Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense March 2020--Box Set 2 of 2 by Shirlee McCoy

Author:Shirlee McCoy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Jude stared down at the toy he grasped in his hand. It felt as though his world had been flipped on its side and then turned upside down. Maria’s mother said she always had the toy with her. The picture he’d been given of the child showed her holding it.

Lacey rose to her feet. “I’m sure there are a lot of stuffed toys like that around. Maybe Mr. Wilson has grandchildren or maybe the dogs play with it.”

He shook his head. “It can’t be a coincidence. Mr. Wilson must have been holding Maria here.”

“Do you think he’s in on the kidnapping?”

“It looks that way.”

The dogs stirred from their beds, barking and flinging themselves at the door. Something had them excited.

Lacey moved toward the door. “I hear another dog barking.”

While the dogs continued to bounce around, she and Jude got back into their boots. Jude grabbed a flashlight that rested on a chair. Lacey eased the door open only a slit so they could slip through but the dogs couldn’t get out. Outside the wind was still blowing and the snow came down sideways.

The barking of the third dog grew louder as he emerged through the trees. The dog ran toward them, jumped in circles around them and then headed back toward the trees.

“He’s trying to tell us something.” Lacey hurried after the white dog.

Jude ran beside her, shining the flashlight. The conditions were not a whiteout. All the same, it was not a good idea to get too far away from the house.

As they ran following the dog, the intensity of the kiss they’d shared lingered in his memory. How quickly the mood had been destroyed by his discovery.

His feet pounded through the snow. Frustration rose up inside of him. When they’d checked on Mr. Wilson, he may have been only a short distance away from Maria and not have known it. Or maybe she’d been brought down here from the cabin. Though they still needed to search the property, he had the feeling Maria was not here any longer. Had Mr. Wilson taken her somewhere else?

The dog led them into the trees that surrounded Mr. Wilson’s property. He stopped at what looked like a fallen log, sat back on his haunches and howled. Lacey and Jude sprinted toward the dog, arriving at the same time. Jude shone the light all around. The object that he thought was a log was not. The light washed over a body lying facedown. The white hair indicated that it was Mr. Wilson.

Lacey let out a sharp gasp and took a step back. She reached for Jude’s arm. Jude stepped closer. The body was frozen but there were clear bloodstains on the back. “He was shot.”

“So he wasn’t involved?” Lacey’s voice faltered.

Jude straightened his spine as his stomach twisted into a hard knot. “Mr. Wilson lived a very austere lifestyle. I’m sure a little cash would have persuaded him to watch a child.”

“His conscience must have bothered him. So he was shot,” Lacey said.

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