Lady in Red Read online

  They also needed to stay alive.

  Alex sighed and meandered to the bed. It wasn’t like he couldn’t do anything to help missing kids. He was a police officer, after all. Not that there had been many abductions lately. But he still helped to keep crime off the streets.

  His phone lit up and vibrated on the nightstand. Was that the station? An emergency, needing all hands on deck?

  He hoped it was work.

  The screen showed Ariana.

  Alex’s heart sank. Something had to be wrong at this hour. There was no other explanation.

  He picked up the phone and hurried out of their garage apartment into the kitchen. “Ari? What’s wrong?”

  His oldest daughter gasped on the other end of the line. “Dad! Tinsley’s missing!”

  So much for no local abductions. “Slow down. Are you sure?”

  “Of course I am! She’s gone!”

  Alex took a deep breath. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

  “I woke up, and her sleeping bag was empty! The door is wide open!”

  “And you’re sure she didn’t go into the house? Maybe she had to go to the bathroom.”

  “No. Genevieve made it clear we were supposed to use the buddy system.”

  Alex tried to think of a logical explanation. “What did Nick say?”

  “I haven’t told them.”

  “What?” he exclaimed. “Why are you talking to me? I’m halfway across town! Get Nick and Genevieve!”

  “They’re going to hate me, Dad!”

  “No, they aren’t. But you need to get them—right now!”

  “Okay.” Ari breathed heavily. “Is she going to be okay? What if—?”

  “If we act quickly, I’m sure everything will be fine.”

  “How do you know?”

  What if the ring leaders had turned their focus to Nick’s family?

  No! Alex had done his part. The blog was down. The feds were on the search for the ringleaders.

  “Dad?” Ari’s voice sounded so small.

  “Call them! I’ll be over as soon as I can.” He ended the call, not giving his daughter another moment to stall.

  Alex raced into the apartment and threw on some clothes before leaving Zoey a note, letting her know that he was going to Nick’s and that Ariana was fine.

  Hopefully Tinsley would be. It was hard to know what she might be thinking. The girl had just started opening up to people other than her mother. Alex had no idea why she’d have left the treehouse slumber party. All of the girls, including Tinsley, had been so excited when he dropped off Ari.

  Alex unlocked his safe, removed his gun, and put it in a holster under his jacket. Just in case. More than likely, the girl was just inside using the facilities.

  He checked his phone. No texts or calls from Ariana. He sent her a quick text on his way out to the car.

  Alex: Anything?

  Three dots danced on the screen.

  Ariana: No. They r looking in the house.

  Alex: On my way.

  Ariana: OK

  In the car, Alex started the engine, called Nick, and put his phone on speaker.

  “We haven’t found her,” Nick answered. “Thanks for coming over.”

  “Do you have any idea where she would have gone?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out. She knew not to go anywhere alone. Out of all our kids, she’s the one who always follows directions.”

  “I won’t keep you. I’ll see you in a few.”

  “We might be in the woods.”

  “Okay.” Alex’s stomach tightened thinking about Tinsley out in the woods alone at that hour. It had to be traumatic, given everything the girl had been through before Genevieve fostered her then later adopted her.

  Alex shuddered, recalling his own abduction on his way to his first day of the academy. The little girl—who he now knew as Tinsley—stood at the side of the road, looking lost and scared. He got out to help her and …

  He shoved the thought from his mind. That was a long time ago. He wasn’t on the road to think about that. They needed to find Tinsley. That was what he needed to focus on. Not anything else.

  Alex made it to the house quickly because traffic was so light. Most of the lights were on inside, and once he got out of the car, he could hear people calling for Tinsley in the direction of the treehouse.

  His stomach knotted, flashing back to Ariana’s abduction. Now she was safe and sound. Tinsley could—no, would—have the same outcome. If she had even been taken. Maybe she was just lost. She could’ve intended to go to her house but easily headed the wrong way. It was dark, and she might’ve gotten confused about the direction.

  Alex glanced back and forth between the woods and the house before jogging over to the front door. He knocked before letting himself in. “Anyone in here?”

  Only silence greeted him.

  He spun around, closed the door, then raced into the trees, using his phone as a flashlight. The calls for Tinsley were coming from various directions. Everyone had to have paired off and spread out.

  Alex followed the path and started calling for Tinsley. He shone the light into bushes and between trees. A chill ran down his back and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

  It felt like someone was watching him. He spun around slowly, aiming the light into the trees and inching his other hand toward his gun. Nothing looked out of place, yet his skin kept crawling. Too creepy, and too many bad things happened in forests.

  He made a mental note never to buy a house near any woods and jogged down the trail, following the voices.

  Someone grabbed his arm.

  Alex nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around, his hand grasping his weapon.

  Ariana stood there with his niece Ayla.

  Relief washed through him. He pulled them both into his arms, squeezed them tightly to comfort them. And himself. “Nobody’s found her yet?”

  Ari shook her head, and he noticed a tear trailing from one eye. “It’s all my fault.”

  “It’s not your fault. You were sleeping, and she was supposed to use the buddy system.”

  His daughter’s eyes widened. “What if someone took her? The door was just open.”

