warhero with enough self-assurance to take on the world—or one missing child. The test would be to see if Hawk Taylor was as good as he claimed. And if she could survive the Houston Zoo.
ALONSA MADE THE CALL to Craig. He was unavailable but she’d left a message for him to call at once. He hadn’t as yet.
They arrived at the zoo just after one in the afternoon. Alonsa’s legs felt leaden as they made their way to the saltwater pool at the edge of the main plaza. The facility wasn’t crowded and the attendance appeared to be mostly young mothers and nannies enjoying a day out in the sunshine with their preschoolers. It was probably too soon after Christmas break for an overload of school field trips.
Alonsa spotted a boy about Brandon’s age lolling behind and ignoring his mother’s pleas to keep up with her and the twins she was pushing in a double stroller. She fought the urge to stop and caution the mother about what could happen if she let her son out of her sight.
She’d done that the first year after Lucy’s disappearance, initiated herself in any situation that made her nervous. For the most part people had reacted to the intrusion with indifference or downright hostility. Eventually, she’d stopped monitoring everyone’s parenting skills.
Her heart hammered in her chest as they reached the dreaded exhibit. She stopped, her feet rooted to the earth. Two years fell away and she slid back in time to the day she’d stood here with Lucy squealing in delight at the antics of the fascinating creatures. A shudder ripped through her.
Hawk reached for her hand. Hers was clammy, but still she held on to his.
“Hang in here with me, Alonsa. This won’t take long. Just give me a recap. Where were you standing? What did you notice?”
“Okay.” Her voice felt as if it were pushing through layers of rough wool. “We were standing near the rail, there next to that sign that describes the animals. I read it to Lucy. Even at four she was starting to read and was interested in all the informational material.”
Highly intelligent. Great swimmers. Could hold their breath for extended periods of time. Bizarrely, the facts, if not the exact words, swam through the fog clouding Alonsa’s mind.
“There was a woman standing near us with her husband and several children. They were on vacation and had driven down from Ohio. We talked.”
“Did you notice anything suspicious about her?” Hawk asked. “Did she ask unusual questions or touch Lucy in a familiar manner?”
“No. They were just nice, friendly people. Craig tracked them down and talked with her during the first days of the investigation. She cooperated fully, but she hadn’t seen Lucy leave the area.”
“Do you remember anyone else in the area before the group of schoolchildren arrived?”
“There were other people around, but no one else registered in my mind. Believe me, I tried to remember everything and I answered hundreds of questions right after Lucy disappeared. There were no suspicious instances or people.”
“Did you talk to anyone else that day or notice the same people standing around at different exhibits?”
“The only person I had a real conversation with was one of the workers. We were near the panda exhibit and she was nice enough to answer all of Lucy’s questions. She was a college student working during her summer break.”
“Do you remember her name?”
“Elle Carrigan. Both Craig and I talked to her after the abduction. She didn’t see Lucy again once we’d walked away from her.”
No one knew anything, and Alonsa was starting to think working with Hawk on this was a big mistake. There would be nothing he could do but cross the same T’s and dot the identical I’s that Craig had already crossed and dotted.
Hawk squeezed her hand as if reading her misgivings. His strength seeped into her. When she looked up she was gripped by the intensity of his stare as he studied the surroundings. He was committed and doing his job. She was the liability here.
“I’ll be fine, Hawk. I’ll stand right here. You do what you need to do. Search every aspect of the area.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
She stood at the railing, watching but not really seeing the sea lions. There were three now. There had been only two when she’d stood here with Lucy. Cali and Kamia, both females. Lucy had said she was going to name one of her dolls Cali. She’d never seen her dolls again.
“Mrs. Salatoya.”
Alonsa turned, startled. She recognized Elle Carrigan immediately. “Elle. I didn’t expect to see you here today.”
“I graduated in December. I’m working at the zoo full-time now.”
“That’s great.”
“I’m glad I ran into you. I’d been thinking about trying to find your phone number so I could call you to see if the photo was any help in the investigation.”
Alonsa failed to make sense of the comment. “What photo?”
“The one I sent to the FBI.”
“I haven’t heard anything about a photo. Was this recently?”
“A few months ago. It was the strangest thing. I was going through some photos that belonged to my sister when I noticed this kid that looked exactly like Lucy. I even recognized the T-shirt she’d worn the day I met her. The one with the silly turtle on it. I commented on it at the time. Remember?”
“I remember. Tell me about the photo.”
“Tonya—that’s my younger sister—was clowning around with her friends near the gate and waiting on me to finish my shift at three o’clock. Anyway, there was a lady and a little girl in the background of one of the pictures they snapped.”
“You’re sure it was Lucy?”
“Almost positive.”
“And she was with a lady?”
“Yes, the lady was turned so that you couldn’t see her face, but she was holding Lucy’s hand and leading her through the exit gate.”
Alonsa’s chest constricted. A woman leaving the zoo with Lucy. This was the first she’d heard of this. “Are you certain the FBI received the photo?”
“I sent it to Craig Dalliers and he called in person to thank me for the lead.”
“Did he say it was Lucy in the photo?”
“I asked, but he said he couldn’t comment on the authenticity.”
Lucy had walked out of the zoo with a woman. They had the suspect’s picture. Yet Craig hadn’t even called her. Did he believe the girl in the photo wasn’t Lucy? Was he following up on the lead?
“I hope they find Lucy soon,” Elle said.
Alonsa only nodded, her ability to
