Stay Tuned

Chapter 28

“Mother! Mother!” Jaden scampered toward us full speed. “I’m sooo thirsty.” She stopped two feet away, sighed deeply, and wiped at her forehead with the back of her hand.
    
“Can you keep an eye out for Addie?” Candace stood and took Jaden’s hand. “I’ll get the cooler from the car.”
 
I adjusted my sunglasses and assumed the babysitter role. Addie danced along the side of the wooden play equipment in her own little world. She talked to a butterfly, then chased after it. The bugs on the ground seemed to fascinate her, as did a playful pair of chipmunks.
    
Picnic basket and cooler in hand, Candace and Jaden returned to the table. After three small sips of juice, Jaden skipped back to the seesaw and climbed aboard.
    
Candace busied herself with setting out a tablecloth, plates, and napkins, every now and then taking time to glance at the girls. A furry brown and white puppy had appeared at the edge of the playground, yipping pitifully. Candace frowned, then softened when she saw one of the children in a bright red jumper take it by the leash and pet it.
    
“It must be hers,” she mused. “It has a collar and leash. Jaden’s such an animal lover, I’m glad she didn’t head straight for the dog. I’d have to drag her back here kicking and screaming.”

But Jaden seemed content on the seesaw, bouncing up and down with another girl about the same size. They laughed and talked, paying no attention to the puppy.
    
I nodded and folded napkins, then changed the subject. “Did I tell you I have to attend the Boys and Girls Club Gala for the station?”
    
Candace raised an eyebrow. This was her specialty. The moments she lived for; times when the three essentials in life all worked together to form some sort of religious experience.
    
“What are you wearing?” she asked, glowing with excitement.
    
I made myself stop chewing on the edge of my thumbnail. I knew the drill. Whatever I was about to say would be wrong, at which point Candace would offer her opinion and life-saving advice.
    
“That little black dress? You know, the one with the criss-cross spaghetti straps in the back?” I offered.
    
Candace wrinkled up her nose like I had said I’d be wearing a brown paper sack and pink bunny slippers. “No, no, no.” She shook her head vigorously, setting out juice boxes and soda in time to each rejection. “I’ll come up with something,” she said and unwrapped sandwiches.
    
Addie wandered up to the table, one hand shielding her eyes. She paused, pursed her lips, and took a breath. “Mama, I can’t find Jaden.”
    
Fear clawed at my chest, raking across my ribs. How long had it been? Five minutes? Longer? I turned and scanned the park.
    
“Wait, sweetie, what?” Candace blinked, her face turning a pale granite-gray. Her jaw tensed.
    
“Where is she, Mama?” Addie pouted, hands on her hips.
    
Our eyes met over Addie’s head. I started to tremble. Candace was doing her best not to cry. She kneeled and clutched her daughter to her chest, hugging her tight, and looked up at me.
    
“What should we do?” she mouthed.
    
“Okay, let’s not panic,” I said, thinking that’s exactly what both of us were doing anyway. I rubbed at my temples, trying to focus. “When Jaden realizes she’s wandered too far, she’ll be looking for us here, right?”
    
I sprinted a few yards to the right, scanned the playground, searched under the steps of the jungle gym, scouted behind trees and bushes, then jogged back to Addie and Candace. No Jaden.
    
The tears in my best friend’s eyes threatened to spill over. Addie looked up at us, confused. Seeing her mother’s face, she began to whimper, “Mama, where is she?”
    
Candace shook her head, unable to speak.
    
I scooped Addie from her arms, put her on my hip, and held her close. “Shh, baby. We’ll find her.”
    
“She was right there.” Candace’s voice caught. She clutched at her elbows, squeezing tight. Her voice was low and quiet. “She was on the see-saw. I was so busy talking about the Gala.”
    
“We’re going to find her.” I touched Candace’s arm for emphasis. “Stay here. Addie and I will go look.”
    
“What…what if someone took Jaden?” she whispered.
    
Kidnapping had already crossed my mind ten times. There’d been an attempt a few weeks ago. I didn’t want to speculate. I couldn’t answer. I had to stay positive.
  
“Candace,” I cleared my throat. “You call 9-1-1 and stay put, okay?”
    
She gave a robotic nod and dialed the number. When the operator answered, Candace straightened and nodded in my direction. “Yes, it’s about my daughter.” She kept talking while Addie and I jogged toward the winding creek that ran through the center of the park. The whole area didn’t even cover two city blocks. She couldn’t have gone far, I tried to convince myself.
    
Two girls sat by the trickle of water in the creek, giggling and talking. They stopped abruptly and stared up at me when I came closer.
    
“Hello,” I said gently. I pointed at Addie’s outfit. “Did either of you happen to see a little girl dressed like this, except with a ponytail?”
    
The one on the right shook her head vigorously. The older child, in a red jumper, looked thoughtfully at Addie. A surge of hope cursed through me.
    
“Did you see her?” I prompted. A thought flashed into my head. “Where’s your doggie?” I asked. “Didn’t you have a little brown dog with you earlier?”
    
“My Mother won’t let me have a dog,” said the girl stubbornly, kicking her foot at a clump of grass. “I wanted to keep her.”
    
“So that wasn’t your dog?”

The girl in the red jumper shook her head again.

“Addie, did you see the doggie?” I whispered into her ear. A blank stare. She had been too busy chasing butterflies.

A dead end. My heart sank.

“The doggie went that way,” said the girl, who stood up and pointed at a little house across the road.
Picking up Addie and holding her to my chest, I ran for the house. Please, please, please let her be there.

I crossed the road and looked up and down the street. No Jaden. I slowed down to walk into the front yard of the house where the girl had pointed. No one around. My heart thumped. I struggled to catch my breath.

A bush rustled next to my foot. I peered through the leaves, but couldn’t see anything. The bush rustled again, more vigorously this time.

“Jaden,” I called, “is that you?”

Out popped the little brown dog. Tongue lolling, ready to play, he bounced toward us, his leash trailing behind him. I kneeled down to the ground to get a better look.
    
“C’mere doggy,” I coaxed. A round gold piece of metal glinted at his throat.
    
I moved closer. The puppy jumped back and barked, then wagged his tail.

“Doggy, come!” Addie demanded, still clutched to my shoulder. “Why won’t he listen?”

The dog cocked his head and looked at Addie. With a flick of his tail, he scampered back under the bush.

I closed my eyes. Don’t panic. How many times did I have nightmares about losing Kelly when she was little, in the grocery store, at the mall?
    
My head throbbed with frustration.
    
I couldn’t stop thinking about Elizabeth Smart, her father on television day after day, pleading for his daughter’s life. Natalie Holloway’s mother. The desperate search in Aruba. I couldn’t escape the hollow look in their eyes. The desperation in their words.

As I walked and scanned the area surrounding the park, I tried to push the images away and focus on Jaden. The faces of more missing children filled my mind, crowding the corners. Places to hide sprang up all around the neat, tidy houses.
     
Dammit, if I had to bring the entire WSGA news crew out here to look, I would.
 
I started to turn back when I heard another sound.
    
The voice of a little girl.