12The lure of the elephant had been their undoing. That, and Graysie’s celebrity, which meant she was recognized wherever she went.
Madeleine stared into the ringmaster’s face and repeated her question for a second, maybe even a third, panicked time. She’d completely lost track of how long they’d been standing there.
“What do you mean, you can’t find her?”
The Franconi Family Circus’s top man stammered his apologies. The child who’d accompanied them backstage after the performance couldn’t be found — but Mae, the elephant trainer’s daughter, was also missing. It was likely they had just run off to get an ice cream. There really was no cause for alarm.
Madeleine stared into Graysie’s chalky blank face, and then scanned the backstage area, seeking any glimpse of a little girl in royal-bl
