When I got home, I found that both the babysitter and my kid were gone. It was supposed to be a routine night of babysitting. When I learned what had happened, who was behind it, and why it was so shocking, my fear turned into anger.
I’ve been through storms like losing money, heartache, and betrayal in my forty years, but nothing could have prepared me for what happened last Friday. What began out as a routine day at work evolved into a nightmare that still makes my hands shake when I think about it.
I need to give you some background information so you can comprehend what happened.
Derek and I got divorced two years ago. It was a really messy procedure. From the beginning, Lorraine, his mother, didn’t like me. At first, she hid it well, but as the marriage fell apart, her disdain grew into something more personal and unyielding.
After they split up, her hatred evolved into an obsession. She said I was the cause of all of Derek’s problems, as if I had been working against him from the start. I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with her much anymore, except when we had to talk about our daughter Harper.
Harper is six years old, clever, and the most important person in my life. When she smiles, asks me questions, and curls up in my lap when she’s tired, I love it.
Harper had a little cold earlier that week. It wasn’t anything terrible; I just had a runny nose and was a little weary. But her kindergarten had a strict “no sick child” policy, and I was running out of vacation days at work. I didn’t even think about calling Derek or Lorraine for help because I didn’t think they could handle crises.
I contacted Jessica, who usually babysits for us, instead.
Jessica was a nice and responsible college student who was twenty years old. She knew how to make Harper feel comfortable and pleased. She had been working with us for months and had never given me a reason to be concerned.
I went to work on Friday morning, just like I normally do. Harper was on the couch with her blanket and a stack of coloring pages. Jessica was sitting next to her and reading one of Harper’s favorite books out loud. Everything felt absolutely normal.
As soon as I got home, that fantasy fell apart.
It was just after 6:00 PM. I drove up to the house with a bag of chicken noodle soup from Harper’s favorite deli. I could see us snuggling up in front of the TV right away.
But when I opened the door, the silence stung my ears.
No TV. Harper didn’t laugh. Jessica isn’t humming in the kitchen.
Just being quiet.
I yelled, “Harper?” “Jessica?”
No response.
I quickly went through the house, checking the living room, kitchen, and Harper’s room. Nothing.
At that point, I started to panic.
Jessica always contacted me to let me know if she was taking Harper anywhere, even if it was just for a short walk. But there hadn’t been any messages all day.
I called her on my phone. The phone rang and rang until it went to voicemail. I tried again, and this time it went straight to voicemail.
My hands started to shake.
Then I discovered something that made me sick: Harper’s pink bag was gone. The one with the sparkling unicorn patch that she always wore.
That’s when I remembered.
The AirTag.
I had put one in her backpack months earlier, just in case. At the time, I thought it could be a little too protective. But now I was happy that I was paranoid right away.
My hands were shaking when I started the monitoring software.
There it was.
The place made me dizzy.
The airport.
My brain wouldn’t let me think about it for a second. Was Harper’s bag at the airport?
I didn’t think about it. I grabbed my keys and ran.
There were a lot of horns, red lights, and half-finished prayers along the route. I changed the location of the AirTag every few seconds. Still at the airport. Still there.
I parked my car outside the terminal without thinking about it, and I almost forgot to put it in park before I went inside. I looked over the swarm of travelers, searching for something.
And then I saw it.
The pink backpack.
And next to it, Jessica.
But she wasn’t alone.
Derek was there. And Lorraine.
I was so angry that it felt like the air was being knocked out of my lungs. My voice sliced through the noise of the terminal as I hurried toward them.
“What the hell is going on?!”
Jessica was astonished when she turned around. Derek’s face didn’t move much. But Lorraine smiled at me in a way that made me want to wipe it off her face.
“Oh, Rachel,” she said in that beautiful voice she uses when she wants to sound smart. “Don’t make a scene here.”
I didn’t pay any attention to her; I was looking at Harper. As soon as she saw me, her small face lit up.
