Without a Trace

by Amanda Stevens

  With an effort, she looked him in the eyes without flinching, focusing on the attractive crinkles at the corners rather than the depth of his gaze. “He and Lauren both got in a little while ago.”

  Tom glanced away, turning his attention to the wooded drive and the highway beyond for a moment. His silence seemed ominous.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” Rae demanded.

  His gaze came back to her. “There’ve been some new developments in the case.”

  She tried to remain calm, but her heart pummeled her chest. “What new developments? Tell me if I need to prepare myself.”

  His gaze softened. “We haven’t found Sophie, but we do have some new information. For one thing, the blood we found at the Ruins last night isn’t a match for Sophie or Marty Booker. We now know for certain a third person was in the building last night.”

  “But we already knew that.” Rae rubbed the back of her arm, hoping he wouldn’t notice the chill bumps popping on her skin or the tremor in her fingers. “You and I talked about it this morning. Marty Booker said that Preacher took Sophie.”

  “The blood isn’t a match for Silas Creed, either,” he said. “We can eliminate that possibility.”

  “You never believed he’d come back anyway.”

  “No.”

  “But he could still be alive.”

  “It’s possible,” Tom said. “My guess is he’s long dead.”

  Rae glanced out over the property, frowning into the sunlight. Was someone out there right now watching them, taking note of her interaction with the sheriff? Would they punish Sophie if anyone in the family made a wrong move? She closed her eyes on a shiver. “So we still don’t know who took my niece. With each passing moment she could be slipping farther away from us.”

  “You can’t lose hope,” Tom said. “It’s early yet, and like I said, we have new information that could turn into a significant lead. Can we go inside? It’ll save time if I explain everything to all of you at once.”

  Rae hesitated, keenly aware of all that money on the back seat. The doors were locked and the vehicle in plain view of the house, but that was a lot of cash to leave lying around. Still, she couldn’t very well open the door and remove the bag without arousing Tom’s suspicions.

  She wasn’t overly trusting of law enforcement, particularly after their failure to find her sister. Despite that, her instinct was to come clean with Tom. She wanted desperately to trust him, but he was a Brannon and she was a Cavanaugh. Fifteen years of misgiving and animosity didn’t disappear overnight. And anyway, her brother was right. It wasn’t her call. She’d already made one bad mistake. Sophie had gone missing on her watch. What if she went behind Jackson’s back and told Tom about the ransom demand? What if the kidnappers really were watching? What if they hurt Sophie because Rae hadn’t followed their orders? She’d never be able to live with herself.

  But what if they hurt Sophie anyway? What if this whole thing blew up in their faces? Could she live with herself then?

  Doubts churned as she opened the front door and motioned Tom inside. The living space had been remodeled a few years ago into a wide-open concept. The foyer led into a spacious family room with plank flooring and a beamed ceiling. Rae could see all the way through the dining room into the kitchen. Lauren stood at the island pouring a glass of wine. She glanced up when she heard the front door. She walked around the island and came through the dining room into the family room.

  “Rae? What took you so long—” She broke off when she spotted Tom in the foyer. Then her gaze darted back to Rae. “You didn’t—”

  “Forget to call Sheriff Brannon? I’m afraid I did.” Rae gave her a warning look. “He tried to flag me down in town, but I didn’t see him. So he drove all the way out here to speak to the family. There’ve been some new developments in the case.”

  Something flickered at the back of Lauren’s eyes. “What new developments? Is Sophie—”

  “She hasn’t been found yet,” Rae said. “Let’s just go into the study. Is Jackson still in there with Dad?”

  “Yes, but I wish you’d tell me what’s going on.”

