A Cop In Her Stocking
Ann Voss Peterson
Tyler Davis comes from a long line of cops, and he's learned the hard way that police work and families don't mix. But his solitary life is about to be called into question with the return of Megan Garvey, the woman he once loved…and lost.Now, Megan is determined to keep her emotional distance–though it's clear that she and the rugged lawman still share something special. But a predator has come to Lake Hubbard for Christmas. And when Megan's young son disappears, there's only one cop to believe in. This holiday, Ty has been given a second chance to be the hero Megan needs…if he can bring her boy home alive.
Man on a mission
The alarm was louder inside the building. Its shriek blared through his head and lodged somewhere in the fillings of his back teeth. He took the hall leading to the office where he’d last spotted Megan.
If an intruder had set off the alarm, he had no time to lose. Police would arrive eventually, but with the weather, he couldn’t be sure how soon.
He checked around the corner before stepping into the next hall. What he wouldn’t give to have his gun. Armed with only a tire iron, he didn’t relish running into whomever set off the alarm. The tool was heavy enough to do some damage, but even so, it would be worthless against even a twenty-two. He had to find Megan. He had to get her the hell out of here.
A Cop in Her Stocking
Ann Voss Peterson
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Officer Greg Dixon and the Middleton Police Department with special thanks for all you do.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ever since she was a little girl making her own books out of construction paper, Ann Voss Peterson wanted to write. So when it came time to choose a major at the University of Wisconsin, creative writing was her only choice. Of course, writing wasn’t a practical choice—one needs to earn a living. So Ann found jobs, including proofreading legal transcripts, working with quarter horses and washing windows. But no matter how she earned her paycheck, she continued to write the type of stories that captured her heart and imagination—romantic suspense. Ann lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, her two young sons, her border collie and her quarter horse mare. Ann loves to hear from readers. E-mail her at ann@annvosspeterson.com (mailto:ann@annvosspeterson.com) or visit her Web site at www.annvosspeterson.com (http://www.annvosspeterson.com).
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Tyler Davis—When his old flame returns to town, small-town cop Ty Davis offers to take her son on a Shop with a Cop outing, hoping to give her and her child a merry Christmas. But when the boy disappears in the mall, Ty needs a Christmas miracle of his own.
Megan Garvey—After weathering scandal and divorce, Megan has learned nothing is as it seems. But Ty’s loyalty and determination to help her make her want to believe in Santa Claus.
Connor Burke—The three-year-old disappeared in the shopping mall. Will he be home for Christmas?
Doug Burke—Megan’s ex-husband is always looking for the easy way out. But when his son goes missing, nothing is easy.
Leo Wheeling—The lieutenant is efficient and on top of things, so why are there so many loose ends in this case?
Todd Baker—The detective has a family of his own, so surely he’ll do whatever he can to find Megan’s son.
Derek Ernst—The security guard knows all about finding lost children.
Evan Blankenship—The small-town mayor is very helpful. But are his motives rooted in politics or in a secret desire for Megan?
Mr. Keating—The owner of a local security company holds the keys to a lot of doors.
Gary Burke—Is Doug’s cousin trying to help Megan out or make things more difficult for her?
Samantha Vickery—What is the woman after?
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Chapter One
Try as he might, Tyler Davis was not what anyone would call an expert gift shopper. And if anyone on this snow-covered earth needed proof, here it was, wrapped up in Christmas paper and tied with a big-ass bow.
He tried to tune out the jangle of department store Christmas music and warring scents from the army of perfume pushers and focus on the pair of oversized slippers that resembled a dog’s paws clutched in the three-year-old’s hands. Even with his deep-seated shopping deficiency, Ty had doubts whether this was the way to go. “You’re sure she’s going to like those?”
Connor nodded, his tousled red hair flopping over one side of his forehead.
Ty raked his hand through his own cropped, spiky hair. If this was any other kid he’d taken Christmas shopping as part of his small city police department’s Shop with a Cop program, he’d find the choice funny. He might even encourage the kid, just for a chuckle. But Megan had been through a lot. And the whole reason he insisted on taking Connor out shopping—secretly on his own dime, since the department’s official Shop with a Cop program was already over—was to give Megan a good experience for a change. “I don’t know, Connor. Moms usually like things that make them look…I don’t know…pretty. Not like a dog.”
The inside corners of Connor’s eyes reddened. His lips pulled together into what was fast becoming a pout and could any minute cross the line into crying.
Oh, hell.
He must be out of his mind to take his old flame’s son shopping. And when he thought about the world of hurt he’d be in if the chief found out he had misrepresented this as an official department program, he knew he’d crossed to the far side of crazy. It was just that when he’d heard how Meg’s ex had dragged her through the shredder and seen the dumpy apartment the smartest girl in his high school class was now living in, he’d wanted to do something for her. She couldn’t afford a nice Christmas for herself and her young son, but he could. And she never had to know where the money came from.
And besides, it gave him an excuse to see her again.
Of course, he hadn’t considered that the success of his brilliant plan all hinged on a three-year-old’s taste.
He pulled in a deep breath of patience and let it out slowly. The last thing he wanted was to make the kid cry. Now that would really impress Megan, returning with a tear-sodden little boy who could tell her all about what a jerk Officer Ty was. Not that she didn’t know that already.
He picked up the slippers and pretended to examine them, turning them over in his hands. “Oh, look here. They’re slippers. I didn’t realize that. Well, that changes everything. You’re right, man. Your mom will love these.” He eyed the kid, hoping Connor wouldn’t pick up a false note in his voice.
Big green eyes flicked up to his face. A twitch settled over the little lips, not exactly a smile, but something less than a pout.
Crisis mitigated.
Ty handed the fuzzy things back to Connor along with a grin. So Megan would be wearing dog paw slippers this winter. Interesting. “What next? Can you think of something else your mom might like?”
Connor shook his head.
“Should we look around?” His arms were already weighed down with Legos, books and a Hot Wheels set for the kid. But he couldn’t leave the mall with nothing but a pair of dog slippers for Megan. He had to find something nice.
He did a 360, gaze skimming over the clothing racks and colorful Christmas displays in the mall department store. His eyes fixed on racks of lacy bras and thongs in the lingerie department nearby.
Hmm. Now he could much more easily picture Megan wearing something in satin or lace. If he hadn’t given up his right to play Santa—officially—that’s what she would find in her stocking come Christmas morning.
He stepped a little closer. Images of Christmases—back when they were dating in high school and college—danced through his mind like some kind of damn sugar plums. He could imagine what it would be like now. A quiet Christmas Eve, sitting in front of the fire running his fingers through Megan’s silky auburn hair. He’d choose something like that black number with the lace that was cut down to there. Or maybe the teddy on the mannequin, green to go with her eyes. Yeah, that was the one. He could imagine her filling it out.
And right after that, he could imagine taking it off.
