Chapter 24 Wellness Check
~Caden~
I stared at Detective Morrison's contact information on my phone screen.
My thumb hovered over the call button—trembling.
Every instinct inside me screamed Fuck this!
Get in the car and go get your daughter!
The fear though of what could happen if Jess knows we know—that fear kept me from driving over there immediately.
"Just call him," Felicity said softly, her hand warm on my shoulder. "I'll be here with you, every step of the way. We need to know what we're dealing with, though, so we need to call him—ASAP."
I pressed call and put it on speaker.
"This is Detective Morrison."
"Detective, this is Caden Barrett from B her face determined. She practically yelled into the phone, "We'll be there in ten minutes."
As we gathered our documents and headed for the garage, I kept checking my phone, hoping for some sign from Macy—a real text, a call, anything. But the silence felt ominous.
The ride was silent—I don't think either of us could muster up the words. The pit of my stomach felt sour.
We pulled into the police station parking lot, and I felt like I was walking from one nightmare into the next.
Six hours ago, Felicity and I had been curled up on the couch, finally finding a sort of tentative peace.
Now we were about to give statements about felony charges against the mother of my child.
Inside, Detective Morrison was not what I'd expected.
Mid-thirties, sharp jawline, the kind of presence that commanded attention without trying.
He looked like he belonged on a magazine cover more than in a police station.
His eyes held the intelligence and weariness of someone who'd seen enough shit in his day to know that people are exceptionally unpredictable.
While there was something slightly rumpled about the detective, I still felt like I should smooth down my clothes and hair, and probably double check that being in the same room with him didn't somehow revoke my man-card.
Honestly—is this guy a cop or a freaking model?
His tie was loosened, sleeves rolled up—like he'd been working long hours.
He led us to a small conference room and spread some documents across the table with practiced efficiency while loading other documents onto a screen.
"Mrs. Barrett," he said to Felicity, and I noticed the way his voice had a warm, professional tone that seemed to put her at ease, "I understand you've had some concerning interactions recently?"
"Definitely. Jessica has always been a bit of a witch. But she has been increasingly hostile toward me over the past few months. Today she hung up on me twice when I tried to talk to Macy, then told my husband that Macy didn't want to speak to me, which is completely out of character."
Detective Morrison made notes. "And Mr. Barrett, when did you last have normal contact with your daughter?"
"Yesterday. She was excited about a surprise she'd planned for Felicity. She was supposed to stay with me until late in the evening, but Jessica picked her up early, claiming she needed her home."
The detective's phone buzzed. He glanced at it and answered.
"Morrison... Yes... No response at all?... Okay, keep trying. Check with neighbors." He hung up and looked at us with concern.
"The officers are at your ex-wife's house. No one's answering the door, and the house appears empty—no cars in the driveway, curtains drawn."
My heart stopped. "Empty?" I croaked.
"Mr. Barrett, I need you to think carefully. Does your ex-wife have access to significant cash? Other properties? Family out of state?"
"The money she stole," I said slowly. "She could have been converting it to cash. The way she managed it was really around getting my company to pay bills, but in reality I am completely out of touch with the level of fraud she performed and how much actual cash she could have walked away with."
"Well, so far we haven't been able to see how long she has been doing this, so it may be even more than you anticipate." Detective Morrison said grimly.
My phone buzzed with another text. This time it was from Jessica's number.
Caden, Macy and I are taking some time away. She needs space from the drama. She would rather some space from you right now. She told me to tell you that she'll call when she's ready.
Detective Morrison read it over my shoulder and his expression hardened.
"Mr. Barrett, this changes things. Your ex-wife has just admitted to taking your daughter and leaving. Combined with the financial crimes, this is now what we would call custodial interference."
"What's the next step?"
"Since you have documentation that requires agreement for any type of movement out of your local area, her removing Macy without your agreement is problematic. Now that she’s confirmed she’s left without it, this qualifies as custodial interference.
And combined with the fraud, it’s more than enough for us to escalate. " He leaned away from us.
We should issue an Alert—I'll need recent photos of both your ex-wife and your daughter, license plate numbers, any information about her current husband or partner, family members, anywhere she might go. We'll get an alert out to the surrounding states."
As I started rattling off information, I felt like I was describing strangers. How much did I really know about Jessica's life? Her plans? Her desperation?
As he rushed out to coordinate the alert, I slumped in my chair, staring at Jessica's text. Somewhere out there, my daughter was with a woman who'd been living a double life for years, a woman desperate enough to steal shit-ton of money, and now desperate enough to take Macy and run.
"We'll find her," Felicity said, but her voice was shaking too.
I just prayed we'd find her in time.
Felicity pulled in close. She wrapped her arms around me.
How could I ever have let this woman become invisible to me.
She is my rock. When all this is over, I will do everything in my damned power to make sure she sees that I can be her rock too.
A tear slipped down my cheek—fear for Macy and love for Felicity all tangled together in my chest. Unable to hold it back, a sob wracked my chest. And Felicity was there for every shake of my shoulders.
She was more than I deserved but I'll be damned if I give her up.