Page 17 of The Kidnapped

“Babe, hey,” someone spoke behind Kenna.

“Oh, hey. Come over here,” Kenna said, turning to see who it was and motioning the woman and the little girl to join them. “Rip, this is Hollis and Raleigh. Ladies, this is my wife, Ripley, and this is our daughter, Aaliyah.” She placed both of her hands on the little girl’s shoulders and moved Aaliyah in front of her.

“Nice to meet you,” Ripley said, holding out her hand for Hollis to shake first and then Raleigh. “Did you finish up, or should we wait?” she asked Kenna.

“We’re basically done. I just have one more thing to do. Then, we can go.” She kissed Ripley’s cheek. “Do you want to watch me shoot the outro?” she asked Aaliyah.

“Yeah, cool,” Aaliyah said, looking up at her mom.

“We’ll be right back. If I don’t see you before you go, Raleigh, I’ll make sure you have the air date, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you,” Raleigh said.

Kenna and Aaliyah walked off, but Ripley stayed.

“She never stops,” Ripley noted, shaking her head and smiling.

“Your wife or your daughter?” Hollis asked.

“Both. Aaliyah is taking after Kenna more and more these days. She says she wants to be a reporter, like Mom.” Ripley turned to them then. “I don’t know if I can handle two of them in the house.”

Hollis laughed and said, “I’ve only been working here for a few days, but Kenna is really great. What she did for my mom was amazing.”

“You’re Hollis,” Ripley said. “Sorry, I didn’t put it together at first.”

“Yeah. Kenna’s book helped me find my mom.”

Ripley smiled and turned around. Kenna and Aaliyah were back on stage and no longer visible, but Ripley’s smile remained when she turned back.

“She’s amazing, all right. Never tell her I said that, though.”

Raleigh laughed a little and looked at Hollis, who was doing the same.

“Did she tell you how she and I met?” Ripley asked Hollis.

“Not exactly. Broad strokes, mainly.”

“She knows I don’t like to talk about it a lot, but as much as she drove me crazy when we first met because we are just polar opposites and I could not understand someone like her, she helped me learn about what happened to my family when I was a kid. Then, she gave me a family of my own. So, I know how good she is at this. I also know how much she cares. A lot of these hosts or producers want the story, and Kenna is no exception, but she also wants to bring happiness to people who go through tragedy. She’s seen what that can do to someone she loves, and she doesn’t wish it on anyone. It makes her even better at her job.” Ripley looked at Raleigh and added, “And you’re Raleigh.”

“I am.”

“She talks about you a lot. Eden is your daughter, right?”

“Yes,” she replied softly.

“Kenna won’t stop until she’s found. She’s relentless. She’ll do whatever she can to help, okay?”

Raleigh’s eyes welled with tears for the millionth time since her daughter went missing.

“She kept working on my case until I came home,” Hollis noted.

Then, Raleigh felt a hand on the small of her back. She looked over and saw that Hollis had taken a step closer to her. It was Hollis’s warm hand on her back, offering her much-needed comfort.

“Thank you,” Raleigh said to Ripley but also meant it for Hollis.

“Mom, she got it in one take!” Aaliyah said excitedly as she bounded back over to them. “She did the whole thing one time and got it. They said they didn’t even need her to do it again.”

“She’s a pro,” Ripley replied to her daughter. “Where is she?”

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