He shook his head, trying to remove the thought, but he had little luck with that. Seeing her this morning when he’d picked up Connor had been like the return of a delicious dream after five sleepless years. She’d been nervous about taking him up on the shopping offer, he could tell, even without knowing the money was actually coming from him. But when Connor had started jabbering about reindeer and presents and stockings filled to bursting on Christmas morning, the loving smile that had transformed her face had left Ty feeling like Santa himself.
After that, he hadn’t stood a chance.
The cloying clash of perfumes in the department store had only reminded him of how good and pure she’d always smelled. The taste of the soft pretzel he’d forced on Connor in the food court had only made him think of how often he and Megan had pooled their change to buy one at the convenience store after school. And each memory brought back thoughts of the cold lump that had formed in his gut when he’d come home from the police academy one weekend and learned she was planning to marry—of all people—Doug Burke.
Oh, hell.
He had to get his focus back on shopping. He was with her kid, for God’s sake. He needed to focus on taking Connor “Shopping with a Cop,” not on his personal history with the boy’s mother.
Getting the hell away from the lingerie section would be a good first step.
“Let me guess, you’re looking for a gift for someone.”
The voice came from over his left shoulder. He glanced down to see a woman wearing too much eyeliner smiling at him as if he was the most fascinating man in the world.
He didn’t buy it. “Thanks, but I need to get back—”
“It’s not a problem. My friends call me the Giftinator.” She giggled, the bubbly sound more suitable coming from a fifteen-year-old girl than a grown woman. “Get it? Like The Terminator?”
“Funny.” He forced a smile. In other circumstances, he might have a little fun joking around, maybe even flirting. But today, it didn’t feel…right. “I hate to be rude, but I—”
“Then don’t be. Let me help. I’m seriously good at the whole Christmas present thing. I should get a job in a store. Or maybe start my own business as a personal shopper. Not that I could do something like that in a town with only one decent mall. But I really think shopping is my true calling.”
Rude or not, Ty glanced back toward the pajamas, stockings and fuzzy footwear. Dog-paw slippers lay on the waxed tile floor. A woman pored over a rack of flannel drawstring pants. A tinny version of “Silver Bells” tinkled in the air.
Great. He’d only been ten or fifteen feet from Connor, but that was enough for the boy to feel like he could wander away. Ty couldn’t blame him. He’d probably gotten bored waiting for Ty to quit talking…well, listening would be more accurate.
He gave the woman a cursory glance and a mumbled excuse me, and strode back to the slipper rack. “Connor?” His gaze landed on a family of four over in the shoe department, an older couple shopping for jewelry and a woman parked at the makeup counter wearing a sweater covered in Christmas trees. No little boy with tousled red hair.
His breath stuttered in his chest. “Connor?”
Nothing.
He bolted across the aisle and circled the rack of slippers. The kid had to be here somewhere. Didn’t he?
The aisle behind the rack was vacant.
“Connor?” He let his voice boom this time. Maybe he was off looking at something for Megan, or playing with another kid. Ty did another scan of the store. The woman who had tried to monopolize his attention was gone. He spotted nothing but lingerie, women’s pajamas and formal dresses tucked far in the corner.
“Did you lose someone?” The woman absorbed in flannel pj’s gave him a sympathetic, if slightly amused, smile.
Ty was not finding this amusing in the least. “Little boy. Three years old. Red hair. Have you seen him?”
“No. But maybe he’s hiding in one of those circular clothing racks. My kids always liked to do that at a certain age.”
Hiding. Great. Ty strode to the pajamas and peered inside the ring of clothing. Nothing. He moved from rack to rack; all of them in the area were empty. “Connor? Connor Burke? You need to come out right now.”
Nothing. No answer. No movement. No boy.
He grabbed for his cell phone and flagged down a store employee. It was time to call for backup. Store security, shoppers, the entire Lake Hubbard police department, the damn FBI. Whatever it took. He had to find Connor, and he had to find him now.
Chapter Two
The cramped little office tucked into a corner of the department store’s upper level smelled sharp with body odor and stress. Ty could only guess that most of it was coming from him, but the mall security guy hunching over the computer that collected the feeds from the store’s security cameras seemed awfully fragrant, as well.
Ty jammed in beside his lieutenant, Leo Wheeling, and held his breath while the security dude flipped through each of the store’s video cameras. “Can’t tell you how many kids I help track down every month.”
“That so?” Leo said, focused on the screen. “You work a lot…”
“Derek.”
“You working a lot lately, Derek?”
“Sure am. This time of year is even busier than tourist season. Just this weekend, in fact, I returned two different kids to their mothers.” He puffed out his polyester-clad chest just a little and pushed his glasses back up his nose. “This one? He probably just ran off. They usually do. Get bored or whatnot and want to find some toys to look at.”
“Sounds like you have a lot of experience.” Leo sounded a bit bored and whatnot himself, yet somehow he still managed to be polite.
At this point, Ty had sworn off politeness for the rest of his life. He just wanted the guy to shut the hell up. He was about to share that sentiment when the lingerie department flashed on the screen. “That’s it. That’s the camera. That’s where I last saw Connor.”
Leo glanced at him, his bushy blond eyebrows pulling low. “You took the kid shopping for bras?”
“Slippers.” Ty pointed to the image of the slipper rack beyond the lacy under things. “He wanted to buy his mom dog paw slippers.”
The security man squinted up at him through coke-bottle lenses. “How long you want to go back?”
Ty glanced at his watch. “Almost a half hour.” He couldn’t believe that much time had already passed. They had locked down the store right away. But even though patrol officers and store security personnel were all combing the area, they hadn’t found a single sign of Connor. In those precious minutes that Ty was being polite to a stranger, Connor had seemingly vanished. He prayed the video would give them an idea of where the boy had gone.
He forced himself to concentrate on the speeding images moving in reverse on the screen, not on what might have happened to Megan’s son. He spotted himself, racing around the area backward, peeking in the circular clothing racks, talking to the woman holding flannel. And there he was, peering at the lingerie, listening politely to the woman who called herself the Giftinator, barely visible on the screen. And then…
The angle wasn’t great, the camera was too far from the slipper rack to show much detail, but what he did see sent a chill down his spine. A man in a shapeless coat and hood. Then the man was gone, and Connor was there, clutching those dog paw slippers. “That’s it. Stop.”
The security tech stopped the reversing images.
“Okay. Play it.”
Ty held his breath and watched as the action went forward at normal speed. Him talking to Connor. Him drifting a few feet away to the lingerie, leaving the poor kid all alone. The figure in the shapeless coat stepping around the slipper rack, taking Connor’s hand and leading him to the exit nearby.
“Fifteen feet away. I was only fifteen feet away.” Yet he’d been so caught up in his memories of Megan, in his selfish fantasies, in being polite to that woman, he hadn’t even noticed the man in the parka. He hadn’t had a clue that Connor was gone.
Not until it was too late.
Leo leaned over the security system tech’s shoulder. “Can you save that section of the recording and get me images from the camera for that exit?” He pointed toward the one where the man in the parka and Connor had disappeared.
