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Shadow Of Suspicion
Christy Barritt


FRAMEDFirst, computer specialist Laney Ryan’s accused of kidnapping her neighbour’s daughter—and now someone’s trying to kill her. The police don’t believe Laney’s story…except for Detective Mark James, whose instincts say Laney isn’t guilty.Together, Mark and Laney must figure out who really abducted the teen and uncover why they’re framing Laney. But when their search for the truth turns deadly, Mark realises his feelings for Laney aren’t strictly professional and that he’ll stop at nothing to keep her safe. With a dangerous suspect swiftly closing in, can they find the missing girl and clear Laney’s name…before their possible future together is fatally cut short?







FRAMED

First, computer specialist Laney Ryan’s accused of kidnapping her neighbor’s daughter—and now someone’s trying to kill her. The police don’t believe Laney’s story...except for Detective Mark James, whose instincts say Laney isn’t guilty. Together, Mark and Laney must figure out who really abducted the teen and uncover why they’re framing Laney. But when their search for the truth turns deadly, Mark realizes his feelings for Laney aren’t strictly professional and that he’ll stop at nothing to keep her safe. With a dangerous suspect swiftly closing in, can they find the missing girl and clear Laney’s name...before their possible future together is fatally cut short?


Another gunshot rang out.

More glass shattered. The tension in her chest tightened as anxiety gripped her.

“Stay here,” Detective James said.

Laney didn’t have time to argue. He pushed away from her, his gun drawn, and approached the door.

Please don’t let him get killed, she silently prayed, her palms pressed into the cool tile floor of her entryway. Shards of glass lay around her, a reminder of the gravity of the situation. Would they make it out of this alive?

The detective had been a thorn in her side, to say the least. He’d put her through the ringer at the station. Then again, she supposed he was just doing his job. But still, she didn’t want to see him hurt. Especially not after he’d shown a halfway-human side of himself in the car.

“Sol, put the gun down!” Detective James yelled.

Laney sucked in a quick breath. Sol? Sol was shooting at her? Had the man lost his mind? Was this what grief did to a person?

Laney knew the answer to that question: yes.


Dear Reader (#ulink_9cb5601a-9dad-5f0b-8543-a9654ecc9603),

I’ve always loved spy stories. I think because they’re so out of the realm of my ordinary life that they seem a bit like a thrilling roller-coaster ride—full of high-stakes adventure yet safe. The more dangerous, the better. Bring on the excitement—as long as I can stay safe in my little suburban house!

I’ve gone through the Citizens FBI Academy, as well as my local Citizen’s Police Academy. People have asked me if I’d ever want to go into law enforcement. My answer is always a quick no—I’d be terrible doing those jobs!

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Laney and Mark. Their stories certainly intrigued me and kept me guessing as I wrote. Laney was falsely accused and was desperate to both clear her name and to rescue her neighbor.

Have you ever been falsely accused? Maybe your situation isn’t anything like Laney’s, but it’s not fun when people make assumptions about you. I’m comforted by the fact that God loves me and sees me as I am.

I’d like to give a special thank-you to those who serve our country. From police officers to firefighters, to the military and even the CIA—you’re doing a job I could never do. For that, I tip my hat.

Many blessings,







CHRISTY BARRITT’s books have won a Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery and have been twice nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award. She’s married to her Prince Charming, a man who thinks she’s hilarious—but only when she’s not trying to be. Christy’s a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover and a road trip aficionado. For more information, visit her website at christybarritt.com (http://www.christybarritt.com).


Shadow of Suspicion

Christy Barritt






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

—Micah 6:8


This book is dedicated to those who put their lives on the line in order to protect others: police, firefighters, military and countless others. Thank you.


Contents

Cover (#ud5f69934-94e4-5ad9-9669-7fc4d549afb8)

Back Cover Text (#ua85a0cbe-e323-59f5-a39b-ebb2651c62b3)

Introduction (#u30aac37a-71e9-51f8-ae23-587b7e9ee37e)

Dear Reader (#ulink_bdc0920f-8d93-551c-9d3a-79a986c37215)

About the Author (#u1efa1314-98bb-5b75-95ff-d017b37ee7bf)

Title Page (#u62aed6e0-e0ed-5c5a-84ee-1efad2a7e2b6)

Bible Verse (#ua267bcbf-0005-597f-9aed-6605e91a56d2)

Dedication (#u7b5ac95a-938e-53c6-b4ee-fca2e1ce0e09)

ONE (#ulink_df67af69-5727-5697-bb95-1e64c266bf11)

TWO (#ulink_def66803-ba41-5fd3-8ff8-b57de568ee2e)

THREE (#ulink_94ea8d36-226a-526c-a98a-dcb84ec49ee3)

FOUR (#ulink_22c49d9c-9604-5690-b37f-c1835af0f386)

FIVE (#ulink_c8ac752d-a37c-5f00-ac35-2dacf4891999)

SIX (#litres_trial_promo)

SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)

THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

TWENTY (#litres_trial_promo)

EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)


ONE (#ulink_534a44f7-05db-5479-a9a5-3aef5450bd54)

Laney Ryan paused, her fingers poised over her keyboard midstroke. A noise outside her suburban home caused her spine to clinch and a moment of fear to seize her thoughts.

She was being silly. The sound was probably her neighbor across the street returning home. Or maybe a deliveryman was dropping off a package. It was nothing to be concerned over.

Her instincts blazed, and she was unable to believe either of those scenarios. Something was going on outside her house—something she needed to prepare for.

Quickly, she turned off her computer and stashed it in the locked drawer hidden beneath her desk. Wasting no time, she stood. She had to get to her bedroom to grab her gun.

She’d only taken one step in that direction when her front door burst open.

A flash bang exploded in her entryway, and smoke filled the house. Feet stampeded across her floor as an unseen army invaded her space. As enemies breached her territory. As danger closed in.

She ducked by the dining room table and stifled a scream, unwilling to give away her presence even though panic rushed through her. She grabbed the edge of a chair, unable to see. Smoke blocked her vision, filled her lungs, burned her eyes.

What was going on? Had someone discovered what she did for a living? Would they try to make her talk using whatever means necessary?

Fear trembled through her bones. She’d known this day might come, but she’d hoped it wouldn’t. Prayed it wouldn’t.

More smoke stung her eyes. A cough caught in her throat, and she tried to hold it back. Shouts sounded around her.

How many of them were there? How many men had infiltrated her home? How long would it be before the smoke cleared and they found her?

Her house—her haven—suddenly felt like a war zone. She swallowed hard, trying to remember all the training that had been drilled into her in case she was ever captured and interrogated. Silence was of the essence. She knew secrets that could bring this country down. And in the wrong hands... She shuddered to think about what would happen.

A man in SWAT uniform appeared in front of her, his gun raised. “Laney Ryan, you’re under arrest.”

“For what?” she demanded.

Another cop pulled her to her feet and jerked her arms behind her with enough force to snap her bones as he pressed handcuffs around her wrists. Her body instantly ached.

“You’re the prime suspect in the disappearance of Sarah Novak.”

Her heart plunged. Sarah? What had happened to her sweet neighbor? The girl was only fifteen, and Laney thought the world of her.

“What’s wrong with Sarah? What happened?” Her voice trembled as she braced herself for whatever news was about to come.

No one answered her. The cop behind her shoved her toward the front door as more officers invaded her home, searching every nook and cranny. Probably looking for evidence of what had happened. But why there? Why her?

Each step felt surreal, like something that happened on a TV show, but not in her real life. Panic threatened to engulf her as reality set in. She was being arrested. She had to stop this before it had a domino effect on her future.

“You’ve got this all wrong. I would never hurt Sarah,” she rushed to tell them.

The cop behind her didn’t seem to hear anything. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will...”

The words faded as a haze came over her. Laney had just seen Sarah that morning. She and her father, Sol, had stopped by and asked for help hemming a skirt for a school event that weekend.

Sarah was only fifteen. She had so much of life ahead of her. What if she was hurt? Or worse? The thought caused Laney’s heart to lurch.

Please, Father, let her be okay. Watch over her. Protect her.

A shock of cold air hit her as the cop shoved her onto the front porch. The stay-at-home mom across the street stood in her front yard, gripping her toddler’s hand as she watched everything unfold with a look of horror on her face.

