“Where is Elena?”
Detective Vance’s expression hardened.
“We found blood in the kitchen consistent with Elena’s blood type.”
My blood ran cold.
“We believe Julian abducted her after she discovered what he was doing. We’ve issued a statewide alert for him and his silver Ford Explorer.”
Before I could respond, a child advocate named Clara entered the room.
She spoke gently to Maya and created a quiet, safe environment for her to talk.
I stayed beside my daughter, holding her bruised little hand.
Eventually, Maya began.
“Mommy found out Julian was stealing money.”
Her voice shook.
“They were yelling in the kitchen Thursday night. Mommy said she was taking me and leaving.”
Maya swallowed.
“Then Julian hit her.”
I closed my eyes for a second.
“When I tried to help Mommy, he grabbed me and locked me in the laundry room.”
“What happened after that?” Clara asked gently.
“I heard Mommy hitting the door. She kept telling him to let me go.”
Maya’s eyes filled with tears.
“Then there was a loud crash.”
She began trembling.
“After that, Mommy stopped making noise.”
I squeezed her hand.
“Julian came back. He wrapped a blanket around Mommy and dragged her toward the garage.”
Maya’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“He told me that if I told anybody, he’d throw Mommy into the deep part of the pool and lock me in the cage forever.”
The pieces finally fit.
Julian hadn’t necessarily planned to kill Elena.
He had used Maya as leverage.
He had imprisoned my daughter, beaten Elena, and threatened them both while he stole everything he could.
Then Detective Vance’s radio crackled.
She stepped into the hallway.
Less than a minute later, she came back.
“We found him.”
My heart stopped.
“Traffic cameras picked up Julian’s Explorer near the interstate. Twelve miles north.”
She looked at me.
“We have reason to believe Elena is alive and inside the vehicle.”
I kissed Maya’s forehead.
“I’ll be back.”
A police officer remained outside her room with Clara while I followed Detective Vance.