“Sure thing.”
“After you’re done with that, check prior footage for all the exits, starting with that one. He must have entered the store at some point. I want a face shot of him. Anything we can use to get an ID.”
The tech nodded and started tapping keys.
The lieutenant turned his laser gaze on Ty. “You know the ex-husband. Could this be him?”
Ty considered for a moment. “Hard to tell without a better view of his face. But the body type fits.” Or at least as much of it as he could see in the oversized parka.
Leo nodded. “Average height, average weight?”
“Like most of the male population.”
“It’s something. We need to have the mother take a look at whatever pictures we can get of this guy. Even if he isn’t the ex, she might know him. There’s a chance.”
A cramp seized Ty’s chest. He knew the odds of an abducted kid being found, and they weren’t good, especially if the abductor was a stranger. Either it happened right away, in the first forty-eight hours, or it wasn’t likely to end well.
This was his fault. All his fault.
Leo let out a sigh and clapped the security guy on the shoulder. “The moment you find any kind of a face shot, let me know.”
“I sure will.”
“I’m calling the feds’ CARD team to give them a heads-up. I want to be prepared, and if this isn’t the ex, we could use the help. And we need to be ready to issue an Amber Alert.”
Ty nodded. CARD stood for Child Abduction Rapid Deployment, one of ten teams of experts located across the nation. Each team member had extensive experience in crimes-against-children investigations, particularly cases where the abductor was not a family member, and Ty was glad to hear Leo wasn’t planning to mess around. The Lake Hubbard P.D. was awfully small to handle a case like this on their own. Even with help from the sheriff’s department, it would be nice to have the extra resources. “What do you want me to do?”
“Sorry, Ty. I want you to lay back a little on this. At least until I get the word on how the chief wants to proceed.”
Ty knew there would be consequences to pretending his shopping trip was an official police department program. On top of that, when the media found out about him losing Connor, the blowback would only get worse. But whatever happened, he didn’t care. All he could think about was that little boy. “You’ll need photos of Connor for the search and Amber Alert.”
“I’ll send Baker to notify the child’s mother and have her take a look at the images of this guy. He can ask her for pictures.”
Nothing against Baker. He was a good cop. But it wasn’t right that Megan hear about this from a stranger. “Can I do it?”
Leo gave him a frown, lines digging into his forehead, deep as trenches.
“You got to let me do it, Leo.”
“You really want to?”
Of course, he didn’t. Not one bit. “I have to.”
“All right. Go with Baker.”
“Thanks. I couldn’t live with myself if she heard it from someone other than me.” Truth was, he wasn’t sure he could live with himself even now.
WHEN THE DOOR BUZZER SOUNDED and Megan glanced out the window, she was expecting to see a police car in front of her building. She wasn’t ready for the tremor that seized her stomach and made her head swirl like she’d just climbed off a carnival ride.
It was so strange, seeing Ty again after all these years.
She pushed her hair back from her face and ran her fingers through the ends. Man, she was pitiful, but she couldn’t help it. She’d even put makeup on this morning before he’d stopped by to pick up her son. Not because she hoped for something between them. Any hope of that had fizzled out years ago, during that awful summer and in the fall afterward when Ty had left to attend a police academy in Madison.
Not that it mattered. She’d done marriage, and there wasn’t a chance she was gullible enough to try it again. But there was just something about the way Ty looked at her that made her want to show him the fabulous woman he’d lost all those years ago. Rub his face in it a bit. Silly, vain, and more than a little vengeful, she admitted, but there it was.
Much more important than old feelings between her and Ty was whether the shopping trip with Connor had gone well.
A stronger jitter gripped her stomach and climbed into her chest. Her little guy had been through so much with the divorce. And now that they’d left Chicago and moved back across the Wisconsin border to Lake Hubbard, she could tell he missed his dad. That was the reason she’d let Ty talk her into taking him on this outing when he’d told her there were leftover donations to the Shop with a Cop program. Connor needed some time with a man, and that was something she couldn’t provide. And this morning he’d been so excited…it was almost as if the opportunity was tailor-made.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous about it. She was nervous every time Connor was out of her sight. At least today he was with a police officer. She just hoped his experience was a positive one.
The outside buzzer blared again through her apartment.
Running her fingers through her hair a couple more times, she crossed the living room and hit the button unlocking the building’s main door, a low buzz humming through the halls.
She couldn’t wait to see Connor’s face. Please, let him be happy. She opened her apartment door and stepped out into the long corridor.
A man’s steps thunked up the stairs and echoed in the open stairwell and lobby below.
Leaving her door ajar, Megan started down the hall, hurriedly padding on stocking feet to meet the sound, eager to see her son’s face.
A blue-clad leg and black shoe crested the top step. Ty Davis stepped around the corner and into the hall.
She focused on Ty’s face, and for a moment, her heart felt like it fluttered, just like it had when she’d first laid eyes on him back in high school. Then it occurred to her that he didn’t look happy.
She glanced down the staircase. A cop in full uniform climbed the staircase behind him but no little boy. She hurried toward Ty. “Where’s Connor?”
His face appeared tighter the closer she came. Lines etched his forehead and cupped around the corners of his lips.
“Where’s Connor?” she repeated. Hadn’t he heard her? What was wrong with him? “Is he hurt?”
“We need to talk, Meg.” He cupped a hand under her elbow and steered her away from the stairs. “Let’s go back inside your apartment for a moment.”
Her breath seemed to clog her throat. Something had happened. That much was clear.
“Meg?”
Now was not the time to lose her head. She couldn’t let her mind race off in a panic…not until she knew what it was she faced. “Oh…okay.”
Without releasing her, he moved her hand into the crook of his arm and guided her back to her open door.
Possibilities whipped through her mind. Was Connor hurt? Had he tried to steal something? Had her mother wandered off from the nursing home? Or had she died, and Ty hadn’t wanted Connor here when he broke the news? She moved one foot in front of the other, reaching the apartment, stepping inside. She stopped and angled her body to face Ty. Her hands were shaking and she gripped them together to keep them still. “What happened?”
“I think you should sit down.”
Sit down? Like hell. “What happened?” Panic shrieked inside her, but her voice became quieter the louder her fear.
He paused, searching for words or still waiting for her to take a seat, she didn’t know.
Clearly something had happened. Something she hadn’t seen coming. Something she’d missed. “Tell me, Ty. Please.”
He gave a slow nod. “I’m so sorry, Megan.”
Her lungs contracted. She couldn’t breathe. “My mother?”
“It’s Connor. He was abducted from the store.”
She shook her head. It didn’t make sense. “But he was with you.”
He flinched ever so slightly, as if the statement caused him pain. “The entire department is looking for him. Store security, too. We’ll find him, Megan. We’re going to find him.”
“No. No.” She couldn’t stop shaking her head. She hadn’t seen this coming, all right. She hadn’t seen it, because it was impossible. “He was with you. This can’t happen.”