  “I’ve told you everything I know. Sheriff Brannon will fill us in on the rest. Oh, and I’d advise you to leave the wine.” She nodded to the stemware in Lauren’s hand. “You know how Dad disapproves of imbibing before five, much less before lunch.” She made a point of glancing at her watch even though she already knew the hour. Why she felt the need to antagonize her sister-in-law at a time like this, Rae couldn’t say. Maybe it was because Lauren had never really given Sophie a chance and Rae felt defensive and resentful on her niece’s behalf. Maybe it was because both Lauren and Jackson had leaped at the chance to dump their responsibilities so that they could take off for sunnier ports.

  Or maybe she just wasn’t a very nice person, Rae acknowledged.

  Lauren polished off the wine and gave her a defiant glare as she set the glass on a nearby side table instead of returning it to the kitchen. Tom hadn’t said a word during the whole confrontation. He hovered in the doorway waiting for his cue.

  “This way,” Rae said and turned on her heel.

  They walked down the hallway together and Rae knocked sharply before opening the double doors. Her brother and dad looked up expectantly. Their gazes lit on Tom, but before they could utter a protest, Rae said, “Sheriff Brannon needs a word.”

  Her father was seated behind his desk while Jackson stood silhouetted against the French doors. He stood frozen, his gaze going from Rae to Tom and finally to Lauren. She walked around Rae and took her usual place on the sofa. No one said anything for the longest moment. It was as if the presence of a Brannon in West Cavanaugh’s inner sanctum had rendered them all speechless.

  Then Jackson’s surly nature rallied. He came forward, his expression both puzzled and hostile. “Rae? What’s going on?”

  “Tom needs to talk to you about Sophie. I’m sure he has a lot of questions for all of us. He is the sheriff, you know.”

  “That fact hasn’t escaped any of us.”

  “Try to keep a civil tongue.” She gave her brother the same warning glance she’d shot Lauren earlier. “We need to hear what he has to say.”

  West sat forward. “Have you found my granddaughter yet?”

  “No, sir, I’m afraid not. But we do have a promising lead.” Tom came all the way into the room then, commanding the attention of even his enemies. Rae had to admire his professional aplomb. The simmering aggression in the study was butter-thick and razor-sharp, but Tom’s tone was all business. He told them about the blood analysis first and how it disputed Marty Booker’s claim that Preacher had taken Sophie. Then he launched into a lengthier explanation about the text messages and symbols found on Sophie’s phone and how they seemed to relate to the pictures of the Ruins that were on her computer. When he finished, they all stared at him with a mixture of incredulity and anxiety.

  Rae hardly knew what to make of any of it. “Sophie was playing a game?”

  Tom nodded. “The best we can tell, she and her friends have been playing for weeks.”

  Jackson looked beside himself. Every muscle in his body tensed as he balled his hands into fists at his sides. “That’s it? That’s the promising lead?”

  “It’s more than we had this morning,” Tom said.

  Jackson shook his head as if he, too, were trying to make sense of it all. “You found some text messages on my daughter’s phone and now you think someone kidnapped her because of a stupid game?”

  “We think the game may have been used as a ruse to lure Sophie to the Ruins alone.”

  “But you said she and her friends have been playing the game for weeks,” Rae said. “Why wait until last night to take her?”

  Tom shrugged. “Could have been a matter of timing and circumstances. Or the suspect may have had to work up his nerve. We just don’t
know.”

  “His nerve?” Rae asked.

  “If Sophie was abducted, the suspect is most likely male, but we’re not ruling out any possibility at this point.” Tom turned back to Jackson. “Has Sophie talked about any new acquaintances lately? Have you seen her with anyone outside her ordinary circle of friends?”

  Jackson remained brusque and uncooperative. “You’d have to ask my sister. Sophie has been staying with her for the past three weeks.”

  Rae winced. The accusation in his voice was like the point of a dagger in her heart. Guilt made her a tender target. Maybe that was why she’d felt the need to goad her sister-in-law. Just like after Riley’s disappearance, Rae found it easier to blame and deflect than to examine too closely her own culpability.

