“I went into the room and kissed her good night, since Jasper had put her to bed.”
“I see. Because you and Miss Wright were at the police station late.”
Since it wasn’t a question, Noah couldn’t summon a response.
“Miss Wright?”
Delaney’s voice was barely a whisper. “I went to bed earlier than Mr. Aylett.”
Noah glared at the detective. “You need to go find Charlotte. You’re wasting your time.”
“I know you’re worried,” Norton said.
Worried. Such a common word for the feelings coursing through Noah. He couldn’t even name most of them.
“We have people out looking for her right now,” Norton said. “I promise, we’re doing everything we can.”
Which wasn’t the same as “I promise we’ll find her.” Nobody could make that promise.
Jasper’s heels thumped on the hardwood as he returned. “Someone could’ve watched you put the code in through the window.”
“What? How?” And how had Noah’s brother thought of that? Jasper was the expert atcausingproblems, notsolvingthem.
“Come here,” Jaz said. “I’ll show you.”
Noah followed his brother out the front door, where a few uniformed police officers were milling about, doing nothing useful.
He wanted to order them off his property, to order them to do their jobs. Every second they spent here was another second Charlotte was farther away from him.
Jasper led him to the hedge that separated the yard from the sidewalk and pointed. “It’s hard to see right now because of the glare, but I think, from here, if you look through the window just this side of the door…”
Noah crouched and saw what Jaz had noticed, the keypad through the window. But how could someone have been here, watching, without being seen? The hedge was only waist high.
“Step away,” Norton said. When they did, he crouched and poked around in the hedges. “Got it.” He pulled on latex gloves before carefully extracting a tiny metal device. He held it up for them to see. It was black, cylindrical, about an inch long and no wider than a quarter. A tiny camera. “Here’s your answer.”
Jasper swore under his breath.
Noah’s stomach dropped. Someone had been watching them. Watching Charlotte. Learning their routines, their security code, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
“How long has that been there?” Noah’s question came out in a whisper. This had happened right here, in his front yard. And he’d had no idea.
“Could be days, could be weeks.” Norton slipped the device into a plastic bag. “We’ll dust it for prints, but…”
“You probably won’t find any.” Delaney had followed them outside, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
Noah was about to rebuke her for her negativity when Jasper added, “Professionals don’t leave prints.”
Ice coursed through Noah’s veins. This wasn’t just Violet acting on some bizarre maternal urge. Maybe Charlotte’s drug-addicted mother and Noah’s biggest rival were working together.
Norton stepped away to speak to one of the uniformed cops, lowering his voice so they couldn’t hear. He handed him the evidence bag, then gestured to the yard.
Noah needed to call Richard, to get him over here so he could tell the police what he’d told Noah about Hayes’s tactics. Hestepped away and dialed, watching the bizarre scene unfold at his house.
Police crawling all over the place, searching for clues.
His niece, missing.
None of this could be happening.
