Page 3 of Little Child Gone

The rain became a deluge, but surely he would see her in time. She had to get his attention.

As the white car bore down on her, Rebecca realized the driver was going too fast and the roads too wet. She ran to her right, and the driver must have seen her, because tires suddenly screamed, the car fishtailing. The back of the car collided against her spine, sending her into the air. A thousand memories flashed through her mind until her body hit the side of the road.

Blood gurgled from her throat. She didn’t feel any pain, but she couldn’t move. Black boots appeared next to her, and a familiar face suddenly loomed next to hers, screaming they hadn’t seen her.

Rebecca pressed her most treasured possession that her mother had given her into his hands. “Save them.”

ONE

Nikki checked to make sure she’d pressed “record” on her phone as Lacey tore into another birthday gift. Pink paper flew in every direction.

“The whole Harry Potter collection.” Lacey ran over to Rory’s brother and hugged him. “Thanks, Uncle Mark.” She grinned, her smile a mix of baby and adult teeth. “Now I don’t have to steal Mom’s copies.” Lacey carefully set the books next to the quilt Ruth had made out of her late father’s shirts.

“They’re as old as you,” Nikki told her daughter. “I’d just started reading the series when I went on maternity leave. I was onOrder of the Phoenixwhen I went into labor with you.”

“Why didn’t you name me Phoenix?” Lacey demanded. “That would have been so cool.”

Nikki shrugged. “Whose present is next?”

“Mine.” Courtney hefted a large box onto the table. Lacey immediately tore into it. “Oh wow, a microscope! And an entomology kit.”

Courtney smiled, and Nikki was warmed by how much her and Lacey’s bond had grown in the last few months. Courtney had always been a close friend, and Nikki had asked Courtney to leave Quantico with her when she’d started the unit in Minnesota. Courtney now ran the DNA labs and acted as head evidence technician for their FBI office. She had spent a lot of time with Lacey during her mandated time off from Nikki’s team. She’d come close to losing her life in a terrifying case, but she had been feeling better by the day and had returned a few weeks ago. Nikki was relieved as Courtney was the best analyst she’d ever worked with. Lacey loved anything scientific, and Courtney had taught her all about DNA science and fingerprinting, the latter resulting in throwing out Lacey’s jeans. The entomology lab had been Lacey’s favorite. She’d come into Nikki’s office and announced she was going to be a bug investigator for the FBI when she grew up.

Courtney pushed her dark hair out of her eyes. She’d started growing it out, and now it had grown down to a shaggy bob. She’d also taken to wearing colored contacts, making her startling blue eyes a murky brown. “I’m glad you like it. It’s a little advanced for your age, but so are you.”

She helped Lacey take the microscope out of the box.

Lacey’s birthday gifts took up much of the Todds’ dining-room table. She stuffed the last of the wrapping paper into the trash bag Rory held. In addition to Courtney’s gift, Rory’s parents and Mark had gone overboard with the birthday gifts. Nikki wasn’t about to complain; the Todds weren’t blood relatives, but they had become the family Nikki longed for Lacey to have in her life. Lacey had bonded with Rory’s parents and brother instantly, and they all doted on her, especially Mark.

Mark tapped Nikki’s shoulder, a mischievous grin on his face. “Wait until you see this.”

Rory sat the trash bag in the corner, and Mark jumped up, disappearing into the kitchen. Nikki heard the sliding-glass door leading to the patio open and close a few seconds later.

“Lace, you’ve got one more gift in here,” Mark called from the kitchen.

She looked at Rory, who grinned back at her like a kid waiting for Christmas presents. Lacey raced into the kitchen, her screech filling the house.

“Did you get her a pony?” Nikki hissed at her husband as the rest of the group followed Lacey.

“Nope, even better.”

“Mom, look, I got wheels!” Lacey perched on a blue and white ATV sitting in the middle of the kitchen.

“It’s youth size,” Rory jumped in before Nikki could say anything. “She loves riding with me, and she loves being outside. This is a great one to start with.”

“Don’t forget this.” Mark slipped a hot-pink helmet on Lacey. “No helmet, no riding. Got it, squirt?”

“Got it.” Lacey looked at Rory. “Can we take it for a ride?”

He grinned. “Yep. Mark and I can ride with you.” Rory owned the house he’d grown up in, along with several acres of land for Lacey to ride on. He owned three full-sized ATVs, as well as a snowmobile. Lacey wanted to learn how to operate them all. Nikki had grown up just around the corner from Rory and Mark, and she remembered hearing their dirt bikes revving around the property. “But ask Mom first.”

“It’s fine, as long as you guys are with her and she wears the helmet.” Nikki laughed as Lacey used her feet to push the four-wheeler toward the back door. Rory, Mark and their father hurried after her, grabbing coats and warm gloves.

While Lacey played with her new toy, Nikki, Ruth and Courtney cleaned up from the birthday party. Only a few pieces of Nikki’s homemade lasagna remained.

“Did you hear from Liam?” Courtney started loading the dishwasher.

Nikki’s longtime partner on the force had taken his girlfriend and her son on a holiday trip to Hawaii. “Plane is delayed in Denver because of weather.”

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