Without a Trace

by Amanda Stevens

  Tom told himself to quit borrowing trouble and get some sleep. Silas Creed was dead and gone. He wasn’t coming back to Belle Pointe now or ever. Better to focus on the here and now. Every day brought new challenges to the investigation and he needed to stay sharp. But his mind wouldn’t be quiet.

  Rolling over, he punched his pillow as he ran through the clues they’d uncovered thus far—the game, the texts, the symbols. All those clandestine visits to the Ruins. The revelations about Lauren Cavanaugh’s gambling and Sophie’s drained trust fund. Hannah Tucker’s sour breakup with Dylan Moody and Rae’s broken engagement to Blaine Fenton. The rumors about Jackson Cavanaugh’s financial troubles.

  Tom didn’t have much regard for Rae’s brother, but he couldn’t bring himself to believe that anyone in the family had masterminded Sophie’s kidnapping. On the other hand, Blaine Fenton had a motive. Hannah Tucker and Dylan Moody both had motives.

  And who was the elusive fourth player?

  On and on Tom’s mind churned until he finally got up, dressed and left the house. A few minutes later, he found himself pulling to the curb in front of Rae’s place. The whole house was lit up as if she’d aimlessly flipped switches as she wandered from room to room.

  He leaned his head against the back of the seat as he watched the windows. This was a terrible idea. What the hell was the matter with him anyway? Even the greenest of rookies would know better than to get personally involved with someone connected to an active investigation. Emotions only muddied the waters. He should head back home before he was spotted, get some sleep and start with a fresh perspective in the morning.

  Tom stayed put, though, because his attraction to Rae Cavanaugh wasn’t the only thing driving him tonight. Maybe he was trying to justify his surveillance, but he thought she might be holding out on him, too. Keeping secrets just like everyone else. Something had changed in her demeanor and attitude from the time he’d seen her at the edge of the Fenton ranch early that morning to when he’d spoken to her in town later in the day. Something so subtle it might be nothing more than Tom’s imagination, but his instincts hadn’t failed him in a long time. She’d been nervous and fidgety and had a hard time meeting his gaze. He’d noticed some of that uneasiness yesterday. What are you hiding, Rae? What aren’t you telling me?

  The scent from her rose garden drifted in through his open window. The white flowers lining her walkway shimmered in the moonlight as a warm breeze whispered through the oak trees. It was one of those mild summer nights that stirred memories and aroused a dangerous longing. Tom could imagine Rae up there on her porch, toeing the swing back and forth as she watched lightning bugs flit through the dark. If he wasn’t careful, he might picture himself right up there beside her.

  She appeared so suddenly at one of the front windows that Tom thought for a moment he’d somehow conjured her. But no. She was all too real as she parted the curtains and peered out into the darkness. Had she seen him? He didn’t want to alarm her by his presence, so he got out his phone and sent her a quick text:

  It’s Tom. Just checking in to make sure everything is okay before I head home.

  A few seconds went by before she answered. His text had undoubtedly caught her by surprise.

  Tom? Do you have news?

  No news. Sorry.

  A few more beats went by before she again responded.

  Are you at the station? Can’t sleep. Thinking about driving over there to talk to you.

  Not at the station. His thumbs hovered while he decided what else he wanted to say. I’m parked outside your house.

  She reappeared at the window, cupping her hands around her face as she searched the street. A moment later, the front door opened and the porch light came on. Tom got out of his vehicle and strode up the walkway, telling himself he wouldn’t linger. He’d make sure she was okay while subtly observing her behavior. Then he’d go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow would be another long day. A search party would need to be coordinated and neighborhoods would need to be canvassed. Sophie’s picture would again be shown at the local bus station and it might even be time to consider bringing in some bloodhounds. But he would mention none of that to Rae unless she asked.