  If she were honest with herself, she’d have to admit that she hadn’t exactly been Sophie’s champion. Rae had been too caught up in her own life. She’d never taken the time to get to know her niece like she should have. Would it have killed her to take Sophie shopping or to a movie now and then? Was it that much of an inconvenience to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with the girl? What if it was too late to do any of those things now? What if Rae never got the chance to tell Sophie how much she cared about her? What if she never got the chance to say goodbye?

  At the back of her mind, Riley materialized, but only for a moment before she melted back into the misty unknown. Tears welled in Rae’s eyes, but she blinked them away. She had no right to cry.

  Tom said, “We’ve reason to believe the game originated while Sophie was still living at home.”

  Jackson’s eyes flashed angrily. “Just what the hell are you implying?”

  His outburst seemed to surprise Tom even though she’d warned him about Jackson’s disposition. “I’m not implying anything. I’m trying to establish whether anyone new had come into Sophie’s life before she went to stay with Rae. The fourth player remains a mystery. We’d like to find out who that person is.”

  Rae thought about Sophie’s time with her. “Hannah Tucker and Dylan Moody were the only two who ever came to my house. You saw them there this morning. If Sophie hung out with anyone else, I never saw them.”

  Jackson pounced. “Have you questioned the Moody kid yet? I wouldn’t put anything past that punk. Look at how he was brought up. His old man’s never been anything but trouble. I’ve known Dwight Moody since high school. You try to cut him a break, he’s apt to turn around and stab you in the back. But if there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s sniffing out easy money. I wouldn’t be surprised if he and the kid are in this together.”

  Tom said slowly, “Are you saying you think Sophie was taken for money?”

  Too late Jackson realized his mistake. He opened his mouth and then shut it again as he searched for a way out.

  Whether her intent or not, Lauren came to his rescue. She gave him a contemptuous stare. “You’re jumping to conclusions because you don’t like Dylan. That boy didn’t take Sophie. He’d never do anything to hurt her.”

  Jackson spun to face his wife, transferring his frustration onto her. “And you know this how?”

  “I’ve seen them together. He’s crazy about her.” Defiance sparked as Lauren lifted her chin and glared at her husband. Something was definitely going on between them. An undercurrent of hostility that couldn’t be feigned. The pair had never been shy about arguing in public. They both had quick tempers and acerbic tongues, but the rancor simmering between them now was something new. Something dark and disturbing.

  Lauren’s taunt pushed all the wrong buttons, as she had undoubtedly meant for it to. Jackson took a step toward her. “Why are you defending that little creep? If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think—”

  “What?” Lauren rose slowly to confront him. “What would you think?”

  He stared her down for a moment without speaking. Then he jabbed a finger in the air in Rae’s direction without looking at her. “You’re as much to blame for this as she is. If it wasn’t for you, Sophie would still be home, where she belongs.”

  Lauren’s eyes flared knowingly. “I’m not the reason Sophie left home. She couldn’t wait to get away from you.”

  The nasty argument dissolved into another stare down. Rae sat watching them in dread and fascination. Why were they doing this in front of Tom Brannon, of all people? Didn’t they know he would be taking all of this in? Rae’s gaze darted to the sheriff. One thing was certain. The confrontation had taken the focus off Jackson’s gaffe. Without another word, her brother whirled and started toward the door.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Lauren called after him.

  “To find that stupid kid. I’ll beat the truth out of him if I have to.”

  Rae jumped to her feet and grabbed her brother’s arm. “Just calm down—”

  He shoved her aside. She stumbled and fell back against the chair. Tom was in Jackson’s face in a flash. “Touch her again and I’ll put you in cuffs.”

  “Get out of my way or I’ll have your badge.”

  Tom didn’t budge. “You can try, but it won’t stop me from doing my job. You start trouble with that boy and I’ll have no choice but to take you in.”

  “He’s right,” Rae said. “Just back off and let the man do his job.”

  “Do his job? You mean the same way his old man found our sister?”

