Stolen Page 3

  “Quiet. She’s with Anna in her bedroom.”

  “Has she said anything since you talked with her at her home?”

  “No, but as I told you before we left, I think she knows something that may help you find the killer. When I questioned her about what she saw, she clammed up again. And since then, she’s said little about anything. Candy’s suppressed whatever she saw, which isn’t surprising. What took place overwhelmed her. She may never be able to talk about it. But right now, my daughter is talking for both of them. I was on the way to the kitchen to make a snack for us. You’re welcome to join us.”

  “Do you have any coffee?”

  “Yes. I was going to make another pot. I drink way too much of it.”

  “So do I, but at the moment, I need to stay alert.” Nick followed Sarah into the kitchen. “Where’s your aunt?” He knew through church that Louise Morgan came to live with Sarah after her husband was killed in a car wreck.

  “At the grocery store. She’s buying food that Candy likes. I want to make this change as less stressful as possible. Later, when Aunt Louise returns, I’m going to my office to get my notes on Mary. With settling Candy into our house and fixing up the fourth bedroom for her, I haven’t had the time. I still think it’s Mary’s ex-husband,” Sarah said as she made a pot of coffee.

  “He’s number one on my short list. No one at work or in the neighborhood I interviewed could think of anyone who had a reason for murdering Mary. Call it a gut feeling. I’m beginning to rule out the possibility it was random the more I think about it. It has to be premeditated if he took out the cameras and brought his own weapon.”

  “The ransacked bedrooms make the crime feel personal, as though the person was looking for something, especially in a child’s room. What does a six-year-old have that would be worth stealing? If I were a robber, that wouldn’t be one of the first places I looked. If someone was searching for Candy, then that person would definitely check her bedroom. If that’s the case, it has to be her father. Who else would be going after her?” Sarah raked her fingers through her hair, lines of frustration furrowing her forehead. “I can’t think of anyone else.”

  “Another reason I have to take a hard look at Coleman. I hoped to get more information from the Houston Police Department and the parole officer assigned to him, especially if Coleman has lived there since he got out of prison.” The scent of coffee percolating filled the room.

  “Will you let me know what you find out? I have a good security system, and my aunt was in the military. She knows how to defend herself. I’m looking into putting up cameras as an added layer of protection. Mary had an alarm system but nothing else. She must have turned it off when she got up. She would have been leaving soon to go to IFI. She works from eight to five. IFI has a child-care facility for the employees to use long term or temporary. The company does something extra during school breaks when they have more kids to watch.”

  Nick pictured Louise Morgan teaching self-defense to women at their church. “Yeah, your aunt definitely knows what she’s doing. She reminds me of my grandpa: tough as nails with a bleeding heart.”

  “I haven’t met your grandfather. Does he live here?”

  “He came to live with me two months ago. After my grandma died last spring, he didn’t want to stay in Tulsa. I asked him to come live with me.” His grandfather took him in when he’d run away from his abusive father. “When I was a teenager, he gave me a home and raised me. I figured I owed him. He loves my small ranch. Since he came, he’s been increasing the number of abandoned animals at the ranch and raising them. Often, he finds them discarded along the highway, or sometimes they’re left at our gate.”

  “I can’t imagine abandoning an animal.” Sarah took down two mugs. “How do you take your coffee?”

  “Black.”

  She filled the cup and slid it toward Nick. “Anna loves animals. I need to get a dog for her. Our last one died six months ago, but with all that’s been going on with the bombings and more people I’m trying to help, I’ve put that on the backburner.”

  “You’re gonna get me a dog?” Anna asked from the entrance into the kitchen with Candy right behind her. “When?” Anna smiled from ear to ear, glancing back at her friend.

  Sarah poured coffee into her mug. “Yes, when things settle down. Candy, would you like having a dog?”

  The little girl nodded, moving into the kitchen and standing next to Anna.

  “Good. You’ll have a say in what dog we’ll get.”

  Candy’s eyes grew round. “I will?”