That wasn’t even Laney’s biggest concern at the moment. She couldn’t care less about what her neighbors thought. Her biggest concern was Sarah.

Shouting sounded in the distance. Laney pulled her gaze toward the noise. What now?

Sol, she realized.

He stood on the edge of her lawn, between her house and his. His face was red with anger, and a female cop restrained him from lunging at Laney. His body language clearly screamed that he was in attack mode.

“Where’s my daughter? What did you do with her?” the slight man shouted. He looked ready to spring. “You’re a monster!”

Laney’s heart plunged. How could Sol think she had anything to do with this? She loved Sarah as if she were her own daughter. She would never, ever do anything to put her in jeopardy.

She opened her mouth. She wanted to say something. To convince Sol of her innocence. To explain that she had no idea where Sarah was.

But no words would leave her throat.

Poor Sarah.

Had she seemed okay that morning? No. Now that she thought about it, Sarah had seemed melancholy when she was at her house.

She’d whispered to Laney before she left, “Can we talk sometime?”

Laney had smiled and told her, “Of course.” She figured it was the typical teenage problems: boys, college, grades, pimples even.

Would things be different right now if Laney had taken the time to listen to her then? But she hadn’t been able to. Sarah had to go to school, Sol had been there, and Laney had to start working. She knew the dilemma would haunt her, though. The what-ifs were the worst.

She’d experienced them many times before. She’d lost sleep over questions like that. Nearly lost her mind, for that matter.

The officer shoved her into the back of a brown police sedan and slammed the door. At least the inside of the vehicle was warm, a stark contrast to the brittle winter day outside. The scent of evergreen filled the air, strangely comforting. But only for a moment.

The man in the front seat turned toward her, his eyes perceptive and hard—yet disturbingly beautiful with their crystal coloring. He was broad and imposing with light brown hair, a square jawline and a five-o’clock shadow.

“Ms. Ryan,” he started. “My name is Detective Mark James. We need you to answer a few questions.”

“Of course.”

“What did you do with Sarah Novak?” His voice sounded all business, like he wasn’t the kind of person to be messed with or questioned or who you wanted on your bad side.

“Nothing. I have no idea where Sarah is,” she told him, sagging into the seat.

Laney needed to contact her boss, Nicholas Mclean. He would be able to explain who Laney was, why she was trustworthy and incapable of this. Her job with the CIA was classified, and they even used a different company name as a front.

“Don’t play games, Ms. Ryan. We have a witness that proves you were the last person to be seen with Sarah. There’s no need to draw this out. You’ll only make this harder on yourself.”

What was he talking about? That couldn’t be true. Plenty of people would have seen Sarah since then. First at the bus stop. Then at school. “I’m telling you—I would never do anything to hurt Sarah. I think of her like a daughter.”

He raised his chin, his gaze still assessing. “Like the daughter you always wanted? How far were you willing to take that?”

Her mouth dropped open at his implications. “What are you saying? That because I’m childless I would kidnap someone else’s daughter and stow her away somewhere?”

“Yes, that’s precisely what I’m saying.” Those beautiful crystal eyes now looked steely blue.

She shook her head with every ounce of her strength. She had to get through to him and convince him of her innocence. “You’re dead wrong. I would never do that. Never. I don’t know where all of this came from, but the last time I saw Sarah, she was with her father and she was about to head to the bus stop.”

“A witness places her back at your house at 11:30 this morning.”

Her jaw dropped. “11:30? That’s ridiculous. I wasn’t even home at 11:30. I was walking around the neighborhood, getting in my exercise, just like I always do.”

“Can anyone prove that?”

She let out an audible sigh, realizing the futility of her argument. “A couple of drivers passed me, but no one I know. I walk almost every day at the same time. It’s part of my routine.” A routine that anyone observant enough would have noticed.

Laney should have been more careful. But she’d always been a creature of routine. Routines brought her comfort, something she immensely needed in her life since the murder of her husband three years ago.

“So, no? You have no one to corroborate that?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip, the first touch of despair creeping into her psyche. This was bad. Really bad. But once the police dug deeper, certainly they would see her innocence. They’d know whoever placed Sarah at her house at eleven thirty was wrong.

“No, there’s no one I know of who can verify that,” she finally said. “I live alone. I’m a bit of a loner.”

Why couldn’t she have run into someone today of all days? Normally she’d at least catch a glimpse of a neighbor as she was out. But not today. It had been cold and overcast out, the kind of weather that kept people inside. Up until six months ago, it would have kept Laney inside also. She’d used any excuse possible. She’d been so proud of herself for stepping outside of her comfort zone, for taking baby steps toward a more normal routine and out of the isolation that had consumed her.

“Mr. Novak said you’d been arguing with him about his daughter lately.”

Laney let out a little gasp. How in the world had that come up? And did the police really think it was relevant? Obviously they did since the detective had mentioned it. They thought it gave her motive.

“I just hated to see her so unhappy,” Laney started, the car suddenly feeling hot and stuffy. “It wasn’t my place to speak up about how Sol was raising her. I admit that. I even apologized to Sol for interfering. Sarah just looked like she needed someone to talk to.”

The detective shifted, his eyes perceptive and keen as he watched her every reaction. “What didn’t you agree with?”

Laney had done nothing wrong, she reminded herself. She just had to speak the truth and trust that honesty would win over the accusations against her. “Her father was so hard on her, and she’s such a good girl. She was never allowed to do anything. She came home, took care of the house after school and did her schoolwork. Day after day. She had no life. No chance to hang out with friends. Sol took being overprotective to the extreme.”

“I take it he didn’t react well to your reprimand?”

Laney frowned. “Not at all. I apologized for interfering. I usually keep to myself. But I guess my talk did some good because Sol finally decided to let Sarah go to the school social this weekend. I was going to be a chaperone. It was the only way he would say yes. I’d never seen Sarah look so happy.”

“I see.”

Laney rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “Look, I have no idea where she went or what’s going on, but I know every minute you spend focusing on me is a minute spent focusing on the wrong person.”

Her words didn’t seem to affect the detective. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

With that, the man exited the sedan, leaving Laney in the backseat feeling like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.

* * *

Mark James stepped from his police issued sedan and approached the head of the SWAT team, a man who also happened to be his partner. Jim Swanson stood near the porch of the stately brick home as the rest of the SWAT members filed out. A team of detectives now swarmed the inside, looking for any evidence that Laney had taken Sarah. If there was anything there, they would find it.

He mentally reviewed the time line. Sol got a call from school around twelve saying Sarah never showed up, so he’d reached out to a neighbor who said she’d seen Sarah go into Laney’s at eleven thirty. Sol claimed he tried to call Laney from work, but that her line had been busy. In a panic, he’d decided to head home and check things out himself.

While in his car driving home, he’d gotten a ransom call from someone claiming to have abducted Sarah. The kidnapper wanted one-hundred thousand dollars and indicated that Sol should stay tuned for directions. Sarah had been placed on the other line as confirmation that she was alive. Before she was cut off, she’d mentioned a woman and she’d said Laney’s name.

Mark could see Sol standing in his yard. The man’s eyes were glazed, his shoulders hunched and his expression haggard. Two officers surrounded him, making sure he didn’t do anything irrational. They were also monitoring his communications so they would know when Sarah’s abductors contacted him again and hopefully be able to trace the call and find out their location.

“What do you think?” Mark asked.

Jim Swanson shrugged. “She looked shocked when we came into the house. I didn’t see any guilt in her gaze. Only surprise and fear. You?”

Mark looked back at his sedan and remembered the moisture he’d seen running from Laney Ryan’s eyes earlier. He’d been in this line of work for long enough to know not to let tears get to him. They could be deceitful. But, for some reason, seeing this suspect crying clutched his heart.

“The woman across the street placed Sarah here at Ms. Ryan’s house before she disappeared,” Mark said. “They say the girl went inside and never came out.”

Jim shook his head. “Sarah’s not in the house now. If that’s true, where did she go? Where could Laney have taken her?”

“Our guys are checking out the backyard now to see if there’s any evidence of a scuffle back there, right?”

“That’s right. But what about motive? That’s what doesn’t make sense.”

