Page 39 (1/2)

"Mama?"

"Oh, baby, where are you?" Ellie asked Danielle

"I’ht?"

"I think so," she said "He said we could have supper when he comes back"

"Danny, are you alone? You and Trevor?"

"Uh-huh The phone’s been ringing and ringing, but he said don’t answer the phone and if it was hiht, sweetheart, I want you to listen to me You’re not supposed to be left alone, so a police officer is co to check on you Ask who’s at the door and if he says it’s the police, you can let hi is okay"

"We can’t, Mama," she said

"Of course you can, honey It’s okay"

"No, Mama, the door is locked!"

"It’s okay for you to unlock it for the police, honey In fact, I’ll stay on the phone with you until they get there"

Over her shoulder, Ellie noticed that Jo had taken up the pacing Nick came into the apart footfalls on the stairs and Noah appeared in the doorway

"But, Mahed "Pull a chair over, Danny It’s okay But wait until the police--"

"Mama! It’s locked on the outside!"

Ellie was speechless She had to shake herself "Danielle, Moht now It will take ht now I love you"

"Moht now Jo Ellen is here and she’s going to talk to you while I’ is going to be okay"

"Bye," she said "Bye, Mommy"

Ellie took a breath and, with her hand over the mouthpiece so Danielle wouldn’t hear her, she looked at Jo, Nick and Noah Her voice was softer than usual; deadly soft "He locked them in," she said "The door is locked on the outside They can’t get out They’re trapped" Then she handed off the phone to Jo, grabbed her purse, lunged out of the upstairs apart fast to keep up with her

When she hit the bottoht her "Whoa," he said "Want me to drive?"

She wrenched free and literally dove for the car, throwing herself behind the wheel, digging frantically in her purse for keys The passenger door opened and Noah jurew up on theseon!"

Deputy Stan Pierce pulled up to the address he’d been given and, as he walked to the front door, he scowled He couldn’t ot closer he could see that right inside the screen door, bolting the door closed from the outside, was a padlock A padlock Like an ordinary lock a firefighter could just release wasn’t enough? Like a dead bolt with a key they could turn on the inside wouldn’t do the trick? He opened the screen, pulled on the lock and felt a groan escape He knocked on the door

A very small voice asked, "Who’s there, please?"

"I’m a police officer Are your parents at home?"

"No Just oing to get this door open It’s going to make a noise, but don’t be worried It’ll just take a minute"

Pierce went back to his car, opened the trunk and pulled out a crowbar He radioed his dispatcher that he’d need a social worker fro to open the house and look around inside Rather than trying to cut the lock, he pried the whole contraption off the door and fraround; the padlock bounced on the walk and into the bushes

He pushed the door open gently The house was dark inside because the blinds and curtains were drawn In the light fro on the sofa in a sparsely furnished living room "Hi," he said "I’ot closer and crouched to get to their level, sitting on the heel of his boot "How long have you been by yourselves?"

The little girl shrugged "Since right after school Arnie’s the principal of our school"

"Ah," Stan said "You call your dad Arnie?"

"He’s not our dad," the girl said, slipping an ar him close to her "He was our stepdad for a little while"

"I see Do you knohere I can find him now?"