  Alex pulled her close again and kissed the top of her head. “You were sleeping, hon. There was nothing you could’ve done. And if someone did come into the treehouse, I wouldn’t have wanted you to stand up to them, anyway.”

  “Then why was I there? Why was I watching them?” She stepped back. “What was the point?”

  “Because we liked having you there,” Ayla said.

  Ari frowned. “That’s not what I meant. I had fun, too. Well, until Tinsley disappeared.”

  “Nobody would have expected you to prevent this,” Alex assured Ariana. “Let’s see if we can find her.”

  She wiped her eyes and nodded.

  “I found something!” Genevieve’s voice came from somewhere to the left.

  Ari’s eyes widened. She raced in the direction of the call. “Tinsley?”

  Alex and Ayla chased after her.

  He skidded to a stop where everyone else had gathered at a clearing. Genevieve stood with a distant look in her eyes.

  She clutched a muddy teddy bear.

  Chapter 4

  Earlier …

  Tinsley’s foot slid in the mud, nearly making her lose her balance, as she struggled to keep up with the lady in the red dress. She was fast, probably wearing sneakers hidden by the long fabric. Tinsley still hadn’t been able to see her face—just the crimson dress and auburn hair.

  The woman hadn’t spoken a word, had only waved her on every so often.

  What did she want Tinsley to see? And how did she know Tinsley would be the one to wake up and find her? It just as easily could’ve been one of the other girls who’d heard the tapping.

  The lady darted between some trees. Her long gown caught on a sticker bush, but even as she stopped to free it, Tinsley still couldn’t make out any
features of her face.

  Her mouth was getting drier by the moment. She really needed something to drink. If only she’d thought to grab a water bottle. But she hadn’t been thinking. Just wanted to find out if the lady might possibly be Mother.

  Guilt stung a little, like she was betraying Momma. Momma had been there for Tinsley through everything. Put up with her anxiety attacks, had been kind when Tinsley only fought her. Momma had endless patience in the days when Tinsley hadn’t spoken a word, too traumatized by everything from her past.

  Everything Mother had put her through, made her do.

  Why was she running after her? Mother was mean. No, more than mean. Cruel. The things she’d done to those police officers before killing them … And Tinsley hadn’t even seen everything. But she’d heard their cries. The wails and pleadings of tough, strong men.

  Those sounds haunted her nightmares even now. They might never leave her.

  They’d become part of her. There was no separating the events from herself.

  “Wait!” she called.

  The lady was getting too far ahead. She didn’t even slow at Tinsley’s request.

  Maybe she was Mother.

  The woman disappeared between some trees.

  Tinsley struggled to run, to catch up. Her right foot slid out, the slipper pulling off and sticking in the mud. She crawled over to it, but it was covered in the sticky dirt. Hardly visible.

  She climbed to her feet, slid, crashed to the ground. Crushed Teddy, knocked her teeth together. Struggled to her feet, held the bear close, then ran—half-barefoot—to reach the woman. To find out what she wanted, or if she knew anything about Mother.

  Tinsley broke out of the thick trees then looked around the clearing. The lady wasn’t in her line of sight. Her heart sank.

  “Hello?” she called.

  An owl’s hoot was the only response.

  “Hello!” Tinsley shouted. “Where’d you go?”

  No reply.

  She burst into a run, ignoring the sharp pebbles digging into her exposed sole. “Wait!”

  All she could do was guess which direction to go. Straight seemed to make the most sense. The woman wouldn’t have gone backward. Maybe to the right or left.

  She stumbled over an exposed root. Her arms flew out in front of her, swinging wildly. Teddy went flying. The ground came closer. She bent her legs, spread out her hands. Scraped her arms and knees, but kept herself from hitting her head. Regained her balance then felt around for the stuffed bear. Couldn’t find him.

  Breathing heavily and fighting tears, she moved around in a large circle, hardly able to see anything. Clouds blocked the sky again. No light from the stars or the moon. Couldn’t find Teddy.

  She’d have to come back for him.

  Tinsley ran into the cover of the trees straight ahead, calling out for the woman.

  No response.

  Her dry throat was starting to hurt.

  She should worry more about getting back home, but she couldn’t. Not when she needed to know if Mother was out there somewhere. Could Momma be hiding that from her?

  Momma was very truthful. But also protective. She might hide details, thinking it was for the best. Not to be mean.

  What if Mother had survived? Nobody would ever tell Tinsley. Not when Mother was so dangerous.

  Even so, she was Tinsley’s mother. Half of her.

  She came to another clearing. The sky lit up a blinding white. Just as the darkness returned, thunder cracked so loud it could’ve left her deaf. Her ears rang, then her hearing went back to normal.

  Fat raindrops fell from the sky, hard and fast, cold and unrelenting. Her hair and pajamas clung to her skin. Water trailed down her face, arms, and back.

  The sky lit up again.

  Tinsley covered her ears until the thunder was over. She spun around, confused. Barely able to see anything. Unable to tell which direction she’d come from. Could’ve been anywhere. Her pulse drummed in her ear.

  A long piece of lightning weaved its way across the sky.