  A neighbor’s dog barked and he glanced over his shoulder, scanning the street warily before turning back to Rae. She stood silhouetted in the doorway, dressed in pajamas that would normally cover as much skin as her regular clothing, but the light from the foyer turned the cotton to gossamer. He tried not to notice the outline of her curves beneath the thin fabric, concentrating instead on her worried expression.

  She folded her arms around her middle. “It’s late, Tom. I’m surprised to see you tonight.”

  “I know and I’m sorry for coming by like this.” He propped his foot on the bottom step as he gazed up at her. “I had a feeling you’d still be up.”

  “I lay down for a while, but I just kept staring at the ceiling and thinking about Sophie. Wondering where she is. If she’s okay or if she’s out there somewhere hurt and frightened. Or if she’s already...gone.” Her voice trailed off to a whisper. She drew a sharp breath as she glanced at the sky. “The moon is so bright tonight. I can’t help but feel I should be out looking for her.”

  “Too risky even with a full moon,” Tom said. “People tend to get trigger-happy in the dark. It’s better if we wait and hit it hard in the morning.”

  She tucked her hair behind her ears and nodded. “It just seems like we’re wasting time. It’s after midnight. Sunday morning. We’ve entered the third day already. You know what that means.”

  He heard a quaver in her voice as he climbed the rest of the steps. He didn’t say as much to her, but he was all too aware of that closing window. Only too cognizant of that ticking clock. “We’ll find her, Rae.”

  “You don’t know that. You said you’d do everything in your power to bring her home and I believe you. But even if you look until you’ve exhausted yourself and every possibility, it may not be enough. Forty-eight hours has come and gone, and you said the first twenty-four—”

  “I know what I said, but Sophie isn’t a little kid. From everything I’ve learned about her, she’s smart and resourceful. A real fighter.”

  “Riley was a fighter, too, in her own way.”

  “Sophie isn’t Riley.”

  “Everyone keeps saying that.” Rae was silent for a moment. “You know the real reason I can’t sleep? When I close my eyes, I see Riley reaching out to me. When I drift off, I hear her calling my name, begging me to come and find her. And then her voice fades and she’s gone again. But Sophie is still out there. Maybe she’s calling out to me, too. Or maybe she’s already losing hope that anyone will ever come and find her.”

  “Rae.” He didn’t know what to say to her in that moment, how to comfort her without breaching ethical barriers.

  She didn’t give him a choice. She moved toward him and Tom just waited while she walked straight into his arms. He was so startled he hardly knew what to do. He hadn’t expected this. Not in a million years. He stood stiffly as she clutched his shirt and buried her face in his shoulder. Even then, he tried to remain stoic, but he wasn’t so hard-hearted or such a stickler for protocol that he could refuse her a moment of comfort. He tightened his arms around her and held her awkwardly.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Don’t be.” He rested his chin on her head and held her. “It’s been a rough time for all of us.”

  But that didn’t make it okay. Not by a long shot. He was starting to feel things for Rae Cavanaugh he had no business feeling. What was he thinking, holding her like this? What was she thinking? He told himself to pull back and walk away. Walk away. But he couldn’t bring himself to disengage. She needed a shoulder and his was right there.

  A million thoughts ran through his head, none of them helpful or appropriate. She smelled really nice. Like expensive soap and shampoo.
He wondered if she’d just stepped from the shower because her skin felt warm beneath her pajamas. With very little effort, he could imagine how she would look out of those pajamas, but he didn’t dare let himself go there even when she slid her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers.

  Tom resisted. He did. For a half second at least. But damn. She tasted like mint and hot chocolate.

  He ran his tongue lightly over her lips and felt a shiver go through her. She pulled him closer, deepening the kiss with a needy little moan that set Tom’s heart to pounding. He told himself, Don’t be a jerk. You have to stop this. She was scared and vulnerable and reacting on impulse. You can’t let this happen.

  But, man, did she ever feel good pressing up against him the way she was. Lighting him up. Making him remember and forget all at the same time the last time he’d had sex.

