Her Last Steps: A psychological suspense thriller by N.L. Hinkens

Author:N.L. Hinkens [Hinkens, N.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781947890169
Publisher: Dunecadia Publishing
Published: 2019-12-09T16:00:00+00:00

15

Mallory and Brent pulled into the driveway of Patricia Galbraith’s impressive mountain home clad in natural stone and set on a three-acre knoll against a backdrop of snow-daubed granite peaks.

“This pad’s got to be worth a pretty penny,” Brent muttered to Mallory as he rang the doorbell.

“Word on the street is that Gordon built it for her and paid cash,” Mallory replied. “Beats me why he wanted to keep the original family cabin when he could have been living in a palace like this. Nostalgia does funny things to folks.”

Patricia answered the door in the same lycra pants and oversized sweater she’d been wearing the previous day. Her ordinarily sleek bob was pulled back in a tortoise shell clip and she clutched a china coffee mug painted with a sprig of pink buds in one hand. Her eyes darted nervously from Mallory to Brent. “What are you doing here? Do you have … I mean, is there any news?”

Mallory gave her a tight smile. “Nothing new to report, I’m afraid. We were just going over the case notes at the station. Can we come in for a few minutes? We have a couple of additional questions you might be able to help us with.”

Patricia brushed a manicured hand over her furrowed brow and gestured them inside with a wave of her coffee mug. “Of course, although I’m not sure how I can assist you any further. Gordon’s not here. He left a few minutes ago to go to the bank to withdraw the money.”

She led them down an arched hallway into an all-white gourmet kitchen with a retro chandelier hanging over a gleaming granite island. Exotic greenery in colorful tubs added splashes of vibrant color to the otherwise snowy perfection of the room. An unopened newspaper lay on the counter. Mallory grimaced when he caught sight of the lead story, Bring Melanie Home. The black-and-white picture beneath it was the same one they had used to print up the missing person flyers. He only hoped the story didn’t take an even more sinister turn in the next few hours.

Patricia set down her mug and perched uncomfortably on the edge of a bar stool, twisting her hands in front of her. “Have you heard from Justin this morning?”

“No, ma’am,” Brent replied. “Rest assured, if he has anything at all to report, he’ll contact us right away.”

Patricia cast a wary glance from Brent to Mallory. “I suppose there’s nothing more we can do in that case until the ransom drop takes place.”

Mallory sat down on the bar stool next to her. “Actually Mrs. Galbraith, that’s part of the reason we’re here. The ransom demand raises a lot of questions. We’ve had to notify the FBI about it. A kidnapping case is inherently more high-risk than a missing person’s case. We could potentially be dealing with a very dangerous person, or persons, when it comes to your granddaughter’s abductor.”

Patricia’s throat bobbed as she waited for Mallory to continue.

“Are you aware of any financial problems your son and daughter-in-law might be having?” Mallory asked, in an overly patient tone.

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