“I’m so sorry.”
She swayed. Her knees felt like they were going to buckle, but she willed herself to stand on her own. This couldn’t be happening. There had to be some kind of explanation. Some kind of sick joke. She waited for him to tell her that he was kidding, to take it all back, to…something, but she knew deep inside that something wasn’t going to come.
Her baby was gone.
Chapter Three
Ty didn’t know how much Megan was absorbing. She stared at him, green eyes wide and a little glassy. And although she nodded at the appropriate times, there was a blankness to her expression that felt hard and brittle at the same time, like the face of a porcelain doll.
“Doug.”
“Officers are trying to reach him.”
“Could he…could he have taken Connor?”
“We’re looking into it. Believe me.” Ty wanted to go question the bastard himself, but the lieutenant wouldn’t allow it. Probably a good idea. If Doug did sneak Connor out of the store under Ty’s nose, Ty wasn’t sure he could leave the interview without beating the tar out of him.
Still, compared to the alternative, Doug being the kidnapper would be a huge relief. “You can help us determine if Doug took him.”
“How?”
He motioned to Baker. Even though the detective was supposed to be in charge of this notification and interview, he’d hung back and let Ty take the reins. Todd Baker was a good guy.
Baker set up his laptop on the coffee table and recalled the pictures they had downloaded from the security footage. The first image of the kidnapper came on the screen, a shot of the parka-clad man approaching Connor. Ty was also visible just a few feet away.
Megan gasped.
“You recognize him?”
She shook her head. “No. Not really. I mean, it could be Doug, but…” Her eyebrows pulled low over worried eyes. Her chin trembled. “I can’t really tell.”
“We have a few different angles.” Ty glanced at Baker.
He rolled the snips of video and magnified the kidnapper. “Better?”
Megan shook her head. Tears wound down her cheeks, but she didn’t make a sound.
Baker stopped the video on an image. A sliver of the kidnapper’s cheek peeked from beneath the hood. “That’s as good a shot of his face as we could come up with.”
It was strange, Ty had to admit. In each bit of video, the kidnapper had averted his face at just the right angle and pulled up his hood in just the right amount to avoid security cameras.
Megan shook her head. “I don’t know. It could be Doug. It also could be almost anyone.”
Ty stared at the image, comparing it to his memories of Doug Burke’s face. She was right. It could be almost anyone.
“You lost him…how did you lose him? You’re right there.” Her voice was only a whisper, yet it cut into him like a whip crack.
He met her eyes. They glistened in the muted light of the window. A few tears spiked her lashes and escaped down her cheeks.
He could understand her frustration, understand her fear. Scratch that. He couldn’t truly understand. But he could imagine it. And if he were in her place right now, he imagined he would be furious. One thing was certain. He more than deserved her fury. “I’m so sorry, Meg.”
She didn’t answer. She looked back at the image on the computer.
“The department is working on finding him,” Baker said in a steady voice. “We are searching every inch of the mall. We’ve contacted the FBI, in case we need their help. We are prepared to issue an Amber Alert. Everyone is on this.”
Ty had already told her all this, but he was grateful for Baker’s calm, reliable recitation. Maybe Leo was right. Maybe Baker should have broken the news to Megan instead of him. He had a steady influence Ty couldn’t come close to matching. But the thought of not being there when Megan needed him wasn’t acceptable. Not again.
“How did it happen? What were you thinking? What were you doing that you weren’t watching him?” She hadn’t looked up, but it was clear she was talking to him.
He opened his mouth, then shut it tight. What could he say? That he was looking at lingerie? That he was fantasizing about how she’d look in it? Imagining taking it off her? “I was…shopping. I only took my eye off him for a moment.” He decided not to mention the Giftinator. Megan would only think he’d been flirting instead of paying attention to her son. It hadn’t been like that, not at all. But he wouldn’t be able to convince her.
Not that it mattered. He’d been absorbed in his own world, his own concerns. He hadn’t been focused on her son. He deserved all the blame she could heap on him.
“A moment…” She buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders jerked, a silent sob shuddering through her body.
He wanted to touch her, soothe her, promise it would be okay. But he doubted she would accept his touch, and right now even he had trouble believing that promise.
“I want to go to the mall. I have to go to the mall.” She pushed herself up from her chair. “I need to find him.”
He stood and reached out. But instead of grasping her arm, he let his hand hover in the air.
Baker stood, as well. “We have officers all over the store. People from our department. From the sheriff’s department. Store security. They are professionals. Let them handle this.”
She shook her head. For a moment, Ty thought she might bolt for the door, then she focused on him. Her eyes shifted back and forth as if she didn’t know where to look.
If Ty knew anything about Megan, even after all these years, it was that she was not good at accepting anything from anyone. Not help, not reassurance, not promises—regardless of whether those promises were likely to be kept. But she was comfortable doing. “There’s nothing you can do there that they can’t. But here, there’s a lot only you can do here.”
“Only me…like what?”
“First, you need to stay by the phone.”
“You think there might be a phone call? Like a ransom call?”
“Maybe. Or someone might find Connor or see him and give you a call. You need to be here to answer.”
She stared past him, focusing on the twinkle lights and colorful jumble of decorations covering her Christmas tree, her eyes unseeing, her expression blank.
“There’s more, more you can do.”
She returned her gaze to his.
“We need recent pictures of Connor to release to the media and use in the search. Can you compile some?”
“Of course.” Taking a deep breath, she turned away from him and half ran toward the bedroom. A few moments later, she came back with a wad of photos cradled in her hands. “I have a lot of them. I printed them out to make a collage for my mom as a Christmas present.”
She shuffled through the stack of pictures as if they were playing cards. “School pictures, some from his birthday, Halloween. No. What am I thinking? He’s in a costume on Halloween. That’s not going to help.” Except for a few stray tears, she hadn’t cried since he’d broken the news, but now tears swamped her eyes and gushed down her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, Meg,” he said again. He could never say it enough. He took a chance and grabbed hold of her hand.
Her throat moved as if she was swallowing emotion, preventing it from further breaking free. Finally she looked him in the eye. “I know you didn’t mean to lose him. I’ve had him wander off when I was shopping with him, too.”
The fact that she would think about reassuring him in the midst of all she was facing made him feel worse than he already did. He rubbed his hand up her arm, as if simple friction would warm the chill that he knew was running through her. “We’ll find him. We’ll get him back to you.”
“I should have told him to stay next to you in the store, to hold your hand. I should have known something like this could happen. I meant to remind him to stay close to you before he left, but it slipped my mind. God, I’m so stupid.”
He couldn’t stand this. “No. I’m stupid. I wasn’t paying attention. I lost Connor.”
She shook her head, but the tears didn’t stop flowing. She pushed the photos into his hands. “Here. I’ll see if I can find any better ones.”
He set the pictures on the table and took both her hands in his. He looked down into her wet green eyes, eyes that were so desperate. “I will find Connor. I will make all of this okay. I promise.”
