Page 3 of Halloween in Sleepy Hollow (Heroes of Sleepy Hollow #7)

CASH

“They’ve been gone a long time, haven’t they?”

Ben’s expression is weary and his gaze holds a hint of desperation. “How long does it take to go to the library and back?” he adds. “It’s a five minute walk at most.”

“Dad!” Elias yanks on Ben’s arm to get his attention. “The speleton isn’t done yet.” Little Elias shoves a handful of white pipe cleaners at him. “We need to finish the speleton.”

Ben takes the pipe cleaners and says patiently, “One second, bud. I’m talking to Uncle Cash.”

“But the speleton .” Elias insists. “He’s missing a leg. He needs his legs .” His voice wobbles; a telltale sign he’s close to being done for the night.

Winnie glances at me with a bemused look that makes her look far older than her years. “I think Elias is tired,” she informs me. “It’s probably time for him to go home.”

Ben twists two pipe cleaners together and sighs. “I don’t remember feeling this tired when Laila was this age.”

Chuckling, I pat his shoulder. “You were younger back then.”

After a thoughtful moment, he nods. “True. And Laila was a little more… low key. Not like this guy.” He gives Elias’s hair an affectionate rustle. “He sure keeps me on my toes.”

“Dad!” Elias tugs on Ben’s arm again. “I’m hungry. And thirsty. And—” He pauses ominously. “I have to go potty .”

Ben grimaces. “Shi—crap. If he needs to go… But I don’t want to leave without telling Thea.”

“Call her,” I suggest. “I’m sure she has her phone by now.”

But. Now that Ben’s mentioned it, how long have the women been gone?

I’ve been so busy with Winnie, time’s seemed to fly by—first decorating pumpkins, then making tongue depressor spider webs, and now working on pipe cleaner skeletons.

Not that I haven’t missed Ari, but with a four-year-old occupying my attention, it’s hard to focus on anything else.

Especially with the chatter of at least a dozen kids and their parents surrounding us.

“When did they leave?” I ask Ben. Glancing at my watch, I realize it’s ten minutes to six. Almost time for the much debated spooky storytelling session, which I know Ari will want to be here for.

Ben pulls his phone from his pocket and glances at the screen. He frowns. “Just after five. So they’ve been gone for nearly forty-five minutes.”

A weight settles in my stomach. Though logic tells me there’s no reason to worry, not with Ari accompanied by two of her friends and with half of downtown lit up for the Halloween celebration, worry still niggles in.

I know it’s natural to worry about the person you love.

But with Ari, it goes deeper than that. Even five years on, the fear will still catch me unexpectedly.

She’ll take longer than expected at the grocery store or stay late after school without telling me and I’ll be thrown right back to that terrible day when I discovered my brother had taken her.

Just for a second, I’m convinced she’s gone again. Kidnapped. Injured. Or even?—

But she’s not.

It’s ridiculous to even think it.

“Maybe they stopped to get a drink,” I say. “Or to do some shopping. Some of the stores are open late. And you know if they all get talking…”

It sounds like a reasonable explanation. Except it doesn’t ring true.

Not with the storytime in less than ten minutes.

Not when Ari was so excited to celebrate the holiday with Winnie— the first year she’ll really appreciate it , Ari explained—and searched for hours online to find the perfect pigeon costume to match one of Winnie’s favorite stories.

And not when Ari knows how I worry.

She affectionately calls me her bodyguard husband sometimes, and she’s not too far from it. I might not be former military, like some of our friends, but I’ve taken nearly every karate class at the local gym, plus I work out almost every day to keep in shape for my volunteer firefighting job.

So if something did happen, I’d be able to protect my family. Not that I’m expecting it to, but still. Better prepared than not.

“I guess they could have stopped to do some shopping,” Ben replies. But he doesn’t sound convinced. He taps the screen of his phone before lifting it to his ear. “I’m just calling Thea,” he tells me. “See where they’re at.”

