If Angels Fall

THIRTY

“Gabrielle!”

All of the saliva in Nancy Nunn’s mouth dried up asfear slithered down her throat.

“GABRIELLE!”

Nancy came out of the washroom with Rhonda, Tracey,and Millie expecting to find Gabrielle at the entrance. But she wasn’t there.She was gone.

Again Nancy took a speed-of-light inventory of thearea. No sign of Gabrielle. Nothing.

“Maybe she went to the Troll Bridge, Mrs. Nunn?”Tracey said.

“Maybe she went to see the others?” Millie said.

Not my kid. My kid knows better to wander from me likethis.

Nancy grabbed Millie’s hand, then Rhonda’s. She madeTracey jumped when she ordered her to take Rhonda’s free hand. Nancy’sterrified heart was on the verge of bursting through her chest. She scoured thecarousel. The organ was playing a funeral march, the revolving animals mockingher with accusing silence.

Why weren’t you watching your child?

“Mrs. Nunn, you’re squeezing my hand too tight. Ithurts!”

Nancy questioned people nearby. “Have you seen alittle girl in a flowered dress?”

Puzzled stares. Heads shaking.

“She was standing here! You must have seen her!”

Eyes stared at her as if she were insane.

“My little girl is missing, somebody help me please!”

“Nancy, what’s going on?” It was Wendy Sloan. Worried.

Her group of girls huddled around Nancy and the others.Smiles dying on their faces.

“Nancy!”

“G-Gabrielle’s gone.”

“What?”

“She’s missing. We were in the washroom together. Shewandered out ahead of us. A few seconds ahead. She’s gone. Wendy, I don’tknow-“

“Nancy, she can’t have gone far.”

“I–I don’t…I should have been watching. If anything.Oh God.”

“Stop it.” Wendy grabbed Nancy’s shoulders. “We’llfind-“

Two teenage girls stood awkwardly next to Nancy,uncomfortable, not comprehending exactly what was happening.

“We saw a little girl in a flowered dress near thewashroom.”

“Where is she?” Nancy barked.

One of the girls flinched.

“She was talking to a man-“

Nancy’s stomach heaved. “Where did she go! Where!”

“Well, I think-“

“Hurry up!” Nancy’s voice was breaking.

“The man went that way.” One of the girls’ pointedtoward the parking lot. “Then the little girl followed him. Two minutes ago.”

Nancy jumped as if something had exploded under herfeet, running to the parking lot. A man wearing a green John Deere ball cap, inhis early seventies, was shutting the driver’s door on his camper.

“Please help me. My little girl’s missing. She camethis way, wearing a flowered dress. Have you seen her?”

“I don’t think so. We just got here, right, Mother?”

Seeing Nancy distraught, the white-haired woman on theother side of the camper approached her and took her arm.

“What’s wrong, dear?”

“My daughter’s been abducted. A man led her this way afew minutes ago. Oh, help me!”

“Arthur, quick, find a policeman!”

The man headed dutifully to a pay phone.

Nancy searched parked cars, frantically screamingGabrielle’s name. The woman followed helplessly. Across the lot, a tall,well-dressed man stepped from a Mercedes and jogged to Nancy.

“Lady, what’s wrong?”

“My daughter’s been abducted by a man who brought herthis way. Please, have you seen her?”

“I did see a little girl walking around here a fewminutes ago.”

“Yes!”

“Hair braided, her dress kind of pinkish?”

“That’s her! Where did she go? Tell me, please!”

He looked intently over Nancy’s head at the lot andKezar Drive. He had been in his car, talking business over his phone.

“I saw the little girl talking to a man at a batteredold pickup truck. There was a little blond dog inside the truck.”

“What?”

Nancy covered her mouth with both hands, her mindreeling with a thousand horrors. Jackson. Jackson was a little blond dog.Remembering Paul believing Jackson didn’t run away. Somebody stole him. I don’tknow why but I know for damn sure he didn’t run away.

Apprehension swept over the man’s face as he steeledhimself.

“She got into the truck with the man and he droveoff.”

Nancy’s head spun. The woman caught her, steadyingher.

The man realized he could do something. “I’ve got aphone. I’ll call 9-1-1! I’ll drive around after the truck, lady, wait here!”

Nancy fell to her knees, seeing nothing, hearingnothing, feeling nothing, not even the strange older woman who’s arms held herso tightly they kept her from falling off the earth.