Page 128 of Finders Keepers

“Good, this will help. We’re putting out an AMBER Alert right away. Do you have any information on where the father might have taken her?”

I shake my head. “Sophie and I moved here not even two months ago. Matt was…not so kind to us so we left.”

Gavin’s arm tightens around me protectively, drawing me closer. “What about his family? Any relatives he might go to?”

“His parents are in Florida, but they cut ties with him years ago. His sister…” I pause, thinking back to happier times. “His sister Lisa lives about an hour away from him in Thackerville. She’s in Oklahoma too. We were always close, she used to visit before Matt scared her off.”

Officer Lyons nods to his partner, who immediately steps away talking rapidly into his radio. “We’ll check that out. In the meantime, we need you to stay available. Go home, wait by your phone. We’ll have officers checking traffic cameras, talking to any witnesses. Every minute counts.”

“I can’t just sit at home while my daughter is out there!” The words tear from my throat, raw with desperation. My hands clench into fists at my sides.

“Mrs. Monroe,” his voice is gentle, trying to settle me, his eyes full of understanding. “The best thing you can do right now is to be somewhere Sophie can find you if she manages to call or get away. We have officers all over town looking for her. Every available unit.”

Gavin’s hand rubs soothing circles on my back, his touch anchoring me. “He’s right, Bailey. Let’s get you back to the house. Ms. Lucy can come over, and we’ll make calls, contact everyone we know.”

I want to argue, to run screaming through the streets until I find my baby, but I know they’re right. I let Gavin lead me to his truck, my legs barely supporting me, feeling like they’re made of iron.

As we drive to his house, I stare out the window, searching every car we pass, every sidewalk, anywhere I might catch a glimpse of pink or blonde hair. My phone buzzes, the AMBER Alert for Sophie, her sweet face now being broadcast to phones across the state. The sight of her photo with the word “MISSING” above it makes my stomach lurch.

“We’ll find her,” Gavin says, reaching over to squeeze my hand.

I flinch away from his touch, my body recoiling instinctively. His hand hovers in the air between us before he slowly pulls it back. The world around me seems distant, like I’m watching everything through thick glass. The trees outside the truck window blur together as we drive, my mind floating somewhere far away from my body.

“Bailey?” Gavin’s voice sounds muffled, underwater. “Bailey, look at me.”

I can’t. My eyes stay fixed on some invisible point ahead. Sophie’s face fills my vision, her smile this morning during her lesson. I should have never brought her here. I should have gone further, hidden better.

“Bailey.” Gavin’s voice is firmer now, grounding me slightly. “I need you to stay with me, okay? Sophie needs you present.”

Sophie. My baby. Gone.

“She knows your number, Bailey,” he says gently. “If she can call, she’ll find a way.”

Something in his words pulls me back into my body. I blink, turning to look at him for the first time since we got in the truck.

“She memorized it,” I whisper, my voice sounding strange to my own ears. “We practiced. But what if he won’t let her near a phone? What if—”

“One step at a time,” he interrupts softly, his eyes flicking between me and the road. “Right now, we focus on what we can control. The police are looking. We’ll call everyone we know.”

I nod mechanically, trying to anchor myself to his words.

Tears start streaming down my face and my voice breaks. “He wouldn’t’ hurt her…right?”

“Stop,” he says flow, though his eyes are showing sympathy. “We can’t think about ‘what ifs’ right now. We need to focus on helping the police find her. That’s what Sophie needs from us.”

I nod, trying to pull myself together.

“Can you call Ms. Lucy? I don’t think I can… I don’t want to use my phone in case—.” The words catch in my throat, but he nods.

I stare numbly as he pulls into his driveway, the familiar crunch of gravel under the tires barely registering. While he talks on the phone, explaining what happened in a low, steady voice, I find myself transfixed by his house. Everything seems like it’s moving through molasses, dreamlike and surreal. The chalk drawings decorating the pathway to the front porch catch my eye, making my chest tighten painfully. We’d drawn flowers and butterflies together this past weekend, her little hand clasped in mine as we colored the concrete. She’d insisted on drawing a rainbow too, even though her colors had gotten all mixed up.

“She’s on her way,” Gavin says softly. “Come on, let’s go inside. We’re going to find her, Bailey. I promise.” His voice carries a conviction I desperately want to believe.

I let him guide me inside, my feet moving automatically across the threshold. But my heart stays out there, somewhere in the unknown with my little girl, praying she’s safe, praying she knows Mommy’s coming for her. I have to believe we’ll find her. I have to believe she’ll come home, that I’ll hear her sweet voice again.

Because the alternative is unthinkable.

I press ‘end’ on my phone with a frustrated sigh. Lisa’s phone went straight to voicemail again, I left her another message, trying to keep the worry out of my voice as I asked her to please call me back when she got a chance and I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear tires sliding on the gravel outside, the sound piercing through the tense silence of Gavin’s living room. Through his front windows, I see Ms. Lucy’s Buick come to an abrupt halt in the driveway, kicking up dust and small stones. She’s out of the car before I can even process what’s happening, moving faster than I’ve ever seen her move, her normally composed demeanor replaced with urgent energy.

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