Beyond the Horizon by Connie Mason

Author:Connie Mason [Mason, Connie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780843930290
Publisher: Leisure
Published: 1990-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Major Vance approached Shannon’s house a full hour later than he intended. Unfortunately Colonel Greer had kept him in the meeting longer than expected. To his dismay, Shannon’s house was dark. Had she grown tired of waiting and retired for the night? Strange … he could have sworn Shannon’s information was urgent enough to warrant her waiting for him. He supposed it could wait until tomorrow, he reasoned, turning away. He’d catch her before she left for school in the morning.

No one answered when Vance knocked on Shannon’s door early the next morning. Thinking she’d already left for the schoolhouse, he walked the short distance to the schoolyard, surprised to find children milling about outside on such a cold, damp morning.

“Is Miss Branigan inside?” he asked one of the older boys.

“Naw, teacher ain’t here yet,” he returned. “It ain’t like her to be late.”

“Is that why you’re all standing about outside?”

“Yeh. Why do ya suppose teacher is late?”

“I don’t know, son, but I aim to find out. Why don’t you and the other students go on home for now. I’ll find Miss Branigan. Tell your parents you’ve been granted a holiday.”

A cheer followed his words and the children quickly scattered. Vance lingered for a time, checking the door—it was locked—and looking through the windows. Shannon was nowhere in sight, nor had she been inside the schoolhouse to start a fire in the stove. A frisson of fear crept up Vance’s spine, and his intuition told him something dreadful had happened to Shannon. Obviously she had information that placed her life in danger and was paying dearly for her prying. He had assumed Shannon had given up the notion of helping solve this case long ago.

Vance prayed he was wrong. He hoped he and Shannon had merely missed one another. He hurried off, hopeful, yet knowing in his heart she wouldn’t be there.

He was right. Shannon wasn’t at headquarters, nor had she been seen since the previous evening. He immediately dispatched a detail of men to search the fort. Two hours later, they returned to report that Shannon Branigan was nowhere to be found. Vance felt justified in returning to Shannon’s house and forcing the door open.

A careful inspection proved that Shannon had never returned to her house last night. The bed hadn’t been slept in, and ingredients for making bread were spread out on the table. The ashes in the stove were cold, indicating that Shannon hadn’t cooked breakfast that morning. Not only was Vance concerned over Shannon’s disappearance, he feared for her life. He had no proof as to the identity of the person or persons who had taken Shannon, but he strongly suspected that Clive Bailey was somehow involved. Vance hurried to Colonel Greer’s office to ask permission to form a patrol to look for Shannon. He wished Blade was here, for if they ever needed his tracking skills it was now.

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