Mountain Investigation by Cindi Myers

Author:Cindi Myers [Myers, Cindi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2021-01-11T15:31:22+00:00

HUD FELT SICK to his stomach as he listened to two newscasters discuss Audra Trask’s “sad history” of drug addiction and her stormy relationship with her father. “An old familiar story,” the male newscaster said. “One many parents have dealt with.”

“But one that has captured the public’s interest, now that Dane Trask is the most wanted man in the county, if not the state,” his female counterpart concluded.

Hud switched off the television and sank back in his chair. Audra had been an addict? It shouldn’t surprise him. Drug addiction cut across all socioeconomic levels. As a DEA agent, he dealt with the ugly side of addiction—people who stole from their parents, who prostituted themselves and broke ties with everyone who loved them, at the mercy of their addiction. Good for her getting past that—so many people didn’t. And he was pretty certain he’d know now if she was hiding any current addiction. The woman didn’t even drink!

As for her relationship with Dane, she had always spoken of her father warmly. If they had had their difficulties in the past—and what parent and child hadn’t?—she didn’t consider them significant enough to share with him. That part of the news story had been more speculation than fact, the word “allegedly” liberally sprinkled in the reporting.

He tried to call Audra’s cell, but his call went straight to voice mail. She was probably getting calls from the press and most of the people she knew. Fine. He’d go to her. He was supposed to continue working his way through Roy Holliday’s computer files, but so far that had turned up nothing. Whatever was in there to be discovered would have to wait a little longer. Things had been awkward between him and Audra when he’d left yesterday—all his fault. He’d find a way to make it up to her now. She didn’t need to be facing this alone.

Everything at the school looked normal to him—no crowds of reporters or irate parents. The playground was empty, but kids didn’t have recess all day, did they? But inside, things were definitely more tense. The phone rang and rang, and when Hud entered the office, Audra’s assistant scarcely looked up from her computer. “Audra isn’t here right now. You’ll have to come back later,” she said, in the tone of voice of someone who had repeated the same phrase over and over all morning.

“I’m Officer Mark Hudson,” he said in his sternest voice.

The woman’s head snapped up. She stared at him, wide-eyed. “Is something wrong?” she asked. “Is Audra in more trouble?”

“She’s not in trouble,” he said. “Where is she?”

“Can I help you with something, Officer?” A tall woman with gray streaks in her short dark hair stepped out of Audra’s office. She looked familiar, but Hud couldn’t remember her name.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Jana Keplar.” She moved toward him. “I’m helping Brenda since Audra isn’t in.”

“Where is Audra?” he asked, annoyance giving a harder edge to his voice.

Jana’s expression, which he would have labeled smug, didn’t change.

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