“He never turned his face to me, so I didn’t see his eyes. He had on a ball cap, but brown hair was sticking out the bottom of the cap. He had on a blue, long-sleeved button-up shirt, so if he did have tattoos, I couldn’t see them.” She frowned. “The police never asked if anyone talked to me or Livie inside the store. It seems like they should have.”
Yes, they should have. “You did good, Amanda. Did you see him again after that?”
“No. Livie decided on the chewy fudge, and after paying for our groceries, we pushed the cart to my car.” A soft smile crossed her face. “Livie likes to help me push the cart. After putting the bags of groceries in the back, we returned the cart to the… I don’t know what you call it, but the place you leave empty carts in the parking lot. Then I was buckling her into her car seat, and that’s the last thing I remember.” Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“She woke up on the floor of her car,” Kendall said. “The police think whoever took Livie pushed her into the car afterhitting her on the head, then closed the door so no one would see her.”
“From the time I was buckling Livie in, to the time I woke up, about five minutes passed. I called the police as soon as I realized Livie was gone.”
Plenty of time for the kidnapper to disappear with Olivia. “Thank you for talking to us. You’ve been very helpful.”
“I hope so.” Amanda clasped her hands as if in prayer. “Please, find her.”
“That’s the plan.” He stood. “We’ll leave you to return to your rest. If you think of anything else, please call Kendall.”
“I will.”
The two women hugged again, and when they let each other go, he got a hug from Amanda.
“Still think she might be involved?” Kendall asked when they were back in the car.
“No, but I do have a bad feeling about the man who talked to Olivia in the grocery store.”
“Why? It could have just been an innocent remark.”
“Entirely possible, but in today’s world, where people are more suspicious of strangers, men don’t tend to talk to little girls they don’t know.”
“I close my eyes, and I can almost hear her crying, begging for me.”
He reached over the console, took her hand and squeezed. It was the best comfort he could give her as there was nothing he could say to dispute what she feared was probably true. His phone chimed as he was backing out of Amanda’s driveway, and he stopped. “It’s one of my teammates,” he said when Grayson’s name appeared on the screen.
“Hey. I’m in the car with Kendall. What you got for me?”
“Just got off the phone with one of Decatur’s finest. He was doing a background check on you.”
“Yeah, the detective on the case is territorial and isn’t happy having me on the scene.”
“Bet that didn’t go over well with you.”
“Affirmative. I asked to see the video from the grocery store, and he finally agreed if I and The Phoenix Three checked out.”
“I managed to impress him, and you’re good to go.”
“Thanks, brother.”
“Let me know if there’s anything we can do from here.”
“I will.” He disconnected, then dropped his phone in the cupholder. His stomach growled, reminding him that he’d missed Grayson and Harlow’s cookout. “You have dinner?”
She shook her head. “Not hungry.”
“Well, I am. Where’s a good place to grab a bite?”
Although it was small, the first smile he’d seen on her appeared. “The Tipsy Turtle.”
“Ah, the scene of the crime.” He returned her smile. “I think I remember how to get there. Let me know if I take a wrong turn.”
He only took one wrong turn, and after they were seated at a booth this time, he glanced at the bar where they’d sat that night. “Brings back memories, being here. Good ones.”