Page 20 of Carlos: Trilogy: Part Two

CHAPTER 7

In addition to her phone, Keys got her a bank account, checkbook, credit cards, social security card, birth certificate, passport, and driver’s license. Based on the history he provided her, it looked like she’d had all of them for several years.

Having her own checking account, she was able to receive a real paycheck from her new job at the sheriff’s station. When she asked Keys where the money in her account came from, as she hadn’t received a paycheck yet, he just smiled at her and wished her a happy birthday—even though it was nowhere close to the fake birthdate on her fake driver’s license.

As soon as she had enough money from her new job to feel sufficient, she was writing Keys a check for the amount he’d given her. Then again, she thought as she looked at the price of some of the groceries in her cart, that might take a long while.

It hadn’t occurred to Zoe how much it had cost, first the Mountain Mutineers and then the VDMC, to feed and house her and Kyle. She owed both groups so much. How could she even begin to repay such a debt?

She had her eye on Kyle in the kid’s seat of the shopping cart as she browsed the vitamins aisle. When her eyes landed on the vitamin brand Davis had used, a cold sweat appeared on her skin. Gooseflesh rose and, for a moment, Zoe couldn’t breathe.

It was so stupid. It was a vitamin bottle. It couldn’t hurt her. Davis was not standing in front of her. Just his particular brand on vitamin pills.

A hand touched her shoulder. Zoe jumped, the pill bottle in her hand went flying. It clattered to the floor.

Spinning, she met Carlos’s worried eyes. “Zoe, where’s Kyle?”

Zoe blinked. “What?”

“Where’s Kyle?” he demanded.

The worry in his voice snapped her out of her haze. She turned to the cart, prepared to say that Kyle was “right here”, but she froze, the words caught in her throat.

The shopping cart was pushed further down the aisle than the arm’s length it had been. The empty shopping cart. Her groceries were still inside the large basket, but her son was not.

“Kyle!” she shouted, fear gripping her like an iron fist. “Kyle! Carlos, where is he?”

Carlos bolted away from her. He was still in his uniform. They had gone straight from work to pick up Kyle at Jenna’s consignment shop, where Kyle had spent the day ‘helping her out’ with all his four year old workplace experience, to the grocery store. Louisa had dinner cooking at home but was running low on some groceries.

“Attention!” came over the intercom. “There is a missing child, Kyle Scanlon, four years old. Brown hair, brown eyes. The store is on lockdown. If you see him, please call out.”

The small-town grocery was small enough that anyone could shout and the whole store would hear.

“Kyle!” Zoe yelled at the top of her lungs. “Kyle, if you’re hiding, you’re not in trouble. I need you to come to Mommy!”

Kyle wouldn’t run off. He knew the rules. Things had been different since moving in with Carlos and Louisa, but he knew better. She’d drilled it into him a million times. He was not to wander off, he was to always stay within arm’s reach.

“Kyle!”

Panic was taking over. Her heart was thundering in her chest. How could she have taken her eyes off of him? How had a vitamin bottle so completely distracted her that she hadn’t seen her son be taken out of the cart?

Because he could have only been taken. But by who? Why? Had they been found? Had the Ruttersons found them? Found Kyle, the grandson they knew as Davey?

Zoe spun in circles, running up and down the aisles. Searching… Searching… Others were looking too but she ignored them. Where was her son?

“KYLE!!!”

Three police cruisers raced into the parking lot, followed immediately by a dozen motorcycles.

Wanda, one of the cashiers from the store, was sitting on a bench with Zoe. Carlos was utterly torn, because he wanted to be the one consoling her, but he had a job to do. Beyond that as sheriff, as her man. She needed his strength now more than ever before.

The entire store had been searched, including the bathrooms, storage room, pharmacy, and offices. All three exits had someone posted on them.

“Search the roof,” Carlos ordered Danny seconds after the deputy exited his vehicle.

Danny ran off. Carlos turned his attention to Jeff. “Interview everyone. Someone had to have seen something. Wanda says the cameras are only on the loading dock area so they can watch for deliveries.”

Jeff ordered Carl and Scott to follow him inside.

---