the issue, and based on Melanie’s face, she knows they’re about to be in some deep shit. “And we weren’t able to get in touch with Gina?”
“I tried both her classroom phone and her cell.”
“Try them again. Cindy, will you run down to her classroom to see if she’s there?”
Cindy nods and leaves the main office.
I hand my phone to Gia. “Can you call Knox and tell him what’s going on? He can come grab Finn and update my parents.”
She nods, taking my cell and leading Finn across the small vestibule.
Sandy grimaces. “Gina didn’t answer again.”
“Where’s Farrah’s sub?” Melanie asks.
“She was already on her way home, but is on her way back. She reported the same thing—that Gina pulled Leah from her class early.”
“Okay, let’s call our resource officer while we wait to hear from Cindy.”
I swallow back my urge to shout at her. It won’t do any good, but the terror that someone took my girls is about to get the best of me. “Should we call the Pine Creek Falls PD?”
Melanie sighs. “I don’t know, Holt. Probably? That’s why I want to talk to our resource officer.”
“Reina’s on her way over,” Sandy says. I pace back and forth in the small space to give myself an outlet for my buzzing nerves.
I want to race out the door and start searching for the girls right now.
Are they safe? Who could have them? The list isn’t very long, and every one of them would have called me first.
And why is Gina Halbrand involved? None of this adds up. I wouldn’t have expected her to be involved with something like this. She might not be the most liked teacher, but I don’t think she would purposefully endanger a child either.
She might’ve dismissed Leah’s claims of bullying, but I’d never imagine her doing something to hurt my daughters herself.
Gia’s hand lands on my lower back. “Knox just picked up Finn. He updated your parents, and they’re calling everyone they know to see if they’ve seen the girls.”
I take a calming breath. Knowing my parents are doing what they can to find the girls helps me focus on what’s happening here. It relieves my need to run out and start searching for them.
Reina comes through the doors in her full police getup. Her red hair has been slicked back into a tight bun, and her green eyes are sharp as they take in the scene. She’s closer to Gia’s age than mine, so I don’t know her all that well. “What’s going on?”
“Lauren and Leah were taken out of school by Gina Halbrand, and we don’t know where they are,” I explain.
“And you’ve attempted to contact her?” Reina asks Sandy and Melanie.
Sandy nods. “Yes, but she’s not answering. I sent Lauren’s teacher to see if she’s in her classroom.” Sandy’s phone rings. “Front office.” She listens for a bit before hanging up. “That was Cindy. She said no one is in Gina’s classroom, and it’s been locked up for the night.”
“Have you looked at the security footage to see when and where she took them?” Reina asks.
Melanie shakes her head. “Not yet. Should we call in the police and make a report?”
“Yes,” Reina answers. “Have a squad car come out here while I pull up the feeds.”
It’s as if everyone else has a task now, and I’m stuck standing here like an idiot while my girls are missing.
Gia wraps her arms around my waist. Her eyes are filled with fear, and it oddly allows me to calm down. She needs me to be strong for her and the girls right now. I can’t afford to fall apart, worrying about the what-ifs. “Holt, what are we going to do?”
“We’re going to find them. Lauren and Leah are smart and capable. They’ll keep their heads, no matter who has them. They’ll be back with us by the end of the day.” The words are for both of us. If I believe them, then they’ll come true.
“Holt, can you come see if you recognize this car?” Reina calls out.
I walk through the office with Gia at my heels. I scan the monitor but shake my head. “That doesn’t look familiar.”
Reina sighs. “The windows are too tinted to see inside. Gina helps both girls into the car. Neither one seems to be afraid though, so my gut is saying they know who the driver is.”
“That could be any number of people in town,” I point out.
“Unfortunately,” Reina agrees.
A couple of officers arrive, and Reina stands to explain the situation. My eyes are glued to the screen where my girls are getting into a strange vehicle. They’d never have gone willingly if they didn’t know who was in the car, but who would have come to pick them up without telling me?
The answer hits me across the face like a slap. “It’s Kathy.”
“What?” Gia gasps.
I move closer to the officers, recognizing one of them. Sam holds his hand out to shake mine. We went to high school together, and he’s a good guy.
“Sam, I think I know who took the girls. We’ve had some issues recently with Hannah’s mom, and I have a feeling she picked the girls up for some reason.”
“What makes you say that?” the other officer asks. He’s older—his gray, bushy mustache likely aging him.
