She sighed and looked at her brother. A handsome man with the same auburn hair and green eyes she had, he was just two years older than her twenty-eight years.
On the outside, he exuded charm and confidence. Underneath, she knew he was hurting, his self-esteem suffering from the blow of his fiancée ditching him for another man. And yet the experience had brought them closer together. They’d both been left by people they’d loved, and Erica was able to help him with his pain.
“I’m not sure what’s going on, Brandon.” She spun a pen between her fingers. “I was chasing down a lead on Molly when this all happened.” She paused and looked in his eyes. “It was Peter’s car, Brandon.”
“What?” He frowned and slid into the chair opposite her desk.
“But I don’t think it was Peter driving. The first incident, where his car sideswiped us, I might be able to put the blame on him. He’s irresponsible and not thinking straight these days. But the gunfire…” She shook her head. “No way.”
“Peter’s been acting crazy for the past several months, but you’re right, he wouldn’t shoot at you. What reason would he have?”
“I don’t know. I would have thought if he was going to shoot me, it would have been three years ago when I named him as a possible suspect in Molly’s kidnapping.” Pain at the memory made her shudder. She cleared her throat. “I’m hoping the cops can find his car and figure out who stole it.”
“This is scary, sis. I don’t want you going anywhere by yourself until this is resolved.”
“But that’s the problem. I don’t know what this is. If I don’t even know what—or who—I’m fighting, how can I win?”
“Good point.” He stretched his neck and sighed. “The best thing you can do right now is to make sure you do the smart thing.” He paused. “Like don’t go into dangerous neighborhoods. By yourself.”
She flushed. “I know that was dumb. I’m not going to do anything like that again.”
“Good.” He clasped his hands in front of him and leaned forward. “I got an anonymous tip on that seven-year-old kidnapped by her dad. I raided the cash box and I’m going to follow up on the tip.”
She frowned. “Be careful and take Jordan with you.” Sometimes tipsters were willing to meet in person if they needed some cash but it wasn’t the safest way to do business.
“What time are you leaving?”
She shrugged. “You know me. I don’t keep set hours.”
“I’ll be back by five thirty to pick you up. If you want to leave earlier, call me. If I’m not ready, I’ll make arrangements.”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes at her brother but she supposed letting him pick her up was the smart thing to do.
Jordan knocked on the door. “I wasn’t invited to the meeting?”
Brandon motioned him in and then filled him in on the events of the morning. Erica watched the two men. Jordan was a mystery—a man with a mysterious past, but a man she’d come to trust. Even Brandon, who’d gone to high school and later college with Jordan, didn’t know the secrets that haunted his friend’s gray eyes.
Erica didn’t press the issue. Jordan was trustworthy and good at his job, and that was all that mattered to her.
Right now, a red flush covered his cheeks and his narrowed eyes shot sparks. “Who’d want to shoot at you?”
“I was just telling Brandon I have no idea.” She rubbed her eyes. “And it could have been Max the person was aiming for. He was with me for both incidents.”
“You definitely need to take extra precautions,” Brandon said.
“I’m planning on it.”
“And if this Max guy is a trouble magnet, you need to stay away from him.”
Erica pointed toward the door. “Go meet your informant. I’ll keep you posted on what time I want to leave.”
The two men left, muttering about how they were going to come up with a plan to protect her, and Erica turned back to her computer. She was concerned, of course, and would take precautions, but she wasn’t going to let anything stop her from doing her job.
Or finding her daughter.
Time passed as she worked. Her growling stomach finally reminded her she hadn’t eaten a whole lot today and it was well past supper time. Thunder rumbled in the distance and she figured there’d be rain soon.
Rachel popped into the office. “I’m out of here. There’s a storm brewing out there.”
“I know…I heard the thunder. I’ll be fine. See you tomorrow.”
“Sure.” Rachel started to leave, then came back, her brow creased. Erica tilted her head. “Something on your mind?”
Rachel played with the hem of her shirt, then said, “I’m just concerned about you.”
“About what?”
Rachel stared at her. “About the fact that you were in a car wreck? And you were shot at? Does the list go on?”
“Oh. That.”
“Yes. That.”
“I’m okay, Rachel. Really.”
Rachel eyed her, doubt in her eyes. Rachel finally sighed. “Is someone making sure you get home safe?”
“Brandon said he’d be back around five thirty.” She glanced at the clock and frowned. “He’s late. Has he called?”
“No.”
Erica waved her cousin on. “I’ll call him and let him know I’ll be ready to leave around six thirty.” Still Rachel hesitated. “What is it, Rach?”
“I saw your mom yesterday.”
Erica froze. “You did?”
“Yes. I ran into her at the grocery store.”
“How was she?”
Rachel shrugged. “She seemed fine. Still working long hours at the hospital.”
“Did she ask about me?”
“Yes. Said she wants to see you.”
Erica felt a pang of something she couldn’t identify. She and her mother had never been close—in fact, Erica had never truly felt that she mattered to her mother that much. But things had gotten worse since Molly’s disappearance, and Erica knew that was her fault. She’d pulled away from her family after Molly disappeared. Her obsession with finding her daughter had been her priority. She regretted that now. “What does she want to see me about?”
