Page 111 of Almost Paradise

After making sure everything for the party at the daycare was taken care of, I had to run home for a Zoom meeting with my department head. By home, I mean the house I grew up in which is just a few streets away. While there, I spilled coffee all over myself. Luckily, I found some decent clothes and was able to change.

Now, I’m in the back of one of our cars while my driver takes me back to the daycare. I call Drake’s office one more time.

“Esther,” I say after she picks up, “has my husband left the office yet?”

“Ten minutes ago,” she says. “And he lost his phone.”

“Of course, he did. Thanks, Esther I hope he’s on his way to the daycare and not going to an offsite meeting first. Carter’s been looking forward to having his father there so they can get matching Spiderman face paint.

I sigh and put my phone back in my purse, but when I hear it vibrating, I quickly snatch it. My disappointment is instant. It’s from an unknown caller. I normally don’t answer those, but whenever Carter is not with me, I do.

“Hello?” When I get no answer, I repeat myself. “Hello?” I hang up when all I get is silence.

“What’s happening, Jerry?” I ask my driver, who also acts as a security guard. The traffic in our direction has come to a standstill, even though we are on a quiet, tree-lined residential street. A few seconds after that question leaves my mouth, I hear the faint sound of sirens.

“Sounds like a fire truck, ma’am,” he says. I clear my throat, and he says, “Nia.” He looks through the rear-view mirror and grins sheepishly. Immediate color creeps his pale cheeks.

A car speeds by going in the opposite direction of ours. I wouldn’t have noticed it if it wasn’t going so fast. My head whips around to look at the car, but it’s a black luxury SUV with tinted windows. Besides, it goes by so fast, I can’t see the driver. I’m instantly angry because not only is there a daycare on this street, but there are also plenty of elementary school-aged children who are now out of school for the summer.

With each passing moment, the sounds of the sirens get closer and closer, and an uneasy feeling creeps up the back of my neck. When Jerry pulls to the curb to allow the fire truck room to pass, the feeling of unease intensifies. Another fire truck soon follows, and I feel my stomach drop. Slowly I turn around, hoping that whatever I’m thinking isn’t true.

Several police cars whizz by, all going in the direction of the daycare, which is on the main road, just off this quiet street. The traffic eases and Jerry starts to drive, but it’s still slow.

My heart drops several minutes later when we get to the end of the street. I look to my left, and the firetrucks are in front of Ms. Dot’s Daycare. There’s smoke coming from the house. A police car flies by and blocks part of the street. Jerry is unable to make a left turn. I don’t give myself time to think. I unbuckle my seatbelt and open the door without uttering a word to Jerry.

Jerry leaves the car in the middle of the intersection, and he’s beside me in two steps. I run faster than I’ve ever run in my life. All my fears flood to the surface. After having Carter and falling in love with my son at the first sound of his cries, I had an intense fear of losing him. Back then, I’d worry that Drake and his father would make good on their threat and take him from me. I had nightmares about turning away from him for a moment in the playground and someone would steal him. I never thought I’d lose him in a fire. Now, I know it’s not only me who would fall apart if something happened to him. His father would too.

It’s pandemonium the closer I get to the daycare. An officer stops me, blocking my path.

“My son’s in there!” I yell at him. I try to go around him but he steps in front of me. “Jerry, do something!” I plead. He takes the officer aside, and they speak in hushed tones. The cop eyes me, and something in his expression changes.

“Let me see what I can find out,” he says. He touches my shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

“Nia!” I hear Drake’s voice from behind me. I turn and run into my husband’s arms. “Where’s Carter?” He runs a hand through his hair. His eyes are frantic as he looks around.

“Look,” Jerry says. We turn to see a group of kids being escorted onto the sidewalk. EMTs rush to them. I scan the area and see no signs of Carter anywhere.

“Where the hell is our son?” I nearly yell. I try to run to the EMTs but Bertram holds me back. Drake approaches one of the officers. More kids come out, but still no Carter.

I see Ms. Dot coming out of the house, and with Herculean strength, I pull out of Bertram’s hold and sprint to her. “Ms. Dot, where’s my baby? Where’s Carter?” I ask, my words rushed and desperate.

She gives me a look that nearly makes my knees buckle, but then she takes a deep breath as if she’s relieved. “I’m so glad he left just as the fire alarm went off.”

“What do you mean he left?” Drake must hear how loud I am. He leaves the officer and jogs over to me and Ms. Dot.

“Your nanny came and got him. Drake texted earlier about his doctor’s appointment. She promised it wouldn’t take more than an hour. I was surprised you didn’t tell me, but just as I was going to call you, the fire alarm went off.”

Despite the smoke coming out of the daycare, the kids crying and the noise of the cops, EMTs, and firemen, the place suddenly goes deathly quiet.

“Ms. Dot, Carter doesn’t have a Nanny,” I tell her, my voice much too quiet and low for this revelation. We finally agreed on who to hire, but no offer has been made yet.

“But I got your husband’s texts.” She pulls out her phone, and sure enough, there are texts back and forth from Drake to Ms. Dot. “Look. He sent me her name, and I checked her ID.”

“I didn’t send those,” Drake says. “I didn’t have this phone when those texts were sent. I lost the damn thing.”

“So, who the fuck sent these? What’s her name? What did she look like, Ms. Dot?”

Her eyes dart around. She’s a dark-skinned woman, and despite that, I can see some of the color leave her face at this turn of events. “Tall, thin with reddish hair. Lots of freckles. Green eyes, I think,” she says. “Something Foley.”

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