Mark thought about the conversation he’d had with Laney in his sedan. “It’s hard to say, but she didn’t sound very impressed with Sol’s parenting skills. Maybe she was trying to help the girl in some kind of twisted way.”

“We need to bring her in until we can thoroughly investigate,” Jim said.

“I agree. I’m not sure we have enough evidence to keep her in custody, though.”

“We can stall for as long as possible, until something turns up.”

Mark turned back to the sedan and watched Laney for a moment. He hadn’t known what he’d expected, but certainly not the beautiful woman who’d been led out in handcuffs. The petite woman had light brown hair that was cut level with her chin. She was bookish and looked smart. Her green eyes had a hint of firecracker behind them while her voice had sounded soft and kind.

None of those things meant anything, though. The only thing that mattered was finding Sarah Novak. He wouldn’t let another girl disappear forever.

Just like Lauren had.

He’d never gotten over the loss. It was one of the reasons he’d requested to be on the Missing Persons Unit here with the Richmond PD. He didn’t want other people to go through what he had.

Just then, Sol began shouting into his phone from across the yard. His demeanor went from defeated to wired.

“Sarah? Is that you?” he yelled.

Mark rushed toward him. The man put his phone on Speaker, a frantic look on his face—a frantic expression Mark understood all too well. He’d lived it before.

“Dad?” The line was broken and only bits of sentences were getting through. “Help...me.”

“Darling, I want to help. Where are you?”

“Dad...don’t know...” Static filled the line. “But Laney...”

Sol’s face turned red. “Laney what? Laney took you?”

“I’m...” Garbled words filled the silence until she ended with “Please help.”

“Please, honey, can you tell me where you are? Who took you?”

“...Laney,” Sarah said again.

The line went dead.


TWO (#ulink_f867d5bc-1094-5837-a60e-6c5a849adccc)

An hour later, Laney sat across from the handsome yet cold detective at the police station. Since they’d been in the room, he’d been even-keeled—not friendly, not angry. In fact, he’d been so calm that it was almost unnerving. He had eyes that didn’t easily trust. A gaze that was assessing. Body language that screamed cautious.

She might be trained as a computer programmer, but her entire life she’d practiced reading people. She’d always preferred to stay on the fringe, in the places where she could observe and study others. Her peers had thought she was strange in high school because she’d been so quiet, but she’d always thought that she was being the person God created her to be. She’d rather be different than compromise her authenticity.

Her gaze flickered around the room now. The space reminded her of the detective: stark and neat. There was no table, nothing to use as a barrier to separate herself from the man across from her. There were only two chairs. The setup left her feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Laney was sure they’d planned it that way.

She was the police’s number-one suspect, she realized. They weren’t focusing on anyone else right now—just her.

That was a mistake.

That meant that the real person who’d abducted Sarah was getting farther and farther away. The thought made her gut turn with disgust.

Earlier, when she’d been given a phone call, she’d tried to reach Nicholas, her boss with the CIA. He hadn’t answered—and he always answered. What did that mean?

Panic tickled her gut, her nerves, her thoughts.

At the moment, silence filled the room—probably another method of trying to get Laney to talk. It was working.

“You’re focusing on the wrong person.” Laney had already repeated that several times, but no one seemed to care. How could she get through to them?

“Ms. Ryan, Sarah called. She said your name.” The detective leaned toward her, his gaze like a laser.

Her heart lurched. She knew how it sounded. But she also knew the truth. “She was probably calling out for my help. She trusts me. She knows I’d never hurt her.”

“Which makes it even worse that you would betray her like this.”

“But I didn’t betray her!” Tears rushed to Laney’s eyes, and she pulled her sleeve-covered hands over her face as despair bit deep.

This system seemed so messed up, and she was helpless to do anything about it. She was at the mercy of this detective. Of the justice system.

She’d just started trusting again. After her husband’s murder, it had been difficult. Panic attacks had plagued her, as well as nightmares. She’d been making progress, but now this. Her therapist had his work cut out for him when all of this was over.

Detective James leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Just tell me what you did with her.”

Laney closed her eyes, exhausted from repeating herself. “I’m sure witnesses told you that no one saw me leave the house with Sarah. Because I didn’t leave the house with her. I don’t know why she came over while I was on my walk. I don’t know how she got inside or where she went from there. But I didn’t do anything with her.”

He sighed and leaned back as if weary from the conversation. “Anyone else have a key?”

“No.”

“You sound concerned about her. Were you desperate to get her away from her father?”

Laney shook her head more adamantly. “No. Not at all. Why won’t you believe me? I’ve been framed for this. I’m innocent here. Check my record. It’s clean.”

“We did check it. You’re right. You have no priors. Stranger things have happened, though.”

She leaned back, determined to think everything through. Something wasn’t making sense to her, and she needed to pinpoint just what that was. Finally, it dawned on her. The way everything had played out today didn’t make sense.

The situation had escalated too quickly. The police had just barged into her home and deemed her guilty. She realized the urgency of the matter, but something was missing.

“Don’t you think sending a SWAT team to my house is a little extreme?” she started. “You could have just questioned me.”

“In situations like this, time is of the essence. An Amber Alert has already been issued. Sarah mentioned your name when she called, a neighbor confirmed Sarah showed up at your house, and financial records show a large sum of money was recently taken from your account.”

Her jaw dropped open. “A large sum of money? I sent that to my in-laws to help with some medical bills.”

“We’ll have to confirm that.”

“All of that was enough evidence to get a no-knock warrant?”

He stared hard at her. “Yes, it was, as a matter of fact. We couldn’t risk you harming the girl.”

This was getting old. How long were they going to keep her there? Were they going to lock her up? Would they question her until she confessed purely out of exhaustion to a crime she didn’t commit?

Her head ached, her mouth was dry, and her muscles cried out for relief. She had to try a different approach here. She shifted, determined not to be defeated. “Please, you’ve got to listen to me. I’m innocent and the real bad guy is getting away with this.”

“Who do you think the real bad guy is, Ms. Ryan?” Detective James leaned toward her again, obviously changing tactics himself.

His broad shoulders, she would guess, could either bulldoze someone or offer a landing place for tears. Muscles rippled beneath the material of his button-down shirt, confirming that he was not someone she wanted to mess with. His jaw was strong and tense with thought.

But right now, he leaned back, as if softening.

Her guard went up. This man wasn’t her friend, and he would do whatever he had to in order to get answers. She’d be wise to remember that.

“I have no idea. But she didn’t seem happy this morning. Maybe this was random. Maybe she ran away. Maybe she’ll check in at any minute.” Her voice escalated with each new sentence. “There’s nothing else I can tell you.”

Someone tapped on the one-way glass that composed half a wall. The detective excused himself and stepped out of the room.

She sucked in some deep breaths. Detective James had perceptive eyes. He was watching her every move, just waiting for her to mess up. But she had no reason to walk on eggshells, she reminded herself. She’d done nothing wrong.

Would he ever believe her? She wasn’t sure.

When he came back into the room a few minutes later, his face looked grimmer than before. The lines on his forehead had tightened. His eyes cooled. His shoulders were rigid. Something was in his hand.

He sat across from her and held up a device. Her phone, she realized. How had he gotten her phone? Had they gotten her computer, as well? She hoped not, although the classified projects she was working on should be safeguarded by the measures she’d put in place.

“Do you recognize this?” he asked.

She nodded stiffly. “Of course I do. It’s mine.”

His eyes flickered. “Do you recognize the message on the screen?”

She peered closer and sucked in a breath as she read the text message.

Meet me at 11:30. It’s urgent.

Those were Laney’s words. Written from her phone. Listed as coming from her. And the message was being sent to Sarah. She recognized her number.

Sarah replied:

I have school.

The person pretending to be Laney had written:

It’s urgent.

Laney backed harder into her chair and shook her head. Someone was framing her—and they were doing a good job at it.

“I didn’t send that,” she muttered, knowing she was wasting her breath.

The detective’s blue eyes were unyielding. “So you’re saying someone took your phone and sent this for you?”

“I know it sounds far-fetched. But yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.” But, in her gut, she knew this was far worse than she’d ever imagined.

