Guilt made her cheeks burn red. She ducked her head, jogged the rest of the way to her truck, and quickly got inside. As she drove down the street, Wendy forced herself not to stare.

The police thought someone kidnapped Ben and Ashley? Mr. Davies was right to look so scared. All the parents in town would be terrified for their kids. And now they were going door to door to talk to people?

Wendy knew she hadn’t seen the last of Detectives James and Rowan. Not by a long shot.

Arriving at the hospital, Wendy fished around for her lanyard and badge as she headed for the elevator to the third floor. She crinkled her nose at the photo. Her smile looked painfully forced, her blue eyes were too wide from the shock of the flash, and her shirt was wrinkled.

A handmade quilt hung on the wall behind the information desk. Artwork the kids had made lined the walls between doorways. Nearly all the nurses wore brightly patterned scrubs. The sharp sting of chemicals hung in the air, but so did that light, sweet smell that seemed to follow little kids around wherever they went.

The last place she wanted to be right now was the hospital, but she would only draw more attention if she didn’t show up for her volunteer shifts. That, and she actually liked hanging out with the kids—even though, right now, every fiber of her being ached to go find Peter.

With a deep breath, Wendy tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ears and headed to the recreation room. She did her best to avoid making eye contact with the two nurses watching her from behind the front desk, whispering to each other quietly. Her attempt to avoid their prying eyes meant she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going, which was why she ran right into someone wearing Snoopy scrubs.

“Whoa!” A pair of hands caught her shoulders. “Don’t trip, Skip!”

“I’m so sorry!” To her relief, it was Nurse Judy.

The head nurse chuckled and waved the apology aside as she picked up the stethoscope Wendy had knocked from her hands. “Not a big deal. Don’t worry about it!” Nurse Judy looked up and immediately frowned. “Wendy? What are you doing here?” she demanded. She had a way of talking that sounded like she was yelling at you, but Wendy had learned that scolding was her way of showing affection.

“I—I have volunteer hours today,” she stammered. If one more thing startled her this week, she was going to have a damn heart attack.

Nurse Judy’s frown deepened. “You didn’t have to come in today,” she said. “You can stay home, you must be—”