Maybe an impossible vow. But God help him, he had never meant anything more.
MEGAN WAS EXHAUSTED, frustrated and more than a little panicky by the time Ty’s lieutenant arrived at the apartment to fill her in on the search and ask her to repeat everything she’d already discussed with Ty. At Ty’s direction, she’d written a detailed description of her son and everything he’d been wearing down to the Hot Wheels sneakers on his feet. She’d also compiled a list of names, addresses and phone numbers of family, friends, babysitters, anyone she could think of who had come in contact with Connor, both in Lake Hubbard and Chicago.
Ty had made copies of all the photos she’d dug up, ready to send them to every law enforcement agency in the vicinity and nonprofit organization that helped find missing children.
She knew Ty would be helping her find Connor even if he didn’t feel guilty about his role in losing him. He was a police officer, after all. This kind of thing was his job. And more than that, it was the kind of person Ty was, the kind he’d been raised to be.
But although she felt plenty angry that he’d lost her son, she couldn’t see what good anger and blame would do. Not now. There wasn’t time. All she could focus on right now was getting her son back, and she badly needed to trust that Ty and the Lake Hubbard police department could help her do that.
“Ms. Garvey?” Ty’s lieutenant perched on the edge of a chair and leveled her with an officious look. “With your permission, we would like to put a trap and trace on your phone.”
Lieutenant Leo Wheeling had to be the squarest man she’d ever met. His attitude, his blocky chest and short legs, his cropped blond hair and carefully trimmed mustache, everything about the man was right angles. And although she’d learned from experience not to rely on anyone but herself, the sheer regular nature of the guy made her want to trust he’d come through. “You think the kidnapper will call?”
“We hope he will.”
“To ask for ransom?”
“Yes.”
She motioned to the shabby little apartment, the cheap Christmas tree she’d bought in a discount lot, already dropping needles. The decorations made of paper and pipe cleaners and good old-fashioned popcorn on strings she’d used to round out the few good decorations she had left from the house in Chicago. Not to mention the sparse secondhand furniture underneath it all, a veritable museum of particle board and pilled cushions. “I obviously have no money. What could he want that I could give him?”
“We don’t know, Ms. Garvey. We are trying to cover all the bases.”
She nodded. She should be glad of that, not giving the man a hard time.
A knock sounded at the door. Ty opened it. A familiar-looking man dressed in a suit and dark overcoat pushed into the room and focused on her. “Megan. I came when I heard.” He thrust out his hand and grasped hers, but instead of giving it a shake, he simply held it and stared into her eyes.
He looked so familiar. The sharp nose. The high forehead. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“Evan Blankenship. We went to high school together.”
Memories shuffled into place in her mind. “Of course. You were a few years older, right?”
“You had to remind me.” He chuckled and glanced at the other newcomers over his shoulder, then back to her.
“And I heard you married Dee Dee Harris.” Megan almost lapsed into the envious nickname Dee Dee had been given by the other girls in high school, Harris the Heiress, but stopped herself just in time.
“Three years now.” Evan held up his ring as if offering proof.
“Lucky man.” It seemed ridiculous to be chatting about normal life as if everything was…normal. But somehow just the ordinariness of the exchange made Megan feel a little more grounded.
“Don’t I know it. I was also elected mayor of Lake Hubbard in a special election this fall. That’s why I stopped by, to offer my support as an elected official and an old friend.”
“Uh, thank you.”
“And my help. Seriously, Megan, if there’s anything Dee Dee and I can do to get your little boy back—connections, money, anything at all—you let me know.”
She fished for a way to respond, finally settling on another “Thank you.”
“I understand the FBI is on its way?”
Again Megan nodded. She hadn’t been sure how to take this outpouring of generosity from a man she hadn’t talked to since high school. Even then, he’d been Doug’s age, not hers. She’d hardly known him. But after that last comment, she had to wonder if he was here to see the FBI. Maybe Mayor Evan Blankenship had watched too many crime shows on TV and simply wanted to see the bureau in action.
She gave him what she could muster for a smile and excused herself. She didn’t like being so cynical, thinking poorly of others’ motives, not trusting anyone at their word, but she couldn’t help it. The last years had bled her dry of trust and optimism, and the past couple of hours didn’t seem likely to change that.
Her throat thickened. Her chest physically hurt with each beat of her heart, and she knew the only thing that would make it stop was clutching Connor close. Standing, she excused herself and walked out of the living room and down the short hall.
She had to get away. Just for a moment. She had to catch her breath. She wanted to be somewhere she could feel closer to her son.
She slipped into Connor’s room and pulled in a deep breath. The place smelled of him, of crayons and Lincoln Logs and the orange-flavored candy he’d accidently gotten stuck in a corner of the carpet. She looked around at his toys, at his unmade bed, at his jammies lying in a wadded-up clump on the floor. For a moment, the walls blurred, the Thomas the Tank Engine clock became merely a smudge of bright reds and blues against the white wall.
She tilted her chin back and did her best to blink away tears. They would find him, wouldn’t they? She had to trust they’d find him. She didn’t know how she’d cope otherwise.
“Meg?”
Her body swayed toward the sound of Ty’s voice and his old nickname for her coming from right behind her. If she turned around, if she reached for him—allowed herself to curl up in his arms, to soak in his comfort, to accept his strength—she knew he’d oblige. He would again promise to find Connor. He’d reassure her that everything would be okay. She wanted those things so badly. She wanted to trust he could provide them.
But she knew things weren’t as simple as that. They never were. To get her son back, she needed to be strong. She couldn’t rely on anyone else to make things okay. She’d known that most of her life. She couldn’t let herself forget it now.
She wiped her cheeks with her fingertips. Pulling in a shuddering breath, she turned around and searched his face, his clear blue eyes, the creases around his mouth, the shadow of stubble beginning to show on his chin. But as much as she wanted to see relief in his eyes and the joy of good news curving his lips, they weren’t there.
She braced herself. “Have you gotten hold of Doug?”
“Still no answer.”
“You tried the cell number?” He nodded.
She dropped her focus to the carpet. Large, colorful Duplo Legos scattered the worn Berber. She had the urge to drop to her knees and fit them together, to fit something together, anything. The minute hand on the train clock clicked forward.
How long she stared at those blocks, she wasn’t sure, but she heard another tick. Then another. She could feel Ty watching her, but she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes.
Connor. Out there somewhere. With a stranger.
She felt sick. She felt weak.
She felt angry as hell.
She folded her arms tight across her chest and hung on. “A few years ago, Doug got in some trouble with the law.”
Ty’s brows arched upward, as if he was surprised, but something in his eyes told her the expression was more acting than truth. Of course she’d be naive to think that the news of Doug’s embezzlement and the hell she’d gone through hadn’t reached their hometown. Lake Hubbard had grown a lot over the years, but it still had the feel of a small town. And in small towns, gossip traveled fast.
