Emma's Secret: A Novel

Megan had set out this morning on the chair was gone.
    Megan pushed past Laurie, who stood in the doorway to Emma’s room, and headed to her bedroom, where the nearest phone was. She dialed Peter’s number.
    “Peter, Emma’s not here.” She could feel the panic begin to overwhelm her.
    “What do you mean, she’s not there?”
    Megan shook her head and spun on her heels. She ran down the stairs and out the front door. It was all happening again. Just like before.
    “Megan, talk to me,” Peter’s calm voice soothed her.
    “I was outside in the back with Laurie. She locked the door behind her. Emma was upstairs playing when I went outside. But now Hannah can’t find her.” She knew she wasn’t making much sense, and wasn’t even sure if Peter could understand what she was saying.
    “Where is she, Peter? Where did Emma go?”
    There was silence on the other line. Megan struggled to breathe, and she searched the street in both directions. There was nothing. Nothing to see. No Emma.
Oh God…
    “Is her bike there? Megan, go look in the garage.”
    Megan headed to the little side door on their garage and almost cried when the knob turned in her hand. It should have been locked. Why wasn’t it locked?
Oh my God
…Megan almost collapsed whenshe remembered. She’d entered through this door to get her watering can earlier. She must have forgotten to lock it afterward. She opened the door, praying she’d find Emma in there, but the first thing Megan noticed was that the light was on. The second was that Emma’s bike was missing.
    If there was one thing Emma knew how to do well, it was ride her bike. It was the first thing Peter had bought her when she came home, and she took to it like a natural. It was one of her favorite things to do—ride up and down the sidewalks during the day with her sisters.
    “Megan?” Peter’s voice deepened.
    “It’s not here, Peter. Her bike is gone. It’s all my fault. Again. I left the door open. Peter, I left the door open.” Megan stepped back out of the garage and turned toward her house. Laurie stood there with her keys in hand. “She’s on her bike. I’m going to go look for her.”
    Peter’s voice stopped her. “No. I know where she is. I’m closer. I’ll go get her.”
    Time stood still.
    “Where is she, Peter?” She thought about Emma’s insistence about going on the date this morning. Was that where she went? Did she go to the donut shop? Why? Why would her five-year-old leave without saying anything?
    “Peter? Where is our daughter?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
    J ack rubbed his eyes and looked out the window again. Surely he wasn’t seeing things. That couldn’t be his little Emmie riding her bike alone, was it?
    He ignored the boys at the table, headed to the front door, threw it open, and then ran past the vehicles and down the sidewalk. He wanted to run to her but didn’t want to alarm her. She was only a few feet away now, and the smile she beamed at him was contagious.
    “Sweetheart, where is your daddy?” Jack held his arms open and waited for his little girl to run to him. She hopped off her bike, threw her arms around his legs, and started to cry.
    Jack bent down and gathered her into his arms. He rubbed his hands in a circular motion on her heaving back as she sobbed hysterically against him.
    “Shhh, honey, it’s okay. I’ve got you. Em, sweetie, stop crying,” Jack begged. He didn’t know what was wrong, but he knew he couldn’t handle seeing her this way.
    “Jack?”
    He angled his head so that his cheek rested against the top of her hair and watched Doug make his way toward him. Kenny stood in the doorway of the donut shop, concern etched on his face.
    “Can you take Emmie’s bike and put it in the back of my truck?” Jack lifted her into his arms. He smoothed the hair down her back and tucked her dress in tight around her legs. He was starting to get worried. He glanced down the street to see where her parents were but couldn’t find them.
    She wouldn’t have run away, would she?
    Em snuggled in tight against him as he headed back toward the donut shop, her little body jolting as she hiccupped.
    “How about one of those strawberry-filled donuts? Those were Grandma’s favorite. Remember?” All he wanted was for his little girl to calm down. He needed to find out what was wrong and why she was alone.
    He sat her down in the chair beside his at the table and nodded to Doug, who went to get her a donut from the front