Page 33 of Her Faithful Protector

“Very popular, obviously.”

“Well, I actually just ordered two of them. They’re these beautiful handmade items from Kenya. The first one got sold right away to a lovely lady who wanted it for her baby.”

“I’m actually buying this for my nephew. Coincidentally, my sister has recently moved here! Maybe I’m buying it for the same baby?”

“Oh, that little boy absolutely loves giraffes, doesn’t he?”

“Was he upset when he was here? I heard from my sister they lost his favorite toy—and no surprise, it was a giraffe.”

“Maybe you’re right.” The lady chuckles as she wraps the toy.

I continue the conversation. “I’m from L.A. I have no idea where I am, and my sister isn’t answering my calls. I’m looking for this address.” I show her the babysitter’s contact I just created, purposely exposing the photo and the name and address I made up.

“Well, I don’t know where she lives, but that address doesn’t look familiar. No wonder you couldn’t find it. But look, Townsend is a small place. Maybe if you just drive around, you’ll find her.”

I thank the lady and continue. I meticulously search every street in town, but nothing jumps out at me. My last option is to venture toward the outskirts, closer to the river.

There’s not much out here, mostly farms. However, my attention is drawn to a small, worn-out house. Behind a pile of discarded items on the front porch, I notice the handle of a stroller peeking out.

Since there’s no one around, I step into the front yard toinvestigate the house’s exterior. All the windows are covered with newspaper from the inside, allowing me only a small gap to peek through.

Goodness gracious!

There is a crib with a neatly folded blanket and carefully stacked pillow. If there was such a thing as five-star housekeeping for a baby bed, this would be it. But my eyes lock onto the giraffe plush toy in the corner of the mattress, the twin to the one I just purchased. The back door is unlocked, and I let myself in.

No one’s here. That could mean Quinton had been transported somewhere else, or they were merely out. I believe the latter as the house doesn’t feel abandoned.

I could wait for the group to return, hoping that Quinton would be with them. But I don’t know the exact number of people. There are no indications regarding how many pairs of shoes or the amount of plates and glasses that have been used. The junk out on the porch looks to belong to the previous owner or someone else. It’s old. Everything inside is tidy.

Ava mentioned that the babysitter was meticulous, potentially possessing an obsessive-compulsive tendency to ensure everything is in order, or else she would become unhinged. Maybe this has been one of the reasons why the group has been moving around undetected.

I’ve never held a baby in my life, let alone rescued one. Everything will become that much more delicate when a tiny human is involved. Quinton will be completely defenseless while I fight the kidnappers. It’s likely that Quinton will stay with the babysitter, and I can’t just overpower her as I would an adult criminal. So there’s a high chance she could escape with the baby, and then I’d be back to square one.

Feeling uneasy, I decide not to leave any evidence of mypresence and drive away before calling Sam. Almost at the same time, Sam contacts me.

I start, “They’re here, in Townsend.”

“Is Quinton with them?”

“No one’s in the house, but I know it’s their hiding place.”

“Well, we’ve received a demand from Willem,” Sam reveals.

There’s a thump behind my chest, echoing like the resounding finale of my beating heart. We’ve been waiting for this, yet it’s unsettling me to my core. “How?”

“While Ben was investigating in North Helena, a passing motorcyclist threw a bag at him. Inside the bag was a letter demanding that Ava go to an address between Clancy and Jefferson City.”

“Where is that?” I question.

“It’s about time you familiarized yourself with Montana!” Sam says. “It’s fifteen miles south of Helena.”

“I’ll check it out.”

“No. Come back here, and we’ll plan this carefully.”

My brother is right.

Since Sam found me, when I’m not on duty, I have dedicated every waking moment to finding the person responsible for destroying my childhood. I haven’t succeeded, but in the process, I’ve aided in the safe return of three missing children in unrelated cases. I knew my efforts were not in vain. However, now that it’s my duty to rescue the flesh and blood of the woman I love, it’s a different situation. Failing myself is one thing, but failing her?

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