Page 166 of Sing with Me

Bizarre. Skye didn’t know what to make of the news.

It was almost bedtime, and she was already in bed when Diehl called her on FaceTime to update her on the day’s events. From the looks of the background behind him, he was sitting in his office chair in an enormous office. When asked, he said he was at home, where he would be working as much as possible to be near his kids.

“I know, right.” Diehl shook his head. “Elisa went with Hans willingly. She climbed into the tilt cart, covered herself with a tablecloth, and let Hans drive her away from Brooks Cottage. Then she boarded the Greyhound bus on her own—with tickets paid for by Zeta via Romina.”

“Your ex-nanny must have some power of persuasion.”

“Well, the carrot on the cake was that she was going to take Elisa to see her biological father.”

“In Italy. With an expired passport. Right.” Skye almost laughed, but it was no laughing matter.

“Detective Jeong and the DHS agent in charge told me that you can’t take a minor out of the country without parental permission. Which was why they were at the underground passport office, trying to get fake mother-daughter passports plus other travel documents—like birth certificates and so forth. And how ICE agents found them in their child trafficking sweep at a place like that where forged documents were made.”

From the news, Skye knew that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents looked for victims of human trafficking all the time. “Who came up with this cuckoo plan? It would never work in this day and age.”

“My former mother-in-law.” Diehl cupped his face with his hands. “She makes my own mother look like a saint.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too. Now I’m waiting to see what they’ll charge Romina and Zeta with. My lawyer is working with the prosecutors to see if they can come up with more charges than false imprisonment and the crime of kidnapping.”

“Your lawyer in Atlanta?”

Diehl nodded. “Even though Elisa ran away—pretty much—on Seaside Island and got on the bus in Brunswick, she didn’t meet up with Romina until she arrived in Atlanta. Romina picked her up in her car, and from that point on, Elisa was with her. Elisa told me she was scared a lot of times because she didn’t know what was going on.”

It sounded like there wasn’t going to be a happy ending for Zeta Bishop. Skye didn’t know her, but she hoped that Zeta would find the Lord and repent of her actions. “Glad God protected your daughter.”

“Somehow Romina prevented anyone from touching Elisa. I think she knew in her heart something was not right—her nanny instincts—but she needed the money, being out of work. Fifty thousand dollars.”

“One year’s salary to some people.” Skye shifted in bed. “You know what the Bible says. The love of money is the root of all evil.”

“I’ve heard people talk about that verse. Where is it?” Diehl swiped his phone.

“Look in 1 Timothy 6 thereabouts.” Skye waited.

“Here it is in 1 Timothy 6:10. ‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ Wow. That’s a good verse to hang on my office wall.”

“I remind myself that money is only a tool. I tithe to remind me that God comes first.”

“Ten percent?” Diehl stretched.

“Minimally. But I give extra to ministry whenever the Lord places a need in my heart.”

“Then you give a lot more than most people.”

“I don’t compare. Each of us has to answer to God individually.”

“That’s a good way to look at it.” Onscreen, Diehl looked tired, exhausted. He also looked like he hadn’t shaved in a day or two.

“Thank you for texting me throughout the day,” Skye said. “It felt like I didn’t miss too much, though I’ve been busy all day judging at the food festival.”

Just as well, because Diehl had to sort out his family problems with his children without her interference. Perhaps after he had cleared the air, they could get together again.

If the Lord wills it.

Skye told herself to take everything in stride and not overthink the situation. What they had on St. Simon’s Island was precious. Cooking breakfast in the same kitchen. Picnicking on the beach. Praying with each other. Attending church together.

If it was over, then it was over.

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