Gossip or not, she was grateful he didn’t ask questions. She didn’t want to get into the story. Especially with Ty. “He got out of it with a slap on the wrist and swears he’s a model citizen now, but he might not be eager to answer a phone call from police.”
“I see. Would you be willing to give him a call?”
She nodded. She prayed he had taken Connor. At least then she’d know her little boy was safe. She couldn’t rely on Doug for much, but for all his faults, he was truly fond of his son.
“It’s worth a shot. I’ll let Leo know. We can put your phone on speaker.”
“No. I want to make the call alone.”
His lips flattened into a line.
“I’ll use my cell. Please, Ty. This is all…too much.” She gestured to the officers down the hall in the living room. It appeared as though the mayor had left, but the lieutenant, Detective Baker and another detective she didn’t know still milled around the Christmas tree.
She didn’t want any of them listening in on her call to Doug. Whether Doug had Connor or not, he would blame everything on Ty, chalk up everything to their past relationship, as distant a memory as it was. Doug had always felt threatened by Ty, even though she and Ty had broken up long before. Even though she’d married Doug in the end. Sometimes his comments were very hurtful, and she didn’t want them on the speakerphone for all to hear.
Ty finally nodded. “Don’t let him upset you. Tell him it was all my fault. After all, it was.”
She’d seen the video, and she wasn’t so sure of that. Of course he would say the same thing if it wasn’t. “If you’ll excuse me?”
Ty spun around and headed back down the hall. Her cell phone started ringing before she could get the door closed. She fished it out of her pocket with shaking fingers and flipped it open. “Doug?”
“Get the cops out of your apartment.”
Megan shuddered at the low, brutal voice. Not Doug. The kidnapper. It had to be. Somehow he’d gotten the number of her cell phone. And he was watching her apartment.
“Tell them someone you trust has your son.”
She wasn’t sure she could push a single sound from her throat, but somehow she managed. “Who?” There weren’t many people she trusted. And the police had probably checked with everyone she’d put on the list by now.
“A friend. The boy’s father. I don’t care who. Just convince the police they no longer have to look for your son.”
She could hardly breathe.
“Do you want to see your son again?”
“Yes. Okay. I’ll get rid of the police.”
“Then I want you to go to work tonight.”
She couldn’t have heard him right. “Work?”
“You do work for Brilliance Cleaning?”
“Yes.”
“You are scheduled to clean Keating Security tonight?”
He knew everything about her. “Who is this?”
“That’s not your problem. Your problem is that I have your son, and if you don’t do everything I say, you won’t see him again. At least not alive. Understand?”
A scream built in her throat. She pushed it back. “Yes. I understand.”
“While you are cleaning tonight, you will copy their client files off the secure server, including all the specifications of each client’s security system. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” She understood perfectly. He was asking her to steal sensitive files. Files that could be used to get into any of the security company’s clients’ businesses and homes undetected. Files that would work like a magic key, allowing him to walk in any of those places he wanted, take anything he wanted and never get caught.
But although she felt a pang of guilt at the idea of stealing the information for him, she wouldn’t let it stop her. In the end, it wasn’t much of a choice. Connor was the only thing she cared about. She would do anything to get him back. “Then what?”
“I’ll tell you after you have the files. Do what I ask, Ms. Garvey. I mean it. Or Santa won’t be coming to your house this Christmas.”
Chapter Four
“So you’ll do it? You’ll call the lieutenant and tell him you took Connor from the mall?” Megan held her breath. Doug had reacted to the news just the way she’d thought he would. A lot of blustering about Ty’s role, a lot of blaming. But in the end, he’d been just as worried about the ransom call as she was. She just needed to know that he’d hold up his end—she needed to hear him swear it—before she went out to talk to Lieutenant Wheeling.
“And then what happens? I take the blame for this? I get arrested?”
“I’ll back you up. I’ll tell them it was a misunderstanding, that we’ve worked everything out.” She wasn’t sure if that would be enough to protect him, but she hoped it would at least convince him to go along.
“And I’m supposed to stick my neck out and trust you to explain things?”
“I will explain things.”
“Right. If I had a more devious mind, I might think you and Davis set this up. That he faked the kidnapping so you could trap me with some kind of kidnapping charge and take full custody.”
She closed her eyes. She’d only needed Doug to come through for her twice in all their time together, after Connor was born and now. He’d failed her the first time. She had to make sure he came through for her now. “I will make sure you don’t get in trouble for this, Doug. I promise. But I need you to do this. Connor needs you to do this. Please.”
“I suppose.”
She recognized the smug tone in his voice. She could picture him right now in her mind’s eye, all inflated and self-important. The strange thing was, she didn’t care. She’d tell him anything he wanted to hear, just as long as he came through on his end. The only person she cared about was her son. “Thank you. You’ll call him now?”
“Yes.”
“You have his phone number?”
“He’s called me a dozen times in the past hour, I swear. All I have to do is call him back.”
“Thank you.”
“I want you to remember this, Megan.”
“Don’t you worry. I will.” She ended the call. She was still shaking, but at least she felt like she had a plan, a plan that was underway.
She’d wait for Doug to make his call, then give the lieutenant all the reassurances he needed from her end. He had no reason not to believe her. It would all go smoothly. It had to.
“Was that Doug?”
Ty’s voice jolted along her nerves like an electric shock. She’d been so focused on convincing Doug to call Lieutenant Wheeling and then doing her own explaining that she’d almost forgotten she also had to lie to Ty. “Yes. He promised to call your lieutenant back right away.”
Ty nodded. “Does he know anything?”
“Yes. He has Connor. That was him at the mall.” She tried to give him a relieved smile, but she wasn’t sure she remembered what that felt like. “So everything is okay.”
“Really?”
What did that mean? That he didn’t buy it? “Yes. He saw you with him at the store, and, well, he got jealous. He called me to let me know everything’s okay. Everything’s over.”
She expected him to look relieved. Something. But his expression didn’t change. “You have to tell Lieutenant Wheeling. But I have to warn you everything is not likely to be over instantly.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re going to have to investigate what happened. Make sure Connor is okay.”
“Why? There’s no need for it.”
“That’s good. I’m glad. But we have to confirm that fact in order to close the investigation.”
“But I’m telling you that he’s safe.”
Ty held up his hands.
Megan’s mind raced. If the police went after Doug for the story they’d concocted, he’d tell them the truth for sure. It would all be over. She couldn’t let that happen. “You can’t do anything if I don’t cooperate.”
“The department has an obligation to check on Connor’s welfare.”
“You can’t charge Doug with anything for taking his own son.”
“If he has Connor and the boy is all right, there shouldn’t be any problem.”
“So what happens now?”
“We tell Leo. He’ll take it from there.”
And judging by the squareness of the man, she’d be willing to bet he’d follow procedure to a T. Which probably meant she didn’t have much time before the police would know Doug didn’t have Connor at all. She had to head this off, or at least buy some time until she could give the kidnapper what he wanted and get her son back.
