“Yes.”
I arranged for my neighbor, Pat, to watch Ellie.
Then I drove to the hospital.
Meredith was sitting alone in the cafeteria, staring at an untouched cup of coffee.
She looked exhausted.
When she saw me, she stood immediately.
“Thank you for coming.”
I didn’t sit.
“Have you been watching my granddaughter?”
Her expression changed.
Finally, she nodded.
“For three days.”
I felt my stomach twist.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to approach you, but I couldn’t find the courage.”
I pulled out a chair.
“Tell me everything.”
Meredith explained that she’d been preparing to introduce herself to us in Walmart.
But just as she approached the candy aisle, she noticed a man standing near the entrance.
Their father’s driver.
Frank.
“He was there to bring me home,” she explained.
“Why?”
“Dad realized I’d taken the ring. He knew I was going to find Ellie.”