“Something about putting her family back together.”
“You’re sure?” Erica asked, stunned.
Rachel shrugged. “That’s what she said. I told her I’d tell you to call her.”
“Right.” And she would call her. Just like she did once or twice a month. And she’d leave a message her mother might or might not return. Just like she did once or twice a month. Her mother harbored anger with Erica and her choices and that was her way of letting Erica know it. “Well, thanks for the message.”
“Sure.” Rachel still hovered in the doorway. “Are you working on Molly’s case tonight?”
“I am.”
“Do you want me to stay and help?”
Erica shook her head. “No, I don’t know how much more I’m going to be able to do anyway.”
“Okay.” Rachel still hesitated.
“What’s up with you, Rachel? Is there something we need to talk about?”
Her cousin blinked and gave a nervous laugh. “What do you mean?”
She’d been thinking about their relationship for a while. She missed the closeness they’d shared as teens and even adults before she’d married and had a child.
“I mean ever since Molly disappeared, things have been a little strained between us. Why?”
Rachel lifted her chin a notch. “Because you pushed me away.”
Erica stared, openmouthed. “I did?”
Her cousin’s face hardened. “It doesn’t matter now.”
Erica stood. “Yes, it does. Tell me.”
Finally, Rachel blurted, “You were so determined to find Molly, and I understood that. I wanted to help. I hounded you about helping and you tossed aside my offers like they weren’t important, and yet for those three weeks after Molly disappeared, you spent hours upon hours with Denise Ta
nner. I’m family…I wanted to help. Denise was just a friend, and it seemed to me she wasn’t helping as much as she was hindering, keeping you from family who wanted to—” She stopped herself and waved a hand.
Erica blinked as she processed what her cousin was saying. And then gulped when she realized she couldn’t refute it. She stood. “Oh, Rachel, I didn’t realize…I didn’t know. I’m so sorry you felt that way.”
Rachel grimaced. “I’m going home before I say anything else. I just want to see you happy, not crushed when new leads lead nowhere.” For the first time in forever, Rachel wrapped her arms around Erica and gave her a squeeze. “Have a good night.”
Erica cherished the embrace for a few moments then pushed back to look into her cousin’s eyes. “Let’s start over. Can we do that?”
Rachel sniffed then sighed. “Maybe.” A smile trembled on her lips. “I want to.”
“Then let’s get some girl time on the calendar soon.”
Rachel nodded. “Get this mess with Lydia and Max wrapped up, and we’ll see what we can do.”
*
She left, and Erica tossed the pen onto the desk and swiveled around to look out the window. She felt lighter, less burdened at the new beginning with Rachel. Erica knew Rachel was worried about her and her obsession with finding Molly, but there was nothing she could do to ease her cousin’s mind in that respect. This was her life now, and until Molly came home, it would continue to be her life.
However, Rachel’s revelations did resonate within her.
Rachel had been jealous of Erica’s time with Denise. Erica remembered that now, although she wasn’t sure it had quite registered at the time. She could see Rachel’s point about how she’d pushed her away, and now Erica wondered who else felt that way. Maybe Peter? Her parents definitely did. She’d have to think about that later. Right now, she was on emotion overload.
November in Spartanburg, South Carolina, meant darkness fell early. The blackness beyond the window didn’t bother her. She welcomed it. Darkness had become a friend in a strange way, because it was only in the dark of the night that she allowed herself to break, to cry, to wail out her grief and beg God to bring Molly home.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned back to her computer. She was so close to locating a father who’d taken his five-year-old child and fled after a bitter custody battle that he’d lost. So close.
Just like she’d been so close to finding Lydia and possibly some answers about Molly’s disappearance.
With a sigh, she picked up her phone and dialed her mother’s number.
And left a message for her to call.
Erica kept working. By six forty-five, she was ready to go home, and wondering where her brother was.
Her phone rang and she jumped. “Hello?”
“Stop looking for her.”
Erica froze. “Who is this?”
“Stop looking for her or I’ll kill her.”
SEVEN
Max snapped a picture of two men meeting in the restaurant across the street. His client was convinced his partner was stealing from him and passing on bid numbers so the competition could come in just under and steal the job. From the looks of things, the client might be right.
As he focused the camera and zoomed in on the handshake, his mind went to Erica James. Just thinking about her made his pulse jump a little faster. Apparently this attraction he had for her—which he’d been trying to ignore—wasn’t going to just disappear.
And before he’d learned about her work with the homeless, he hadn’t really wanted it to. But two facts remained: she worked with the kind of people who were responsible for his fiancée’s death, and she thought Lydia had something to do with Molly’s kidnapping. He had no doubt Erica would turn Lydia in to the cops the minute she tracked her down.
But Max had other plans.
Which meant putting any kind of feelings he had for Erica on hold. Maybe permanently.
Thunder rumbled and he glanced at the dark sky. He needed the rain to hold off just a little while longer.