* * *

Mark met his police captain in the hallway outside the interrogation room an hour later. Captain Hendricks was a stoic man who was twenty years Mark’s senior, putting him at around fifty years old. The man had a light brown mustache and thick hair that matched. He was well respected in the department and was known as a man who could get the job done.

In the hours since her arrest and the interrogation, Laney hadn’t caved in the least. If anything, she seemed even firmer in her insistence of her innocence. Honestly, he felt a little sorry for her. It was his job to get answers, but the woman seemed downright frightened.

“Let her go,” Captain Hendricks said, staring through the glass at Laney.

Mark followed his gaze. She looked so innocent and unassuming. Like a computer geek—the cutest computer geek Mark had ever laid eyes on. But beneath all of that, who was hiding? Someone manipulative? Out for herself? Drowning in her own delusions?

“Let her go?” Mark asked, certain he hadn’t heard correctly.

The captain put his hands on his hips and frowned—though the man always looked like he was frowning. “We don’t have enough evidence to hold her.”

Mark thought back to his sister. If the police had stayed on top of the case, she would still be alive right now. He never wanted that to be the case for one of his investigations. He’d vowed to be better than that.

“What about the phone call Mr. Novak got?” Mark reminded him. “The neighbor across the street who saw Sarah go into her house?”

The captain’s gaze flickered to Mark, a touch of annoyance there. The captain didn’t take kindly to being questioned. “It’s all circumstantial. Keeping her here won’t help us find the girl.”

Mark drew in a deep breath, trying to pace his thoughts and remain respectful. “What are you thinking?”

The captain continued to stare at Laney, his eyes narrowing with thought. He was calculating something, Mark realized. But what?

“I want you to keep an eye on her, stick by her side,” he finally said. “Hopefully she’ll slip up and lead us right to Sarah.”

“Did you check the records? Did Sol call her?” Many times in situations like these, the parents were the first suspect. Even though Sol’s coworkers had verified he’d been at work all day, the detectives still needed to follow up.

“We confirmed he called her house phone.”

“Her house phone? She said she was out walking. Why didn’t he call her cell?”

“He claims he couldn’t find the number. Anyway, we’re going to focus on Laney in this case. There’s more evidence against her.”

Mark didn’t like the way this was playing out. Though he was reserving his judgment on Laney’s guilt, everything was pointing to her. Still, he had to follow the evidence. The team had just finished up at her house, but processing everything would take longer.

However, he’d been pressing her hard for answers. She hadn’t once asked for a lawyer. She hadn’t broken under the pressure.

That took a lot of strength.

Mark shifted, grateful he could speak openly to his captain. “What if she’s not guilty, Captain?”

He raised a shaggy eyebrow. “Everything is pointing to the fact that she is guilty. The text message. The money. An eyewitness. If you weren’t able to break her, I doubt she’s going to at all.”

Mark wasn’t ready to let this drop. “Maybe she didn’t break because she’s innocent. She has no motive.”

The captain’s jaw flexed. “Her motive is there. Maybe it’s buried down deep. But it’s there. We’re going to figure out what it is. Drive her home. See what you can get out of her. Play the good cop for once. See if she’ll open up.”

The problem was that Mark wasn’t one for being fake. But he knew better than to argue with the captain. He nodded instead. “Yes, sir.”

As he walked back toward the interrogation room, his shoulders felt heavier. Feeling even more brisk than before, he threw the door open and charged into the room. Laney jerked her head up from where it had been buried in her hands. Her eyes were red rimmed, as if she’d been crying. He inwardly flinched at the despair on her face.

“You’re free to go,” he announced.

Laney blinked. “What?”

“You heard me. You’re free to go.”

She stared at him a moment before quickly standing, almost as if she feared he’d change his mind. “Okay, then.”

“I’ll drive you home,” Mark said.

“That won’t be necessary. I can—”

“I insist,” Mark said. “It’s for your safety.”

“My safety?” She blinked again. “You think I’m in danger?”

“People don’t take kindly to child abductors. We need to take every precaution possible.”

She stared at him another moment before nodding. “I see. That’s fine, then.”

Mark escorted her outside and into his car. Awkward tension crackled between them as he started down the road. Laney crossed her arms and stared out the window. She was obviously uncomfortable. So was he, for that matter. But he would do whatever it took to find the missing girl.

Rush hour traffic was in full swing, and the sun was already sinking low enough to cause a blinding winter glare as he headed west.

What if Laney was innocent? Allegations like these could turn her life upside down in a way that was hard to recover from.

Then he remembered the text message. He couldn’t overlook that.

“Tell me again what you do for a living, Ms. Ryan.”

She continued to stare out the window. “I work for a company called CybCorp.”

“What exactly do you do for them?” They’d been over some of that already, but it seemed like a safer—friendlier—conversation than bringing up Sarah again.

Build trust. That was what he needed to do if he wanted to find answers. He’d had the opportunity to do that very thing with the man who’d killed his sister. If he could go back, he would go through whatever means necessary to make the man open up. Maybe Lauren would still be alive if he’d tried a little harder, if he’d pressed a little deeper, if he hadn’t given people the benefit of the doubt. He hadn’t been a cop back then, but he’d been in contact with the perp all along; he just hadn’t realized it.

“I’m a programmer. CybCorp handles security for various businesses throughout the country. They’re a smaller company, but they’re reputable and they allow me to work from home.”

“Must get lonely working at home.”

She cut a sharp glance his way. “Let me guess—you’re trying to trap me into confessing I abducted Sarah because I was lonely.”

He shook his head. He actually hadn’t been. He’d just tried to imagine what it would be like being single and also working alone. “I was just making conversation.”

Her shoulders slumped slightly. “I like solitude, believe it or not.”

“You said earlier that you’re not married.” He already knew the answer, but he needed to develop some rapport with her. He’d read the police report—these details didn’t appear relevant to the current investigation but were essential for putting together a psychological profile of Laney.

Laney frowned, staring out the window and rubbing her hands together. “No, I’m not. Not anymore. I’m widowed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sure you are.” Her shoulders slumped even more, as if the burdens she carried overwhelmed her. “Sorry. You didn’t deserve that one.”

“What happened?” He kept his words soft and light.

“He survived Afghanistan, only to be killed by a home intruder here in the States. He’d only been home for three weeks when it happened.” Her voice cracked and she finished with a deep gulp of air.

“I can’t imagine. How long ago did that happen?”

A new somberness washed over her. “Three years. I was down in Norfolk at the time. I decided to get a fresh start here in Richmond afterward. There were too many memories down there. I had to get away.”

“Makes sense. How did the two of you meet? A computer programmer and a navy SEAL.”

“Proof that opposites attract, I suppose. I was actually in my last semester at MIT. I came with some friends down to Virginia Beach. I nearly got pulled out to sea by a riptide. Thankfully, Nate was there with some of his SEAL buddies. We were an unlikely pair, but Nate wasn’t the type who always had to be macho and tough. He liked watching sitcoms and eating popcorn with melted mints at the bottom and playing old-school arcade games. We were inseparable after that. I graduated and got a job down in Norfolk so I could be near him. We got married four months later.”

“Sounds like a nice story.”

“Yeah, it is...it was.” She absently rubbed her arms. “I know you probably won’t believe me, but I was actually planning on being at that school banquet with Sarah tomorrow night. I’m incredibly sad that won’t be happening. I’d been so looking forward to it.”

“You like Sarah?”

“She’s a great girl. Smart. Curious. Personable.”

“Let me guess. She reminds you of yourself at that age.”

A sad smile tugged at her lips. “Actually, she kind of does. It might sound crazy or maybe even expected. I don’t know. But I guess I did see part of myself in her—my old self, at least. I’m not that person anymore.”

He pulled to a stop in front of her house. It seemed the press hadn’t caught wind of this case because they were surprisingly absent, and, at the moment, all the neighbors were inside their houses. Hopefully that meant no drama. The front door had been temporarily fixed—more to prevent an insurance claim than to be helpful.

Laney’s hand went to the door handle, and she turned toward him. “Thank you.”

He nodded toward her house. “I’m going to walk you in.”

She visibly bristled at his announcement, as if the very idea offended her. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I do,” he insisted. “I need to make sure your door was put back on its hinges and that no one is nosing around your place. Believe me, it happens. No more tragedies today.”

She seemed to hesitate before nodding. “No more tragedies.”