  It was that damn dog across the street that finally drew them apart. Tom lifted his head at the incessant barking and turned to search the shadows. Even then, Rae tried to pull him back in. He drew away, casting another look over his shoulder.

  “This isn’t a good idea.”

  She glanced past him to the street. “You’re afraid someone will see us?”

  “I’ve never cared too much about the gossips.”

  Even the ones who had speculated behind closed doors as to why Porter Brannon’s children were the only ones to make it out of the Ruins that night. When Jenna Malloy had been found on the side of the road weeks later, conjecture about Tom and Ellie had eventually diminished, but by that time, the wounds ran deep. The Brannon family had learned the hard way how quickly friends and neighbors could turn, how thoroughly a small town could be divided.

  “I’ve got a job to do,” he said. “This doesn’t make it any easier.”

  She backed away then, running a hand up and down her arm as if she were suddenly chilled. “I’m the last person who’d want to hinder the investigation.”

  Was she? Or was she deliberately trying to distract him?

  She leaned her head against the door frame. “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. I can’t believe I kissed you.”

  He tried not to take her regret personally. “No harm done.”

  “No, I was out of line and I apologize.” Her chin came up then and she met his gaze defiantly. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. It was just a moment of weakness. My version of letting off steam.”

  “You don’t have to apologize for being human.”

  She glanced away. “What happens now?”

  About the investigation or the kiss?

  “We keep looking,” Tom said. “We keep asking questions. Someone out there saw something. They may not even know it yet. Sooner or later, that person will come forward.”

  Her expression was enigmatic in the shadows. “You really believe that?”

  Before he could answer, the chime of an incoming text message caught her attention. He heard her gasp in the dark. Then she fumbled in her pajama pocket for her phone and glanced at the screen. A shadow passed over her features before she remembered that he was still staring down at her.

  She seemed flustered. “Sorry. It’s... Dad. I need to answer him...” She thumbed a quick message, taking care to position herself so that Tom couldn’t glimpse the screen.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “What? Yes. I mean, no. He can’t sleep. None of us can. We’re all so worried. And the memories are killing us.”

  Tom had his memories, too. He wanted to reassure her that everything would be okay, but missing persons cases were unpredictable, and all too often ended in tragedy. No one knew that better than Rae.

  He didn’t touch her again. He was careful to keep his distance. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Besides find Sophie?” She slid the phone back into her pocket and straightened, all business now that she’d had a moment to clear her head. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I appreciate everything you’ve done so far to find her. And I appreciate you coming over here to check on me. You caught me at a vulnerable time, but I’m fine now and I’d really like it if we could just forget tonight ever happened.”

  That might be easier said than done, Tom thought, but he nodded and said good-night. By the time he reached the bottom step, he heard the front door close. He climbed in his vehicle and circled the block, pulling to the curb a few houses down from Rae’s. Another SUV was parked between his car and her house. He hoped if she looked out the window, she wouldn’t be able to spy him.

  A few moments later, her garage door opened and she backed her car down the driveway. Gunning the engine, she straightened the wheel and sped away. Tom waited until she made the first corner before he started his vehicle and cut his lights. He followed her all the way out to the highway, running dark and keeping a safe enough distance so that she wouldn’t be able to detect him in her rearview. She took the turnoff to the ranch and he cruised on by, telling himself that she’d driven out there to be with her distressed and ailing father. Nothing suspicious about her actions. Nothing dubious about her motives. But those niggling doubts wouldn’t be silenced.

  He found a place to pull off the road and sat in the shadows as he contemplated his next move. He’d wait ten minutes, and if nothing happened, he’d drive back to town. He needed some rest. Tomorrow would be a day of decisions. If they couldn’t pick up a trail soon, he’d have to request assistance from the Rangers and widen the search. The family would start to lose faith. Jackson Cavanaugh might even decide to take matters into his own hands and then Tom would have a real mess to clean up.

