Page 106 of Must Have Been Love

“They don’t know. They’re taking descriptions. And checking footage on the ferry to see if she’s been taken to the mainland.”

The helicopter comes into land, the overwhelming beating noise of the rotors drowning her out. I end the call, waiting for the pilot to let me know it’s safe before I practically run over to the helicopter and climb in.

It’s impossible to make calls from the helicopter. The pilot won’t let me remove the ear protection he insists I wear, and even if I could I’d never be able to hear voices over the sounds of our flight. So I spend the time messaging Autumn, Parker – who’s dragged himself from death’s door and joined in the search – and Skyler, desperate for some kind of update, devastated when I don’t get one.

A police cruiser is waiting for me when the helicopter lands at the helipad on the mainland just over from Liberty. They take me to one of their speedboats, driving us over to the island, as they debrief me, telling me everything they’ve found out.

“We believe a woman in her fifties took her,” the detective tells me, pulling up a grainy photograph on his phone. It’s from the security cameras that overlook the approach to the ferry. You can almost make out a woman driving and a tiny head in the back passenger seat.

“That’s Ayda?” I ask, staring at what looks like a dark ponytail. I swallow down the bile that’s rising in my throat.

“We believe so, from the reports people have made. They didn’t get out of the car once they were on the ferry.”

“Didn’t somebody notice that my daughter was with a stranger?” I ask.

“No, sir. I’m sorry.”

And of course Jesse isn’t working today. He’s heading to the bar this evening. My jaw tightens. “Do you know who this woman is?”

“We’re trying to get a better photograph of the car so we can run the plates. We’re currently working on tracking their movements once she drove off the ferry. We do have a description of her though.” The detective pulls up his notes on his phone. “Around five-four, a hundred and twenty pounds. Gray hair, well dressed in a pink trouser suit. Oh, and two different people said she has a British accent.”

As soon as he says the last words, my eyes pretty much pop out of my damn head. “Ayda’s grandmother,” I say. I can’t fucking believe this.

“I’m sorry?”

“Turn the boat around,” I shout, trying to stand up. “I think Ayda’s grandparents took her. I have to find her.”

The detective puts his hands on my shoulder. “Sir, we need to take you to the island. Try to calm down and tell me who you think it is.”

“Ayda’s mother was British. She died, but her parents have been contesting custody for the past two years. They refused to let me bring her home from England until a court forced them to.” My blood pressure is so high I think I’m going to explode. “Now can we turn this fucking boat around?”

“You need to calm down.”

My eyes widen. “My daughter is missing,” I thunder at him. “If they’ve got her, I’ll fucking kill them.”

“And I can’t let you do that. Which is exactly why we’re going to the island,” the detective tells me. “Do you have an address for these people?”

I reel off the address of the house they bought on the mainland and the detective radios it through right as we arrive at the dock. The ferry is there – they’ve stopped crossings while they search for Ayda – so there’s a huge crowd milling around the dock and the bar. I climb off the boat, closely followed by the detectives and search for my family.

I see Autumn first. She’s running toward me. “Hudson,” she cries, throwing herself at me. “This is all my fault.”

“It’s not your fault,” I tell her as she sobs against my shoulder. “You weren’t even there. I think it might be Catherine Clarke.”

“Ayda’s grandmother? Really?” She frowns.

I nod. “They’re sending an officer to their house now.”

“I thought she and Dennis were in England.”

“So did I,” I say grimly. “I guess they decided they couldn’t wait and took the law into their own hands.”

The detective is talking into his phone quickly. He ends the call and looks at me. “There’s no sign of them at the house,” he says.

Fuck. I put my head in my hands. I was so damn sure they’d be there.

“We’re putting out an Amber Alert,” the detective tells me. “And we’re working with Homeland Security to find out if your ex’s parents are in the country.”

“Skyler and Parker are on the beach,” Autumn tells me, sliding her hand into mine. “They didn’t know what else to do. They just want to find her.”

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