They climbed out of the car and started through the dry grass toward the porch.

At the door, Laney slid her key into the lock and paused, her lungs heaving with what he assumed was anxiety. Inside, there were probably too many bad memories for her. The invasion. The accusations. The interrogation that followed. Besides, the flash bang could shake up the steadiest of personalities.

“Let me go first,” he said.

Before she could argue, Mark slipped past her. He kept his hand on his gun as he walked from room to room. This time, he saw the house through different eyes. No longer as a potential suspect’s place, but instead as the residence of someone whose life had been turned upside down.

He saw pictures on the wall and on the entryway table of Laney with a man whom he presumed to be her deceased husband. He saw the pictures of vacations together. Of Laney in front of the Christmas tree. Of the smiling couple standing in front of a backdrop of autumn-entrenched mountains.

She appeared to have had, at one time, a full life.

How did someone go from that to being such a loner? It seemed like a shame.

Of course, some people might say the same thing about him. He lived for his work. He had ever since his sister disappeared. He’d found it easier to pour all of his time and energy into a single cause than to let his thoughts linger on the tragedy in his life.

He had let one person in, though. Chrystal. He thought he might find healing in falling in love, but instead all he’d gotten was more heartache. She’d broken his trust just like his stepfather had. He was better off growing old alone than trusting someone else and being disappointed.

He walked back toward Laney, ready to give her the all clear. Before he could, a gunshot pierced the front window.

He ran toward Laney and threw her on the ground, praying he wasn’t too late to protect her.


THREE (#ulink_235668b8-30d0-5f78-bb0f-e5b343460f59)

Fear coursed through Laney as she heard glass shatter. As she realized a bullet was being fired. As she felt the detective throw her to the ground. As she quickly acknowledged the fact that someone was shooting at her.

Had the whole world gone crazy? How had a day that had started so ordinary turned into such a nightmare?

What she wouldn’t do to turn back time. Not just on today. But to bring Nate back. To feel happy and safe again. To believe the whole world was in front of her.

But that wasn’t possible.

Right now, she just had to survive. Take it day by day, moment by moment. That’s how she’d gotten through the last three years.

Please, Lord, help me. Please.

“Are you okay?” Detective James yelled over her.

She could feel his heart pounding into her back. Or was that her heart? She couldn’t tell.

Laney thought she said yes to his question, but she could hardly hear. Her ears rang. Life seemed to both blur and sharpen around her.

Another gunshot rang out. More glass shattered. The tension in her chest tightened as anxiety gripped her.

“Stay here,” Detective James said.

She didn’t have time to argue. He pushed away from her, his gun drawn, and approached the door.

Please don’t let him get killed, she silently prayed, her palms pressed into the cool tile floor of her entryway. Shards of glass lay around her, a reminder of the gravity of the situation. Would they make it out of this alive?

The detective had been a thorn in her side, to say the least. He’d put her through the wringer at the station. Then again, she supposed he was just doing his job. But still, she didn’t want to see him hurt. Especially not after he’d shown a halfway human side of himself in the car.

When she’d told him about Nate, his compassion had seemed sincere. But could she really trust the man? Or was he just trying to gain her faith in him because he hoped she’d open up about Sarah? If that was his goal, he was in for a rude awakening because she knew nothing.

“Sol, put the gun down,” Detective James yelled.

Laney sucked in a quick breath. Sol? Sol was shooting at her? Had the man lost his mind? Is that what grief and worry did to a person?

Laney knew the answer to that question: yes, it did. Grief could tear a person’s heart in half and make them act erratically. Make them feel crazy, off balance, like they didn’t care about anything while overly caring about everything.

“You released Laney. She took my daughter,” Sol called from a far distance. “She’ll get justice one way or another. I’ll make sure of that.”

“Shooting her would do no good. It won’t help you find your Sarah,” Detective James shouted, peering beyond the door frame. He was pressed against the wall, looking strong and capable with a gun in hand and wearing a black leather coat.

He could easily pass for one of those larger-than-life detectives on TV.

Laney shook her head. Where had those thoughts come from? And why now of all times?

“She needs to pay,” Sol shouted.

“Let the law be the judge of that. If she’s guilty, we’ll find evidence to nail her. She’ll be behind bars for life. Shooting her would be too easy.”

Gee, thanks, she wanted to mutter. But if the detective’s words saved her life, then so be it. Laney would clear her name herself if she had to. But she was never going to be able to do that under these circumstances. Here, she was a target. Her life was on the line. In fact, if the detective hadn’t been there, that bullet could have taken her out.

She couldn’t stay there tonight, she realized. It was too dangerous. But where would she go? She had no coworkers or family. Even church...though she attended each Sunday, she always slipped in late and left early. She was the poster woman for being reclusive lately.

Nate wouldn’t have wanted this.

But it was too late to make any changes at the moment.

Detective James was on his radio, calling for backup, she realized. This situation could easily escalate and someone could end up hurt...or worse.

She felt frozen, though, unable to move from her spot on the floor. Too afraid to breathe even. She’d be dead right now if the detective wasn’t with her.

But if Sol really thought she took Sarah, why would he try to kill her? Then he might not ever find his daughter. The man was acting irrationally. Come to think of it, he’d seemed distracted this morning, as well. Did he know more than he was letting on?

Her thoughts raced, as if playing in fast-forward. Who could have taken Sarah? Laney had no idea. In those quiet moments in the integration room, that’s all she’d thought about. But she’d drawn no conclusions. She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt the girl.

Please, let this be a misunderstanding.

What if Sarah had run away? Maybe she’d never been abducted at all. There could be a logical explanation for all of this. Would the police ever see that, though?

“Sol, we need you to put the gun down,” Detective James called, still pressed against the wall. “Can you do that for me?”

“You’re only going to let her go.”

“We’re going to keep investigating,” he said. “We’re not done yet.”

Just then, red and blue lights flashed in the front yard. Backup had arrived, Laney realized.

A moment later, amidst the yelling outside, Detective James lowered his gun and approached her. His eyes were narrow with worry and concern. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and pushed herself from the ground, mindful of the shards of glass surrounding her. “Yes. Thank you. I... I don’t think I’ll stay here tonight.”

“Probably a good idea.”

She wiped her hands together, trying to ignore how badly they were trembling. None of this seemed real—yet it was. “I’m going to go grab some things. A change of clothes and my purse, at least.”

“I can drive you to wherever you’re going.”

“You don’t have to do that.” She shook her head, another surge of panic rising in her. She desperately wanted someone to trust, but the detective wasn’t that person. Besides, she needed to be there alone so she could grab her computer—if the police hadn’t gotten it yet. Her work for the past nine months was there. In the wrong hands... She shuddered to think about what would happen if the program she’d developed ended up at the mercy of terrorists.

Detective James’s gaze assessed her again, his calm demeanor somehow quieting her trembles. “Your hands are shaking badly. I don’t think it’s safe that you get behind the wheel.”

“But...then I won’t have a car.” She desperately needed some type of control in her life. She felt like everything was being taken away, and so quickly at that.

“I’ll have one of my guys bring it by later. Sound okay?”

Hesitantly, she nodded. If she protested too much, she’d probably only look guilty. Besides, she was awfully shaky. There was no need to add “auto accident” to an already horrible day.

“I guess so. Thank you.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Mark pulled to a stop in front of a nice hotel in an upscale area outside of Richmond. He supposed that he shouldn’t go out of his way for a potential suspect, but she was also potentially innocent. In fact, she was technically innocent until proven guilty. He intended to treat her as such.

He remembered Captain Hendricks’s instructions to him: get on her good side and keep an eye on her. The captain hoped Laney would let something slip and she’d lead them to Sarah.

Mark was uncomfortable with deceit. If it could save a life then he was more inclined to justify his actions, though. He knew what it was like to be in Sol’s shoes—to be sick with worry over a loved one’s disappearance. He had to do whatever was necessary to get the girl back.

Their encounter with Sol still stained his thoughts. The man had been in Laney’s front yard. The other officers had taken his gun and restrained him. But he’d still been able to hurl insults at Laney, calling her every name in the book. Her trembles had returned as he’d walked her to his car.

Laney glanced at the front door of the hotel and then back at Mark. “What’s going to happen to Sol?”

