“Maybe, but he’ll have to show up in person to collect Melissa,” Paul stated.
“What are you saying?” Josh asked him.
“Have Zeke message him that he’s kidnapped Melissa and is ready to hand her off. He’ll have to show up then.”
“Or he might send someone else to pick her up,” Josh argued.
“Either way,” Cecile commented, “it would be putting her in danger’s way.”
Miles gaped at his brother, appalled that they were even discussing the possibility. No way was he placing Melissa into the hands of a known killer even if it meant bringing the guy in. Too many things could go wrong. He wouldn’t risk it.
“Not if it’s not her,” Paul continued. He turned to Cecile. “You and Melissa are about the same height and build. With a wig, it could fool him, at least until you got close enough to arrest him.”
She considered it, then nodded. “That’s a decent plan. And if we make me up to look like I’ve been beaten up, that would help hide my face even more.”
Josh stood stoically. “That’s asking a lot of Zeke.”
But Cecile stood to face him. “He’s the one who wanted to do this. I would be right there with him. Plus, you and your brothers would be close by. I’m not saying it isn’t dangerous, but it’s the job we signed on for, isn’t it?”
Josh nodded. “Okay. Bring Zeke in. I want him under my protection until this goes down.”
Cecile hurried out of the conference room.
Miles studied his brother. He saw hesitation in his face—hesitation to put people he cared about in the line of fire. He understood that. “Are you sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to back out.”
“Cecile is right. This is the job.”
Miles didn’t like this idea much, but if they were truly going to capture this guy, he agreed it was time to act. And using Cecile to lure this guy out of the darkness was the best plan he’d heard so far. Best of all, it might mean they could resolve this soon and end the danger to Melissa. No matter what else happened, he wasn’t going to allow anyone to hurt her. Like his brother, he wasn’t ready to lose anyone he cared about.
He walked out of the conference room and into Josh’s office. Melissa looked up at him. He probably shouldn’t have brought her—or Dylan—with him to the sheriff’s office, but he’d decided he wasn’t ready to let either of them out of his sight. He preferred having them where he could protect them both and he couldn’t do that if he was across town.
“What did you all decide?” she asked.
“They’re going to have Cecile pretend to be you and have Zeke deliver her to this guy who offered to pay him. By the way, it wasn’t Kirby.”
“Who do you think it is?”
“I don’t know. The mole in my office, maybe. Whoever they are, this could tie him back to Kirby and Shearer—and then you would be safe.”
“Do you think that will work?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I hope it does.”
“That Zeke is a pretty brave kid, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, I’m just now realizing what a good guy he really is. Are you going to be okay in here or would you rather we return to the Silver Star?” He preferred staying here, but it looked like it was going to be a long night monitoring the situation with Zeke and Cecile, and it might be easier to care for Dylan at the ranch. But, hopefully, once it was over, this nightmare would be over, too, and Melissa would be free from danger.
She rubbed Dylan’s hair as she looked up at Miles. “I’d rather stay close.”
He was glad. The sheriff’s office would be on minimal staff with five of the eight deputies involved in the operation, but Melissa was still safer here with him and his brothers close by than she would be anywhere else. “We’ll be in the conference room if you need us and I’ve got my cell phone. I’ll be checking on you.”
He headed back toward the conference room, where Cecile was pulling on the wig that would transform her into a reasonably convincing copy of Melissa. He had to admit, from a distance, she could pass. It was a good plan and he was hopeful. He grabbed a cup of coffee and was surprised to find Ellie sitting at one of the tables in the break room. He hadn’t seen his old girlfriend since he and Melissa had bought those clothes from her when they’d first come to town. “Hey, Ellie, what’s going on? Why are you here?”
“Someone tried to...break into my house this afternoon.” Her words came out choppy and he noticed how anxious she seemed as she gripped a paper cup full of coffee. “I came home from the grocery store and found him. Deputy Vance asked me to come in and file a report and look through some mug shots to see if I can identify the guy, but it seems everyone is busy with something else.”
Normal operations had been affected by this sting operation and he felt bad she was being inconvenienced by it. “I’m sure someone will be able to help you soon.”
“It doesn’t matter. I really don’t want to be alone in that house right now. I’m just as happy to stay here for a while.”
He kneeled beside her and felt her shaking. She’d had a frightening experience and was fortunate the intruder hadn’t harmed her. He felt like a jerk now for bringing up her marriage back when they’d run into each other in the store. It wasn’t until he’d spoken with his mother later that he’d learned that not only was she divorced, but she’d also lost her four-year-old son in a drowning accident. As bad as things had gotten for her, he was surprised she’d returned to Courtland County, but perhaps this community could be what helped her cope with her losses.
He understood that, too. His hometown was important to him, as well. He glanced through the office windows to where Melissa was reading Dylan a book on Josh’s couch and felt a familiar pull. This place was home, but so was she.
Ellie followed his gaze. “Is that Melissa in Josh’s office?”
