Page 38 of The Kidnapped

“No one. Carl and Rachel were there with their five-year-old. I know them. They live two blocks away from me. Harry and Max were there with their twins. There were people I didn’t recognize, but I didn’t see anyone looking at Eden weirdly or focusing on her too much.”

“Okay. Okay,” Dylan said. “I think we’re good for now.” She closed her notebook.

“No, I’m sorry. I can do more,” Raleigh said, frantic now. “I just–”

“It’s okay, Raleigh. We can do this again another time. I think you need a break.”

“I don’t need a break. My daughter’s missing. What do you need me to do? I can go to a hypnotist. Would that help? Could I remember them then?”

“Tell me about the sperm donor,” Dylan requested.

“What?”

“Anonymous, right?”

“Yes. Why?”

“The clinic hasn’t shared anything they’re not supposed to?”

“No. I mean, I haven’t asked. I don’t even know his name. Why would he want Eden? He gave his sperm to a sperm bank.”

“It’s just a lead I want to follow since it doesn’t look like anyone else did,” Dylan explained. “I’m going to talk to the clinic and make sure I’m satisfied that he couldn’t have figured out who you are or that you had Eden.”

“Seems like a waste of time,” Raleigh noted.

“It’s a phone call. And we have to knock down every door.”

Raleigh nodded and said, “You’re right. Thank you.”

“Well, I should go,” Dylan said then. “Ada and I have a family dinner tonight.”

“Sure. Okay. Thanks for coming over.”

“I’ll call you, okay?”

Raleigh walked Dylan out and closed the door behind her. She proceeded to wipe at her face before she went into the bathroom and washed it. Then, she went back out to her computer to get some work done. She’d been reviewing her finances recently and had concerns. If she didn’t pick up more clients or more hours, she was at risk of losing her house. She hadn’t paid much attention to the bills for the past year. Instead, she’d spent money she shouldn’t have and hadn’t worked as hard as she should have. She could’ve told her clients what was going on and maybe gotten a little empathy, but she didn’t want them to know about Eden or what was happening in her life. Now, she needed to work harder to get out of the hole she was in, but working harder meant she’d have less time to spend on Eden’s website and Facebook page. She’d also have less time with Dylan and the other officers and agents working the case.

“You need a home for her to come back to, dumbass,” she said to herself.

Then, she realized she needed a break and picked up the phone.

“Hey,” Hollis said.

“Hey. I just wanted to check on you and your mom. How is she?”

“She’s in and out. They’re keeping her here for another night.”

“Test results back yet?”

“They think she just bumped her head. There’s nothing in the millions of scans they took to worry about. But she was a little dehydrated, so they want to make sure she gets fluids and sleeps the night through before they let her go.”

“That’s good that they’re watching her for the night.”

“Yeah, I guess. They’re letting me stay again.”

“You stayed the night?”

“I didn’t want to leave her.”

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