“We’re taking him down to the station.”

Lines of worry appeared at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t want to press charges. He’s just reacting out of grief and anxiety. He doesn’t need any more heartache on top of what he’s already experiencing.”

Her compassion impressed him, especially considering her situation at the moment. “I’ll make sure to pass that along.”

“Thank you for bringing me here. I appreciate it.”

Before she could object again, he opened the door and stepped out. He was walking her inside, whether she liked it or not.

Almost hesitantly she seemed to step out. He sensed her shivering beside him as they ventured through the brisk winter air. Darkness had long since fallen, adding even more eeriness to an already tense situation. He grabbed her bag from the backseat and walked with her to the front desk.

“She needs a single,” he told the clerk behind the counter. A table with coffee and cookies waited beside the check-in desk, and the scent of them both made his stomach rumble.

Lauren had loved chocolate chip cookies. She ate some every night before bed and never gained an ounce. At sixteen, she’d been as skinny as a rail without even trying.

The memory made his heart pang.

Laney pulled a credit card from her wallet and slid it across the counter. The police would be tracking all of her financial movements, of course. They were looking for anything that might give them a hint as to what was really going on here. Finances often showed a trail leading to answers.

With her room key in hand, Mark walked Laney to the second floor of the building and watched as the door to her room clicked open. She turned toward him, trepidation in her gaze. “Thank you... I guess.”

He understood her dilemma. She owed him thanks for saving her life, but after he’d interrogated and accused her, he could see why she wouldn’t want to express her gratitude. Gratefulness and bitterness collided.

“Call me if you need anything,” Mark instructed.

Her big, wide eyes looked up at him. “I don’t have a phone.”

“Use the hotel phone.”

She nodded and looped a hair behind her ear. “Of course.”

“Don’t leave town.”

“I can’t. I don’t have a car.”

“We’ll probably have more questions for you.” He felt hesitant to leave—but why? Some kind of instinct urged him to protect her, yet he didn’t want his compassion toward her to cloud his judgment. He had to keep it in check.

“I wouldn’t expect any less.”

Finally, he nodded. “Well, good night, then.”

She seemed to force a smile. “Good night.”

She closed the door, and Mark heard the locks click in place. With Laney safe and secure in her room, Mark started back down to his car. He’d scanned the hotel as they’d walked. There appeared to be three major exits. One at the front, one at the back, and one at the side near the pool area. It would be impossible to keep an eye on all three. But Laney’s room was closest to the side exit, so he needed to position himself for the best angle of that door.

He suspected Laney wouldn’t try anything, that she would stay put for the evening. She probably wouldn’t be getting much rest—she looked too wound up and wired for that. But, just in case she did leave, he parked his car and started his surveillance. And in the meantime, he had his computer with him so he could do more research.

Out of curiosity, he typed in her name on a search engine. A news article about her husband’s death popped up. He cringed at the details.

Nate Ryan had been found stabbed in his bedroom. The killer had never been caught, but authorities thought it was a home invasion gone wrong due to some missing jewelry and cash.

Laney had discovered her husband’s body. He could only imagine how that had messed with her psychological well-being. Every detail of scenes like that would ingrain themselves into the minds of loved ones.

Mark still vividly remembered the first time he’d been called to the scene of a homicide. Every detail was burned into his mind. Since then, he’d learned to compartmentalize better. But he couldn’t imagine finding a loved one like that.

It had been hard enough hearing about the murder of a family member. His sister, Lauren, had been abducted by their stepdad. Ralph had denied his involvement for weeks, but Mark had always known the truth. Six months later, Lauren’s body was discovered in the woods by some hunters. She’d been shot. When his stepfather learned she’d been found, he’d quickly realized—maybe because of paranoia or guilt—that he would be a suspect. His solution was to kill himself—and Mark’s mother.

According to his suicide letter, his stepdad had wanted his mom’s attention all for his own. He and Lauren had been arguing and not seeing eye to eye. His stepdad had decided it would be easier to kill Lauren than it would be to try and work things out.

Anger had burned within Mark for months—for years, truth be told. He’d wished that things could be different, that he could have seen the signs earlier, that he could have predicted the future and saved both his mom and his sister.

Thankfully he’d found Jesus during that hard time. His relationship with God had turned his life around and had literally saved him from the depths of despair that threatened to consume him. He’d been in a bad place, but eventually all of that had led him to go into law enforcement. He’d abandoned a successful career in sales, searching for something that would be more fulfilling and make more of an impact. Being a detective had done just that.

He snapped from his thoughts as he saw movement in the distance near the side exit. Was that... Laney? He straightened, zeroing his gaze on the figure.

A woman stepped from the hotel, looked both ways, and then darted toward a gas station in the distance. It was definitely Laney, he realized. But what was she doing? If she was innocent, why was she acting so suspiciously right now?

He watched carefully as she hurried inside the gas station. She stayed there for six minutes until a cab pulled up and then she jumped into the backseat, and the car pulled away. Wasting no time, Mark followed the vehicle.

Was this the big moment? Would Laney lead him to Sarah? Or would that be too easy?

He stayed a safe clip behind them, trying not to tip Laney off that she was being followed. As the roads became familiar, he realized she was going back to her house. Had she remembered evidence she’d left there? Was she going back to destroy it?

He remained at the corner and watched as the cab dropped Laney off at the curb a moment later. She looked all around her before sprinting toward her house and slipping inside.

Mark waited until the cab pulled away before he approached the house. He withdrew his gun as he slunk toward the front door. He had no idea what he might find inside, and he had to use every precaution necessary. Maybe she really was dangerous, and his gut had been wrong.

He quietly twisted the door handle and pushed the door open. When he saw what was in Laney’s hands, he drew his gun, realizing he’d been wrong about the woman all along.


FOUR (#ulink_e4c2ba10-24d6-50ab-8b4f-20345e9a943b)

Laney gently placed a laptop computer onto the table in the foyer and drew her arms into the air as she spotted Mark there with his gun pointed at her. Even in the dark, she could see the accusation in his gaze. But there was something else there also. What was it?

Disappointment, she realized.

He’d followed her. Of course he had. Had she expected anything less?

“This isn’t what it looks like,” she muttered, quickly observing his gun. He was anticipating the worst and prepared to do whatever it took to find answers. She looked guilty—how could she convince him she wasn’t?

“And what exactly am I looking at, Laney?” His eyes were ice-cold again as he stared at her with enough intensity to burn holes into her skin. “What are you doing here?”

Laney’s heart lurched as she glanced at the computer. She’d been so close to leaving with the programs and data she had there. She couldn’t let the wrong people get their hands on it. “There’s nothing wrong with picking up a computer.”

Doubt flickered in his gaze as he came closer, his gun still drawn. She hadn’t turned the lights on in the house—another act that would make her look suspicious. But she’d been trying to remain on the down low.

However, that choice now left the house in darkness—eerie darkness. The shadows felt like they were moving and the silence in the in-between spaces of their conversation felt painful and long.

“The police had a warrant for your computers,” Mark reminded her. “How’d they miss that one?”

Laney licked her lips, panic quelling inside her. This looked bad. Really bad. And she was a terrible liar.

“I know how this appears,” she started. “But it’s been here all along. If anyone had asked where I kept it, I would have told them.”

“Unless you hid it and came back to destroy evidence on it.”

Laney shook her head, desperate to get through to him. “There’s no evidence on this. I use it for my work. It’s my lifeline to the outside world.”

He stepped closer and glared down on her. A whiff of evergreen tingled her nose and caused her heart to skip. The moment was short-lived as she quickly remembered the trouble she was in.

“Someone either really hates you and has gone through a lot of trouble to make you look guilty or you’re guilty,” the detective muttered. “I’m not sure which one yet. Based on the fact that you’ve been incredibly sneaky tonight, I’m learning toward the latter.”

She swallowed hard, her throat dry.

“I’m going to need that computer.”

Her fingers traced the top of her laptop. She’d rather the police have a hold of it than the bad guys. But still—there were things hidden on the hard drive that would raise suspicions. Thankfully, it would take the police department a while to locate that information. Maybe she could buy herself some time.

“Of course,” she finally said. “It’s like I said, I just remembered a few things I needed to pick up. That’s the only reason I came here. I promise.”

