When Calvin woke up to find Caledonia missing and the window standing open, he ran outside, checking all around the ranch. The awful thought crossed his mind that she had abandoned him, and he went cold with fear, unable to imagine what he’d done wrong. He wondered if she’d had second thoughts about running away with him, and the idea was as painful as a punch in the gut.
Then he found her knife, still in its sheath under the pillow.
When he realized what lengths they’d gone to in order to track her down, the magnitude of what she was up against scared him like he’d never been scared before. He could call the police, but he knew they’d only declare her a runaway, file a report and forget all about it. He was sick with fear, afraid of what they might be doing to her.
By the time he got home, it took both Jarod and Crystal to calm him down and get him to explain what had happened. He could barely sit still while he told them, pacing and ranting like a wild man, blaming himself for taking her someplace she could be tracked down. He was panicked, not sure where to begin looking.
“I bet it was those same guys,” Crystal said.
“Probably,” Calvin moaned, raking his hand across his scalp with despair. “I’ve been all over the internet. I can’t find anything about the professor.”
“So … This dude came to her house? To talk her aunt into handing her over?” Jarod asked.