August 1904
Katherine leaned against Jack's chest, reading one of the dozen newspapers they received every day. Jack held his cup between his hands, breathing deeply, savoring his second pot of coffee and a slow, easy morning together.
"What should we do today, Ace?" He asked.
She was in the middle of an article and didn't look up, but she absently reached for him. "I'm enjoying this. Right here. We don't even have to get dressed."
"I like that idea." He said, then took a long drink of his coffee. "It'll be hot as Hades. We could take Daisy down to the water."
Kat smiled. "Could you go see if she's up? Please, while I finish reading."
He stood up slowly and padded across the wood floor to his fifteen-month-old daughter's nursery. She didn't usually sleep quite this late, but the night before she'd decided midnight was a great time for a dance party. Daisy never wanted to miss a thing.
"Good moooorning, Miss Daisy." Jack sang as he pushed the door open.
The crib was empty.
"Daisy?" Jack said. Maybe she was just curled up in the blankets. He rushed to the crib and yanked her baby quilt from the bed. No Daisy.
"Katherine!"
"What?" She called from the other room. "Why are you yelling?"
"I can't find Daisy."
He heard Kat bump the coffee table and her teacup shatter across the floor. "What do you mean you can't find her?"
He got to his knees and looked under the crib. "She's not in our bed, is she? Did she come in with us last night?"
"No." Katherine said. She ran across the hall anyways. She ripped the thick, grey duvet off their hastily made bed. (Jack always half-assed it.) No Daisy. "No. No."
"Daisy!" Jack called out. "Daisy Daisy."
"She can't even get out of her crib. Right?" Kat said. "She's too little to climb like that."
"I don't know." Jack said. "Think a second." Kath paced between the two bedrooms while Jack tore through the rest of the apartment:newspapers and shards of china were still scattered around the couch, cold coffee dripping down a table leg. The small kitchen and dining rooms were empty.
"Doors still locked." Jack reported. He couldn't imagine he wouldn't hear anyone trying to get in. That was the thing about the Refuge, the newsboys lodgehouse, his handful of nights on the streets—he could've slept soundly next to a train track, but jerked awake at the first hint of danger. He thought he was safer now, living in a part of town his parents couldn't even dream of.
"I'm even looking in the wardrobe, Jack." Kat called from the nursery.
Jack followed his wife's voice and leaned against the door frame. Kat was on her knees in a pile of baby blankets and extra linens. No Daisy. "What the hell do we do?" He said, and ran his hands through his thick dark hair. "Do we call the cops?"
"We've looked everywhere." Kat said.
Jack sighed.
A tiny noise like a newborn puppy came from their room. Jack sprinted in, Kat right behind him. Daisy cried louder but it was muffled.
A little foot stuck out from the far side of the bed. "What did ya do, girl?" Jack got on his knees and drug her backwards by her long white nightgown.
"Was she under the bed?" Kat asked. "What a place to fall asleep!"
Jack sat back on his heels and held screaming Daisy in his lap. "Shh. I gotcha, gal." Tears ran down her round face, and her blonde curls stuck up in all directions. "Decided to make a jailbreak, did ya? Miracle I didn't step on ya getting up."
Kat sat down next to them, near Jack's night stand with his red lamp and a sketch pad. "How did we possibly sleep through that?" She leaned across Jack and kissed Daisy's forehead.
"Dada." Daisy said.
Jack and Katherine caught each other's eyes, then melted into nervous laughter.
Kat pushed herself to her feet. "Come on, little girl." She said. "I'll make you some breakfast."