Page 72 of The Kidnapped

“About not talking about Eden.”

The waiter dropped the check and went to leave.

“Here,” Hollis spoke quickly as she slipped her credit card into the padfolio and handed it back to him before he could go.

“Was everything okay? Do you want your entrées to go?”

“No, thank you,” Hollis replied. “Everything was fine. Something came up, though.”

He nodded, took the card, and walked off.

“Hollis, come on…”

“Raleigh, what? I made one request. My whole life right now is about what happened to me, my mom, and my father being in jail for it. I just wanted one night where it wasn’t about all the dark stuff.”

“I know. I’m sorry. It scares me, not to talk or think about her.”

“I’m not telling you not to think about her,” Hollis remarked.

The padfolio was dropped on the table, so she signed the receipt, left a generous tip, and took her card.

“Can we just stay and talk?” Raleigh requested.

“I don’t think I’m in the mood anymore,” she replied.

“So, that’s just it?”

“For tonight, yeah. Can you wait here? I’ll pull the car around.”

“I’ll walk with you.”

“I think I’d like to walk alone.”

Raleigh stood abruptly and said, “Why don’t you drive alone, too, Hollis? I’ll get myself a car to take me home.”

“Raleigh, don’t–”

“No, I think you’re right. I’d like to be alone, too.”

Hollis watched as Raleigh grabbed her purse, turned, and left her there in the restaurant.

CHAPTER 23

‘No new leads.’ That was an expression Raleigh never thought she’d hear on repeat in her life. She wasn’t a sales rep. She didn’t work in marketing. She hadn’t really needed leads to get VA clients – her business had operated mainly on recommendations and referrals, along with good, old-fashioned word of mouth – but as she hung up the phone for her weekly call to the local police, she was given that phrase yet again.

“I’m sorry, Miss Leonard, there are no new leads. As we’ve told you before, we’ll notify you as soon as we have something,” the detective had said.

“Nothing from the FBI, either?”

“No, nothing from them, either, Ma’am.”

“Okay. Thank you,” she’d said and hung up, knowing she’d just call them back the following week, as she always did and always would until she found her child.

Still, she was getting so tired of not having anything new come in. She scrolled through her phone, figuring she was on a roll, and called Dylan, who didn’t answer.

“Hey, Dylan. It’s Raleigh,” she said after the call went to voicemail. “I was just hoping you’d been able to track down those other two women and maybe had an update for me. Feel free to call me back or text me. Whenever is fine. It doesn’t matter how late. My phone isn’t ever on do-not-disturb.” She paused, hearing how desperate she sounded. “Anyway, sorry to bother you.”

She hung up and stared at her computer screen, where she had work waiting. One of her clients had requested a call with her for that afternoon, and Raleigh had been dreading it because this client had been the one who’d recommended Mr.Roman to her, so there was a chance she’d tell Raleigh that she no longer wanted to work with her, either. Still, the appointment had been made, so Raleigh had to dial the number.

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