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“No buts.” He pointed a finger at her. “And I mean it.”
She sighed. “Okay.” What was she going to do anyway? She had no clue who the woman was who was seen helping Bethany and she couldn’t track down Daniel. “Fine.”
But she could be here when they got back with him.
Lacey watched them leave and paced, feeling like she’d lived this scene once before.
Thinking that Daniel hated her enough to cause her this much grief shook her. Always she’d been kind to him. Back in high school, she’d been aware that he’d had a crush on her, but she didn’t push him away. She did her best to keep everything on a friendship level and it had seemed to work.
At least until she started dating Mason.
At first, he seemed to take it in stride. Then over time, his attitude toward her changed. Slowly, almost imperceptibly. When she realized she didn’t want to be around him, she started finding excuses why she and Mason should do things alone.
Because even though Daniel had been in love with her, he’d still dated. Nothing serious and nothing that ever lasted. She didn’t want to be a foursome. She got tired of Daniel’s ugly looks and snide comments when no one was around to hear.
And Janice. Dear sweet Janice had been crazy about Daniel since the sixth grade. And he never gave her a second look. Not even in high school. Nothing she’d done had ever gotten his attention.
Not her makeovers, her clothes, her…
Clothes.
Scarves.
“That’s it!” she said aloud. “That scarf—” and she felt sure that’s what it was “—belongs to Janice!”
Had Janice been the woman who’d rescued Bethany? But if she had, why hadn’t she brought her home? And how had she known where Bethany was going to be?
Unless she’d found out what Daniel was up to and acted.
And she’d never met Bethany, so she wouldn’t know who the girl was. But she’d seen her picture from the flyer. Then again, after living on the street this long, Bethany probably didn’t look anything like her flyer picture. What if she’d disguised herself somehow?
And if Bethany had been injected with something, she could be unconscious and unable to tell Janice anything.
A hard fist formed in her stomach. She reached across the desk and grabbed the phone. She dialed Mason’s cell phone and it rang several times before going to voice mail.
He was probably on the phone trying to get ahold of Daniel. At the tone, she said, “I think I know who helped Bethany. That scarf is Janice’s. I think Daniel was in the closet that night because her perfume is so strong, it was on his clothes. That’s why it lingered. I’m going to see if I can find Janice. I have my cell phone.”
Hanging up, she wondered if she should try Catelyn’s phone. But she didn’t have the number and didn’t want to take the time to look it up. Mason would get the message and pass it on.
She hurried from the office and down to the parking lot—where once again, she didn’t have a car.
Growling, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Janice’s home number. She felt sure if she found Janice, she would find Bethany.
No answer.
She dialed the woman’s cell phone.
No answer.
Frustrated, she thought.
The store!
Hurrying back inside, she asked the desk sergeant to look the number up for her. He did and she dialed it.
Again, no answer.
Wanting to weep with frustration, she bolted out to grab the nearest taxi. Climbing in, she gave the driver the address to Janice’s home and prayed aloud, “Please, Lord, lead me to my child. Please let her be okay.”