Prologue
Kelly Residence
Maui, Hawaii
"Mommy! Help me, Mommy!"
Miranda Kelly shot upward in bed, half-hoping her daughter's cries were real this time. However, as she blinked her eyes open and straightened out her tangled nightgown, she realized it had all been just a dream again. Without warning, the tears began pouring down her cheeks in rivulets.
It had been two weeks since Miranda's daughter, Ashley, had been reported missing after not showing up to school. The ten-year-old had last been seen walking to the bus stop a block and a half from her home. Being born and raised in New York, Miranda decided that her daughter's disappearance was similar to that of Etan Patz in Soho in 1979. Even though she had been eleven at the time, her mother had walked her to the bus stop for several years after that. Because Maui was such a small island, she thought her daughter would be safe walking the block and a half to the bus stop. She realized she'd been dead wrong.
Several times, Miranda debated calling Adam, as the police investigation had gone nowhere. They acted as though a missing child was less important than almost anything. She didn't understand it. This was her little girl. She thought society protected children. Apparently, she'd been wrong about that, too.
Wiping away the tears that dampened her cheeks, Miranda grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and pulled up her contacts. Her fingertip hovered over Adam's name. She wasn't sure where he was right now. In the eleven years since they'd parted, they hadn't exactly stayed in contact. She and Adam had broken up because of a few misunderstandings that had been blown out of proportion. Clearing the air had always been something she'd contemplated, but the right time had never presented itself. So, she and her ex-husband avoided each other as much as possible. She wasn't even sure she'd said ten words to him since the divorce. Still, she carried a torch for him that couldn't be extinguished.
Breaking down, Miranda dialed Adam's number. Unfortunately, it went straight to voicemail. Too afraid of what his reaction to a voicemail from her might be, she hung up. She decided she would try calling him back in the morning. Even after all that had happened between them, she still trusted him more than anyone in the world and knew he would help her. Adam might not love her anymore, but he would do anything for a child.