Her Silent Cry (Detective Josie Quinn #6)- Lisa Regan Page 0,29

the night, but every light in the Ross family’s large two-story colonial-style house was ablaze. The porch light was on and Colin answered quickly. He stared at them, his eyes drifting from Josie and Gretchen to the imposing FBI agents behind them. “Oh my God,” he said. “Is there news? Did you—did something happen?”

Amy ran up behind him, clutching his shoulder to stay upright. “Did you find her?”

Josie said, “I’m very sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Ross. We haven’t located Lucy yet, but there have been some developments. This is Special Agent Ruben Oaks from the FBI and some members of his team. They’re here to help.”

“Please,” Colin said. “Come in.”

The house was warmly decorated in creamy hues with pastel blue accents. Plush carpeting pulled at their feet as they moved from the doorway into the living room. A long cream-colored couch dominated the room. In one corner of the couch, a blanket with Disney princesses on it was bunched up next to two Barbie dolls. On the long, sturdy walnut coffee table sat a juice box, some coloring books and crayons. Next to the couch was a recliner, the same color as the couch. End tables held matching lamps with bases made from light blue ceramic jugs. In one corner of the room, Josie saw a wooden trunk with its lid open, toys and games spilling out of it. On the walls were framed photographs of the Ross family but most of them were of Lucy. In this one room Josie could watch her grow from a small infant to the vibrant seven-year-old Josie had met at the park yesterday. The entire space was like a comforting hug. Josie felt warm and safe here. Surely, Lucy had felt the same. Why had she left? Who had taken her? Would they get her back?

Josie pushed all the questions and the anxiety they provoked aside and focused on the task at hand. Oaks gestured to the agents he’d brought with him. Josie noticed for the first time that they carried cases. Electronic equipment, she guessed. They’d need to tap into both parents’ cell phones in case the kidnapper called. Oaks said, “My team needs a place to set up. I saw what looked like a dining room table in there. Do you mind?”

“Set up?” Amy said, her voice growing higher pitched. “Set up what?”

Josie held up a hand. “We’ll explain, but please, the sooner we get started, the better. This is all in Lucy’s best interest, I promise.”

“Okay,” Colin agreed. “Go ahead.”

“We’ll need your cell phones as well,” Oaks said. “And the passcodes.”

“You’re scaring me,” Amy said.

Gretchen took out her notebook and pen and handed it to Amy. “We know this is scary, but I promise we will explain everything in a minute. Please just write down the passcodes to your phones here.”

Amy scribbled hers on the pad and handed it to Colin. His hand shook as he jotted his own down. They handed over their cell phones to Gretchen who passed them to one of Oaks’s colleagues. “The screen is shattered,” Colin muttered. “But you’re welcome to it.”

With a nod, Oaks let Josie and Gretchen take the lead since they had already established a rapport with Colin and Amy. Gretchen delivered the news about finding the backpack and then Josie showed them photos of the items found inside it—everything except the note. “Do you recognize these things?” Josie asked.

Both parents stared at the photo of the caterpillars, lip gloss, hair tie and small, stuffed ladybug. Finally, Amy pointed. “That’s her lip gloss. Watermelon flavored. I bought it for her last week. And that’s her hair tie. It was actually mine, but she liked the color and asked me if she could have it, so I gave it to her.”

“What about the toys?” Josie asked.

Amy shook her head. “No, no. Those don’t belong to Lucy.”

Colin said, “Are you sure, Ame?”

Her gaze snapped toward him. “Of course I’m sure.”

“Then where did they come from?” Colin asked. “Where did she get them?”

Before Amy could answer, Gretchen interjected. “We believe she might have been given these items by someone. An adult.”

Colin looked perplexed. “An adult? Like who?”

Josie took her phone back and swiped until a picture of the note appeared. “There’s something else,” she told them. “We found a note in the backpack. We’d like you to have a look at it.”

“A note? What kind of note?” Colin asked as Amy reached out for Josie’s phone. Josie hesitated. “This may be difficult for you both,”