I knew Lilly was talking, but I couldn't register what she was saying. Les was still crying, but the sound was muffled, like it was coming from a great distance or underwater or something. I should ask how he was and go through the motions of checking to make sure nothing was missing from the trailer, but I knew there wasn't—except for my mom.
Lilly was on the phone, her tone frantic, probably talking to her dad. I needed to pull myself together, protect my family, and show the sheriff I wasn't falling apart. He'd need to see that, if there was to be any hope of him letting me help with the investigation. And there was no way I could sit this one out. It took effort, but I managed to straighten up.
Lilly pocketed her phone and bent down so we were at eye level. Les had calmed down, but was holding out his arms to me. I took him without hesitation, and he cuddled against me, snapping me from the last of my stupor.
"Dad's on his way." Lilly sniffled, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. "He was heading to the town hall meeting, but he's coming here first. Joann's going to run things until he can get back over there."
I held Les a little tighter and made those soothing noises that parents make to their kids when words won't work. I had no words left. None for Les, none for Lilly. What could I say? I didn't need my father-in-law, or anyone else, to tell me that I was the common denominator in all of this. Whoever was doing this, I was their primary target. They were just saving me for last.
"Daddy?" Les patted my face to get my attention. "Where did Granma go?"
I swallowed hard. "I don't know, son." My voice was rough, but didn't break, so that was something. I had to toughen up quick if I stood any chance at all of saving him and his mother from whatever monster was out there waiting.
"Les, honey." Lilly knelt next to us. "Did you see where Granma went?"
He scrunched up his little face. "We was playin' sheriff and Granma put me in jail." He pointed at the playpen. "Then she said be a good boy and she be right back." His lower lip trembled. "But she not come back."
"Did she go outside?" Lilly asked.
I hated that Les had to deal with this, but I didn't protest Lilly's question. And as much as Les loved his grandfather, I preferred that Lilly be doing the questioning rather than the sheriff.
Les seemed to think hard, then shrugged. "I was bein' da bad guy in jail."
Lilly smoothed his hair down. "Did you hear the door close?"
He nodded.
Lilly glanced up at me and I knew what she was thinking. Somehow, the kidnapper had gotten my mom to go outside.
I was still figuring things out when her dad arrived. She let him in and the two of them talked quietly for a moment before he came over to me.
"I think they all got phone calls or texts that made them leave," I said. Then another thought struck me. "The kidnapper was probably pretending to be from an area hospital, saying that someone had been hurt." The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. "Think about it. If Kieran was sick, what would get him up? If he thought Mom was hurt . . ."
"I'll get a warrant for their phone records," the sheriff said. He didn't try to argue with me or disprove my theory. He simply took out his phone and made the call.
Lilly gave me a puzzled look. "When did you figure all this out?"
I shrugged. "I was trying to think of what could possibly have made Mom leave Les in here all alone. Her phone doesn't get a good signal inside the trailer, so if someone called saying Kieran was in the hospital, or that he'd had an accident—"