  No! Tinsley ran to the closest trees, again covering her ears. She squatted at the base of a large pine and squeezed her eyes shut until the boom was gone. Then she opened one eye, then both. Gasped for air. Looked around. Had no idea where she was.

  Didn’t care about the woman anymore. Just wanted to get back home, back to Momma and the rest of the family. To Dad—even though he wasn’t married to Momma yet—and her three siblings. She even wanted to see grumpy Parker.

  Tinsley scrambled to her feet, the one slippered foot sliding under her. Mud getting all over. She reached for a tree. Missed. Fell to the ground. Hit her chin with a hard thud. A rock scraped her chin.

  Her heart pounded, throat parched. “Help!”

  Silence.

  Tears stung her eyes. She blinked, trying to make them disappear. They spilled onto her face. She forced herself to stand, losing her remaining slipper in the mud.

  Why had she followed that woman? She should’ve stayed in the treehouse, where she’d been safe.

  Now she didn’t know where she was. Tinsley slid to the ground, curled into a ball, then squeezed her eyes closed. Her tears flowed freely, mingled with the rain running down her face. There was no way to get back home. She didn’t even know which way that was.

  She didn’t know how much time passed, but when she opened her eyes, the downpour had stopped. Seemingly as fast as it had begun.

  Tinsley wiped her face, smearing dirt across her cheeks. Didn’t bother trying to get it off.

  “Momma!” she cried.

  An owl hooted.

  Stupid owls.

  She struggled to her feet and pulled strings of wet hair from her face. “Momma! Dad!”

  More tears swelled, angry ones this time. She was mad at herself. It had been dumb to follow a stranger into the woods.

  She knew how dangerous forests were.

  Tinsley leaned on the nearest trunk and looked around. Only one direction would bring her back home. All the rest would take her farther from safety. And she was so turned around, she had no clue which way to go.

  At this rate, she’d wind up going in the complete opposite direction.

  Why had she left the slumber party? Was she incapable of making a good choice? Sure seemed that way.

  The mad tears spilled onto her cheeks. Her breathing grew ragged. She balled her fists, clenched her jaw. Hated herself. Her stupid self.

  Tinsley stared at the tree trunk for a moment before hitting her head on it. Once, twice, three times. More. She lost count, continuing until the pain relieved her fury.

  She stopped thrashing her head. Wiped the blood. Felt the gash.

  At least now she could think clearly. It didn’t matter why she’d ended up here. Fact was, she needed to get back. The sooner, the better.

  That meant she needed to pick a way to go. It might be the wrong way, but at least it was better than being stuck there. The woods surrounding her house weren’t that big. If she didn’t get home, she’d find the road. And from there, she could either get help or walk home. She knew the roads by now.

  Tinsley drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and spun in a circle. One, two, three. Opened her eyes.

  That was the direction she would go.

  She stood tall, held her head high. Marched straight. One, two, three steps. Four, five, six more. Eight, nine—

  “Whoa!”

  The ground disappeared. She dropped. Her side hit a dirt wall. Gasping for air, sucking in mud, she grasped. Couldn’t stop. Couldn’t hold anything. A nail ripped as she raced down.

  How far was the drop-off? It felt like it went on forever.

  Her fingers brushed a root about as thick as a cord.

  Snap!

  She tried digging her feet and fingers into the wall. It did no good.

  Thud!

  Tinsley hit the ground. She was still alive! Sore, but alive. She got up and looked around. So hard to see. The walls went up all around her.
>
  She was in a ravine, with no way out.

  A wild animal howled not far away.

  “Momma!” Tinsley tried to climb up.

  There was nothing to hold onto.

  Chapter 5

  Alex’s gaze shifted around the group until it met Nick’s. The terror in his best friend’s eyes gutted Alex. He started to say something, but Genevieve spoke first.

  “Tinsley was here, so we’re heading in the right direction. Let’s keep going! Time is of the essence.”

  Alex raced over to Nick. “Have you called the station?”

  He grimaced as he glanced over at his fiancée holding the bear. “Not yet, but it’s looking like I’d better. I thought we’d find her inside or near the treehouse. It’s looking worse by the moment now.”

  “Want me to call?”

  Nick shook his head. “Thanks, but I’d better.”

  Alex put his hand on Nick’s arm. “We’ll find her.”

  Nick just nodded as he pulled out his phone and headed toward Genevieve.

  Alex turned back to Ariana and Ayla. “How are you two holding up? Do you want me to take you home?”

  They both shook their heads.

  He couldn’t blame them, though they looked more exhausted than he felt. They wanted to find their friend, and Alex wanted to find her as well.

  “I called it in,” Nick called. “They’re heading over now!”

  A small amount of relief washed through Alex. The more people searching, the better. But things weren’t looking good now that they’d found the bear. He turned to the girls again. “Was Tinsley attached to the bear?”

  Ariana nodded. “It’s one of the only things she had before.”

  “Oh.” His stomach knotted. There was no way she would’ve willingly left the bear. It wasn’t some random stuffed animal. The stuffed animal probably meant the world to her. He cleared his throat, tried to ignore the worry in their eyes, and put his hand on their shoulders. “We’ll find her. Let’s keep going!”