Chapter 10
Ten
William
After Carly fails to return from the cupcake tent, I go looking for her.
“Have you seen Carly?” I ask Holly.
“We talked about an hour ago,” Holly responds as she hands a cupcake to a little boy. “She’s lovely, William. And not just because she volunteered to help me grow my business,” she says, grinning at me.
“An hour ago?” I ask, not returning her smile.
A woman in line overhears our conversation. “Is Carly the pretty woman you were walking with earlier?”
I look at the woman. She looks vaguely familiar, with gray hair and kind eyes, but I can’t place her. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I saw her leave with a man a little while ago. He had dark hair, like yours, so I assumed it was you. My eyes aren’t as young as they once were.”
“You and me both,” I say, recalling the conversation I just had with Theo. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Trying to tamp down the panic rising in my chest, I sprint out of the cupcake tent.
She left with a man? Who? Why? Was she abducted?
I know there’s no reason to jump to that conclusion. The woman hadn’t mentioned any signs of a struggle. Nevertheless, the thought is there, taking space in my brain, and leaving little room for rational thought.
I spot a familiar redheaded woman with a baby in the crowd. “Sierra!” Running over to join her, I quickly tickle my niece under the chin the way she likes and ask Sierra if she’s seen Carly.
Sierra frowns in confusion. “Yes. She said she had a headache and asked if Romeo could take her back to your place. I thought you knew…?”
“A headache?” She’d seemed fine before. And I hadn’t moved from my spot with Theo. Why hadn’t she just asked me for a ride home?
Something is wrong. Very, very wrong.