Page 65 of Missing

“Beth, I need you to stay here with Meg.”

“But I need-”

“I know it’s frustrating, but we need to focus on the job at hand and that’ll be easier if we don’t have to censor ourselves.” He hugged her and laughed as he added, “You know how heartless we cops can be when we’re working.”

His attempt to lighten the mood didn’t work. Beth nodded her understanding but didn’t laugh.

She hated being left out while we made our plans, but John was right. It was for the best. We had to plan for every possibility, including not finding Chase or finding him dead. Worrying about being gentle or censoring ourselves would be a distraction.

I felt a bit out of place as we settled down to work. It was weird watching Jones and Maxwell do the tech things I normally did. They ran her personal history, tracked her phone, and checked her credit card and bank accounts for activity.

I shook it off. They could do a faster, more thorough, job than I ever could.And it’s legal.

After a few minutes, Jones spoke up. “Smith might not be a criminal mastermind, but she knows enough to turn off her phone and not use her credit cards. The last purchase was at a grocery store just after Chase went missing, and her last bank activity was at the ATM in the same store.”

We hoped to find evidence Smith had taken Chase to her home, but hearing Jones deflated it. If she was smart enough to avoid using her phones and cards, she was smart enough to avoid returning home.

“No point in waiting. Gear up. We’ll check her home first. We go in armed, but remember, we’re dealing with a distraught woman, not a violent criminal here. We aren’t barging in with guns blazing.”

We said, “yes, sir,” as we stood.

Chapter 33

Beth

Jill Smith. I didn’t recognize her name or her face when Agent Maxwell showed me her picture. Her son was, had been, the same age as Chase, but we’d never crossed paths. I wanted to hate her but having lost my husband in a car accident, I understood her grief.

What I couldn’t understand was her going so far as to kidnap my son. Chase could never replace her son or lessen her grief. He was just a little boy. A little boy who was probably terrified.

If he’s still alive.

Was Maxwell right? Would she be kind to him, or would she get frustrated when Chase didn’t act like her son and do something horrible to him? Would she drug him? Hurt him? Kill him?

A sob escaped my throat as I paced in the lobby. It took every effort for me to not pepper Meg with questions while she worked. I didn’t want to interrupt her efforts to help find Chase.

I picked up my phone and looked at the screen for what felt like the thousandth time today. No messages or calls. Well, none that mattered. The daycare left a message with more apologies, to ask if we’d found him, and to offer help in any way they could.

And a text message from Mary sending her love and support.

I replied to Mary with a brief update and thanked her.

I wasn’t ready to talk to Chase’s daycare teachers yet. I was terrified for Chase and blaming them for the situation, even though there was a little voice in the back of my mind reminding me it wasn’t their fault. Maybe it wasn’t, but I wasn’t ready to forgive them yet, and I didn’t want to say something I’d regret later. My text message reply was borderline rude as I told them Chase was still missing.

Feeling angry, even if misplaced, felt better than feeling scared.

I went back to pacing, glancing at the stairs every thirty second to see if Doug, John, and the others were coming down. They weren’t.

“Beth, do you want to sit and talk?” Meg asked.

I’d been so engrossed in my thoughts; I hadn’t heard her get up or walk over.

I do.“I don’t want to interrupt your work.” She was helping find Chase.

“There’s nothing more I can do right now.” She gently grabbed my elbow and led me to the couch. “Let’s sit. Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

Afraid I’d start sobbing again if I answered, I shook my head. After taking a few deep breaths, I asked Meg in a shaky voice, “Do you think Maxwell is right? Do you think she’ll hurt Chase?”

It was terrifying to know Chase was in the hands of a woman who was mentally unstable, willing to kidnap an innocent child to replace her own.

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