Following suit, I pull out my phone to call Ari. As it rings, I silently tell myself, She’s fine. The three of them just got caught up with something. It’s nice, really, that Ari’s getting some kid-free time to spend with her friends.

But she doesn’t answer. Instead, the phone rings four times before clicking over to voice mail. And when I call a second time, it does the same.

The weight in my stomach grows heavier.

I type out a quick message to Ari and send it.

Hey, hun. Where are you? Storytime starts in eight minutes. Is everything okay?

I stare at the screen, certain her response will appear.

But it doesn’t.

With a quick glance at Winnie to make sure she’s occupied with her craft and not listening to me, I lean towards Ben to say, “She’s not answering. Not my calls or text. Any luck with Thea?”

Ben’s brow furrows. “No. I called and texted, but no response.”

A second weight drops into my stomach.

Sweat prickles at the back of my neck.

My pulse jumps.

It could be fine. I’m sure it’s fine. Maybe the store they’re in doesn’t have cell phone reception. Or maybe they…

Shit. I don’t know.

If one of them wasn’t answering their phone, it would be one thing. But for Ari and Thea to both be out of reach? Especially considering what they’ve been through? It doesn’t make sense.

“What about Shea?” I ask. “Do you have her number?”

Ben shakes his head. “No. Do you?”

I take a deep breath, forcing air into my constricting chest. “I don’t. But I have Oliver’s. I’ll call him.”

Surely Shea would keep in contact with Oliver, after all.

He worries more than Ben and I combined.

Which is understandable, considering it’s been just two years since Shea was was targeted by kidnappers.

And he’s a cop, previously an agent with the CIA, so protectiveness is pretty much in his blood.

But less than a minute later, I’m left with more questions and an even greater sense of unease.

Oliver got caught up at the security tent when a fight broke out between two drunk twenty-something guys wearing matching Headless Horseman costumes.

“They wouldn’t take their damn costumes off so we could ID them,” Oliver grouched.

“As if we wouldn’t find out eventually.”

His irritation shifted to concern as soon as I told him about Ari and Thea, and how we couldn’t get in touch with them.

Oliver hung up to call Shea, calling me back shortly after with a grim tone to his voice.

“She didn’t answer my calls or texts,” he reported.

“And she knows I worry. I’m headed to you now so we can figure out what’s going on. ”

While we wait for Oliver to arrive, I keep texting Ari, hoping this will be the time when she finally responds. Winnie is thankfully fully engaged in her skeleton- making, so she doesn’t pick up on the worry I’m probably not doing a great job of hiding.

Ben is having a tougher time with Elias, who’s insistent on going to the bathroom. “I have to go now,” Elias whines. He jumps off his seat and wiggles in impatience. “I need to go, Dad. Now.”

“I can’t leave,” Ben whispers to me. “Not now. But—” He casts a concerned glance at Elias. “He’s only been out of pull-ups a few months. And…”

“Let’s see if someone else can take him.” I scan the crowd of kids and parents around us, breathing a sigh of relief when I spot Grant and Scarlett over by the handprint monster station. Catching Grant’s eye, I lift my chin at him, and he gives me a short nod in return.

Once he reaches us, I pull him aside to give him a brief explanation. By the time I finish, he’s shifted from dad of twin toddlers Grant to former SEAL Grant, his features like stone and his posture alert.

“So you haven’t heard from any of them?” he confirms. “Not for—” He looks at his watch. “Fifty minutes now?”

“I know it’s not a lot of time,” I reply. “Not in normal circumstances. But Ari wouldn’t be gone this long. Neither would Thea. Not with the kids?—”

“Daddy!” The alarm in Winnie’s voice nearly gives me a heart attack.

Rushing back to her, I crouch by her side. “What, sweetie? What’s wrong?”

She points at the bandstand on the other side of the park.

Penny, who works at the library and is one of Ari’s friends, is walking up the steps with a stack of books tucked beneath her arm.

“Story time is starting. You promised I could go.” She looks around.