  The phone rang just then and Jackson’s sneer vanished. Rae could see her brother’s profile. In that moment, his rage deflated and he looked as terrified as she felt. Her gaze flashed to her father’s desk. Everyone in the room seemed to freeze, including West Cavanaugh. Then he lifted the handset to his ear. After a gruff hello, he listened for a moment and then said, “I can’t talk now. You’ll have to call back later.” He slammed the phone down and stood.

  “Dad?” Rae half rose, too.

  He put up a hand to stop her. “I’m going outside for some air. Don’t anyone try to follow me. I’ve had my fill of the lot of you.” His gaze pierced Jackson. “Get yourself together. If you have to air your dirty laundry in this house, do it behind closed doors. And you.” He turned to Rae. “You brought the sheriff in here, you can damn well show him to the door.”

  Chapter Seven

  West stepped out into the garden and slammed the door behind him. Rae wanted to follow. She wanted to know if one of the kidnappers had been on the other end of that call, but she couldn’t say anything with Tom still present. Jackson wavered as if debating on whether or not to defy their dad’s wishes. Then he turned and stormed out of the room. Lauren followed him out into the hallway, where they continued to bicker until their voices faded behind another slammed door.

  Tom turned to Rae. “That went well.”

  She gave a shaky laugh to relieve tension. “Didn’t it? As well as could be expected, knowing my family the way I do. Come on. I’ll walk you to your car.”

  All the way down the hallway, she was conscious of Tom’s sidelong gaze. He had to be curious about the scene that had just gone down between Jackson and his wife, about the phone call, Rae’s behavior and everything else. He said nothing, but his silence spoke volumes.

  Once they were outside, she surreptitiously glanced in the back seat of her car on the way to his vehicle. The bag was still there, thank goodness.

  She leaned against his door and turned her face to the sky. A hawk circled overhead. She watched for a moment, but the sky was so brilliant she had to look away. Exhaustion tugged. With very little effort, she could drift off. Just close her eyes and float away from this whole awful mess. How could a day be so beautiful on the surface and so ugly underneath?

  “Rae?”

  She opened her eyes.

  “Are you okay? You’re very quiet all of a sudden.”

  “Just lost in thought. I can only imagine what you must think of us after that embarrassing display.”

  “I think
you’re a family in crisis,” he said. “You’ve lost a mother, a sister, and now you’re afraid you may be facing another tragedy.”

  His compassion brought tears to her eyes. She took a moment to gather her composure. “It’s true what they say about the waiting. The not knowing. It wears on you. All the terrible things that go through your head. Your mind never shuts down. You can’t sleep.You can’t eat. You start to dread the sound of the phone. Then comes the time when the phone stops ringing and the silence is even more terrifying.”

  Tom gave her one of those soft gazes, the kind that tore at her resolve. She thought again how nice it would be to feel those strong arms around her, to have his broad shoulder to lean on. She wasn’t a needy person. She’d always been fiercely independent and proud of it. But this wasn’t about need. It was about comfort and understanding. The solace of having someone next to you who’d have your back no matter what. Rae loved her father and brother, but she couldn’t honestly say that she trusted them to always have her best interest at heart. They were too arrogant and single-minded.

  “I know it’s hard,” Tom said. “But Sophie isn’t Riley. She didn’t disappear without a trace. She left a trail.”

  Rae tucked back her hair. “You mean the text messages?”

  “Among other things. We won’t rest until we follow every bread crumb.” He glanced over his shoulder at the house. “Your brother worries me, though. I meant what I said inside. If he goes after the Moody boy, I’ll have no choice but to lock him up.”

  “He won’t,” Rae said. “He was just letting off steam.”

  “Does he always get physical when he lets off steam?”

  She frowned. “You mean what happened just now? That was nothing. A sibling skirmish. Besides, I’m the one who started it. I grabbed his arm, he pushed me away and I tripped. Please don’t make more of it than it was. Don’t you and your sister ever fight?”

  “We have the occasional disagreement.”

  “Occasional.” Her smiled turned bitter. “Most families aren’t perfect.”