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I couldn’t let my mind go there. I just couldn’t. I would go crazy if I did.
I finally relented and let Camden and my parents come over, mostly because they wouldn’t stop calling Justin for updates, and I knew they were as scared as I was.
Justin intervened to get them past the cops, and my parents rushed in to hug me, my dad looking me up and down. No words, just all fatherly concern, as I burst into a fresh wave of tears. I’d never cried so much in my life.
“Oh, honey,” my mom said, pulling me close again.
In true Cam fashion, he got to work immediately and jumped in where he could. He pulled out his phone and ordered food to be delivered, then asked Kade to have more security brought in to keep nosy neighbors and the news vans away.
A few minutes later, my mom sat next to me. “You should try to eat something,” she said, rubbing a hand down my back. “You’ll pass out if you don’t.”
I glanced over, my vision watery. “I can’t.”
“Try.” She offered me a paper plate with a few crackers and slices of cheese. “You’re no good to anybody, especially Elizabeth, if you don’t take care of yourself.”
Like a robot, I took the plate and tried to nibble a cracker, but I couldn’t taste anything. I managed to get one down, and she handed me a glass of lemonade, which I dutifully sipped before handing it back, unable to do more.
She seemed to understand so she set it aside and simply sat next to me, my hand clasped in hers. “I love you,” she said quietly.
I glanced over, something in my chest warming the tiniest bit at those words from my mother. “I love you, too.”
She gave me a tiny, understanding smile, as if to say she would take my pain away if she could, and I squeezed her hand as we shared a moment of motherhood.
Cam joined us, crouching in front of me, his blue eyes concerned as he took in my face. “You ladies need anything?”
“No, thank—” our mom started.
“How had I missed it?” I said, blurting the thought that had been circling my mind like a vulture since Justin and I had been in the dorm. “I hired her. I let her into my home. I trusted her with my baby!” I let the angry tears fall. “It’s my job to protect my daughter. How did I not see it?”
Camden tilted his head like my words confused him. “Nobody saw it, sis.” He reached over and brushed away a tear with his thumb. “I know you’re hurting, and I’d give anything to fix this and get our little princess back, but please don’t beat yourself up over something you had no control over. We had every precaution in place; you did everything right. There was no way you could have predicted this.”
“He’s right, sweetheart,” our mom said. “People have a way of only showing us what they want us to see, and you had no reason to suspect bad intentions, did you?”
I thought back to our first meeting, when she’d applied to my open dance teacher position. Fresh-faced and sweet, she’d told me she was a dance major at the university who wanted the experience, and she didn’t require much pay. She’d said she was raised by her Sicilian grandmother in New York—clearly a lie.
But when I had her dance for me? She was a natural on the dance floor. Now I knew why.
“No,” I admitted. “She was so quiet, but she was great with the students and a wonderful dancer.” Zero red flags other than the weird boyfriend situation, which, looking back, I’d probably been more than willing to believe because of my past with her father. How screwed up was that?
One of the police officers’ radios crackled with static before a voice broke through. I didn’t understand the code, but it sounded like something was happening.
I looked to Justin, whose gaze was locked on the lead detective as they exchanged quiet words.
I jumped up and ran over. “What? What is it? Did they find her?”
The detective glanced at me, then back to Justin as if to silently ask if he should say anything.
“Tell her,” Justin said, putting a firm hand at the small of my back as if to hold me steady with whatever I was about to hear.
The other man’s eyes softened a bit. “As you know, the dogs lost your daughter’s scent not too far from the daycare.”
“Yes?”
“We started our search grid from that point, keeping the dogs as well as a team of officers on foot to start looking for Elizabeth.” He paused, letting his words sink in.
They were looking for Elizabeth. That was good.
Wait.