Dentelle (24 page)

If they knew, would they care?

Of course they would. They would help me.

I stopped running and started walking. I tucked
my hair behind my ears and wiped my face. I needed to stop giving into the
demons that were controlling my imagination, filling it with images of what
might or might not be happening to Ava Rose. I needed to block them out and
focus. Gathering support was the best thing I could do right now. Appeal to
human empathy. People are compassionate by nature and want to help, especially
when it involves a missing child.

Having pulled myself together, I stopped and
talked with people. I told them what had happened, explained why the park was
closed and why they should expect heavy police presence. I asked them to help
search and to spread the word that a little girl was missing and needed their
help. I encouraged them to hug their own children and keep them close because
there was an imposter in our community. For hours, I continued on my mission,
speaking with countless families. I was met with compassion and support. People
– old, young and everything in between – amazed me, boosted my morale and my
hope as they dropped what they were doing and joined me. Pretty soon I had a
group of followers, and together we went door to door, spreading the word.
People took the news hard, expressing anything from disbelief, to fear and even
rage. They held my hand and hugged me – the power of human touch at work. And
those that joined me, we worked together long into the evening until it was
time…time for them to go home. And time for them to tuck in their little ones…

Hours had passed, the sun had dropped behind the
horizon, and stars had cluttered the sky. I didn’t want to stop. Not until I
found Ava Rose. But it was dark. Logically I knew I couldn’t continue. But
emotionally I couldn’t stop, because that would feel like I’d given up. And I
would never give up on Ava Rose. I should have sent Essence to my heart, but
maybe I wanted to punish myself. I can’t explain my feelings. I was an
emotional wreck. I even refused to answer my phone or my texts. Shock is the
only explanation for my actions. Eventually, Jason, Ash, Madison, and Jessica
found me. I was huddled in a ball, lying in the middle of the Sprinkler Park. I
guess I was waiting for Ava Rose to come back. I vaguely remember Ash carrying
me to Jason’s truck and Jessica plastering me with her Essence. I wanted to
thank them and tell them I loved them, but I couldn’t. I was shot. Dead tired.
Out of it.

They must have taken me home and tucked me in
without me realizing what was happening. Because when I awoke, I was in my bed
wrapped up in my sheets, and daylight was pouring through my open window.
Sunlight streaked over my pillow and up the walls. I rubbed my eyes, turned on
my side, and looked around groggily. My heart melted. Jason was in a sleeping
bag on the floor next to my bed, and he was gazing up at me. Worry lines etched
into the skin around his wide-open aqua-marine eyes.

“You had me pretty scared,” he said.

“I’m sorry.” My voice cracked like it was
parched. “What time is it?”

“About six.” He pointed to my nightstand. “I put
a water bottle there for you.”

I attempted a smile and reached for it. Noticing
my Orca figurine was missing, I wondered if Jason had bumped it and it had
fallen to the floor. After taking a drink, I said, “Will you come up here with
me? I want to hold…I mean, be closer to you.”

I melted under his tender expression. “I thought
you’d never ask,” he said, scurrying out of his sleeping bag. Crawling under
the covers with me, he adjusted the extra pillow. As he held it up, he raised
an eyebrow. “Really? Denver Bronco sheets?”

“I couldn’t resist. Besides, I’ve slept better
ever since I got them,” I said, attempting to sound light-hearted.

Curling up on his side, he faced me. I grabbed
hold of his wrist – desperate for his touch. His strength. His stability. “I
wonder how you’d sleep if I was always right here next to you?” he asked
gently.

I smiled shyly. “Well, Mr. Walker, I think I’d
sleep quite well indeed. You, on the other hand, would undoubtedly feel like
you’d crawled in bed with an ECT machine.”

His eyes rounded. “Excuse me, Ms. Adams. A
what?”

I bit my lip. “Those machines used in
electroshock therapy.”

He laughed. “I don’t want to know why you have
knowledge of such things. But I think I’d prefer to cuddle with an electric
eel.”

“Eww. A long, clammy snakelike thing with
gills?” I made a face. “So much for romance.”

“We could find a way.” He winked.

