Caitlin sat in one of the chairs beside his desk.
Eyes red.
Face pale.
She stood immediately when she saw him.
“Oh God…”
Burke crossed the room fast and pulled her against him before she could finish.
She held onto him hard.
“Burke, please…” Her voice broke. “You have to find her.”
He closed his eyes briefly against the top of her head.
“We will.”
Behind them, deputies moved quickly through the bullpen, gathering rifles, flashlights, and radios.
Burke kept one arm around her.
“Baby, listen to me.” He pulled back enough to look at her. “We’ve got people in position already.”
Fear shimmered across her face.
“What if they move her?”
The question hit hard because Burke had already thought the exact same thing.
He forced calm into his voice anyway.
“We’re not going to let that happen.”
Caitlin nodded shakily.
Burke brushed hair back from her face.
“You stay here or go home with Mom. Either way, I’ll keep you updated every second I can.”
“Okay.”
He kissed her forehead quickly.
Then Sheriff Scott took back over.
Burke turned toward the bullpen.
“Five minutes,” he ordered sharply. “Be ready.”
* * *
The courthouse clock was striking midnight, but Main Street wasn’t asleep.
The neon sign for Catch My Draft Bar buzzed steadily in the humid late-spring air, casting a dull red glow across the pavement. Inside, Steve and Mike wiped down taps and counted registers while a couple of off-duty county firefighters and an EMS driver lingered over a final beer near the front window.
Steve’s police scanner sat low behind the bar beside the register, turned almost all the way down.
