Page 9 of Against the Clock

“We’ll figure this out and find a way to protect her,” Mike said, pushing away from the table and standing up.“For now, I’m going to go outside and pack up the tables and chairs while I work off some of this newly found anger.”

I gave Quinn one last look before going outside to help Mike.Even though Quinn wasn’t a child anymore, that didn’t stop me from wanting to protect her the same way I had growing up.She was only a few years younger than me, and I knew she could handle herself.She had been proving that ever since her husband died four years ago.So why did I suddenly have such strong feelings to help her with this?

Five

Quinn

11 Days Ago

The morning had startedrougher than I would have liked for a Monday.Rosie had thrown a fit when I presented her with a stack of pants in different prints and shirts that would match them instead of the skirts and dresses that she loved to wear.It was a battle that lasted long enough for her to rush through breakfast and caused us to be late getting her to school.

We hurried through the empty hallways as I swung open the door to her classroom, looking frazzled and out of sorts as her teacher came over to check on us.Rosie rolled her eyes before flinging off her backpack and taking her seat at her desk.The students looked over their shoulders and whispered before the other teacher got their attention and refocused them on whatever they had been working on before we got there.

“I’m so sorry she’s late,” I said, blowing a strand of hair out of my face.“We had a rough morning.I’ll stop by the front desk before I head out.”

“It’s alright,” Miss Gentry said, holding her hands up.“We’ll get Rosie caught up, she didn’t miss much.”

I blew out a heavy breath and looked around at the class of innocent children who were smiling and laughing at something one of the kids had said.

“We’ll keep her safe,” she promised, pulling my attention back to her.

“If anything happens, or if you see anyone who looks suspicious, please call me on my cell.I can get back here quickly.”

I opened my purse and fished a business card out of my wallet.She took it and smiled, tucking it safely into her back pocket.I turned and slipped out the door, taking one last look at Rosie before it shut behind me.

The front office was polite and made a note of why Rosie was late.I made sure they had my cell phone number, as well as my mom’s, just in case they needed to reach me.I thought about giving them Mike and Sonia’s numbers, but they already looked annoyed that I was spending so much time obsessing over every little detail in her file that I thought better of it and left.

As I walked out, I scanned the streets around the school, focusing on where the van had been parked in the video.I studied everything around me—trees that would provide a hiding spot in the thickness of their branches, buildings with narrow alleys small enough for someone to stay in the shadows and not be seen, and businesses with storefront windows that created the perfect opportunity to watch the school without being noticed.

I felt uneasy as I made my way to work, wondering how many other dangers were constantly lurking around her school.It was hard enough being a parent and worrying about your children in an ordinary world, but I found that it was even harder when you worked in a field that consistently showed you how cruel the world is and how ready monsters are to take your children from you.

By noon I had checked my phone at least a hundred times, looking for any missed calls or text messages from Rosie’s teachers.Her class would be getting out soon, and my mom had confirmed that she would be there to pick her up.Typically I would be the only one to drop her off and pick her up, but my boss had called a mandatory last-minute meeting that just happened to be at the same time that I needed to leave to get Rosie.

I wanted to Facetime my mom and watch to make sure they got home okay, but I couldn’t.Not only would that piss my boss off during his meeting, but it would also make my mom even more worried about me and my newest obsession with keeping Rosie safe.

It wasn’t just the video that had gotten under my skin—it was this feeling deep inside of my gut that told me something was wrong.I had learned to trust my instincts a long time ago, and they weren’t just hinting that something might be wrong—they werescreamingthat something was very wrong.

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