Page 12 of Silent Echo
CHAPTER ELEVEN
C harlotte sat across the table from Agent Jamie Preston in the Violent Crimes Against Children squad at the Baltimore FBI field office.
When the agent first walked in, Charlotte was surprised at how young she was.
Even with her hair pulled back in a tight bun and minimal makeup on, she was attractive.
Charlotte estimated her to be in her late twenties or early thirties.
She wondered how long she’d been on the job.
“Thank you for agreeing to see me,” Charlotte said. “I got the feeling from the first agent I spoke with that my concerns might not be taken seriously.”
Agent Preston’s eyebrows went up slightly. “I’m sorry the agent made you feel that way. We get a fair number of reports from people thinking they see their missing child that turn out to be false leads. But, please, tell me why you believe that your son is alive.”
Charlotte told her about the phone calls, the unscheduled stop at McDonald’s, and what she’d discovered about Penelope Watson’s life insurance not being paid out.
Preston arched an eyebrow. “And you found out about the insurance, how?”
Charlotte shrugged. “I may have lied to the insurance agent, but I’m telling you, something doesn’t add up. I know my son is alive, and for some reason, Penelope Watson took him.” She leaned forward, making eye contact. “Do you have children, agent?”
Preston pursed her lips as if deciding whether or not to share personal information, then nodded. “Yeah, I have a son. A little younger than yours.”
“Well, try to put yourself in my place. What would you do? At the very least, can’t you look into Penelope? See if there’s any evidence that she’s alive? I think she’s in Florida, so that’s a start.”
“Okay, let me see what I can find out. You said Ms. Watson called you from her cell phone. Do you have that number?”
Charlotte pulled out her phone. “Yes, I took screenshots to show my husband. Here.” She handed her the phone, and the agent copied down the number. Preston returned the phone to her.
“Okay, Mrs. Fleming. I’ll get back to you as soon as I have something.”
“Thank you. And please, call me Charlotte.”
The agent smiled for the first time and nodded. “Okay, Charlotte. And again, I’m deeply sorry for what you’re going through. I’ll get back to you soon.”
“Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention. I did track down the woman who tagged the bookstore in the picture. I found her on Facebook. Unfortunately, her Facebook privacy settings didn’t let me see much.
I sent her a Facebook message telling her what happened and asking her to contact me, but I haven’t heard from her. ”
“I wish you hadn’t done that.”
Charlotte bit her lip. “I know. I realized too late that all I may have done is alert Penelope to the fact that I had seen that picture.”
“If you’re right and this woman is alive and has your son, she’s fabricated some story to explain how she came to have him. He’s not a baby, so she would worry that he might tell someone she’s not his mother. Please don’t do anything else. Let us handle things from here on in.”
As Charlotte drove home, she felt hopeful for the first time in almost a year. Regardless of how young Agent Preston was, Charlotte was grateful that her case had been assigned to her. If anyone could empathize, it was another mother—especially one with a son close to Sebastion’s age.
When she walked into the house, Harper was doing her homework at the kitchen table, and Eli was chopping vegetables.
She’d lied to him and told him she was meeting with Patricia about her new client.
She didn’t want to listen to him lecture her again.
Why was he so opposed to turning over every leaf? She couldn’t understand it.
“Hey, guys,” she said, walking over to Harper and kissing her on the head. “Smells good,” she told Eli, forcing herself to sound amicable.
“I’m making your favorite. Teriyaki chicken stir fry.”
“Great. I’m gonna go change.” She still barely had an appetite, but now it was more from anticipation and nerves than grief.
She played scenarios over in her mind. If Penelope had Sebastion, that hopefully meant no harm would come to him.
Charlotte knew that Penelope wasn’t married, but maybe she had been at some point.
Who knew, she could have lost a child and was in some sort of delusion about Sebastion.
You heard stories all the time about women kidnapping pregnant women and stealing their babies.
Had she planned it or had it been a crime of opportunity?
Charlotte felt like she would go crazy until she could do something.
She had prepared to fly down to Florida and confront the bookstore lady, insisting that she give her the name of the woman throwing the party.
But if Agent Preston believed her, waiting and following her lead would be much better.
It took all the acting skills Charlotte could muster to get through dinner and small talk with Eli and Harper. She volunteered to clean up, and instead of joining Eli in the living room after dinner, she pled a headache and went upstairs.
She climbed into bed and prayed that tomorrow would bring good news.