Page 32 of The Witch & the Hound
I looked at the deputy. "Radio for backup. Anyone who's available. Have them start at the pier and work their way back. We'll work from here forward."
He hesitated. "You're not… you don't have the authority to—"
"Do you want to find this girl, or do you want to stand here discussing jurisdiction?" My cop voice came back like I'd never left the force. Sharp. Commanding. Taking no argument.
He swallowed hard. "Yes, ma'am."
"Then move."
He moved.
I turned to Ethan's mother. "What's your name?"
"Sarah. Sarah Mitchell."
"Sarah, I need you to stay here with the deputy. If Lily comes back to where she last saw you, someone needs to be here."
"But—"
"I know. I know you want to search. But if she's scared and trying to find you, she'll go back to the last place she remembers: the bonfire, the square. You need to be her landmark."
Sarah's face crumpled, but she nodded. "Okay. Okay, yes. But please—"
"We'll find her," I said, and meant it.
I looked at Ethan. "You're with us. You know your sister better than anyone. If she's hiding, where would she go?"
He thought hard. "Somewhere quiet. She doesn't like loud noises. She'd look for somewhere small. Like a fort."
"Good. That's good information." I looked at Bram. "Lead the way."
He started walking, pace quick but controlled, head still tilted slightly as if he were following an invisible thread only he could sense.
I fell into step beside him, the green dress suddenly ridiculous and constrictive for what we were about to do. But there was no time to change. No time for anything except following the barghest through the Halloween crowds, past the jack-o'-lanterns and string lights and families celebrating, searching for one small, scared girl.
Ethan stayed close to Bram, his small hand gripping his sleeve like a lifeline.
And I did what I'd been trained to do: I watched, I organized, I prepared for every possible outcome.
But under all of it, under the cop training and the adrenaline, one thought pulsed steady:
Please let us find her. Please let us find her safe.
Behind us, the restaurant's lights glowed warm and welcoming, our dinners probably waiting at the table, getting cold.
It didn't matter.
Nothing mattered except the little girl lost somewhere in the dark.
And the barghest who was going to help me find her.
Chapter 13
Maggie
Bram moved through the Halloween crowds like water flowing around stones, smooth, purposeful, never stopping. His head stayed tilted, nostrils flaring occasionally as he recalibrated the scent trail.
I stayed close, one hand on Ethan's shoulder to keep him from bolting ahead. The kid was terrified but trying to be brave, jaw set in a way that reminded me of every family member I'd ever had to keep calm during a crisis.