She stepped toward Ty and laid a hand on his arm. “I don’t want the police to harass Doug. He’s Connor’s father. I have to deal with him. Something like this…he’ll blame me. He’ll make things miserable for me, just because he can.”
She wasn’t sure if she could convince the lieutenant and the other officers out in her living room, but maybe she could appeal to Ty. He wanted to help her. If she could convince him, maybe he’d convince his lieutenant. “Things are fine between me and Doug right now. I don’t want to ruin that balance.”
“He took your son without telling you. That doesn’t seem fine to me.”
“He was upset when he saw I let Connor go shopping with you. I think he felt like you were trying to take his place with his son. But I talked to him. Now he understands that’s not true. I also talked to Connor. Everything is fine. Can’t this whole thing just be over?”
“It’s not that simple, Meg.”
“Can we try to make it that simple?”
He didn’t answer.
Seconds stretched, one after another until Megan thought she might fall to her knees and beg. She couldn’t let things unfold this way.
“All right.”
Ty’s answer was so low, at first Megan thought she might have imagined it. “Did you say yes?”
“I’ll talk to Leo.”
“Doug said he’d return the Lieutenant’s calls.”
“Good. He’d better do that. The sooner, the better.”
“He will.”
Ty stepped toward the hall, then paused. He turned back to face her, lines digging into his forehead and bracketing his mouth. “Who called earlier? Right when I left you?”
Megan had been ready with the story she’d cooked up with Doug, but she wasn’t prepared for this. Ty must have heard her cell phone ring as she closed Connor’s bedroom door. “It was…it was Doug.”
Ty watched her carefully. “That’s a coincidence. You were about to call him.”
He might have been just making a casual observation, but Megan didn’t think so. More likely, he suspected she was lying. A jitter seized her stomach. “A coincidence. Yes, it was. At least everything worked out. Connor is safe, and everything is fine.”
“Glad to hear Connor is okay. That’s the important part.” Again he started to leave, then caught himself. This time when he returned his gaze to hers, his eyes held something softer. Sadder. “I don’t understand why you’re still protecting Doug.”
She wished she could tell him the truth. That this wasn’t about protecting Doug at all but protecting Connor. She wished she could trust that if Ty knew the real situation, he would stick by her. But wishing didn’t change anything. He was a cop, and she was about to become a criminal. That was the way things were.
It was up to her to get her baby back, to make him safe. She was on her own.
TY DIDN’T BELIEVE MEGAN’S story. Not for a second. The entire time she’d been talking, her eyelashes had fluttered and her cheeks had flushed a delicate shade of pink. When she’d related the part about how Doug had seen the error of his jealous ways, her eyes had shifted to the side, as if she found something fascinating near his left ear. She was about as good at lying as the teenagers he discovered throwing toilet paper into the trees outside the high school last Halloween.
The thing that had him confused was why.
Had Doug threatened to hurt his own little boy? Told Megan he wouldn’t let her see him again if she got him in trouble with police? As much as Ty despised Doug, he couldn’t see him hurting his own son. He knew it happened all the time, parents abusing their children, using them as weapons against one another. But Doug? And no matter what Doug would or wouldn’t do, Ty could never imagine Megan leaving her son with a man who would threaten him.
He rubbed a hand over his face and walked into her living room. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the thought of Megan getting back together again with Doug jabbed at him. Stupid. It was none of his business what Megan decided to do with her life. If she was protecting Doug out of some desire to have him return to her and Connor, who was he to say anything about it?
Ty had had his chance. He’d made his choice, just as Megan had made hers. His feelings now had more to do with the self-centered fantasies he’d been entertaining since he’d learned she was back in Lake Hubbard. Fantasies that she’d realized her mistake, that she’d come here for him. Fantasies that he could undo the damage he’d done when he’d left her all those years ago.
Left her just when she needed him most.
When he’d stepped out of the living room to check up on Megan, it had been filled with officers. The mayor had already gone, but Baker and two other guys had stayed, drinking Megan’s coffee and waiting for word that someone had seen Connor. Now only Leo remained, standing in the kitchenette, a cell phone to his ear. A few overheard words, and Ty knew why the others had gone.
“You understand I’m going to walk in the next room and check with her on all this right now.” A pause stretched as Ty imagined Doug explaining.
Ty turned away. So Doug had come through on his promise. Megan should be happy to know that her faith in him was rewarded. And when Leo got off the phone, Ty would put in a few words, just as he’d promised.
Whether he liked it or not, the rest was none of his business.
Ty contented himself with staring at the cute little tree Megan had decorated and listened to the hum of Leo’s even voice. The decorations, the apartment, it was all so Megan. Nothing fancy, but everything well thought out, designed all on her own, and nearly pulsing with love. It reminded him of Christmases back when he was a kid. More holiday joy than presents. His dad doting on him. And he and his school-teacher mom spending every day of their long school breaks doing something fun.
Finally the lieutenant clapped his phone shut and glanced up at him. “You’ve heard?”
Ty pulled his gaze from a construction paper cutout of a three-year-old’s interpretation of Santa Claus and faced his lieutenant. “Megan told me. So what’s going to happen to good old Doug?”
“Not sure yet. But if Ms. Garvey is as okay with it as Burke seems to think, we’re not inclined to pursue this. I’ll have to talk to the chief, of course. But custody situations are sticky at best, and if neither one has a problem, I sure don’t. We’ll cross our t’s and dot our i’s, of course. Check up on the child. But we don’t have the manpower to spend a lot of time on something that seems to be resolved.”
What could he say? He already knew how Megan would answer Leo’s questions. He arched his brows. “I noticed the place cleared out pretty quickly.”
Leo frowned and looked past Ty and out the window. “Big accident on County H. And the snow has just started.”
“Do they need extra help?” Apparently Megan didn’t need him here. At least if he could help with the storm they were supposed to get tonight, he’d feel useful.
Leo leveled him with a serious look. “We need to talk.”
Ty didn’t like the sound of that. He waited for Leo to go on, not wanting to encourage him.
The lieutenant rubbed his chin, the chaffing sound of stubble giving away the lateness of the hour. “I talked to the chief.”
Ty braced himself. “And?”
“We’re putting you on suspension, Ty, and we’re going to investigate exactly what happened today.”
The news clanged in his ears. “So I’m going to be investigated, and Burke is in the clear. The justice of that is staggering.”
“It’s not losing the boy that we’re worried about. The media will have a field day with that, I suspect. But I could tell just by watching the video that none of it was your fault.”
“Thank God for small favors.”
Leo shot him a hard look. “Trying to pass off a personal shopping trip as an official department program, on the other hand, that was stupid.”
Ty nodded. He wanted to blame Doug Burke, but deep down he realized it had little to do with him. Ty had made the choice to misrepresent his shopping trip all on his own. For that, he supposed he deserved what he got. “How long?”
“Not sure. A few days. The media is going to be all over this. The chief wants to be ahead of it. The mayor agrees.”