  Reaching across the console, he removed a .38 from the glove box and placed it on the seat beside him. His 9 mm service weapon was locked up at home where he always kept it when he came off his watch. Maybe he was being too cautious, but it was dark and isolated where he sat. Anything could happen.

  He’d started to get drowsy when the sound of a car engine brought him up sharply. He scrubbed his face as he tried to pinpoint the sound. Rae’s vehicle emerged from the trees. She drove through the archway and turned left onto the highway, toward town. Tom fell in behind her, once again keeping his distance. But instead of heading to Belle Pointe, she turned right onto Lake Road.

  Tom allowed more distance to creep between them. No need to keep her in sight. He knew where she was going.

  * * *

  RAE THOUGHT SHE’D glimpsed a vehicle behind her before making the turn onto Lake Road. Her hands gripped the wheel and she flashed another glance in her rearview. Nothing. Maybe the vehicle had been heading into town, but why would anyone be out driving this time of night without lights?

  You’re seeing things, she told herself firmly as she returned her attention to the road ahead of her. Carrying around a million dollars in cash would stoke anyone’s paranoia, but she couldn’t afford to get sidetracked. She couldn’t afford to get careless, either. She had her instructions. She knew where and when to make the drop. The text message had laid everything out. She’d been given only thirty minutes to drive to the ranch, collect the money and then get to the Ruins.

  Why there, of all places, Rae couldn’t imagine. Seemed risky. Curiosity seekers might be out there even this time of night, though she thought that doubtful. She didn’t relish going into the building alone—that haunted, crumbling structure where both Riley and Sophie had disappeared—but what choice did she have? Her niece’s life depended on her making the drop at the appointed time and place. She’d let Riley down. She wasn’t about to do the same to Sophie. But if someone had followed her from the ranch, she might have to take evasive maneuvers and that could throw off the tight timing.

  Something shot across the road in front of the car. Rae had allowed herself to become too distracted by the instructions. Now she overreacted and hit the brakes while simultaneously cutting the wheel. Swerving too sharply, she lost c
ontrol of the vehicle. The tires skidded off the shoulder into the ditch. The car bounced, scraped bottom and stalled.

  No! No, no, no!

  What had she done? Why, why, why hadn’t she paid closer attention to the road?

  Every tick of the cooling engine seemed like the beat of a countdown clock. The night seemed to swoop down upon Rae as she sat in stunned silence. She tried the ignition, but the engine wouldn’t crank. Fear and frustration overwhelmed her. She wanted to stomp the accelerator, grind the ignition and put her fist right through the windshield. How could she have been so stupid? What was she supposed to do now?

  She could head out on foot to the Ruins. She’d taken the time to dress and put on sneakers, but even if she ran all the way, she’d never make it in time. The message had warned against any deviation or delay. Everything hinged on Rae getting to the Ruins in exactly—she glanced at the dash clock—thirteen minutes, and she was still at least two miles from the bridge. Then she had to climb down the embankment and follow the lake to the Ruins. The hospital had once had direct access to the highway, but that road had washed out years ago. Nowadays, there was only one way in and one way out. Aside from the history, maybe that was why the kidnappers had chosen that spot. If someone was positioned at a third-story window, he or she would be able to see Rae coming. They’d know if she was alone.

  Her only choice was to call for help, but she could hardly expect her dad to come to the rescue. His heart might not be able to handle the stress, and as for Jackson...

  She shuddered to think what her brother would say about her incompetence. He’d wanted to make the drop himself, but the text message had been explicit. And anyway, it was better that Rae be the one. Jackson was too close to the situation and couldn’t be trusted to keep a cool head. If he came face-to-face with one of his daughter’s abductors, there was no telling what he might do. Rae, on the other hand, knew when to keep her head down and follow orders. She’d make the drop and then hightail it back to the ranch to await further communication. Hopefully, in a matter of hours, Sophie would be home safe and sound and they could all put this terrifying episode behind them.