Chapter 1 #2
As he drove toward the trailhead parking lot that connected to where the child had disappeared, River’s thoughts turned to the task force and another life that needed saving.
Mia Andrews, a pregnant missing teen from Denver.
Her grandfather, Dodger, was a philanthropist known throughout the state for his funding of K-9 operations, and he’d been instrumental in forming the Colorado K-9 Unit, which comprised K-9 officers from across the state, to find his granddaughter.
The task force was also determined to get justice for three other young women, all pregnant and in their late teens, who’d disappeared over the past year.
Unfortunately, the three teens had been murdered and their babies had been taken.
The COK9 team believed they were dealing with a ruthless illegal adoption ring operating around the Denver area.
If they didn’t act fast, Mia Andrews would be their next victim.
The clock was ticking. Mia would only be kept alive until she gave birth in October.
It was May, and River hoped they found her well before it was too late.
His task today was to interview a colleague of another murder victim, Gayle Gorman, who was from Ridge, where River worked as a local police officer when not with the task force.
Gayle Gorman’s body had been found by hikers in a remote area outside of Ridge.
But recently her colleague, who’d worked with her at Ridge Burgers and More, had come forward saying she had information.
Hopefully there was a new lead. He just needed to show up for the interview at the burger place before Gayle’s former work colleague went off shift at 7:00 p.m. In the meantime, he’d help search for the missing toddler.
He pulled into the parking lot beside a small bus that said Great Beginnings Preschool.
A short way up the trail, he could see a group of children with two adults: a man and a woman. He opened Frankie’s kennel and gave the command to dismount. The yellow Lab looked up at him in expectation.
One of the adults, a young woman with black hair, came toward him. “You’re search and rescue?”
“Yes.” It appeared that he was the first on the scene.
“Elsie’s mom is looking for her. Mr. Crane and I had to stay with the other children. We need to get them loaded into the bus and calmed down. They’re all worried about Elsie.”
“More search and rescue people are on the way, but I need to start ASAP.” He didn’t want to say it, but the forest was filled with hazards for such a young child even if there wasn’t foul play.
The young woman held up a pink baseball cap. “This belonged to the little girl. Lydia, her mom, knew you would need it to get a scent off of.”
He took the hat. That the distraught mom had had the presence of mind to know what would be needed to find her child spoke volumes about Lydia’s composure in what was one of the most difficult challenges a parent could face. “Which direction did the child go when you last saw her?”
The dark-haired woman pointed toward the trees by the trail. “Lydia can tell you more about what happened.”
He held the baseball hat toward Frankie’s nose. She sniffed and gave a tail wag. He handed the cap back to her. “The other searchers will need that when they arrive.”
He took Frankie off her leash. “Frankie, find.” The yellow Lab headed up the trail. Right before he left, River glanced down at the parking lot. On the mountain road below, he saw two other vehicles headed up. He’d have help soon enough.
Tail moving, nose to the ground, Frankie was on the scent. The trail was hot right now. Gray clouds overhead suggested that rain was coming, which would muddy the scent for the dogs. They needed to find this kid fast.
When he entered the trees, he heard a woman’s voice frantically calling, “Elsie. Elsie, where are you?”
A petite redheaded woman emerged from a different part of the forest. He’d seen that pale skin and stricken expression before on other parents.
His mind whirled back to eight months ago and the case that still haunted him.
A five-year-old boy had seemingly wandered away from the family farm.
River and Frankie had been called in with other search and rescue personnel.
They had searched in wider and wider circles around the farm.
An offhanded remark by a neighbor helping with the search made him realize that the child hadn’t wandered away but had been taken by a noncustodial parent.
By the time they’d located the father and son, it was too late.
The man had been driving too fast and shot through a guardrail.
Noah hadn’t survived. Why hadn’t he asked more questions up front?
The search would have been conducted differently, and Noah might still be alive.
Search and rescue often didn’t have positive outcomes, but losing Noah was the first time a child had died on his watch.
Though Noah’s mother had been standing in a cluster of people that day, he’d recognized her even at a distance just by the look on her face. Regret twisted through his stomach. He vowed that this time things would be different. He wouldn’t assume, he’d ask more questions.
He ran toward the redheaded woman. Her green eyes looked as though a veil had been pulled over them.
“You’re Elsie’s mother?”
She nodded.
He held out his hand to her. “I’m Officer River Jameson and this is my partner, Frankie. Can you tell me what happened? Where did you last see your daughter?”
She pointed toward a meadow that led to a canyon. “We were…chasing a butterfly.” Her eyes glazed over.
“The call said there was foul play?”
She looked right at him as she shook her head. “Someone pushed me…and I fell.” Again, she indicated the canyon, which must have a steep incline.
Had someone intended to kill Lydia or just get her out of the way so they could snatch little Elsie? He scanned the trees as his hand flexed toward his holstered gun. What if the perpetrator was still around? There’d been two other cars besides the bus in the parking lot.
Lydia was in rough shape, but he needed to ask questions in order to understand what had happened.
“You didn’t see who pushed you?”
She shook her head. “When I climbed back up, Elsie was… Elsie was…gone.” She drew her hand to her trembling mouth as tears flowed.
He reached out to squeeze her arm as a show of support.
His mind raced. A possible kidnapping. But how could they have gotten away? The kidnapper wouldn’t be able to get back to one of the cars in the parking lot. He or she might still be in the forest, waiting for a chance to escape.
He could hear the baying of a hound and the barking of another dog growing louder.
“Mrs.—”
“It’s Miss Caldwell. It used to be Mrs.”
He sensed deep pain behind that bit of information. “Miss Caldwell. We’ve got more dogs on the scent, why don’t you go back to trailhead and wait?” She would be safer with people around. If there had been one attempt on her life, there could be another.
She gripped his arm as her eyes cleared. “No, thank you. I will look for my daughter.”
The quiver had left her voice, and he saw that look of steel resolve in her features.
She pulled her phone out. “This is her. This is my Elsie.”
He stared at a smiling green-eyed child with teeth like little pearls and a bright expression.
“I’ll follow you. If—when we find Elsie, I don’t want her to be afraid because you’re a stranger. Though I think she would totally gravitate toward your dog. Elsie loves animals…” Her voice trailed off, and she got that faraway look in her eyes again.
The reasoning wasn’t unsound. She’d be safe if she stayed close to him. “All right, Miss Caldwell, let’s find your daughter.”
It appeared they were dealing with an abduction. Elsie hadn’t just wandered away and gotten lost. Maybe the kidnappers hadn’t escaped the wilderness.
The clock was ticking to find the little girl alive. He prayed that they weren’t already too late.