Page 1 of Silent Echo

PROLOGUE

The day began like any other. Charlotte Fleming grabbed her coffee from the kitchen and rushed into her son’s room, cursing as the hot liquid sloshed from the mug and stained her silk shirt. Shit, now she was going to be late.

“Sebastion, come on, we need to get a move on,” she called as she raced down the hallway.

No response from her four-year-old son. Exasperated, she walked into his room and saw he was still in bed.

“Sebastion! Why aren’t you up? We have to leave for school.”

He looked up at her, his blue eyes wide. “My tummy hurts.”

Not this again, she thought. Ever since she’d gone back to work full-time, Sebastion had been complaining of phantom illnesses. They’d made several trips to the pediatrician, and there was nothing wrong each time. She wasn’t unsympathetic. She hated being away from him for so many hours every day, but today, she couldn’t coddle him. Of all days for Eli to have a job interview. She sighed, walked over to the bed, and sat on the side. She put a hand on his forehead. He didn’t feel warm.

“Honey, you don’t have a fever. And you’ve been looking forward to the field trip all week. Do you think you’re just hungry?”

He shook his head, his blond curls catching the sunlight. “I wanna stay home.”

“Does it hurt here?” She pressed on his side, and he shook his head. “Tell you what, special treat, you can eat a Pop-Tart on the way to school and see if you feel better.” A stab of guilt piercedher for bribing him, but she couldn’t miss her client meeting this morning.

“Okay, Mommy.” He slid from under the covers and she helped him dress quickly, then ran to her room to change her blouse. She grabbed her briefcase, a strawberry Pop-Tart, and a juice box, and they flew out the door. As she drove, she glanced in the rearview mirror and was relieved to see him eating. He was fine. If Eli landed the job today, that would take the pressure off her. She could scale back her hours and spend more time with Sebastion. At least the Thanksgiving holiday was coming up, so they’d have four whole days together.

“Feeling better, sweetie?” she asked.

He shrugged his little shoulders, put down the Pop-Tart, and leaned his head back against the booster seat.

She had missed drop-off and had to park and walk him in. His pre-K teacher, Penelope Watson, gave Charlotte a withering look when she entered the classroom with Sebastion. She was a stickler for punctuality, and this wasn’t the first time they’d been late.

“So sorry we’re late. It’s been a morning.”

Sebastion wrapped his arms around Charlotte’s leg. “I wanna go home.”

Penelope knelt at eye level with him. “What’s wrong, Sebastion? I thought you were excited to go to the Audubon Center today.”

“Tummy hurts.”

She stood and gave Charlotte a concerned look. “Is he sick?”

Charlotte leaned down and embraced Sebastion. “I need to talk to Ms. Watson for a moment. Go play, and I’ll see you later.”

He reluctantly walked into the classroom and joined some boys playing with cars.

“He’s been a little needy lately. Things are a bit upside down at home. His doctor says it’s a coping mechanism and not tocoddle him. I’m sure he’ll be his old self once you’re on your way.”

“It’s going to be a long day. Are you sure he’s up to it?”

“Yes, I know he’d regret missing it. Once I’m gone, he’ll be fine.”

Mrs. Watson arched a brow, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll keep a close eye on him.”

“Thanks.” She looked over and saw Sebastion laughing with another boy. Relieved, she slid from the classroom and took off for work.

The morning flew, and she didn’t have time to give Sebastion another thought as she made her ad presentation. When she returned to her office, she was alarmed to see that she had four missed calls from his school but no messages. She dialed the school’s number from her office phone with a shaking hand. When she gave the receptionist her name, she was put on hold and transferred. Finally, the headmaster’s voice came over the line.

“Mrs. Fleming?”

Her hold on the phone tightened. “Yes?”

There was a pause and then, “I’m very sorry to inform you that there’s been an accident.”

---