His gaze remained suspicious. “You could have called me.”

“I figured you were home with your family.” Her voice trembled with anxiety. “It really wasn’t a big deal. At least, I didn’t think it was.”

As something dark crossed his face, she realized that any of his earlier goodwill was gone. She’d broken her trust with him and just diminished her chances of having someone in her corner.

“Why’d you go into that gas station?” he asked.

She didn’t say anything. She knew how it would sound when she told him she had to buy a burner phone. She’d had no choice but to do so. She had to reach her CIA contact somehow. Nicholas was her only chance of getting help.

“I had to buy something,” she finally said, sticking with the truth.

He shifted and narrowed his eyes. “What did you have to buy?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip a moment. There was no need to deny it. Certainly the police would end up checking her credit card records. They’d find out what she purchased one way or another.

“I bought a phone,” she admitted. “You confiscated my cell, and I don’t like to be without one. It’s only smart as a single woman.”

It was the truth—just not all of it.

Detective James shifted in front of her, his frame imposing and almost intimidating. “Who do you want to call? Your partner in crime maybe? The person who’s helping you get away with this?”

“I just want to have the ability to call someone.”

“Your hotel room has a phone.”

Laney’s shoulders slumped. Mark James didn’t accept answers easily. She was certain that made him a good detective, but he frustrated her now. Her top-secret job was only working to make her look guilty, and she knew it.

“I wanted to call my boss, okay?” Laney crossed her arms over her chest, wishing something would go her way. Instead, life seemed to be working against her.

He finally lowered his hand from his gun. “Why?”

Her shoulders relaxed, but only slightly. “I might be missing work over the next few days. That’s kind of important. I depend on my job to pay my bills. I can’t afford to simply drop off the face of the earth without explanation.”

“Again, you could have used your hotel phone.” His calculating eyes continued to assess her.

Laney forced herself to raise her chin and not appear spooked by his interrogation. She had to be strong. Besides, she’d done nothing wrong. If she acted guilty, the detective would only have more ammunition against her. “I don’t see where this is a big deal.”

“It’s a big deal because that phone you purchased will have an untraceable number. Maybe you want to make a ransom call with it. Or maybe you have an accomplice and you don’t want us to know about your communications with him. I could continue to list more reasons, but I’m sure you can see my point.”

Alarm rushed through her as the truth of his words settled in her mind. They were looking for anything possible to nail her. She had to be careful. “It’s not like that. I promise.”

Mark’s gaze locked with hers. “I’m having a hard time taking you at your word, Laney. You’ve been less than honest with me.”

At the moment, she felt both dwarfed by his presence and like she wanted to shrink and hide. “I haven’t lied. I just didn’t realize I needed to run these things past you.”

The detective narrowed his eyes. “You’re our number-one suspect. We’re watching your every move. Surely you realize that. I need you to turn over that phone to me.”

She raised her chin. She had no one to fight for her. That meant she had to fight for herself. It was that or let herself go down for a crime she didn’t commit. Still, she had to choose her battles.

Begrudgingly, she slapped the phone into his hands. “Fine. But you’re wasting your time investigating the wrong person. Meanwhile, the real culprit is probably burying himself deeper, which lessens your opportunity to find him.”

They stared off for a moment, neither saying anything.

She waited, wondering if the detective would arrest her again.

* * *

Mark’s phone buzzed. He kept his eyes on Laney as he pulled it from his belt. The woman wasn’t telling him everything, and he wasn’t ready to let this drop. But the phone call was from his partner, and he hoped Jim might have something new to move this case along.

“We have new information,” Jim said.

“What’s that?” Mark didn’t dare pull his gaze off the woman in front of him.

“Ms. Ryan’s in-laws never got that money she said she sent to them. Said they didn’t know anything about it.”

Mark watched as Laney stood against the wall, looking as rigid as a statue. Had his gut instinct been wrong? Was she guilty and trying to play him for a fool?

“Interesting. Any record of where it went?”

“Into a secret account,” Jim said. “The amount was just deposited yesterday. It would be the perfect amount of money to get away from everything. Ten thousand dollars would last a long time.”

His stomach twisted with disgust. Laney was obviously a great liar. The best criminals had looks that were deceiving. They hid in plain sight under the guise of being a good citizen. They won awards. They had no police record. Their pasts seemed to provide alibis within themselves.

Wolves in sheep’s clothing, he reminded himself.

They were out there, just waiting to strike.

He rubbed his jaw, more annoyed than ever. “How does the captain want us to handle this?”

“Same protocol. Keep an eye on her. He’s hoping she’ll lead us right to Sarah. If she really cares about the girl like she claims, she’ll have to get back to her eventually to check on her and give her food.”

“Not if she has a partner,” Mark said.

“I thought of that. But the woman’s a loner. Who would she be working with?”

“I’m not sure.”

“We’re looking into her records and trying to get in touch with her boss,” Jim said. “The number she gave us keeps on coming up as disconnected.”

“I’ll keep all of that in mind,” Mark muttered. That was another strike against her. They continued to add up. “Thanks.”

Mark hung up and turned to Laney. Her eyes were wide with anticipation, as if she knew something was wrong. He wasn’t letting her off the hook this time.

“You want to rethink your story?”

She stared a moment before shaking her head. She rolled back her shoulders, as if finding some kind of internal courage. “No, I don’t. I told you the truth.”

“Then explain why your in-laws know nothing about that money you supposedly sent to them.”

Her eyes became even wider. “I did send it to them. Just two days ago. Ten thousand dollars. My father-in-law has been out of work and dealing with multiple health issues. It seemed the least I could do. Nate would have wanted me to do it. I used part of his life insurance policy that I’d been saving for a rainy day.”

“The money never got to them.”

Her forehead wrinkled with confusion. “I was going to surprise them. I had a cashier’s check cut and sent out. I have no idea why they haven’t received it.”

“Can you explain why another bank account was opened in your name and the money was deposited there?”

Her lips parted. “You can’t be telling the truth. I didn’t do that. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Computer records say you did.”

“Computer records are wrong.” She crossed her arms. “They can be manipulated.”

“How do you know that?”

“I have my PhD in computer science. I’m a software engineer, in simple terms. That’s why.”

Mark shifted, determined not to let this go. “Why isn’t your boss answering his phone?”

She tilted her head. “He hasn’t answered for me, either. Maybe something came up. It’s the only thing I can think of.”

“Maybe that’s because the company doesn’t exist.”

Her eyes widened with something close to panic. “Of course it exists. I’ve worked there for three years. Can’t you see that I’m being set up? I know you probably don’t believe me, but I’m telling you the truth.”

“Who would have had access to your information to do something like this?”

She shook her head. “I feel like a broken record, but I truly have no idea. Someone who’s better at computers than I am...” Her voice trailed and her eyes got a faraway look.

“What are you thinking?”

She fidgeted. “I work with computers and programming. If I could access my computer—”

“Then you could potentially delete more evidence against you.”

“I didn’t.”

“Maybe you’re working with someone?”

She shook her head more adamantly now. “No! I’m not. At least give me the chance to prove myself.”

“As soon as my partner is able to go before a judge, we’ll have a warrant for your arrest.”

Panic quelled in her gaze, and she gripped the wall again, as if she needed it to hold her steady. “No! Please. I just need time. I want to find Sarah just as much as you. Maybe even more.”

“There’s something you’re not telling me, Laney, and I intend to figure out what that is.”

She raised her chin. “If I’m not under arrest, then I need to ask you to leave.”

He stared back. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“You’re violating my rights. Unless you’re arresting me, then leave.”

He considered his words carefully. His hands were tied there. The woman was right: he couldn’t force her to let him stay. But his boss had ordered him to keep an eye on her. “You’re making a mistake if you send me away.”

She stared back, a fire igniting in her gaze. “No, you’re the one making a mistake here. And I’m going to prove it.”

Just as he stepped out of her house, an explosion rattled windows.


FIVE (#ulink_670028fa-6f13-5f8a-89f6-ef8bd34dbed3)

Laney rushed out her door and gasped when she saw the flames burning from the center of her yard. “What...?”

A vehicle squealed away. Mark quickly called for backup before grabbing Laney’s arm. “Stay back.”

