Page 37 of The Kidnapped

“I was just getting her out. I didn’t see anything.”

“Yes, you did. You’re a mother. You looked around. You would’ve wanted to make sure it was safe enough to get her out of her car seat and put her on the concrete, right?”

“The street was right behind us.”

“Exactly. Did you look at it?”

“Yeah. But it was just cars driving by.”

“Anyone standing behind you or off to the side?”

Raleigh tried to look left and right inside her memory and said, “I don’t think so.”

“What happened next?”

“I put her in the stroller just so we could get to the playground. I had the bags on my shoulder.”

“Did you walk by anyone?”

“A family. There was a mom and a dad, and I think their two kids.”

“Anyone else?”

“Not on the way there.”

“Okay. What did you hear?”

“Wind,” Raleigh replied. “It was a windy day.”

“What else?”

“Kids screaming and playing.”

“Any adults?”

“Parents talking to other parents.”

“What made you think they were parents?”

“I don’t know. Who else goes to a park with kids?”

“Did they all have kids?”

“I didn’t notice.”

“Yes, you did. Your maternal instinct would’ve kicked in. You know who goes to parks without their own children outside of nannies and babysitters, Raleigh. Did you see anyone standing off to the side, not talking to the other parents? Anyone whom you couldn’t assign to a child?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, opening her eyes again. “I can’t do this.”

“Raleigh, you’re doing great.”

“This is too hard.”

“I know,” Dylan said. “But you’ve already remembered things I don’t see in the reports I’ve read.”

“I don’t remember who took her. Who cares if the crayon was green?”

“Raleigh, you’re a mom. You know bad people go to parks, too. You would have had your head on a swivel every time Eden went to play with the other children. Who was there who shouldn’t have been there?”

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