  “Of course. You’re part of this family now. Your mother asked me to take care of you if something happened to her. I was thrilled to say yes to her.”

  “You are? I can stay here?”

  “Yes. You all take a seat, and I’ll cut a couple of apples into slices for a snack. That should hold you both over until dinner.” Sarah picked two big red apples from the refrigerator, withdrew a knife from a utensil drawer, and began to slice into an apple.

  A loud gasp caused Sarah to swivel around.

  Candy fled the room.

  Nick plucked the knife from Sarah’s hand. “I’ll finish this. You take care of Candy.”

  “Thank you. I wasn’t thinking. Anna stay here.”

  Sarah left the kitchen.

  Nick wanted to wipe the pained look from her face. Sarah, as well as Candy, had a lot to deal with in a short time.

  * * *

  Sarah found Candy in Anna’s bedroom, huddled between the bed and wall and clinging to her large Teddy bear. Sarah knelt down in front of the young girl. “I was focused on getting you and Anna a snack. I wasn’t thinking, Candy.”

  She should have hidden her actions, but the child’s reaction made Sarah wonder even more. Did Candy see something having to do with a knife? Did she witness her mother being stabbed? Seeing a possible weapon understandably was a trigger, and it might be for a long time. She hoped to get help for Candy. Sarah was too emotionally involved to counsel the girl formally. Besides, Sarah knew an excellent child psychologist. She planned to fulfill her role as the little girl’s guardian and surrogate mother as Mary wanted.

  Sarah placed her hand on Candy’s back, hoping she would lift her head and make eye contact. For a long moment, the child remained frozen, curled into a ball. Then slowly she straightened and looked at Sarah. She opened her arms and drew Candy into her embrace. “I’ll be here for you. I’m a good listener. It’s good to talk about what’s bothering you with another person. Keeping it bottled up inside is hard on you.”

  Candy clutched Molly against her side while sliding her arm around Sarah then pressing herself against her. Sarah’s throat closed, emotions jamming her throat. She wanted to say something comforting, but the words refused to come out. All she could do was hold Candy as she cried against Sarah’s chest. It broke her heart to listen to the anguish, but it was good for the child to release it. It was a small step toward healing.

  As the sobs subsided, Candy leaned back, her eyes red, her cheeks tear stained. “I’m hungry.”

  Sarah chuckled, not surprised since Candy hadn’t eaten anything that Sarah knew of today. “I’m glad. I’ve got apple slices for you and caramel to dip them into. I understand from Anna you love caramel more than chocolate. Let me tell you a secret. So do I.”

  “You do? Anna loves chocolate.” Candy glanced at her Teddy bear. “But Molly loves caramel like me.”

  Sarah rose and held her hand out for the little girl. She decided eating in the kitchen might not be the best place for Candy right now. That too could trigger the child, especially if she’d seen what had happened in the kitchen earlier that day at her home. “Tell you what. Why don’t we eat outside on the patio? It’s a beautiful day. I’ll have Anna and Nick bring the food out along with the lemonade in the refrigerator.”

  After Candy grabbed Sarah’s hand and stood, they moved into the hallway. Candy released her grip and hugged Molly against her chest.

  At the french doors in the den, Sarah paused. “I’ll go tell Anna and Nick where we’ll be. I’ll be right back. Wait here.” Sarah hurried into the kitchen and grabbed the pitcher of lemonade. “We’re going to have a picnic out in the backyard. Bring the glasses, plates, apple slices, and caramel.” She started for the doorway, stopped, and added, “Oh, and a wet cloth for the sticky fingers.”

  She headed back to the french doors, intending to make Candy’s life as normal as possible. Nick and Anna joined them as they sat at the patio table. Everyone dug in, relishing the apple slices and caramel combination while downing lemonade in between bites, a contrast between sweet and sour. When Aunt Louise returned from the grocery store and announced she needed help putting up the food she bought, Anna and Candy volunteered to bring in the sacks. They hopped up. Before Sarah could stop both girls or at least give Candy the option to stay outside with her, they were racing toward the house and disappeared inside. It didn’t seem the kitchen was a trigger, but the knife was. She prayed for the child’s sake that she hadn’t seen the actual murder.

