When we pulled up outside of the house, I decided that I’d had enough.
“Right,” I said, turning in my seat to face them all. “This stops right here.” I told them, in my ‘mom’ voice.
Before any of them said a word, I held up my hand and continued, “I don’t care what is going on between all of you. These parents have had their child taken from them. We’re here to get any more information that we can and reassure them that we’re doing all we can to find her.”
“She’s right,” Charlie said, clearing his throat and inclining his head to me.
Looking at Ty and Kitty to make sure they had heard me loud and clear, I pulled open the door and jumped out. Checking the area like Ty had taught me to do. We caught the attention of a group of guys standing on the corner, obviously part of the reason that this was a bad area.
Ignoring them, we walked straight to the gate and up the path to the little house. The only one on the street that was taken care of, grass mowed and flowers blooming in the garden. The pale yellow siding was welcoming, as well as the few chairs that sat outside. This was obviously a well-used garden.
Taking the lead, I pulled the screen door open and knocked on the door.
The door opened a crack and then fully when they saw who it was. “H
i, Mrs Conway. I’m Kaylee, this is Sergeant-”
“Yes, yes, come on in.” She opened the door wide and we all filed in.
“I hope it’s alright that there’s four of us?” I said, unsure now that we had all come inside.
“That fine.” She waved to the couch so me and Kitty sat down, with Ty and Charlie stood behind us.
The swinging door opened and who I assumed was Mr Conway, came through with a tray of drinks and placed them on the table.
“Mr Conway.” I stood, holding my hand out. Taking it, he shook my hand firmly.
“Please, call me John.”
“Ah, okay. I’m Kay and this is Kitty and Tyson,” I said pointing to each of them. “And of course you know Sergeant Mackenzie.”
“Yes,” he said, taking a seat next to his wife opposite us. “So what is all of this about?” he directed at me.
“We want to get a fuller picture about your daughter, her friends, that sort of thing. Anything you can think of that may help.”
They looked at each other, locking hands.
“She’s a good girl, top of her class.” John started. “She never gets into trouble and is always looked out for. We can’t understand why she was taken, or how. Who would do this?”
I gulped, not knowing what to say from here. How much was I even meant to say, was I allowed to say we had a suspect in mind?
“That’s what we’re trying to find out, John,” Ty said from behind me, his hand resting on my shoulder. It amazed me at how well he could read me.
They started to tell us more about Lindsey and showed us a photograph that was a couple of years old, explaining that they hadn’t had the money to buy them recently as John had lost his job. They told us that Lindsey only had two friends at school and provided us with their names.
“She wants to go to a good college,” Cynthia said. “That’s why she works so hard.”
Her sob brought a lump to my throat and no matter how many times I tried to clear it, nothing would work.
“Excuse me,” I croaked out and stood. I shook my head as Ty tried to follow me out. He needed to stay here and get as much information as he could. Not try and console me because I’d got emotional on the job.
Stepping out onto the little porch area, I leaned against the side of the house, trying to stop the tears that wanted to flow.
I couldn’t imagine what they were going through. The thought of Eli being taken from me tied me up in knots, and knowing what could potentially be happening to this girl didn’t make it any easier.
“Hey!” Flicking my eyes to the gate, I stared wide eyed at the group of guys that were stood there, the same group that were on the corner when we arrived. “Hey! Lady!” one of them shouted again. Gulping, I moved to the top of the steps.
“Can I help you?” I asked in a confident voice, surprising myself because on the inside I didn’t feel any of that confidence.