Page 21 of Silent Echo

“Two days ago.”

Charlotte pulled out her phone and tapped it. She showed the picture to the woman. “Is this the woman you call Cathy Miller?”

“Yes, that’s her.”

Charlotte turned to Preston. “That’s Penelope Watson. Sebastion’s preschool teacher.”

Rebecca’s hand flew to her mouth. “This is unbelievable! She kidnapped your son? Oh my God! She seemed like such a good mother. And he called her Mommy. I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”

“How did he look? Did he seem happy? Is he healthy?” Charlotte’s emotions were ricocheting between elation that her son was really alive and despair at what he must be going through. She was terrified she would never get him back.

“He seemed healthy.” Rebecca tilted her head. “Happy? I don’t know. He was always quiet, subdued. I thought he was just shy. He always stayed close to her and looked to her for approval before doing anything.”

“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked.

“Like if someone brought cookies or other treats to the park playdates. Most of the kids would just run over to the table and grab them, but he always looked to her for a nod or okay. She definitely kept him on a tight leash, but I thought it was because she was worried about his mother finding him.” She shook her head. “Now I know that’s true but for the wrong reasons. You must be going crazy.”

“You have no idea.”

“Here’s her address and phone number.” She scribbled on a paper. “Her house isn’t far from here. About four miles.”

“Thank you,” Agent Preston said, taking the paper. “And please keep this conversation to yourself for now. Don’t tell any of the mothers. We can’t risk her finding out that we’re close. She’ll spook and run.”

Rebecca nodded. “Of course. Please let me know if there’s anything at all that I can do.”

After they’d left and Rebecca had shut the door, Preston whirled around and glared at Charlotte. “I hope you realize you may have cost us any chance of finding your son.”

Her stomach dropped. “I’m sorry. I just needed to know—”

“I’ve been more than patient with you, but I’ve had it. How long do you think it will be before she calls one of her homeschool friends to share this choice gossip?” She shook her head. “We need to move fast. She’s had a two-day lead on us. Hopefully, she’s still in town. You stay out of my way, do you understand? Go back to the hotel. Now.”

Tears filled Charlotte’s eyes, and she nodded, got in the car, and drove off.

As Charlotte sat waiting in her hotel room, her excitement mounted at the thought of seeing her beloved son. What had Penelope told him? It was evident from what Rebecca had said that Sebastion had been brainwashed into calling her Mommyand was interacting with a whole group of children and mothers without ever mentioning who he really was. What the hell had Penelope done to her son? Charlotte had thought Penelope was such a great teacher. She’d respected the way Penelope prioritized her students over their parents, who were often entitled and spoiled, believing that the expensive tuition gave them the right to express every opinion. Now Charlotte searched her memory for signs of mental instability in the woman.

Charlotte had often felt Penelope’s scrutiny when she’d drop Sebastion off in a hurry, but it hadn’t struck her as pathological. The year before, when she’d had the luxury of staying at home, she would often linger for fifteen or twenty minutes, allowing Sebastion to set the pace for the separation. That raised the ire of his teacher, whose philosophy was that a clean break was best for everyone. The mother Penelope witnessed was, by necessity, a different one.

One day in particular, about a week before the accident, stood out.

At the beginning of the school year, Penelope had sent out an email with sign-ups for class reading. She’d prefaced it with the admonition that it was only for parents—no nannies. Charlotte had chosen a day and marked off the time on her work schedule. Unfortunately, her boss, an older man who probably never had to worry about anything child-related, rescheduled an important meeting. Charlotte had only been with the company a couple months and couldn’t afford to make waves. It was too late to change the schedule, so her nanny would have to pinch-hit for her.

“I don’t want Mandy to come and read today. Why can’t you?” Sebastion had been in a melancholy mood.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and put her hand on his shoulder. “Honey, I told you. My boss rescheduled a meeting for this afternoon, and I can’t get out of it.”

She’d dropped Sebastion off in the line but then parked in visitor parking. Dread filled her as she made her way to the classroom to let Penelope know the situation. Penelope was still greeting the children when she approached the classroom, so she stood outside, where Sebastion couldn’t see her, and waited. A few minutes later, she poked her head in the classroom. Penelope waved her in.

“Is there something I can help you with?”

She tried to make it fast before her son caught sight of her. “I’m so sorry, but my boss moved a meeting around, and I can’t do the reading time today.”

Penelope stared at her for a moment, saying nothing, and then finally raised her eyebrows. “This is very last minute.”

“I know. My nanny, Mandy, is happy to—”

“You know my policy. If you’re too busy, I’ll read to the children myself. But I have to say—”

“Mommy!” Sebastion ran over and threw his arms around her legs.

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