  “Did Candy say anything while you were talking with her?”

  “I think she saw the man with a knife, possibly even attacking her mother, but not in their kitchen. Maybe while Mary was fleeing the guy in the living room. Although when I asked her, she wouldn’t say anything. That can happen when a person has gone through a trauma. She’s blocking it. I know a child psychologist who’s very good at helping children. I’ve scheduled an appointment for tomorrow at eleven. She’s working Candy in during her lunchtime.” Tension wrapped its tight arms around her. Sarah released a long sigh while massaging the back of her neck. “I’m too emotionally involved to be the right person to work with Mary’s daughter. I don’t know if I could be objective. She needs so
meone who will comfort her, be there for her, and hold her when she needs it. As her guardian, I’ll be that to her, not her therapist.”

  At the table sitting next to her, Nick swiveled his chair toward her at the same time she turned toward him. His knees bumped against hers, sending her chair back toward the table.

  She chuckled. “As a kid, I used to spin around and around in a chair like this. I’d get dizzy. It was fun.” That brief second of humor eased the stress. She needed that in order to be there for her two girls.

  “I did that too as a kid.”

  “I want that in Candy’s life. A child should never live in fear of her father—or for that matter, anyone. In her six years, she’s gone through a lot. As I mentioned before, I’ve been talking with Anna about getting a dog. Now I need one more than ever. Candy needs a pet to love. I know that Mary was looking into getting one for her. I want to fulfill what Mary was planning.”

  “I might be able to help you. I have a litter of puppies at my ranch. They’re eight weeks old. If you’re up to it, maybe each girl can have a puppy.”

  “What kind of dog?”

  “A mutt possibly part beagle and a sheepdog. The mother left her babies a couple of weeks ago. My pet, Bella, has taken over looking out for the puppies. I think they’ll be medium-sized dogs.”

  She smiled. “Good. I’m not ready to have a large dog.”

  “Why don’t you bring the girls to my ranch this weekend after church? Let them play with the puppies.”

  “That would be great.”

  “I’ll let you know when. This case will take my focus until I find the murderer, but I’ll need a little time off.” He rose. “Which means I need to leave and follow up on a few leads.”

  “What leads?”

  “Mainly Candy’s father. Also, a couple on the block behind where Mary lived saw an old black pickup speed down the street around the time of the murder. Because the speed limit is twenty-five miles per hour, the man tried to get the license plate to report to the police. He only got the first three numbers.”

  “That’s the only lead?”

  “The few outside security cameras were taken out right before the murder, probably sometime during the night. The neighbor on the left said she saw a man jump over Mary’s back fence around the time of the homicide.”

  “Could she describe the man?”

  “All she saw from the back was a large man with medium length brown hair in jeans and a white T-shirt. The people who live in the house behind Mary don’t have any outside cameras. They’re in Dallas over the fall break. I talked to Mr. Holt on the phone. They left yesterday, and no one on either side of the Holts saw anything. We’ve asked the public for help and have a hotline they can call. And we’re going through CCTV footage around that time although most of that is blocks away from Mary’s street. We’re also going through videotapes from security cameras on the surrounding streets.”

  “How do you do your job?”

  “One day at a time. It can have its challenges but also rewards. Every time I solve a case and put a criminal in prison, I thank God for making the community a little safer. Someone has to stand up for the underdog. I’m determined to find Mary’s killer.”

  “Now that Aunt Louise is back, I need to go to the office. I want to bring home Mary’s file and see what I can find that might help you.” She pushed to her feet and walked beside Nick toward the house. “I’ll let you know right away if I find anything.”

  “I appreciate it. To be official, I’ll be asking the court for a warrant for her records, but I would like your opinion on your notes.”

