Chapter 9 - LAURA IS ALIVE
A private investigator found Laura in eleven days.
Not hiding.
Living in Providence, Rhode Island.
Different last name:
Laura Bennett Hart.
Sixty.
Retired pediatric occupational therapist.
Married once.
Widowed.
No other children.
Ryan stared at the report.
A pediatric occupational therapist.
She spent decades working with children.
The irony hurt.
Then one note:
Laura had made three attempts in the last ten years to locate Ryan through public-record services.
Diane had changed addresses several times.
Ryan used limited public profiles.
The searches failed.
Ryan asked Claire:
“Should I call?”
Claire answered:
“Do you want to?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then don’t call until you do.”
Simple.
He waited two days.
Then called.
A woman answered.
“Hello?”
Ryan could not speak.
“Hello?”
He finally said:
“Is this Laura?”
Silence.
Then:
“Yes.”
His chest tightened.
“My name is Ryan Reed.”
Longer silence.
Then a sound.
Not a word.
Breath leaving someone after thirty-five years.
Laura whispered:
May you like
“I know.”
Ryan closed his eyes.