Max lifted the camera once again and snapped as the men ordered and continued their conversation. No money had been exchanged, but he could be patient.
He had all night.
His phone rang and he grabbed it, hoping to see Lydia’s number on the screen.
No such luck. “Hey, Chris.”
“Hey, you got a minute?”
“Or two.”
“I looked into some of your past cases like you asked. You’ve got quite a history here, don’t you?” he said, sounding impressed.
Max had been the star player in his two years at the precinct. He didn’t let it go to his head. Some of his busts had been due to dumb luck. Or divine guidance. “I was just doing my job, Chris. What do you have for me?”
Papers rustled. “There were a couple of possibilities that I checked out and came up empty on. The only real thing that stands out is the time you busted the daughter of Judge Terrell Brown for DUI and then wouldn’t be bought off.”
“I’d forgotten about that.”
“Brown hasn’t. Neither has the daughter. I asked him about you, and it wasn’t pretty.”
“Can you look into that a little more?”
“I’ve got feelers out on his location when your incidents went down. Should know something tomorrow.” He paused.
“What is it?” Max asked.
“While Brown’s a candidate, I’m not seeing his hand on this one.”
“Why not?” Max looked through the viewfinder and clicked.
“Instinct. It’s been three and a half years since you’ve been on the force. Doesn’t make sense for him to all of a sudden come after you now.”
Max lowered the camera as his phone beeped. He looked at the called ID—it was his client, Carl Rogers. “I have to take this call, Chris. Thanks for going to the trouble.”
“Sure. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Will do.”
Max clicked over to the other line. “Hi, Carl.”
“Anything?”
“You may have reason to suspect Klein’s selling your bids.”
A curse ripped through the line and Max grimaced. “I knew it,” Carl said. “There wasn’t any other explanation for why we kept losing jobs. What an idiot. Did he think I wouldn’t catch on?”
“I don’t have irrefutable proof, but you’ll have some pictures to show Klein and ask for an explanation.”
“I’ll be looking for them.”
Max hung up and glanced at the clock. As he lifted his camera, his thoughts went right back to Erica—before he remembered that he’d decided to put his feelings on hold.
It was going to be a long evening.
*
Erica couldn’t move. Her brain almost couldn’t process the call.
Then she flew into action.
Fingers clicked on the keyboard, activating the tracing software. She might be able to pull the number. And once she had the number she would know where it came from. Minutes later, she had it. And a few more clicks told her the location.
The caller had used a pay phone. A pay phone across the street from her office.
She jumped up and made it to the door before she stopped. Even though she had her gun with her, she couldn’t go barreling out there.
One moment, she felt sure the caller had been talking about Molly, the next moment she was full of doubt. Was the caller one of the many pranksters who had complicated the investigation with false sightings and bogus reports? Or was the caller making a legitimate threat?
Or was the call even about Molly? It could be about Lydia.
Despite her fear, hope flamed anew. If the call was about Molly, then Molly was still alive.
She grabbed the nearest phone and called Katie. After hearing Erica’s story, the detective said, “I know how much you want to believe she’s still alive. I do, too, but the fact of the matter is, with the resurgence of publicity about Molly’s kidnapping,
we’re getting the crazies calling again.”
Erica bit her lip. “I know, but this was different. The person just said to stop looking for her or he would kill her. Katie, that means she might still be alive.”
“If that person was for real.” Katie paused. “I’ll look into it, but please, Erica, don’t get your hopes up.”
“My hope is in the Lord, Katie. You know that.”
The detective sighed. “I know. And that’s exactly where it needs to be. But…”
“It’s okay. Just see if you can figure out who called me.”
“I’ll get right on it. Was the voice male or female?”
“I thought it was male, but I don’t know. It was low, harsh, like the person was using something to disguise it.”
“All right, let me see what I can find out.”
When she hung up, Erica dialed Brandon’s number.
No answer. Jordan’s number went to voice mail, too. She frowned. Where were those guys? Worry bit at her.
Max. She should call Max.
She grimaced at the thought. After his reaction to her volunteer work, she wasn’t sure she wanted to see him again just yet. Then again, she didn’t want to leave the office alone and possibly place herself in danger. And he was a P.I. If anyone could help her figure out who had called her, it was probably him.
He answered on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Hi, Max, I’m at my office. Alone. I just got a very strange call and don’t want to—” She sighed. “How far are you from my office? I sure could use some help.”
“I’m about fifteen minutes away. A strange call? What kind of strange call?” His concern touched her, his tone conveying that he held no grudge toward her. And she found she held none toward him. He just needed to be educated.
“Brandon was supposed to meet me at five thirty and he hasn’t shown up. I’m a little worried about him, but I promised I wouldn’t leave the office by myself because of everything that’s happened. I know it’s a bit of an inconvenience, but—”
“I’ll be right there.”
Relief washed over her as she heard his engine starting up. “Thanks.”
She headed back to her office to try to reach Brandon or Jordan again. As she sat at her desk, she listened to the creaks and groans of the building. The heating unit hummed quietly and rain pattered against her window.
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