I know there were no workers outside the day Savannah was abducted from the daycare, but what about the other child? Did she see anything?”
“Savannah was outside with her friend, Sierra Johnson, at the time.”
“How old is she?” I said.
“Five. And it hasn’t been easy getting information out of her. I don’t know if she even knows what she saw.”
I chopped some carrots and threw them into the pot on the stove. In another pot I stirred the chicken. “Did your father interview Sierra?”
“He tried to, and so have I, but she didn’t say much. Nothin’ we could use.”
“What did she say?”
“She told us the man drove a silver car, and she mentioned something about a black watch.”
“Now that we know the kid at Maybelle’s Market saw a silver Dodge Charger, maybe if we show a more specific picture to Sierra, she can identify it.”
“Maybe.”
“What are her parents like?” I said. “Do you think they’d let us talk to her again?”
He shrugged.
“Sierra lives with her mother. They’re divorced. She’s very protective of her daughter.”
“Maybe if I saw her alone,” I said. “The feds will question everyone. They’ll start from the beginning and cover all their bases. We need to get to Sierra before they do. After that, I probably won’t be able to talk to her or anyone else without them knowing it.”
“I don’t like the idea of you seeing her without me.”
“You said you wanted my help with this, and I know you meant together, but I’m good at talking to people, especially women. Whatever I find out, I’ll share it with you.”
It came down to a matter of trust, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy for him to put his confidence in me until I had proven myself. This would give me the opportunity.
I removed the chicken from the stove, shredded it, and added it to the pot of vegetables and broth. “When this is done, I need to run it over to Mr. Tate’s house.”
“I can do it for you.”
“I don’t mind taking it to him,” I said.
“I’ll be on my way home anyway. I can just drop it off.”
“When I stopped by earlier, he wasn’t in the mood for company. He actually asked me to leave him alone for a while.”
“I’ll set it on the doorstep, ring the doorbell, and leave.”
I poured some of the soup into a container, put it in a bag, and handed it to Cade. He leaned in, but instead of taking the soup, he said, “You’ve got an eyelash on your…”
He swept the lash from my eye with his finger but then remained there, gazing at me, our faces inches apart. I tried not to make assumptions. Up until that moment, he’d seemed more like a pain-in-the-butt brother than anything else. Cade remained there for several seconds, as if gauging my reaction. I was too shocked to move. He placed his hand over mine on the bag and held it there.
“I, ahh, guess you should get this to him while it’s still hot,” I said.
He took the bag. “See you tomorrow.”
CHAPTER 27
My phone rang to a number I didn’t recognize.
“Miss Monroe?”
“Who’s this?” I said.
“Jenny. Do you remember me?”
“From Maybelle’s Market?” I said.
“Yes. I thought I should tell you, Todd went in and talked to the police.”
I knew that already, but I appreciated the call anyway.
“How did it go?” I said.
“They had him sit down with one of those people who draw things.”
“A sketch artist?”
“Yes. He did the best he could. They released the sketch; it’s all over town. But the guy would be long gone by now, so I don’t really know what they think is going to happen.”
“Jenny, could you email me a copy of it?” I said.
“Sure.”
“How’s Todd doing?”
“All right. No one knows it was him. They just know someone came forward.”
I was glad to hear it, but with the feds coming, all that was all about to change. I only hoped Todd wouldn’t suffer too much for it. I ended the call with Jenny and answered another one from Giovanni.
“Have you found your sister yet?” I said.
“Last night.”
He sounded relieved. I was too.
“How is she?” I said.
“In shock, but she’s alive.”
“Did anything happen to her?”
“From what we understand, she was treated quite well.” He paused. “When are you coming back? I want to see you.”
“I don’t know yet,” I said. “Did you find the men who took her?”
He was quiet for a moment before responding.
“Giovanni, are you there?” I said.
“We took care of everything. I’ll be home