“And where’s Mommy? She said she’d listen with me. ”

“She’ll be right back,” I start. “I?—”

“DAD!” Elias practically bellows it. “I. Have. To. Go. Potty.”

Ben throws a panicked look in Grant and my direction.

Grant looks over at Scarlett and they exchange a silent communication. As she starts wiping the paint from the twins’ hands, Grant says quietly, “We’ll take care of it. As soon as Scarlett gets over here, I’ll take Elias to the bathroom. She can bring Winnie over to story time.”

“But the twins. Isn’t it too scary?”

Grant shakes his head. “They’re practically asleep now. It’s fine.” He claps my shoulder. “I’ve got this. You focus on Ari. Okay?”

I dip my head at him. “Thanks, man. It might be nothing, but?—”

He nods. “I get it.”

By the time Scarlett joins us with the twins, Oliver’s in sight, his brisk stride verging on a jog as he heads towards us. He’s not in uniform tonight; instead, he’s dressed in a black tuxedo that makes him stand out amid the throngs of Headless Horsemen and kid-themed costumes.

Scarlett meets my gaze and gives me a reassuring smile. In a cheerful tone, she says, “Winnie and I are just going to go listen to some of the stories while you’re waiting for Mommy to come back. Okay? We’ll just be right over there.”

I flash her a grateful look. “Thanks.” And to Winnie, I add brightly, “Have fun, sweetie. And set a good example for the twins. ”

Winnie sets her shoulders and puffs out her chest. “I will, Daddy.”

Ben glances after Grant and Elias, who are moving at a quick trot towards the bathrooms. Then he joins me and Oliver in a three-person huddle.

Without preface, Oliver says, “The last time I talked to Shea was just before five. She said she was coming to find you guys. I assumed—” His jaw clenches. “I thought everything was okay. That Shea was okay.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” I reply. “They were just going to the library.”

Ben looks at his phone again. He exhales heavily. “I’ve sent ten texts, left half a dozen messages, and nothing.” Guilt moves across his features. “I should have gone with her. Or insisted she wait. Why did I say it was okay for her to go on her own?”

The same guilt weighs heavy on my shoulders. “Because they were going together. And it’s not far. I thought… Shit. I thought it would be okay, too.”

Oliver scans the park with a narrowed gaze. Then he casts a look further, outside the park and towards Main Street, where the celebration is still in full force. “But Irving Place isn’t well lit,” he says grimly. “And it’s closed for the night. So there’s no traffic…”

“Shit.” My hands fist. “What if…”

“But there’s three of them,” Ben offers weakly. “Ari and Shea had their phones, at least.”

We all go quiet for a few seconds, lost in our thoughts.

Then Oliver says, “The trackers.” A cautious hope tinges his voice. “Shea still wears her earrings. With the GPS tracker in them.” He taps his phone a few times. “I have the app. Just in case. ”

Ben frowns. “I don’t think Thea wears her earrings anymore. It’s been so long…”

“Same,” I agree. “It’s been five years. Ari wouldn’t have thought.”

Oliver grits out a low curse. “She’s not showing up. It doesn’t make sense. Even if she’s not wearing them, I should see the GPS location on the app.”

The fear I’ve been battling to tamp down comes bursting free. “Where are they?”

Ben looks as scared as me. “Something’s wrong. Isn’t it?”

As ice creeps through my veins, I nod. “I think so.”

Ben grimaces. “Can you call it in?”

Oliver sighs. “No. It’s too soon. But I’m calling Kane.” His voice is low and controlled, but with tension running through it. “And Ian. He and Rose are here, too. If we’re going to search downtown, I want as many feet on the ground as possible.”

He pauses. “Actually, I’ll call Cole, too. See if the Blade and Arrow guys are around to help. If the women aren’t in town…”

A boot slams into my gut.

All the air leaves my lungs.

Could Ari be gone?

Could someone have taken her again?

Shit.

Shit.

I can’t lose her.

I can’t .