Page 96 of Sing with Me

Diehl sat up and stared at her. He mouthed, “What?”

“What time is it?” Skye asked.

“I don’t know,” Ethan said. “The police are here. They want to talk to Dad.”

“Okay. We’ll be over there as soon as we can. Stay with your grandma. Don’t leave her side.”

Skye’s hand shook when she hung up. “Elisa’s missing.”

Diehl jumped up, and immediately his hands reached for the armrest on the couch. “Owww.”

“Drink the rest of your coffee. Go take a hot shower,” Skye said. “Come downstairs and eat some breakfast. I’ll drive you to your mom’s house.”

Diehl nodded. He could barely walk.

Skye could help him as far as the top of the stairs, but she did not want to enter his bedroom. She caught Marlo’s eyes and pleaded for help without a word. He instinctively understood and nodded.

He left the open kitchen and came over. “Sir, may I help you up the stairs?”

“Yes, please.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Really, he should sleep it off.

Diehl leaned back in the reclined passenger seat as Skye took him on the short drive to Seaside Island across the bridge from St. Simon’s Island.

“See if you can take a five-minute nap. I’ll wake you up when we get there,” Skye said.

“Do you know where the house is?”

“Yeah. Seb and I catered for your family when he was still in town.”

Before Diehl realized it, Skye parked her car on the other side of the circular driveway to get out of the way of the police vehicles at the front door of Brooks Cottage.

There were several police officers in the yard and driveway. One came up to them on the driver’s side. Skye rolled down the window, but Diehl spoke first.

“I’m Diehl Brooks, officer. Elisa’s father. I just got the message that my daughter’s missing.”

“Yes, Mr. Brooks,” the officer said. “Detective Jeong wants to talk to you. He’s at the guest cottage.”

“Are my son, Ethan, and mother, Rose Brooks, over there too?”

The officer nodded. “That’s where we’re talking to the family. You cannot go in this house, sir. We’re still going through it.”

“Going through it?”

“It might be a crime scene or we might find something helpful.”

“Please find my daughter.” As Diehl heard his own words, he realized that, biological or not, Elisa was officially his. And so was Ethan. Diehl’s name was on the birth certificate as the father of these children. They were his responsibility now.

God, if You hear my prayer, please bring Elisa home to us safely.

“We’re working on it, sir.” To Skye, he said, “Ma’am, if I may ask you to park outside this driveway—maybe on the curb in front of the neighbor’s house, it will make it easier for our vehicles to get in and out.”

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

After the officer went back to work, Skye put her car in reverse.

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