And here good old Evan had just looked him in the eye and shook his hand. The guy had always been smooth, even in high school. Apparently his step into politics had completed the package. “Next time I see Blankenship, remind me to thank him.”
“Ty…”
He held up his hands. “I know. I know.” Truth was, he understood Blankenship, Leo and the chief were just trying to protect the city and the department. But he felt a little hung out to dry. Even if he had caused it himself.
And he still couldn’t shake the sense that this whole situation was not quite right.
MEGAN PULLED ON THE BLUE POLO shirt with Brilliance Cleaning emblazoned over the left breast and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Her hands shook as she stretched the elastic hair band, and it took three tries for her to finally bind it tight enough so that wisps wouldn’t escape in the first three seconds. She’d never been nervous about going to work before. Of course, she’d never planned to break all sorts of laws and betray her employer and his clients before, either.
She still couldn’t believe any of this was real. Connor kidnapped. The ransom call. Her lying to police, to Ty. And soon she could add theft to the list. But as much as she didn’t want to believe what she was about to do was real, it was. And as much as she didn’t want to think about the possible ramifications of breaking the law this way, she knew she would be willing to do much worse if it meant getting her son back safe.
She pulled on her coat and gloves, grabbed her bag and left the apartment, locking the door behind her. As she walked through the hall and down the steps, she couldn’t help but remember taking this path with Connor every day on her way to drop him off with Mrs. Halverson in 1B while she cleaned. Last night, he’d been whining about wanting to wear shorts instead of his warm, fuzzy pajamas, and she’d been a little abrupt with him. When she got him home, safe and sound, she’d let him wear whatever he pleased. Never again would she waste time on petty arguments.
When she got him home…
She pushed out the door. Snow floated down in big flakes, clouds of it bright in the glow of the streetlights. An inch or maybe two had already fallen, coating the formerly clear sidewalks and streets and adding depth to the several inches that blanketed everywhere else.
She trudged to her car, cleared off the windows and drove out of the parking lot. The streets were slick, and for the first time, she had to force her mind off Connor and focus on driving. But as soon as she turned onto the quiet side street that led to Keating Security, she went back to wondering if her little boy had eaten dinner. Was he scared? Did he believe he would ever see her again?
The company’s parking lot was dark and empty, just a few streetlights to highlight the falling snow. The security systems Keating Security placed in businesses around the area were electronically monitored, making it unnecessary for an employee to watch them full-time. The building was always empty when Megan showed up to clean.
She pushed her own door open and climbed out, snugging the collar of her coat tight around her neck. There was nothing quieter than the world in the midst of a night snowstorm, and the intense hush gave her a chill that had little to do with the weather.
Was someone watching her?
She squinted into the night, but she could make out nothing but shadow and swirling white. Still, it could be possible the kidnapper was keeping tabs on her, making sure she followed through with his orders.
She hurried to the door. Still glancing around her, she stomped her feet free of snow, unlocked the glass door and slipped into the vestibule, closing and locking the door behind her. The alarm beeped its countdown. She punched the security code into the number pad to turn it off.
She wished she could engage the alarm while inside, but unfortunately that wasn’t how this system was designed. Once the alarm was engaged, so were the interior motion sensors. One step and she’d set off an alarm herself. She’d just have to rely on the dead bolt on the door and get her business done quickly.
She opened the interior door and escaped into the halls, away from the glass exposing her to anyone who might be watching from the parking lot or street. Reaching the janitor’s closet, she leaned on the door frame and let a breath shudder from her chest.
Her knees felt weak, and she had to concentrate to keep them from wobbling. The client files must be kept on secure servers that weren’t linked to the internet, to prevent hacking. Otherwise, the kidnapper probably could have broken into the system remotely, and he’d have no need for her to use the access her job cleaning the building afforded her.
She hung the backpack vacuum on the handle of the garbage cart and pulled a cleaning kit off the shelf, as if she was going about her normal work routine. The chances of her being interrupted weren’t good, but she wanted to be prepared just in case. As far as she knew, no one at Keating Security knew her background in computer systems. Why would they? As long as she was bonded, they had no reason to distrust her. Of course, Gary Burke knew. A second cousin of Doug’s, he’d been charitable enough to give her a job with Brilliance Cleaning when her career had tanked in the middle of a tough economy. But he had contracts of his own to service. He rarely ever checked up on her. Either way, as long as she had the cleaning equipment handy, no one would think twice about finding her in one of the offices that housed the secure network.
It took her three offices to find a computer linked to the internal server. Situated in the corner of the building, the room felt uncomfortably exposed. Windows stretched along two walls, one peering out on the parking lot, the other on the adjacent wooded park. Again that feeling that someone was watching prickled over her skin. She moved to the side of one window and peered out.
Darkness stared back at her punctuated by white flakes swirling in the streetlights along the parking area’s edge. She saw no vehicles, no movement. The forest side showed nothing but the skeletal shadows of trees barely visible through the snow.
The creepy feeling was probably caused by her guilty conscience. She shivered and closed both sets of blinds anyway. She had to keep herself together. Find what she needed fast and get out.
Pulling a dusting wand from her kit for cover, she sat down at the desk, turned on the computer and focused on the monitor.
Password. She needed a password.
Her heart thumped so loud at first she thought it was heavy footsteps coming down the hall. She opened the desk drawer. Whether the company liked it or not, employees often kept their passwords written down and in easily accessed areas. With so many passwords for work programs and websites accessed at home, no one could keep all of them locked in their memories.
Sure enough, a small card was taped to the drawer’s steel bottom, a collection of random letters and numbers printed on the card. She entered it onto the keyboard and a list of the company’s clients popped up on the screen. She was in.
So far, so good.
She pulled out of her pocket a flash drive she’d brought from home and plugged it into a USB port. Now all she had to do was download the files for each client. She read over the names as she copied the list onto the drive.
A low rumble seemed to shake the building.
Her pulse jumped. She thrust up from the chair and stepped to the window. Splitting the blinds slightly with her fingers, she peered outside.
The yellow lights of a snowplow stuttered through the falling snow. It grumbled down the street and around a corner.
She let the blinds fall back into place, closed her eyes for a moment and focused on calming her racing pulse.
She made a horrible crook.
She sucked in a shaky breath and sat back down in front of the monitor. She had to focus on Connor, on getting him home safe, protecting her son. That’s all she could let herself think about.
The client list was the easy part. She had no idea how long copying the actual specifications on each client’s security system would take. She was only cleared to be in the building for a window of four hours, and if she hoped to cover her tracks, she needed to do at least a passable job of cleaning before her time ran out.
Another rumble came from outside.
Glancing out the corner of her eye in hopes that the sound was nothing but another snowplow, she clicked on the first client on the list, a pharmaceutical company. She directed the file to download to her flash drive.
The monitor went dark.
A surge of panic slammed through her. She clicked again, and the loud buzz of an alarm split the air.
Chapter Five
Ty had just stepped onto the snow-covered lawn of Keating Security when an alarm broke the white-blanketed stillness.
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