PART 2 — THE TRACKER WAS NEVER THE PLAN
Diane froze.
Just for a second.
Then she smiled again.
Too quickly.
"There you are!"
She waved as if nothing had happened.
"I've been looking everywhere."
Mall security stepped between us.
"Ma'am, we'll need you to wait."
She frowned.
"Wait for what?"
My husband walked through the entrance.
He didn't hug his mother.
He came straight to Lily.
"You okay, sweetheart?"
She nodded.
"I found something."
He kissed the top of her head.
"I'm proud of you."
Then he turned to Diane.
"Mom."
"Did you put an AirTag in Lily's backpack?"
Diane laughed.
"Of course."
"I wanted to keep my granddaughter safe."
She looked at me.
"You should be thanking me."
I held up my phone.
"Then why didn't you tell us?"
Her smile slipped.
"I..."
"I forgot."
"You forgot?"
I opened the photos.
"The AirTag wasn't in the pocket."
"It was sewn inside the lining."
Silence.
My husband stared at the backpack.
"Mom..."
"You had to cut the fabric to hide it."
She crossed her arms.
"I didn't want anyone stealing it."
"That's ridiculous," he said quietly.
"You hide valuables."
"Not safety devices."
The mall security supervisor stepped forward.
"We'd like to document everything before anyone touches the bag."
Diane suddenly reached for it.
"I'll just take it home."
The supervisor pulled it away.
"No, ma'am."
"It's staying with us."
For the first time...
She looked nervous.
Really nervous.
An officer carefully removed the AirTag.
Then frowned.
"That's odd."
"What?"
He held it closer to the light.
"This isn't the only thing inside."
The room fell silent.
Using a small pair of scissors, he opened the lining a little farther.
Something metallic slid onto the table.
Not another tracker.
A tiny USB flash drive.
Every person in the room stared at it.
Diane whispered,
"Don't plug that in."
Nobody had said they were going to.
My husband slowly looked at his mother.
"Why?"
May you like
She had no answer.
END OF PART 2.