“Kathy is the only person in our life who the girls would get into a car with who also wouldn’t want me to know she picked them up.”
“Try to get a hold of her,” Sam requests. Gia immediately dials from the phone she still has in her hand. “We’ve sent an officer to Gina Halbrand’s residence to see if we can get some information from her.”
“Good. I want her charged for whatever you can charge her with. Allowing my girls to go with someone without following the proper channels is child endangerment.”
“Holt!” Gia yells, pressing the speaker button on my phone. “Lauren? Baby, it’s Gia. Where are you?”
“With Gramma. She’s acting really strange.”
“Where did Gramma take you, Lauren?” It’s hard to keep the steel out of my voice. I don’t want her to be afraid, but I need her to be serious right now.
“We’re at the cabin. She told us we were having a surprise camping weekend, but she wouldn’t let me call you. I took her phone while she was in the bathroom.”
“Good girl. That was exactly what you should have done. We’re coming to get you, okay? Don’t tell Gramma though. It’s going to be a surprise.”
“Okay, Daddy. Love you.”
A deep breath falls from my chest as tears clog my throat. “I love you too, monkey.”
Lauren hangs up, and I whisper a curse. Gia presses her forehead to mine. “They’re safe. We know Kathy wouldn’t hurt them.”
“Why would she take them? What is she thinking?”
“I don’t know, honey. We’ll find out, though, okay? Let’s go get our girls.”
The police follow behind us as I drive out to the cabin Kathy and Leonard bought right after Leah was born.
My anger has started to boil through my chest. All that worry about who could have the girls, and all this time they were with my mother-in-law.
What the fuck was she thinking? Why didn’t she tell me she wanted to spend the weekend with them?
I told her I didn’t want to cut her off, yet she still pulls this crap?
It takes us almost an hour to get out there. The small place is set up in the mountains. It was one of our favorite places to escape when we wanted to get out of town for a couple of days. Hannah loved how cozy it was. I haven’t been able to stomach coming out here since she died.
The long driveway looms ahead. I’m slowly getting more worked up the closer I get to the cabin. How dare she pull something like this? Does Leonard know? Was he part of the whole plan?
I never imagined Kathy would stoop to this level, so I can’t say for certain Leonard wouldn’t either.
I park in front of the cabin and burst out of my truck. A hand grips my arm. “Holt. I know you’re angry. You have every right to be, but don’t let the girls see you this way. They won’t understand what’s going on.”
Gia’s words help clear some of the red haze. She’s right. They won’t have any idea why I’m so upset, and it will only scare them unnecessarily.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Then I start back toward the front door. I don’t bother knocking, walking right inside the open concept cabin.
“Holt.” Kathy gasps in surprise. She whips her head toward the girls, anger spitting from her eyes. “You ungrateful brats. Did you call him?”
I clench my fists and swallow back a response that would only cause more harm than good. “Lauren, Leah, will you go to the truck with Gia, please?”
They scurry off the kitchen chairs and race into Gia’s arms. I have no doubt they knew something was wrong, but they just didn’t understand what. Gia holds them close to her for a long moment, her face scrunched hard enough to hold back her emotions.
When she looks back up at me, tears are pooling in her eyes. It moves me more than anything else could have. She loves my girls as much as I do. This shook her, and yet she stood like a rock by my side. I couldn’t be more grateful to have her in my life than I am right now.
I ask her to send the officers in once she gets outside, and she nods, leading the girls to the truck.
Kathy looks like she stepped in dog shit. “I cannot believe you would ruin what was supposed to be a great weekend.”
Her statement shocks me. “Kathy, you took the girls without permission. That’s kidnapping. You kidnapped my children.”
She scoffs. “That’s overly dramatic. They’re perfectly safe with me. You can’t say the same thing about that little tart you have hanging around them.”
Sam and his partner walk into the cabin. Sam raises his eyebrows at me. “Are you pressing charges?”
“Yes.” The word feels like a razor blade coming out of my mouth. I have no idea if this is the right thing to do, but I can’t just let this go. She took my girls, drove an hour away with them, and never told me she had them. What will she do the next time she wants to see them?
Sam nods, walking over to Kathy. He grips her arms as his partner starts to read her Miranda rights.
“What are you doing?” Kathy squawks. “Let me go right this minute.”
I follow the officers outside. Kathy continues to protest until they put her in the back of the squad car.
What a fucking disaster.