  “I want her killer found. Candy might never be safe until then. She’ll need closure on her mother’s death. If Mary’s murder isn’t solved, there will be an empty hole in her heart that will be hard to fill.”

  He opened the door and waited until she entered her house before following her inside. She continued to the front entrance. In the foyer, Nick turned toward her. With him inches away from her, she started to step back but didn’t. His nearness gave her a sense of hope. Nick was a good detective, and she couldn’t think of a better police officer to be the lead on Mary’s case.

  “Call me anytime you need me, or if you remember something that might help me figure out who killed Mary.”

  “I will.”

  His whole face transformed with a smile, his gaze intense as he looked at her as though there was a connection between them and they had known each other for many years. The times she’d talked to him, she’d always felt at ease with Nick, but she’d only moved here four years ago after her husband died.

  “Bye, Sarah.”

  She shut the front door and hurried to the kitchen to check on Anna and Candy before she left. “I need to go to my office, but I won’t be long. I’ve got good news. We’re going to Nick’s ranch to see some puppies this Sunday after church. He said you each can have a puppy. But if either one of you don’t want to, that’s fine. too.” As she spoke two huge grins slowly filled Anna’s and Candy’s faces.

  “No, Mom. We both want one.”

  Sarah gathered her purse and car keys then hugged each girl before leaving. She didn’t want to be gone long. Besides bringing home her notes on Mary, she would get the list of her clients who had an appointment tomorrow and would personally call them when she returned home. She needed to be there with Candy and Anna on Friday. Thankfully, she didn’t have as many appointments scheduled because of the school’s fall break. But she would have to move those to the end of next week.

  A few minutes later, she pulled into her parking space not far from the side door into the building complex. Her office was right inside near the entrance. She went into her private office through the second door. Sucking in a sharp breath, she came to a halt a few steps inside. Like the bedrooms at Mary’s house, her office had been ransacked, all her items tossed onto the floor. With her eyes glued to one of her open filing cabinet drawers, she stuck her hand into her pocket for her cell phone. As she fumbled for it, something struck the back of her head. Pain shot through her skull. Her legs gave out.

  Chapter Four

  The sound of a door nearby slamming shut invaded Sarah’s mind. Loud drumbeats pounded against her skull, shoving her back toward the black void. But she needed to stay awake. Her eyelids fluttered open while she struggled to sit up. Nausea roiled in her stomach. The room spun before her, and she leaned back against a cabinet near the door she’d used. She fumbled for her cell phone in her pocket and gripped it. As she lifted it to view the screen, she had to close her eyes until the room stopped rotating. She brought her arm down.

  Call Nick. Now.

  Sweat rolled down her face. She dug deep inside and forced herself to look at the phone and place a call to him.

  “Sarah, are you at your office or home?” Nick asked while she tried to form the words she needed to say to him.

  “My office. It was…” she struggled to keep her eyes open, “…ransacked. Someone hit my head from…” Her voice faded into silence.

  “I’m on my way. How’s your head?”

  “Hurting.” She straightened, trying to fight the pain, but instead, the hammering intensified in her head. “An elephant is tap dancing…”

  “Stay with me. Don’t hang up. I’m not far away. I should be there in five minutes.”

  He must have turned on his siren because she heard it through her cell phone. Thankfully, it wasn’t too loud. She pressed the speaker button and let her phone drop into her lap. She leaned back again, using the filing cabinet as a support and closed her eyes, the darkness invading every recess of her mind.

  “Sarah? Are you there?”

  * * *

  Nick pressed his foot down on the accelerator. Sarah still hadn’t answered. Alarm rose as the silence lengthened. “Sarah?”

  He contacted the police dispatcher. He explained what was going down and requested an ambulance and a backup female officer to the crime scene. Two minutes later, his car screeched to a halt near the side door where her car was parked. He exited his SUV and raced for her office. As he headed for her private door, he noticed it was slightly opened. He withdrew his gun and treated the situation as though an intruder was inside. He didn’t know what he was going into.