“Yeah, she and Dylan are hanging out while we take care of some business with my brother.”
“Maybe I’ll stop in and keep her company until Vance is ready for me.”
“I think she would like that.” And he liked that Melissa wouldn’t be alone.
Ellie reached for his hand. “You’re a good man, Miles Avery. I’m happy I got to see you again.”
He wished her well then headed back into the conference room, but not before spotting another sight in the hallway that caught him off guard—Zeke leaning down to plant a kiss on Miles’s sister. Kellyanne spotted him watching as Zeke hurried for the conference room. Her face flushed when she realized Miles had seen them.
She locked eyes with him and shrugged as if it was no big deal. “You’re not the only one with secrets, you know.”
But yet, she’d been the one to read him the riot act when his secrets had come to light.
“Zeke has been asking me out since we were in high school together, but I was never interested before.”
“What changed your mind?” Miles asked her.
“I see a lot of bad things, a lot of bad people, in my job. I suppose I finally realized I shouldn’t turn away a good man when I see one.” She glanced into the conference room, where Zeke was being fitted with a recording device, and Miles realized she was worried about him. He saw affection shining in her expression and was happy for her. She was right. Zeke was one of the good guys. “Don’t worry,” he said, trying to reassure her. “Josh and Cecile won’t let anything happen to him.”
“I know. But I’m going to stick around just in case.” She hurried down the hall toward Josh’s office and he saw her kneel down to play with Dylan on the floor. He was glad Melissa had decided to stay. They all needed a distraction tonight.
* * *
Melissa chatted with Kellyanne and briefly with Ellie before Deputy Vance called her out to look at mug shots. The whole time, Melissa’s attention was never far away from what was happening miles away and being observed in the conference
room. She wished she was in there watching, too, but she didn’t think she could stand seeing an image of herself being handed over to a killer. It wasn’t real, but that didn’t stop fear from pressing down on her. She knew that if she watched it, she wouldn’t be able to stop the constant replay in her head of the moment she’d found her mother’s lifeless body and then realized the killer was still inside the house, and every other life-threatening incident since then. She was weary of it all and she preferred to just stay here in this office with Dylan, where they were safe from the madness that was happening in the world.
She turned back to see Kellyanne playing dinosaurs with Dylan, who was giggling and having a good time. He wasn’t bothered with being cooped up in this office because he had people around him who played with him and cared about him. Kellyanne would have made a good aunt to Dylan and she wished that he would have a family like the Averys. But that could never happen. She had to enjoy it while it lasted, before she and Dylan moved on to their next identity and said goodbye to both Miles and the Avery family for good.
She grew a little light-headed at the thought of saying goodbye and sat on the couch before her legs gave out. She always did her best to keep her emotions in check, especially in front of Dylan, so this reaction was disconcerting. But she soon realized this was more than just her emotions gone wild. The room started spinning and she felt sick. She tried to call out to Kellyanne, but saw her lying unmoving on the carpet as Dylan played beside her.
Something was wrong. Kellyanne wouldn’t have fallen asleep like that. She glanced at the coffee cups sitting around the room and realized someone must have drugged them. She tried to reach for one and knocked it over, spilling the contents on the floor, but she couldn’t muster the strength to clean up the mess. Her limbs had grown heavy and she was having trouble keeping her eyes open.
She tried to call out to Dylan and after a moment he walked over to her and looked at her questioningly.
“Mama, you okay?”
She wanted to reassure him, but at the same time she knew something was terribly wrong. She tried to scream at him to run and hide, but the words wouldn’t come. The door opened and Dylan turned to someone who picked him up. She couldn’t see who it was, but she was screaming in her head.
Help me! Please, help me!
She tried to turn her head to see what was happening and caught only a glimpse of Dylan’s face as someone carried him out the door before the darkness pulled her away.
NINE
Miles paced while his brothers watched surveillance video from a camera pinned to a button on Cecile’s blouse. He was surprised Josh’s small department could afford video surveillance, but his brother had told him the cameras had been purchased with money confiscated during a drug bust. He listened to Cecile walk Zeke through what they were about to do before Zeke pulled the car to a stop and they both stepped into character.
Zeke dragged a struggling Cecile toward a parked dark-colored SUV. The kid was a good actor and really seemed to be playing his part to the letter. Cecile kept her head down until they approached the car, but the camera on her shirt had a clear line of vision as a man exited the vehicle and approached them.
“I have what you wanted,” Zeke told him.
Two more men got out of the SUV—one from the back seat and another the front passenger side. This last man walked around the front of the car and approached them. The camera picked up his image, but thanks to the hat he was wearing, there was no clear shot of his face. He was also the first one to realize the ruse.
“It’s not her! It’s a trap,” he hollered as Cecile pulled out her weapon and warned them all to freeze.
“Go now,” Josh commanded the backup team.
The man in the hat took off running just as the team arrived.
Cecile darted after him, shouting for him to stop, but the man quickly outdistanced her and disappeared in a matter of minutes.
