Page 38 of The Liar's Wife
“And what flight am I on? I’m just making sure I did it right.”
“Looks like you’re scheduled to leave this afternoon at three forty-five headed to Los Angeles.”
My body went numb. “And…can you tell me how many tickets I purchased? There should’ve been three.”
I heard her click something. “Yes, looks like two adults and one child who will be riding on a lap.”
I tried to swallow, but my throat was too dry. It was true. They were taking my child across the country. If I didn’t catch them today, I might lose him forever.
“Thank you so much,” I said, my voice powerless as I hung up.
“What did she say?” Dannika asked, eyeing me with worry.
“They’re flying to Los Angeles this afternoon.”
She stood, jerking my arm up so I would join her. “We have to go. We’ll call the police on the way. We can’t let them get on the flight.”
I was already in action, running toward the bedroom.
I was going to get him back. I had to. There was no other option. I’d sooner die than lose my child again.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The airport was packed. We were surrounded by frazzled travelers, irritated businessmen, and exhausted families, all in a hurry, some rather lost. We stood in the center of the open terminal, watching as the room began to fill. Outside, the police were waiting. At the first sign of Ben, Kat, or Gray, they were going to jump out of their unmarked cars and stop them. We were the last line of defense. The ones going to stop them if they somehow made it past the police outside. To my far right, another plainclothes officer stood, just in case things got out of hand, but Officer Kessler assured me she didn’t think that would be the case. I wasn’t sure if she was lying or if she just wanted to keep me calm.
Truth be told, they didn’t want us there in the first place. They wanted to handle it. But they would’ve had to arrest me to keep me away. They knew who they were looking for based on pictures, but Iknewthem. I knew the tiny idiosyncrasies of Ben’s face and the way he moved. I knew the way Gray smelled. I knew the evil in Kat’s eyes. I knew thembetter than any of the officers, and if there was any chance they were going to sneak past and get on the plane, I couldn’t let that happen. If I lost Gray again today, I was sure I wouldn’t survive it.
I spun around in circles, my eyes searching and watching the doors, the windows, traveling up to the high ceiling then back down. He had to be there.
Every time someone with strawberry-blonde hair entered, my stomach lurched, only to be let down. The flight was boarding now, the first call for it, and still I hadn’t seen them. A few people had come in carrying babies, but Gray wasn’t one of them.
I looked at Dannika across the crowded room, her expression painfully hopeful. I knew she saw the weight in my eyes. She knew what this meant. She knew I might not survive not finding him. She was holding me up by a thread, though she looked to be barely holding on herself.
The officer in the corner looked serious. His eyes scanned the crowd with intense precision. He checked every face, examined every piece of luggage. He was doing his job, emotionless, and I knew it was what was needed. I couldn’t keep myself in check; it was what they’d said when they warned me to stay away. I’d sworn I could. I’d argued. Fought. And as long as I felt filled with such intense, palpable hope, I’d been able to do it. Now, though, as time was winding down, the air was deflating from my chest, and we still hadn’t found them. I found myself beginning to lose it again. Every second that passed, I felt an ounce of hope dissipating. I’d been so close to him, I could practically feel him in my arms again, but I’d been wrong. I could tell it by the look on the officer’s face. By the look on Dani’s. By the sinking feeling in my gut.
When the final boarding call came and I spied Kessler walking inside, I knew. The lump in my throat was so big, I couldn’t swallow. My chest was tight as I watched her approach me, an apology in her eyes.
She shook her head slightly as she grew nearer. “I’m sorry, Palmer.”
“No,” I argued. “He has to be here. He has to. Someone booked the flight with Ben’s card… Why would they do that?”
She hesitated, watching as the officer from the far side of the room grew closer. “We don’t know. It’s…well, it’s possible it was a diversion.”
“You think theywantedme to see the charge?”
She nodded stiffly. “I think it’s likely.”
“But why? Why would they do that?”
“Wanting to distract us would be the most obvious reason. But we can try to get a subpoena to get the airline to release the IP address where the purchase was made. If we can get that—”
“We don’t have that kind of time,” I cried. “What if they’re getting on a plane right now? What if they’re taking my son?”
“I know this is scary,” Kessler said. “I do. I promise you we’re doing everything in our power. We’re working on getting the flight manifest to see if they got on the plane, but it’sveryunlikely they did. If they managed to, we’ll have officers waiting in LA to pick them up when they land.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“You go home. Let us do our jobs, Palmer. I appreciate all the help you’ve given, and it’s possible you’ve set us on the right track, but all the time we’re spending talking is time I can’t spend looking for your son. Okay? It’s hard enough because he was believed to be on the boat with yourhusband, and right now I’m having a hard time convincing anyone he wasn’t. I’m trusting your gut as a mother, but there’s little else I can do if you don’t, at some point, let me do my job.”