Bonnie

She bent down and brushed her lips on Bo

“Dreams…” Bo

Eve turned, and the next moment, she was silently closing the door to Bo

“She’s asleep?” Eve’s mother was standing in the hall. “I would have put her to bed, Eve. You told me you had that test tomorrow.”

“I’ll be okay, Sandra.” She’d called her mother Sandra since she was a child. Sandra had been sensitive about appearing older, and so she had never been Mother to Eve, always Sandra. It was just a sign of how much she loved Bo

“You go to school. You work to support her. You can’t do everything.”

“I know.” She stopped at the doorway and looked back at her mother. “But I was just thinking how lucky I am to have her.”

“How lucky we are,” Sandra said.

Eve nodded. “I know how much you love her.” And Eve would have had an even rougher time keeping Bo

Sandra nodded. “Of course I’ll be there. I’m intending to stay all day. I wouldn’t miss it. Stop worrying, Eve.”

“I just want her to have family there. Other kids have fathers, and I’m always afraid she’ll feel…” She frowned. “But we’re enough for her, aren’t we, Sandra?”

“I’ve never seen a happier child.” She shook her head. “And this isn’t like you, Eve. You never question a decision once it’s made. You’re not like me, who wobbles back and forth every time the wind blows. Even if John Gallo hadn’t been killed in the Army, you wouldn’t have wanted him to have anything to do with Bo

That was true, and Eve didn’t know why she was suddenly worrying about Bo

And she was, Eve thought impatiently. No one could love Bo

“Go study,” Sandra said. “Stop worrying about tomorrow. Bo

“Good night.” Eve sat back down at her desk. Don’t think about Bo

And ignore this nagging feeling that something was wrong. What could be wrong?

Sandra was right. Bo

*   *   *

NIGHTMARE .

Nightmare.

Nightmare.

“Let’s go over it one more time,” Detective Slindak said. “You didn’t see anyone approach your daughter?”

“I told you.” Eve’s voice was shaking. “There was a crowd. She went to the refreshment stand to get an ice cream. One minute she was there, the next she wasn’t.” She stared blindly at the three police cars parked next to the curb, the people standing around in groups, whispering and gazing at her. “She’s been gone for three hours. Why are you asking me questions? Find her.”

“We’re trying. Does your daughter often wander away from you?”

“No, never.” She stared at her mother sitting on the park bench with another police officer. Tears were ru

“That’s what he told us, too.”

“Someone else must have seen her.” The panic was rising. “Talk to everyone. Find her.”

“We’re trying,” he said gently. “We’re questioning everyone. I’ve sent men to search the entire park.”

“They won’t find her here. Do you think I didn’t do that?” she asked fiercely. “I ran all over the park, calling her name. She didn’t answer.” The tears were begi

“We’ll try again,” the detective said. “We’re exploring every possibility.”

“There’s a lake. I taught her to swim, but what if—”

“It’s an ornamental lake, just a man-made token. It’s only a drop of four feet in the deepest spot. And we’ve interviewed a father and son who have been sitting on the bench by the lake all afternoon. They would have seen her if she’d fallen into the water.”

“She has to be somewhere. Find her.” That’s the only thing she could say. That’s the only thing that made sense in a world that was suddenly drowning in madness. Bo

“We’re sending out another search party,” Detective Slindak said quietly as he gestured to the officers starting out toward the trees in the distance. “We’ve put out an all-points bulletin. You can’t do anything more here. Let me have an officer drive you and your mother home. We’ll call you as soon as we hear something.”

“You want me to go home?” she asked in disbelief. “Without my little girl? I can’t do that.”

“You can’t help more than you have already. It’s better that you leave it to us.”

“Bo

“She didn’t before,” Slindak said gently. “She may not be there to answer.”

He hadn’t said “or she might be unable to answer,” but Eve knew it was in his mind. Cold fear was causing the muscles of her stomach to clench at the thought. Her heart was beating so hard that she could barely catch her breath. “She’ll answer me. She’ll find a way to let me know where she is. You don’t understand. Bo

“I’m sure that you’re right,” the detective said.

“You’re not sure of anything,” she said fiercely. “But I am.” She started at a run after the search team of officers heading for the trees. “This is all a mistake. No one would hurt my Bo

She could feel the detective’s gaze on her back as she caught up with the search team. She knew he wanted to make her stop. He wanted her to behave sensibly and let them do their job. But it was her job, too. She had brought Bo

I’ll find you, baby. Don’t be afraid. I’ll fight off anything that could hurt you. Wait for me. I’ll always be there for you.