time she looked at their daughter. Christina had her father’s blue eyes, impish smile and love of avocados. Emma had never gotten over losing Chris, but she comforted herself with the knowledge that a small part of him lived on.
She paused in the hallway outside Christina’s door, silently debating. Should she try to slip into her daughter’s room to check on her, even though there was a very real possibility of waking her up? Or should she leave well enough alone and go back to bed?
Better not risk it, Emma decided. Christina had had a hard enough time going to bed earlier—if she woke her up, it might take hours to get her back down again.
Emma headed in the direction of her bedroom but stopped after a few steps. The sense of wrongness returned, as sudden and intense as before. The urge to see her daughter built with every heartbeat until she felt her chest might burst with it. She turned and walked back toward the nursery, forcing herself to move as quietly as possible so as not to wake the baby.
Panic lapped at the edges of her worry as she twisted the knob and pushed against the door. The dim glow of the night-light provided just enough illumination to see the crib and the still form lying on the mattress.
She’s fine, Emma told herself. But she crept closer, wanting to see her baby’s face and hear the soft sighs of her breathing.
She reached the edge of the crib and looked down, expecting to see Christina’s chubby cheeks and rosebud mouth relaxed in sleep. But all she found was a crumpled blanket lying in the spot where she had placed her daughter only an hour before.
Emma gripped the edge of the crib, her mind refusing to comprehend what she was seeing. “No,” she whispered numbly. “It’s not possible.”
The roar of blood filled her ears, drowning out the sound of her screams.
Her baby—her world, her life—was gone.
Three days later
Park Ranger Matthew Thompson knew the moment the woman walked into the station that something was wrong. She stood just inside the lobby, clutching her purse, shoulders rounded as if she were expecting a blow. She glanced around uncertainly, her gaze flickering past the educational posters on the walls and the interactive displays scattered throughout the room. She looked out of place, lost even, and Matt took a step forward to greet her. As soon as she saw him move, her eyes locked on his, and he saw a glint of determination that made him realize his first impression was wrong—she wasn’t as fragile as she seemed. This woman was on a mission.
“Can I help you?” he asked, meeting her in the middle of the room. She stopped and eyed him up and down, her expression assessing as she took his measure. It had been a long time since someone had sized him up, and Matt felt the absurd urge to fall into a parade-rest stance. Army habits died hard.
Apparently, the woman liked what she saw; she nodded slightly before looking up to meet his gaze. This close, he could see she was younger than he’d originally thought. The lines of strain around her mouth and eyes made her look prematurely old, but her skin was otherwise smooth and youthful. Her eyes were brown, lit from within by a fire that burned bright. She wore her dark hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, and given the slightly wrinkled look of her clothes, Matt guessed her appearance was the last thing on her mind.
“I’m looking for my baby,” she said.
“Ah, okay,” he said, stalling as his mind raced. Whoever she was, it was clear this lady was confused. Now he had to figure out if she needed professional help, or if he should just try to send her on her way with a minimum of fuss.
“My brother took her,” she continued, her tone low but intense. “I think he brought her here and is hiding out in Big Bend.”
Matt arched one eyebrow at her absurd story. “I see,” he said noncommittally. He glanced around the lobby, hoping another ranger would show up so he could pass this woman off to them, or at least get some backup in case she turned violent. She only came up to his shoulder and she was slender enough, but he knew better than to underestimate a woman in the grip of strong emotion.
She pressed her lips together at his reaction. “I’m telling the truth,” she said, a hint of anger in her voice. “Three days ago I went to check on my baby in her crib, only to find her missing. My brother has her—he told me that when I called him to let him know she was gone. The police are searching for the two of them in El Paso. But I think my brother ran to the park.”
Matt decided to entertain this crazy story, if only for the moment. “Why would he bring an infant here?”
“We used to camp a lot with my dad,” she said. “This was one of his favorite places. I think Joseph came here because it’s familiar and he can hide.”
Her story sounded plausible, at least on a superficial level. Matt studied her face but saw no signs of deception. She appeared to truly believe what she was telling him, but he wasn’t quite ready to buy into her tale. A missing baby would be big news, and he hadn’t heard or read anything about a kidnapping.
“Where did you say you’re from again?”
“El Paso,” she replied, sounding a little impatient now. The city was hours away from the park, which meant it was possible the news hadn’t trickled down to them just yet. Still, it sounded quite far-fetched.
“And your name?”
“Emma Foster.” She dug into her purse and withdrew a card, which she extended to him. Matt took it and glanced down. It was the business card of a detective in El Paso, assuming it was legitimate and not something she’d forged to lend credence to her story.
But why would she lie about something like this? He knew some parents hurt their own children to get attention. Was she the kind of woman to fake a kidnapping for the same reasons? A small stone of worry formed in the pit of his stomach. Had she hurt her baby?
“That’s the contact information for the detective in charge of the case,” she said. “Call him and he’ll confirm everything I’ve just told you.”
Matt nodded but didn’t reply. Emma’s story was quite compelling, the kind of thing that would make a great movie plot. And she certainly seemed earnest. But Matt wasn’t willing to suspend his disbelief just yet. He’d been lied to before, and he wasn’t about to let Emma’s pretty face short-circuit his skepticism.
“I’ll call in just a moment,” he said. “In the meantime, why are you here?”
Emma swallowed hard. “The police said they didn’t have the man power to comb through Big Bend and still follow up on other leads. So I’m here to look for myself. I need a park ranger to go with me.”
His first reaction was denial. “That’s not really the kind of thing we—”
“Please,” she said, cutting him off. “I know I’m asking for a lot. But I have to do something. I can’t just sit at home while my baby is missing. I have to try to find her.” A look of desperation crossed her face as she stared up at him. Matt felt his initial resistance softening as his curiosity grew. What would it hurt to check out her story? A few quick phone calls, and he’d have some answers.
“Stay here,” he said. Emma sucked in a breath, and he held up a hand. “I’m not promising anything. But