I rolled my eyes and then allowed them to close.
Memories of the day before came flooding back in a cold rush. I caught my
breath as my heart missed a beat.

“Do we know anything? Do we have a plan?” I kept
my eyes closed, digging my fingers a little deeper into his skin. Not on
purpose but because I was scared of his response.

In a soft voice, he said, “They brought in a
tracking dog last night while we were out searching. He was taken to the Sprinkler
Park, given Ava Rose’s scent, and then away he went. Straight to the bathrooms,
then over the footbridge and through the trails, and right into the parking lot
on the far side. He stopped there and barked quite a bit.”

“So she got in a car?”

“That’s what they think. So now, the Sheriff’s
department is in charge of launching an organized search effort – one which
will continue today. You and I will be going door to door with flyers and
pictures. But this time, you’re stuck with me. You’re not leaving my side. Got
it?”

That question sounded more like a demand, but I
cracked my eyes opened and nodded.

“Good.” His finger brushed my nose. “Also, Robyn
is reaching out to the media this morning with Ava Rose’s picture and a
description of what she was last wearing. They’ve set up a hotline – anonymous
– in hopes someone will come forward with information.”

I sat up. “I want to offer a reward.” I thought
of my million dollar check from Ellen and added, “A huge reward. No questions
asked. Maybe that will motivate someone to release her.” I paused. “Then we
track the bastard down and take him out…so he can never harm another child.”

Speechless, his mouth hung open and he nodded.
Well, I had been pretty hardcore. Clearing his throat, he said, “My dad has
already offered a large monetary reward for any information leading to her safe
return. He’s authorized funds be taken out of our Guardian account.”

“Your dad’s a good man,” I murmured.

“Yes.” Jason lowered his eyes. “He cares about
you and about Ava Rose.” He shook slightly. “He also knows that we are in love
with each other…”

“Wh-what?”

“Yes. And that is something we’ll want to talk
about with him. Sooner rather than later.”

I nodded. “You mean come totally clean? Even
tell him what options we’re considering?”

“Yes. I think that would be best. If it comes
down to it, which I hope it doesn’t – for his sake – he will choose family over
the Senior Council. Even if that means he must step down.”

“Oh, Jason. I’m sorry…”

“Shhh…” he said, shaking his head furiously. “Don’t
worry about that now. Our priority is finding Ava Rose.” He took a deep breath.
“So, in addition to media coverage, Robyn is asking friends and family to use
social media and spread the word about Ava Rose’s disappearance. While the
police are treating this as a kidnapping case right now, they are still tossing
around the possibility that she ran away.”

“What?” I said angrily.

“You and I know that won’t be the case. But the
investigators have to consider all the angles.”

“They don’t know her like we do. She loves
Robyn.”

“We know that’s true, but they don’t. They have
to be objective. She’s a little girl who just finished cancer treatment and now
that she’s better might try to run away in attempt to locate her biological mother…”

“No,” I said stubbornly.

“I’m just stating the facts, Alex. I don’t want
you to be surprised or upset when you hear all these different scenarios.”

I sighed and squeezed his arm. “Sorry.”

“Hey, don’t you apologize to me. I understand.
You love that little girl, and so do I. We have to get her back. I owe her a
birthday bash on the
Alexandria
along
with the promise of Orcas.”

My eyes flew to the far side of my room, where
several of Ava’s Orca and tiger paintings adorned the wall. “I’m going to take a
shower,” I said, motivated by her artwork, “and then we need to get out there
and find her.” I clamored out of bed and then stopped suddenly when I realized
I was wearing only underwear and a tank. Blushing from my toes to my nose, I
turned and looked at Jason. “Did you?” I pointed to myself.

“No,” he said. “Ally did.”

“Oh, okay.” Quickly, I grabbed my robe out of
the closet and looked at him shyly.

“I’ve seen you in a bikini, Alex. You don’t have
to be embarrassed in front of me. Actually, I was rather enjoying the view.”

