“Could she have run away?”
“Maybe.” He could only hope and pray that was what had happened and he’d find her dragging her backpack along the road. People around here were decent people. Maybe one would stop and help. The thought of his daughter in this storm was too much to bear.
Matt stepped onto the porch where the toys lay. Her backpack was here too. So much for hoping she’d run off to find him. Ajax went to the pack and whined. Matt wished he could do the same. The wind blew rain onto the porch, and droplets pummeled him.
Hannah followed him. “She didn’t take her backpack of toys. If she was running away, wouldn’t she take that?”
“That would be my guess.”
“How long has she been here?”
“My sister brought her this morning.” Gina was probably one of the calls he missed. He’d been too upset to listen to her message, but he’d better. What if someone took Caitlin and left a message? “I had some messages.” He pulled out his cell phone and called up his voice mail. Both were from Gina saying she was going to go talk to Vanessa. She asked him to go get Caitlin from Trudy’s.
He put his cell phone away and glanced at Hannah. Confession trembled on his tongue. But nothing would be gained by causing that uproar now. It would only take the focus off finding his daughter. He made himself go through her backpack. It contained only her doll, Jenny, and the doll’s clothing.
“If someone took her, wouldn’t they be likely to take her toys to keep her quiet?” Hannah asked.
Reece would. Matt realized he had to tell the truth for law enforcement to be able to help him. He had to tell them to put out an APB for Reece. And to do that, he had to tell them why.
TWENTY - THREE
“The life of the Amish is summed up with the Amish Sunshine and Shadows Quilt. They are taught to accept whatever comes from God’s hand—good or bad.”
—HANNAH SCHWARTZ,
IN The Amish Faith Through Their Quilts
The storm battered against the house while thunder boomed overhead. Hannah gazed out across the yard at the black clouds. The porch was little protection. The little girl surely shouldn’t be out in this. She wanted to help Matt, to comfort him in some way, but she understood that nothing could bring solace but finding his little girl. Even though she still believed she might have a daughter out there, she also believed the child was with a family that loved her. The picture had shown a happy, smiling child. Hannah had no sense that the girl was in danger, that someone might have taken her.
Matt was looking at her strangely. His gaze held a plea she wasn’t sure how to read. And the twist of his lips almost made her think he was defiant about something. “Is there anything I can do, Matt?” she asked when he just stared without saying anything.
“I have to show you something,” he said. His voice trembled. He dug into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Flipping through the photo section, he stopped and stared at a picture. He tugged it from its sleeve and handed it to Hannah.
“This is Caitlin?” Hannah asked as she took the picture.
“This is my daughter.” He put the emphasis on the word my.
Such a proud and loving father. Hannah glanced at the picture. And froze. The little girl smiling back at her with her arms around Ajax could have been herself at five. Auburn ringlets cascaded down Caitlin’s back, and her golden brown eyes smiled as much as her lips. Hannah’s gaze traced the familiar features, the happy smile as she looked with love at whoever was taking the picture. Probably her father.
“You’ve had her all along,” Hannah whispered. “All this time when I’ve been looking for her. You lied to me.”
It was all clear in an instant. All those times she’d asked him for help. All those times he’d listened to her fears about whether it might be true she had a daughter. He could have set her mind at ease so easily. All he would have had to say was that he had a child who looked like that. Why the lie? Unless he’d adopted her. But then he could have just said he adopted her. But maybe he didn’t know who the mother was. Her thoughts jumbled wildly, nothing making sense.
Matt’s voice was low. “I know, and I’m sorry. It’s torn me up inside. But we’ll have to talk about it later. For now, we have to pull together to find her. I think Reece took her.”
Hannah gasped and put her hand to her mouth. But why, if Caitlin was Matt’s own child? “But why would he take your child? Unless he thought he could convince me she was mine?” The thought of that precious little girl in Reece’s control made tiny beads of perspiration break out on her forehead.
He raked his hand through his hair. “I didn’t want to get into all this, but you have to be on board with me. We’ve got to get everyone looking for Reece.” Matt drew a deep breath. “I think he put her on my doorstep five years ago. My wife and I tried for years to have a baby, but we learned she could never conceive. One night we heard something at the door. Analise opened it and found a baby in a carrier.”
“She’s not yours?” The ramifications began to seep into her consciousness.
Matt was still talking in a monotone. “Caitlin seemed heaven-sent. With my position in the sheriff’s department, we were able to pull some strings and adopt her without turning her over to Child Protective Services. The pediatrician estimated she was only hours old, not more than a day or two.”
A day or two. Hannah couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Could Reece really have taken her baby and just deposited her on a doorstep? Yes, he could. He was capable of anything. “She—she’s mine?” Hannah couldn’t breathe for fear this might be a dream. Joy vied with terror.
“I suspect so. I don’t know for sure.”
“Could she belong to someone else?”
He hunched his shoulders. “Why would she be put on my doorstep? Reece had a connection to me.”
Hannah studied the photo again. “She looks just like the picture Reece sent me.” Her gaze traced the smooth roundness of the child’s cheeks, the gentle curve of her lips. “She’s beautiful.”
“Yes, she is.” Matt’s voice held anguish. “We have to find her.” He disappeared inside.
Through the screen door, Hannah heard him telling his suspicions to the other deputies. Through a fog of confusion, she was aware they were calling for more help, putting out a warrant for Reece. With the thunder rolling over her and the lightning flashing overhead, a bubble of disbelief surrounded her. This couldn’t be happening. She’d begun to love Matt, to trust him. He’d proven to be no different from Reece. He wore a smiling mask that hid the true man. And now her daughter was in Reece’s clutches. She shuddered.
She’d tell the deputies Caitlin belonged to her. When she was found, she’d have her daughter and she’d never have to look Matt Beitler in the face again. She rubbed her forehead. That wouldn’t work. Matt had friends, connections. He had adopted Caitlin. Sorting out the mess would be no easy matter. And if Reece really had Caitlin, finding him might be impossible.
She knew what she had to do. Call Reece and, to rescue Caitlin, go crawling back.
Her cell phone rang. Of course. She didn’t have to look at the caller ID to know who it was. In a dreamlike state, she dug it out of her purse and flipped it open. “Hello, Reece,” she said in as sweet a voice as she could muster. “I’ve been thinking. I want to come home.”
“Wh-what?” Reece’s voice quivered.
“We’re attuned to one another. I was sure it was you when the phone rang. You’re right. We have to work things out. I miss you.” It was as if she stood outside herself listening to her lies. God forgive her, but she had to save Caitlin.
“I’m so glad, hon.” His voice grew stronger. “And when you get here, I have a wonderful surprise for you.”