“The man they transported to the hospital is definitely the man in the photo Emma showed me. The ER nurse confirmed it. And, his truck is no longer in the parking lot at Sawyer Park.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“You and Emma need to get to the station now. I don’t know who sped away in the truck and the SUV, but this isn’t good for Emma.”
“We’ll be right there.”
“Be careful.”
“We will.”
Cap yanked a pair of jeans from his dresser and a fresh black T-shirt, dressing as fast as he could. All the while thinking about how he was going to break this news to Emma. She thought her ex was dead; he wasn’t, but he may die now, and she’d have to relive that again.
His chest squeezed, from knowing he’d have to relay the news her friend was dead.
He headed down the short hallway and knocked on her door.
No answer.
He knocked again.
Nothing.
A chill crept up his spine.
He opened the door. The room was empty. No sign of her. Not even her handbag.
The bed was rumpled, and the quilt was shoved aside.
Wind whistled through the slightly cracked window. The screen hung loose.
His heart leaped into his throat. She was gone. Cold settled in his chest. Had someone taken her in the middle of the night?
Just to be sure, he ran to the bathroom. Empty. The kitchen. Empty. Livingroom. Empty. Garage. Empty.
Guilt slammed into him, sharp and immediate. He should have trusted the unease that had kept him awake most of the night. He’d promised her he’d keep her safe.
He went outside and studied the area near the bedroom window. The grass was flattened.
Son of a bitch.
Someone had taken her, and on his watch. How could he let this happen?
He yanked his phone from his pocket and called the chief.
“Chief Mertz.”
“Chief, it’s Cap. She’s gone.”
“What?”
“I just went to her room. She’s gone. Her purse and everything.”
“She snuck out. Was she playing us?” the chief asked.
“No. I think she was abducted. The window screen is ripped, and the window was cracked open. Dammit. I can’t believe I didn’t hear anything. What if she yelled for me?”
“Hold on. Before you go beating yourself up, let’s think about this. Maybe she wanted to go.”
