Page 51 of The Kidnapped

“Oh,” Hollis let out. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. She just has a lot of questions, and I struggle answering them all at once.”

“Do you need me to go with you?”

“No, I’ll be okay. You need to be with your mom.”

Hollis knew she was right, but she wished she could be there with Raleigh all the same.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“When I get home tonight, can I call you to talk about it, though?” Raleigh asked.

“Of course,” she said.

“Okay. I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”

“Later, Raleigh,” Hollis said and hung up the phone. “Later?! What the hell is wrong with you?” She said that to herself.

CHAPTER 17

“Hey. Thanks for coming over here,” Dylan said.

“No thanks necessary; you’re doing me a favor,” Raleigh replied.

“I just have everything set up in my office, so it’s easier to work from there. Come in.” Dylan motioned for Raleigh to walk into the house. “Want the tour?” she checked. “I’m guessing the answer is no because you want to get right to it, but I thought I’d be polite.”

“Um… No, I’m good. It looks nice, though,” Raleigh replied, taking a look around.

“Something to drink?” Dylan offered.

“Water would be great. I tend to lose a lot of my tears whenever I talk about Eden, so I might need to hydrate.”

“Sure,” Dylan replied with a half-smile. “Let me grab it in the kitchen, and we’ll go to my office.”

Raleigh stood and waited for Dylan to return. As she took in the foyer, she noticed there were several pictures of Dylan and Ada. The one in the center was of their wedding day. The rest seemed to be more candid shots than posed, but they were a good-looking couple. There were also a few with Ada and a man who looked to be about her age, and one with Ada, Dylan, and two older people who were likely either her parents or Dylan’s, but if Raleigh had to guess, she’d say they were Ada’s.

“Okay. It’s just through here,” Dylan told her, handing her a glass of cold water and motioning for Raleigh to go down the hall.

Once inside the office, Dylan closed the door and told Raleigh to have a seat on the soft-looking leather loveseat. Dylan herself went behind her desk and grabbed something, returning a second later to sit down next to Raleigh.

“How have you been?” she asked.

“Good. You?” Raleigh said before taking a drink of the water and placing the glass on the coaster on the table.

“Anything come to mind after our last chat?”

“You mean, did I remember something?”

“Yes. Sometimes, having the cognitive interview can make you think of something later, even while you sleep in a dream.”

“I don’t really dream. Never have. If I do, I never remember them.”

“And that hasn’t changed since Eden?”

“No, but I also don’t sleep well ever since I had Eden. I probably haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since early in my pregnancy. Then, the belly gets so big that you can’t get comfortable no matter what you do. After they’re born, you can’t sleep because they’re always up. And once they sleep through the night, it feels like you’re always at least half-awake, worried about them, or waiting for them to come in and wake you up. Then, in my case, she disappears, and you can’t sleep well because you’re constantly wondering where she is, if she’s in pain, if she’s asking for you, and you’re not there. So, it’s been over four years for me.” Raleigh squinted her eyes then and thought about it. “Actually, that’s not true. I slept really well the other night.”

“Yeah?” Dylan asked.

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