He could still hear the sound in his head—that low, distant rumble through the phone. The sound hadn’t been loud enough to be right beside Kendra, but it had been close.
He followed one line with his finger. Then another.
His thoughts moved fast, jumping from one possibility to the next, discarding each one just as quickly.
Kendra wouldn’t go somewhere obvious.
She’d go somewhere she felt comfortable.
Somewhere she knew.
Somewhere—
Max sucked in a breath.
His finger stilled. No . . .
Sheriff Sutherland glanced at him. “What?”
Max’s gaze sharpened as the pieces began to fall into place. He pointed to a spot on the map, his hand tightening. “This is where my aunt and uncle live.”
The sheriff stepped closer, studying the map. “You think Kendra knows about it?”
“She does.” He tapped the area again, more firmly this time. “I brought her out there a couple of times. She liked my aunt and uncle. Said she wanted to be adopted into their family.”
Sheriff Sutherland’s expression darkened. “And the tracks?”
Max traced the route with his finger. “They run right through here. If you’re coming from the west side, you’d pass close enough to hear a train just like I did on the phone.”
Sheriff Sutherland met his gaze. “You think that’s where Kendra took Hadley?”
“It’s my best guess.” Max straightened and reached for his phone, already pulling up the contact. “They should be home. They don’t go out much at night.”
He hit Call and put the phone on Speaker.
It rang.
Once. Twice. Three times.
Max’s grip tightened.
Come on . . .
Four rings. Five.
There was no answer.
Max lowered the phone slowly, a cold weight settling in his gut.
Aunt Billie and Uncle Herb were almost always home.
And they always answered their phone.Always.
Something wasn’t right.
The door creaked open under Kendra’s push, and Hadley stumbled into the house.
“Keep moving.” Kendra pressed the gun into her back, commanding every step.
