disclaimers in previous chapters
Gil had sent Barry with Jim, certain that Jim would make sure the young man understood that a young girl of thirteen was hands off, especially if that girl happened to be Lindsey. After Jim had turned the corner and disappeared from sight Gil took Lindsey by the arm and walked her home.
"Gil?" He didn't answer.
"Gil?" He picked up his pace without uttering a sound.
"I'm sorry." Lindsey tried to stop but Gil just walked faster.
"You're telling the wrong person." His grip on her arm tightened as they approached the door.
Twenty years on the job and Catherine had seen it all. She'd investigated many runaways. She knew what could happen. She knew the mistakes parents made in those crucial first minutes. She knew the importance of preserving evidence. All of her knowledge, all of her experience---it wasn't worth squat at the moment. All she knew was her baby was missing and there was nothing she could do. Lindsey had been missing before but this was the first time Catherine had been aware of it before her daughter had been found. This was the first time fear, not anger, was in control.
Lily stood in Lindsey's doorway, her hand resting on her hip. Her daughter stood frozen in place by Lindsey's bed. She knew what Catherine was feeling. It was the same fear she had felt when Catherine ran away at seventeen. She knew her daughter needed reassuring her baby would be found. She was also resentful enough not to give her that reassurance. It was a small spiteful act but one that gave Lily the opportunity to collect on all the heartache Catherine had caused her when she ran away so long ago.
Catherine took the next two days off in order to deal with Lindsey. Once her fear had faded her anger had returned. She wasn't letting Lindsey out of her sight. Catherine walked her to and from her classroom, even going as far as being there between classes to make sure Lindsey didn't sneak off during the day. She dipped into the money Sam had given her in order to hire someone to make sure Lindsey never left the school grounds. She also hired a nanny to watch Lindsey while she was at work. Lily had not taken the news well but a call from Sam and the realization that she could go out during the night again remedied that problem.
Catherine removed Lindsey's bedroom door, storing it in the garage. She went through every thing in her daughter's bedroom, reading diaries and notes Lindsey had passed at school. She went through her daughter's email and logged into her chat rooms. Then she removed the computer, stereo, television and phone from the bedroom. She took Lindsey's CD's, her MP3 player and her video games. When she was done stripping the bedroom she took several pieces of wood and bolted the window down on the inside and out. For the next three months her daughter's life would consist of nothing but school, homework and chores.