“But what...?”

“Molotov cocktail,” he explained. “It’s a type of homemade bomb. Maybe someone wants to let you know you’re not welcome in the neighborhood anymore. It’s not all that unusual in situations like these.”

She narrowed her eyes at Mark. No one would think she was guilty if the police hadn’t taken her in. They were wasting so much time on her when the real kidnapper was getting away.

Mark paused for long enough to respond to someone on his phone. The flames had quickly died down—the explosion more for a surprise effect than to cause damage. Well, it had worked. Laney was more shaken than ever.

She had to be proactive here. Sarah’s life was on the line, but so was Laney’s. She’d learned a long time ago she couldn’t wait around for other people to save the day. If she was going to prove her innocence and help Sarah, she had to make the most of her time.

Laney stormed toward the back of the house.

“What are you doing?” Mark called, following after her.

“I’m looking for evidence that your guys aren’t searching for.”

“If you’re innocent, then you won’t mind if I tag along.”

She turned toward him, her eyes blazing. “Be my guest.”

She was all too aware that he was on her heels as she went into her backyard. She desperately longed to get on her computer, to do what she did best: researching. Maybe she could contact Nicholas through her email. Maybe the agency would hire a lawyer for her or give her advice on how to manage this situation.

That computer was like an appendage. It was her work, her livelihood, her fun, her connection with the outside world. While other girls had been doing their hair and makeup, she’d been writing code. The odd quirk hadn’t gained her many friends, but eventually she’d gotten a full-ride scholarship to MIT. She’d been sought after by the biggest and best companies.

None of her professors would have predicted this.

“What exactly are you looking for?” Mark asked.

“I have no idea. But somewhere here, there’s evidence that tells a different story than the one you guys have put together. I intended to find out what it is.”

“Go for it.”

She turned her flashlight app on her phone and shone the beam along the ground. No doubt the police had trampled any evidence in their effort to nab her. But maybe there was something they’d missed.

Common sense sometimes eluded her, but she was book smart and had attention to details. Her brain, it seemed, sometimes worked like a computer. She was always processing facts but not always great at interpreting them.

Where else could she look?

If Sarah really had come into Laney’s house while she was gone, then where had she disappeared to? No one had seen her leave out the front door. But Laney’s backyard had a privacy fence that stretched along the property. Anything happening back there would be concealed. However, neighbors surrounded her on all sides.

She headed outside and began walking along the property line, looking for anything that might offer a clue. It all seemed useless, but she couldn’t give up. She had to do something!

If people had been back there, then they would have to leave through the fence. Otherwise, the only gate led to her driveway and anyone could have seen.

She paused by one area of the fence. Something there caught her eye. The section of pickets was slightly uneven with the rest. They hadn’t been like that before. She was certain of it.

She leaned closer. Along the edges there were pry marks.

Pry marks.

What if...?

“What are you thinking?”

Mark’s voice pulled her away from her thoughts. She’d nearly forgotten he was there he’d been so quiet and observant. Was he waiting for her to mess up? To slip up and reveal something that she hadn’t admitted yet?

She stared at the fence, her mind working like a computer processing new commands. Slowly, the information formed a picture. “What if someone lured Sarah to my house? Maybe once she got inside, they knocked her out or restrained her somehow. Then they took her out the backyard and through this section of fence.”

“How did someone have access to your house? Who else has a key?”

She refused to frown. “No one. But it’s not that hard to jimmy locks.”

“You don’t have an alarm? That’s usually the first thing people do when they’ve had a home invasion.”

This time the frown tried hard to break through, but she continued to fight it. The detective was sharp; she’d give him that. “I do. But I’ve only been using it at night.”

“Why would someone go through all of that trouble?”

“That’s the question you’re supposed to be figuring out.” She didn’t bother to look at his reaction. Instead, she pointed in the distance. “Sol’s property backs up to a section of woods. Maybe the kidnappers had a car waiting back there.”

“That’s a lot of work when someone could have grabbed her at the bus stop.”

Not if someone’s trying to frame me.

She kept that thought silent—for now—and locked gazes with Mark. “So what do you think?”

Mark stared into space a moment. He pressed his lips together in thought as if battling with himself. Finally, he nodded. “I’ve got to say that I can’t discount that possibility. I’ll have some of my men check it out.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he warned. “And you might want to seriously think about hiring a lawyer.”

Just then, car doors closed out front and more flashing lights appeared.

“Come on,” Mark said, cupping her elbow and leading her toward the back door.

“Where are we going?”

“I need you to wait inside while I talk to the guys out front. Stay there until I get back. Understand?”

She nodded. “Understood.”

Maybe—just maybe—the detective would eventually believe her. Maybe the police would start looking in the right direction, focusing their efforts on the real kidnapper instead of Laney.

She prayed to God that she wasn’t asking too much.

Please, Lord, give them wisdom. And watch over Sarah.

* * *

Mark’s comrades in arms had managed to catch the man who’d tossed the Molotov cocktail into Laney’s front yard. Mark had memorized his license plate, and the police had quickly tracked him down at his house two blocks over. As he suspected, the man—a neighbor—had wanted to show his displeasure that a “kidnapper” had been released into his neighborhood. The community often wanted to show their own justice at the atrocities that affected them, especially when they felt like the police weren’t doing their jobs.

The man had no prior history, but he’d acted as a vigilante on behalf of the neighborhood. He had a background first in the military and currently as a security guard, which he felt gave him a license to take justice into his own hands.

At the moment, fire trucks lingered outside Laney’s home, officials making sure there was no further danger from the bomb that was thrown, two police cars still remained, and an ambulance had even come, just in case. Neighbors peeked out their windows, curious about the circus going on outside their homes.

When he walked back inside, he stopped in the foyer. Laney held a metal object in her hand and swept it across pictures on the dining room wall. The machine started to beep by a mirror and she set what he now recognized as a metal detector on the table before shoving the mirror aside.

“What are you doing?” Mark’s hands went to his hips. Had this woman lost her mind? Was she paranoid?

She plucked something from the wall and stepped back, a deep frown on her face as she stared at the bug-sized object.

“I’m looking for these.” She raised the small, metallic device in her hands up to the light so Mark could get a better look.

“What is that?” Mark had an inkling, but that just didn’t fit with the situation or with Laney, for that matter. He still remained cautious, hoping the woman wasn’t crazy.

Fire lit her eyes as she met his gaze. “This is a camera. Someone’s been watching me. They’ve been learning my routine. Listening to my conversations. Who knows what else.”

She dropped it on the ground and smashed it with her foot with more vengeance than was probably necessary.

He started to stop her, reached for her, but finally dropped his hand and scowled. “If what you said is true, you just ruined our chances of tracking down whoever left it here,” he muttered.

She frowned and stared at the hardware on the ground. “You’re right. I was hasty. I just couldn’t stomach someone being able to record any more of my life or this conversation, for that matter. I’m sorry.”

“How did you know?” He tried to put the pieces together, what he knew about Laney, what he knew about this kidnapping. Something wasn’t fitting, and that realization caused unease to stir in him. What exactly was going on here?

Laney held up the metal detector. “This is a long story.”

“I have time.” He crossed his arms. She wasn’t getting out of answering that easily.

“It was just a gut feeling. I can’t explain it.”

“Normal people don’t have ‘gut feelings’ that they’re being bugged.” Paranoid people—maybe. But paranoid people were hardly ever correct. Laney, somehow, was.

She squirmed. “I’ve always been overly cautious. My husband was a SEAL.”

“Keep going,” he insisted.

“There were threats against the families of SEALs. We did some defense classes. Any other information, you’ll have to talk to his commander.”

“And the cameras? I suppose they trained you on how to find those also?”

The same fire flashed in her gaze again. “You’re avoiding the real issue here. Someone has been surveilling me and now I’m being set up. That was the third camera I found.”

He crossed his arms, trying to remain cautious. His unease was quickly turning into alarm. Why would someone have planted these in her house? Or was this just a scheme by Laney to take the attention off herself?

He rubbed his chin, wishing that metal detector was a lie detector instead. “If what you’re saying is true, they went through a lot of trouble to make you look guilty.”

“You don’t have to tell me that. I think I’ve been a target all along. Who knows how long these have been here.”




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