Page 6 of Her Redeemed Protector

“So, she’s likely to do what her father says?” Jack asks, concerned.

“She won’t retaliate,” Mrs. Anderson affirms. “She’s too scared to.”

“Can you think of any place your husband might run to or hide?” my partner inquires.

She shakes her head vigorously. “The only places he knows are the bar and the liquor store.”

She’s clearly distressed and not thinking straight. We need to dig deeper.

“Can we see Bethany’s room?” I request.

Mrs. Anderson guides us. It’s a typical girl’s room, with pastel-colored walls and a bed covered in a floral duvet, but a couple of things grab my attention.

“She likes fishing?” I ask, noticing the fake salmon on the wall and fishing-themed postcards among Barbie and girl-band cutouts pinned to a corkboard. The mix looks out of place but hints at her interests and perhaps a connection with her father.

Mrs. Anderson’s eyes widen with sudden realization. “Lance used to be crazy about fishing. Not so much anymore, but back when things were good, he would take Bethany to the Missouri River. They spent a lot of time there.”

This suggests he might have brought Bethany to that familiar spot, perhaps to gain his daughter’s trust before taking her away for good.

Jack nods thoughtfully, likely sharing my suspicion. “That’s helpful. Does he have any friends or acquaintances in the area?”

Mrs. Anderson pauses, pondering hard. “He has a few friends who live near the river. They go hunting together sometimes.”

“Please give us their details, Mrs. Anderson,” I urge.

She grabs a worn address book from a drawer, flips through it, and shows us the relevant pages. Jack snaps photos with his phone.

“Thank you, Mrs. Anderson. This gives us a direction to start searching,” I note.

“We’ll do everything we can to bring Bethany back safely,” Jack assures her.

Then I add, “I know you called us to keep the police out of it. But with the wide area we need to cover, we’ll need their help.”

“You trust them not to botch this? Bethany is all I’ve got. What if they set Lance off and he…” She trails off, tears streaming down her face.

I meet her gaze. “We have a good relationship with theHelena PD and other law enforcement agencies throughout the state. They know how we operate. They’ll stay on the periphery while we focus on Bethany. I promise you, we won’t ever put your daughter in danger.”

She wrings her hands nervously, glancing between Jack and me. We wait, giving her the time she needs. Finally, she nods, her resolve breaking. “Okay. Just please, find her.”

“Thank you,” I say. “One more thing, Mrs. Anderson. What makes Bethany relax?”

“What do you mean?” She squints. “Like… anxiety medication?”

“Oh, no, no. I’m referring to what we should consider during our interaction.”

“Ah, I see.” With that, she studies Jack and me as if envisioning her daughter facing us. “Well, she doesn’t really know any other men or boys besides her dad. She’s okay with women, though.”

“So, she’ll likely be terrified of us?” Jack asks, his tone straightforward.

“Probably, yes…” she drawls, apparently cautious not to offend us.

“Can you give us some advice on how we should approach her?” I ask, then turn to my partner. “Jack knows sign language.”

He nods with a hint of pride. The former Marine was kidnapped at the age of seven—one of the reasons why Sam founded Red Mark. Jack didn’t start speaking again until he was twelve, so during those years, people treated him as a non-verbal child.

Mrs. Anderson’s face lights up. “Oh, that will put her at ease. She can hear you, but signing is the only way she can respond.”

“Is there anything else that might help make ourencounter with her as stress-free as possible?” We know minimizing potential trauma is as important as the rescue itself.

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