“Mommy!” She ran to me and cried.
I grabbed her up and held her so tightly that she screamed. “What’s wrong, baby?” I spoke it quietly.
“They said we were going to the beach,” she stated in a quiet voice.
I paused. “At the beach?” Who told you that?
She pointed right at Lorraine.
When I turned to face them, my voice shook with anger. “You were taking her out of state without telling me?”
Lorraine rolled her eyes. “Oh, Rachel, don’t go overboard.”
Derek went forward and spoke in a chilly voice. “She needs to take a break and get better.” We will keep her for a few weeks. “You’ve been working too hard.”
I cried, “She has a cold!” “And what you’re doing is taking someone against their will.”
Lorraine waved her hand in a way that said “no.” “The ocean air will help her.” We previously booked a room at the resort, which is great for her.
The words really hit me. This wasn’t a decision made at the last minute. They had made arrangements for it. Put stuff in her purse. Got some tickets. And he definitely deceived Jessica into bringing her here.
Jessica frowned. “Wait—what? You said Rachel knew. You said she would come here!
I swiftly turned to her. “You were told a lie. You helped them get my daughter to the airport without my permission.
Jessica’s skin went white. “God help me. I didn’t know… I swear, I thought…
I didn’t let her finish. I was paying attention to Derek and Lorraine. “Did you really think you could just take her?” Like she’s something you can borrow?
Derek shrugged his shoulders. “We thought it would be better for her to stay with us for a while.”
At this point, a few security guards at the airport had observed what was going on and were coming over.
“This is kidnapping,” I said, my voice clear and powerful.
Lorraine’s smile, which had been so sure, went away. “Rachel, honey, you’re overreacting.” I messed up.
I laughed out of fury. “Not calling is a misunderstanding.” You lied to me, misled me, and tried to take my child out of the state without my permission. “It’s not a mistake; it’s a crime.”
While they asked us questions, the police came in and pulled us apart a little. Harper was in my arms, and her tiny fingers clung to my sweater tightly.
“I said again for their benefit, ‘You lied to her babysitter and tried to take her out of the state without my knowing.'”
Derek let out a sigh. “We didn’t want her to be angry. That’s it.
The cops asked for our IDs, and all of a sudden Derek seemed to grasp how bad what they had done was. People were watching. People were talking about them behind their backs. They couldn’t leave quietly now.
Lorraine tried again, this time with a quieter voice. “We only wanted what was best for Harper.”
I looked her straight in the eye. “You’ll never see her again if you do this again.” I promise.
Shut up.
Lorraine’s lips were pressed together. She was sure she had lost. Derek mumbled something to himself and gave Harper back her small rolling suitcase as he was giving back an umbrella he had borrowed.
I didn’t say anything else. I turned around and walked away, leaving Harper still clutching on to me and letting them stew in their failed plot.
Jessica ran after me, stumbling over her words of remorse. “Rachel, I promise I didn’t know. “I thought I was helping…” they say you gave the go-ahead for everything.
I stopped immediately outside the terminal doors to take a breath. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
She pulled her phone out of her bag and showed me the calls she had missed. “It was buried. I didn’t hear it until we got here. At that moment, they made it sound like you needed to rush since you were late. I really messed things up. “I’m sorry.”
I had faith in her. She wasn’t cruel, but she was naive. It is still hard to trust someone again once they have broken it.
I said, “I’ll get in touch in a few days,” and I sounded sleepy. “I just need to pay attention to Harper right now.”
With a sad look on her face, she nodded and waved to Harper. My daughter waved back, although not very much.
As I strapped Harper into her car seat, I could tell she was confused. She didn’t really understand what had just happened, and I wasn’t sure how much to tell her yet.
I knew one thing: this wasn’t over.
Derek and Lorraine had shown me how far they were willing to go. They thought they could ignore my authority, dominate me, and take my child away whenever they pleased.
They didn’t realize who they were up against.