“Oh.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“Oh,” I said again. Gripping the soft cashmere
robe, I contemplated for the briefest of seconds. Finally, I made a decision
and threw it back in the closet. Walking around the room bravely, I gathered
clean clothes. When I had a handful of items, I made my way over to the bed,
leaned down, and kissed him. “I love you. Thank you. Give me twenty minutes and
then we’ll go. You know that little girl is just as in love with you as I am,
right?”

As I walked out the door, I heard him mumbling,
“What? Huh? You can’t be serious?”

A little later, we joined forces with a large
group of people, all who planned on devoting their day to finding a missing
eight year old girl. In situations like this, all volunteers were required to
sign in each time they participated in any of the search activities. As we
waited in line, I nibbled away at the breakfast sandwich Jason had picked up at
the Starbuck’s drive-up window. At his insistence, I’d given in and decided to
eat. I didn’t much feel like it, but he’d reminded me that food and Essence
went hand in hand. Apparently, he wanted to make sure I had plenty of both this
time.

We spent all of that day and all of the next
day, along with several hundred volunteers, sweeping the city. My parents even
drove up from Tacoma and joined us. We knocked on doors, talked with people,
and hung posters. How so many complete strangers came together to help and
support one another in a time of tragedy was a tribute to the human spirit and
the strength of our small community. While frustrating and tense, the
experience was also amazing and unexpectedly heart-warming.

Unfortunately, we turned up nothing. There were
no viable leads that had been called into the hotline, either. Late in the
evening, after the second full day of searching, we were all completely
exhausted. Tears had been shed, emotions had been strung, and hope was waning.
In an attempt to boost morale and be supportive, Jessica’s parents reserved a
banquet room for 40 at Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant. Not only were Ally, Ben,
and the entire Bellingham Circle there, including Hannah, but the Nelsons had
invited Robyn’s family and her close friends, as well. I was grateful for the
Nelsons and told them so. They insisted no thanks were necessary; they only
wished there was more they could do to help.

I sat between my dad and Jason’s mom, Janet,
during dinner. She surprised me when she whispered in my ear, “Don’t give up
hope. Not for Ava Rose and not for a life with Jason.” I could tell there was a
lot more she wanted to discuss in regards to her son. But being a Bellingham
police officer, she understood better than anyone that our current priorities
were elsewhere. We were a subdued group at dinner, but just being together was
important. After dinner, along with a lot of hugs, there were also a lot of
promises going around. Promises we’d stay strong and united and never give up
hope.

Sadly, we’d traversed most of the city already,
and there wasn’t much ground left to cover. Besides that, people needed to
return to work. Personally, I didn’t feel I could go back to “living” when Ava
Rose was still out there missing. I’d requested, and luckily been granted, a
couple weeks off from work. They’d covered all my shifts for the current week,
too. Once my boss heard about my close relationship with Ava Rose, how she was
like a little sister to me, he’d actually insisted I take as much time as
necessary.

Needing to catch up on sleep and some of his own
business, Jason and I decided he’d get a better night’s sleep on the
Alexandria
than he would on my floor.
Besides that, it was dangerous having him sleep over when my parents were in
town. I didn’t think they’d necessarily approve, even though they didn’t know
and could never understand how messed up our situation was. After saying
good-night to him, I caught a ride home with my parents. They decided to head
back home that night rather than the next morning because my dad had an
emergency patient he needed to see. Once my parents left, I hooked up with Ally
for a few minutes, apologizing for the damper that had been placed on her
wedding plans. She’d hugged me and assured me that was not important and that
everything in regards to her wedding plans had already been set into motion.
All we needed to do was focus our attention on finding Ava Rose. We wanted her
there on the big day, fulfilling her role as flower girl.

I remembered how her face had lit up when Ally
had asked her to be her flower girl. Hugging Ally, she’d been beyond excited.
She’d seen too many TV shows, because she’d grown all serious and promised
she’d practice walking slow so she wouldn’t trip and ruin the wedding. Then
she’d danced around the room singing, “I’m gonna be a flower girl. I’m gonna be
a flower girl.” She’d even reached up and touched her hair, which had been
growing back but was still super short, and said shyly, “I will have longer
hair by then. I might even look pretty, huh?”