Page 126 of The Kidnapped

Raleigh smiled wide and replied, “I love you, too.”

Then, she went to the living room, where she picked up her phone, which showed that Dylan was calling.

“Hi,” she said into the phone.

“Raleigh?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you sitting down?”

“What?” she asked, her body moving to sit on the sofa of its own accord. “Why are you asking me that, Dylan?”

“Because we found her. We found Eden. It’s her.”

“What?” she said and cupped her hand over her mouth in disbelief.

CHAPTER 40

Hollis watched Raleigh get ready. Hollis was already dressed in a pair of jeans and a comfortable green sweater. She had her shoes on, her purse over her shoulder, and she was holding on to Raleigh’s jacket to put it on her, but Raleigh had gone back into the bedroom to change her shirt for the fifth time. At this rate, they’d be late, but Hollis didn’t want to rush her. How was one supposed to dress when they saw their four-year-old daughter for the first time in over a year?

“Is this okay?” Raleigh asked, wearing a cream-colored long-sleeved sweater now.

“Babe, you look perfect,” Hollis told her, hoping this was helpful. “Can I put this on you now and we go?”

“Yeah, we can go. I used to wear this shirt a lot. Do you think she’ll remember?”

“Yes, I do,” she replied as she put Raleigh’s jacket on for her. Then, she wrapped her arms around Raleigh from behind and rested her chin on her shoulder. “Let’s go now so that she can see you in it.” She kissed Raleigh’s cheek.

“Okay.”

It had now been a week since Olivia’s funeral and the phone call from Dylan. Hollis had snapped out of her grief the moment Raleigh came rushing into the bedroom asking if they could go to the police station. She’d both welcomed the good news and the distraction. Today, she was driving them to the psychologist’s office, which was where Dylan and the FBI agent they’d talked to had recommended they meet with Eden because seeing Raleigh for the first time in a police station would’ve been difficult for the little girl who had already been through so much.

Thankfully, Hollis had been at every meeting and on speaker for every call, because Raleigh had been difficult to understand when she’d given Hollis news about Eden of any kind. Raleigh’s words would run together a lot, or she’d leave important information out in retelling, so Hollis had to be the one to act, which made her feel useful and was a good thing because waiting a whole week from the phone call to this moment had been torture for Raleigh and she’d needed Hollis to be there for her.

They’d found Eden outside of San Antonio. First, they’d found the woman who had taken her due to some city records that had her using her first and middle name as her last name. It was a common name, so there weren’t any guarantees, but they’d followed up and surveilled, and when they saw her walking with Eden to a park, they’d taken the chance and grabbed up a popsicle stick the woman had discarded for Eden. The DNA had been rushed, and it came back with a match.

Then, they had to find a way to arrest the kidnapper with as little confusion and trauma for Eden as possible, so they’d waited until it was likely that Eden was asleep and arrested the woman, taking Eden to a hospital to have her checked out first. She was healthy. She’d been taken care of and, thankfully, seemed to have no medical problems they needed to worry about. That had been two days ago. Then, Eden had spent time with a child psychologist in Texas who’d done her best to explain what was happening to a four-year-old who was confused. She’d be present with Eden as they’d brought her to meet with Raleigh to help with the transition.

Now, Hollis and Raleigh were sitting in Raleigh’s car in the parking lot of a different psychologist’s office that they were borrowing for the day.

“What do I say to her?” Raleigh asked softly, and this wasn’t the first time she’d asked Hollis this question. “She’s inside there right now. I haven’t seen her in over a year, but I’m sitting here, frozen, because I don’t know what to say to my own daughter.”

Hollis took her hand and said, “Babe, everything is going to be fine. You don’t have to say a perfect thing. You just have to give her time. Remember what the psychologist said on the phone?”

“Yeah, that I have to be patient.”

“So, that’s the most important thing. Everything else will fall into place.”

Raleigh nodded.

As they exited the car, Hollis worried for her, though. The psychologist had asked Eden questions about her mom, but the girl had only referred to the woman who’d stolen her, so there was a good chance Eden wouldn’t remember Raleigh. Hollis wasn’t sure how any mother would handle their own child not recognizing them, but she resolved herself to that possibility and to helping Raleigh however she could.

She held the lobby door open for Raleigh, who walked immediately to the elevators and pressed the button for the third floor. There were no officers or agents there. This was just for Raleigh and Eden. Raleigh took Hollis’s hand when they climbed inside and started moving.

“I am so in love with you,” Raleigh stated.

Hollis turned to her, surprised at the comment.

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