Chapter 3

"Fiona, what's that supposed to mean?"

On the other end of the line, a cold edge had crept into Brad's voice. "My family comes to my house, and this is how you treat them?"

I didn't answer right away. When I did, my voice was just as cold. "They come to our house, and I'll play host."

"But not by throwing my daughter out of it!"

The words were barely out before I hung up, not giving Brad the chance to say another thing.

At that same moment a knock came at the door. I got there first and pulled it open.

"Officers, I'm the one who called."

I looked at the police standing there and got the words out fast. "They've taken my daughter somewhere and I don't know where."

"And my daughter isn't eighteen yet."

"She's a minor."

"Please, I need you to start looking into this now."

My voice came quick and pressed together.

The two officers went serious the moment they heard it.

After I'd laid it all out, the way they looked at my mother-in-law shifted, something like surprise in it now.

They hadn't expected it either, that a woman would do this to her own granddaughter.

"Officers, we're all one family. I only handed my granddaughter over to a relative so she could toughen up a little."

"Nothing's going to happen to her."

"You can go on home."

My mother-in-law said it flat out.

I kept my eyes locked on her the whole time. "Mom, you'd better tell me where my daughter is."

"I'm the child's grandmother. You think I'd ever do anything to hurt her?"

She stared at me, and in that moment her eyes were all urgency. "Fiona, how much more of a scene are you going to make?"

I didn't say anything. I just looked at her quietly. "Mom, since that's how it is, then there's no problem with me going to see my daughter, is there?"

"Why won't you let me go see her?"

That threw her for a second. Then she said, "I... I was just worried you'd raise Yanni wrong."

"And the place is already cramped. If you bring Yanni back, where are the rest of us supposed to live?"

I couldn't be bothered to keep talking to her.

I looked at her now, and my eyes were all ice.

"Officers, they took my daughter away and they still won't tell me where she is."

"I have the right to know where my daughter is."

I turned to the police as I said it.

At that, the officers nodded, and their voices took on more of an edge when they turned to my mother-in-law.

"Out with it. Where did the child go?"

One hard word from the officers and my mother-in-law spilled everything.

"I sent Yanni to a relative's factory."

"I'm her grandmother. How could I hurt her?"

Once the officers had the address pinned down, I hurried off toward where the factory was.

At the same time I said to the two officers, "Officers, please, come with me to get her."

None of them raised any objection.

Knowing my daughter was still a minor only made them move faster.

What I hadn't counted on was that, the second the car cleared the neighborhood, Brad called again.

"Fiona, my mom told me everything."

"You're making way too big a scene out of this."

"Kicking up a fuss like this, is that any way to act?"