Missing. Lynette Eason

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СКАЧАТЬ shifting when questioned about the wreck all suggested she was lying about not being there.

      He leaned forward. “Look, Bethany’s missing. From all appearances, she wouldn’t run away. In fact, from what her mother says, she was scared of something, nervous all the time. She felt like her life might be in danger. That, coupled with her disappearance, sends up a big red flag. She might be counting on you to help find her.”

      Georgia licked her lips. Some of the attitude faded as she finally looked him straight in the eye. “I don’t know where she is, I promise!”

      Deflated, he realized he believed her. She didn’t know where Bethany was. But she sure knew something. “What are you afraid to tell me? To tell us?”

      Georgia jumped to her feet. “Nothing! There’s nothing to tell!” Tears leaked down her cheeks and she palmed them away leaving black streaks of mascara behind. “If I could help you find Bethany, I would. But you’re right about one thing. She was scared of someone.”

      “Who?”

      The girl slumped back into the chair and slapped a hand on the table. “I don’t know! I wish I did, but I just don’t. But she can take care of herself. She’s got a first-degree black belt in karate, you know?”

      Mason started. Lacey hadn’t mentioned that. “What?”

      “Yeah, she’s like addicted. Does all kinds of competitions—and wins. So she can handle whatever comes along.” Frustration slid over her face. “But I don’t know where she’s hiding out. I promise.”

      “Hiding out?” Mason jumped on those two words. “So she left on her own?”

      Georgia groaned. “No! I don’t know! I don’t know what she’s doing or where she is. She didn’t say anything about leaving before she disappeared. That much I do know.”

      Catelyn blew out a sigh and looked over at Mason. He shook his head. They weren’t going to get anything from Georgia. However, he had to ask, “Were you with Kayla the night of the accident?”

      “No! Why do people keep asking me that? No! I wasn’t there, all right?” Her breath came in pants and sweat broke across her upper lip.

      She was lying. But he wasn’t going to get her to admit it. Yet. “All right, thanks for meeting with us.” He slipped her his card. “But if you think of anything at all, will you please call me?”

      “Sure.” She slipped the card into her back pocket.

      Mason stopped her. “Do you feel like you’re in any danger, Georgia? Because I can help, if you do.”

      “No,” she mumbled. “I’m not in any danger. Now I gotta go.” She escaped the room as fast as she could. Her mother hadn’t even arrived yet.

      Mason looked at Catelyn. “She’s definitely scared.”

      “But of what? Of who?”

      “I don’t know, but I think Lacey may have been on to something when she said that Bethany’s disappearance had something to do with the car accident. Georgia was involved in it—no matter how adamantly she denies it—and she’s scared to death about something. Bethany was probably with the two girls, too, and now she’s missing.”

      “Kayla is dead, Bethany’s missing and Georgia’s scared. I think I’m going to have an officer keep an eye on her for her own safety.”

      Mason tapped his chin and watched Georgia disappear into the throng of students ready to get out of the building and go do something fun. “I think that’s a good idea. I also think we need to revisit that accident. Who was the lead investigator in it?”

      “My partner. Daniel Ackerman.”

      Mason felt his gut clench. He hadn’t spoken more than three sentences to Daniel since the day he’d caught Lacey kissing his friend. Even though it wasn’t Daniel’s fault that Lacey had come on to him, the man was a reminder of one of the most painful times of his life.

      And even though Daniel had married and moved on, Mason couldn’t get the betrayal out of his mind.

      “Fine,” he muttered. “Then let’s find Daniel and get all of the evidence about the accident back out. I want everything sent back to the lab. Since it was ruled an accident, the forensics people probably didn’t go over everything quite as thoroughly as they would a murder.”

      “If that car wreck wasn’t an accident, then it was murder.”

      “Yeah.” His phone rang and he saw Lacey’s number pop up. His heart squeezed. “Hello?”

      “Mason?” Her shaky voice put him on instant alert.

      “What is it, Lacey?”

      “I was attacked.” She sobbed. He heard her trying to catch her breath. “But I think I have something to add to the investigation. Can you come?”

      Heart in his throat, he promised to be there in less than a minute. He looked at Catelyn. “Come on, this is a police matter.”

      He raced from the room, Catelyn following along behind him, his mind looping with Lacey’s first three words, I was attacked… and realized with some surprise that he wanted to hurt the person who’d hurt her.

      Forty-five seconds later, when he saw her sitting against the side of the building with an ice pack on her cheek, the rage inside him tripled and he knew without a doubt that past or no past, betrayal or no betrayal, he was going to fall for Lacey Gibson once again.

      And wondered how he was going to keep his heart from being ripped in two when it happened.

      FOUR

      Lacey pressed the ice pack to her head and stood. The feel of Mason’s solid grip on her upper arm scrambled her brain more than the knock against the side of the building.

      He and Catelyn had arrived almost immediately, the poor store owner having time only to offer his help and fix the ice pack, which she insisted she didn’t need.

      He insisted she did.

      The print shop owner stood with the pictures of Bethany clutched in his left hand as he attempted to answer Catelyn’s questions. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see anything. I don’t usually have any problems around here.”

      Lacey shook her head and winced. “It wasn’t your fault. Whoever it was knew exactly who they were attacking.”

      “Why do you say that?” Mason frowned.

      “Because he specifically said, ‘She’s mine now.’ Who else would he be referring to except Bethany?”

      His frown deepened. “Did you see him? What was the voice like?”

      Squinting against the throbbing in her head, she replayed the scene in her mind. With a shudder, she swallowed. “No, I didn’t see him. Just a glimpse. And his voice was low, raspy, like someone with a bad cold….” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m sure the person disguised his voice.”

      Mason СКАЧАТЬ