“We need a team to block off the streets and get a team out here to find this guy,” Cecile said into her microphone.
Josh responded. “Already on the way. Did you get a good look at him? Was he the man in charge?”
“I think so,” she said between heavy breaths. “The guys we captured appeared to be just muscle. And, no, I didn’t get a good look at him. He had his cap low, so it was difficult to see his features.”
Josh pushed back from the table. “I’m heading out there. You guys coming with me?”
Paul nodded and stood. “Absolutely. I can’t arrest anyone, but I’ll do what I can to help with the search.”
But Miles shook his head. Their best opportunity to catch this guy had turned sour and he had to think about Melissa and Dylan. Protecting them was his number-one job. “I’m going to take Melissa and Dylan home. You’ll let me know if you find anything?”
Josh agreed. Miles doubted they would find the guy, but even if they did, it would take more than arresting him to end this. They also had to convince him to turn against Shearer and admit that Shearer was the one who had pulled all the strings to have Melissa eliminated. Otherwise, Melissa might never be free from danger.
He headed for Josh’s office and noticed as he approached that the blinds were closed. He opened the door and walked inside to see Melissa slumped over on the couch in an unnatural manner. His sister was in a similar state on the floor. Paper cups and what looked like coffee had been spilled. Dylan was nowhere to be seen.
He rushed to Melissa, called her name and shook her until she groggily responded to him. There was no doubt in his mind that she’d been drugged. For a terrible moment, he wondered if he’d lost her. Panic gripped him and he shook her again until her eyes fluttered and she weakly tried to push him away. That sent relief flooding through him that, at least, she was alive.
He yelled out that he needed help as he rushed to check on Kellyanne. Several deputies came running, followed soon by Josh and Paul.
“What happened?” Josh asked, hurrying over to Kellyanne and checking on her.
“I’ll call for an ambulance,” Deputy Vance said, then turned and ran from the room.
Paul bent and examined the spilled coffee cups. “Looks like they’ve both been drugged.”
Those words sent shivers through Miles and he feared the worst. “Where’s Dylan?” He prayed the boy had just wandered off on his own.
The others began searching the room, then the rest of the sheriff’s office, but after an extensive search, Josh told him that they couldn’t find Dylan anywhere.
“I’m having my tech team pull video surveillance to see who walked in and out of here. We’ll find him. And the ambulance is on the way for these two.”
He sat by Melissa’s side, knowing that when she finally regained consciousness, she was going to be devastated. How could he have let this happen?
And how was he ever going to break the news to her that Dylan was missing?
* * *
Melissa’s head was still swimming even as she awoke. She fought her way back to consciousness and forced her eyelids to open. She’d heard a lot of commotion and realized she was lying on the couch in Josh’s office.
She recognized Miles’s deep voice close by, but she couldn’t see him. Memories began to return and she recalled feeling light-headed, then realizing that she’d been drugged before passing out. Then Dylan’s face as he was carried away from her. She cried out.
Miles was by her side in a flash, kneeling on the floor. “Melissa, are you okay?”
Hot, pressing sobs racked her. “Where’s my baby?” she moaned, but he had no answer. Dylan was gone. She knew it in her heart.
He gripped her shoulders and forced her to sit up, which helped clear her head. “I need you to focus.” His tone was sharp and demanding. “What happened here? Did you see who took Dylan?”
She saw horror and fear manifesting in his eyes and forced herself to push aside h
er emotions and try to focus, but all she could see, all she could remember, was Dylan’s face as he was carried away. “I—I don’t know. I didn’t see the person.”
His fingers dug into her shoulders. “Was it a man or woman? Tall or short? Did you notice anything about them? A sound? A smell? Anything?”
“I don’t know,” she cried, pushing his hands away. He acted like he was the one whose child was missing. Then she remembered she hadn’t been alone. “Kellyanne. She was here with me. Is she all right?”
“She’s fine. She’s being questioned by Josh. Unfortunately, she doesn’t remember anything, either. It looks like someone drugged you both.”
Someone had planned this—drugging their coffees, then watching and waiting for them both to pass out before snatching her child from her.
“It doesn’t make sense. Why take Dylan and not you?”
She tried to stand, but her legs were still shaky. Miles lowered her back to the couch. “The paramedics want to take you both to the emergency room to get you checked out,” he said.
“I’m not going,” she declared. “I want to know what’s happening, what’s being done to find Dylan.” She couldn’t sit around doing nothing. She needed to be out there looking for her child.
She tried to push to her feet, but once again, her legs buckled beneath her.
Miles’s arms went around her, keeping her from falling. She turned and leaned into him as hot, angry tears burst through her and sobs racked her body.
Where was her baby?
* * *
Melissa sat on the couch in Josh’s office with a blanket over her shoulders as the paramedic took her blood pressure. She looked pale and ready to faint. He hated seeing her this way and longed to go to her and comfort her, but he had another job to do. He had to find Dylan.
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