rising from her crouched position. “Thank you for helping me pick up my purse,” she said. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” Joseph stood up next to her. He realized the conversation was coming to a close and hastened to keep it going; that was, after all, his assignment. “Are you here on the weekends, too?”
She shook her head. “No,” she replied. “Just during the week.”
“I hear it gets really busy on the weekends.”
“It sure does.”
“Will you be here this weekend since it’s opening weekend for the exhibit?”
She shrugged. “Probably.”
Cydney hit the remote unlock, listening to the car beep with Joseph still hanging on behind her.
“Have you worked here long?” he persisted.
She was uncomfortable with this man, no matter how good looking or polite he was, following her to her car.
“Almost eleven years,” she replied. She glanced at him as she opened the car door. “Well, best of luck to you with your new job. I’m sure we’ll see each other around.”
“Hopefully.”
He said it in a seductive voice, hoping she would catch it. All it succeeded in doing was frightening her. She bolted into her car with a final wave, slamming the door shut and locking it.
Joseph watched Cydney drive out of the parking lot as if the Devil was chasing her. He had a feeling he had failed to impress.
CHAPTER SIX
There were three cop cars in front of the house when he pulled up.
Ethan was looking forward to a wonderful evening until the moment he turned onto Cydney’s street and was greeted with two black and whites and a plain clothes unit parked right in front of her house. Then the fear set in and all thoughts of dinner with two lovely women fled from his mind. He kept his apprehension in check as he parked his 2012 BMW X5 and calmly walked to the front porch. The door was open and he could see a uniform standing just inside. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his FBI identification card.
He held it out as he walked in the house. The uniformed officer turned to him but he spoke before the man could question him.
“Special Agent Serreaux, FBI” he held up his identification card in plain sight. “Where’s Mrs. Hetherington?”
The words were barely out of his mouth when he heard someone calling his name. Cydney was sitting on her couch with a crew-cut detective next to her and another uniform standing over her. Ethan glanced around and saw at least two other uniformed officers walking through other rooms of the house. It was clear they were dusting for prints. He went straight for Cydney.
“Cydney?” he asked soft urgency. “What happened?”
Cydney looked as if she had been bawling her eyes out; the beautiful hazel eyes were red and swollen. A wad of Kleenex was in her hand. She tried to open her mouth to speak but all that came out was a sob. Ethan shoved the identification card in his pocket, sat down beside her and put his arms around her. He didn’t know what else to do.
Cydney clung to him and sobbed. Ethan put a hand on her head comfortingly, holding her close against his chest. His gaze found the detective seated on the other side of Cydney.
“What happened?” he tried to sound professional and not overly concerned.
“Are you a friend of the family?” the detective asked.
Ethan nodded because to say anything else would have been too complicated. “What’s going on?”
The detective glanced at the notebook in his hand. “Well, according to Mrs. Hetherington, she came home at after work to find several rooms of the house in some disarray and her fifteen year old daughter missing. She seems to think her daughter has been kidnapped.”
“Or course she’s been kidnapped,” Cydney suddenly came to life. “Can’t you see there has been a struggle all over this house? Someone broke in and took her!”
Ethan shushed her soothingly. “Cydney, look at me,” he put his
“You, too,” Joseph stood up next to her. He realized the conversation was coming to a close and hastened to keep it going; that was, after all, his assignment. “Are you here on the weekends, too?”
She shook her head. “No,” she replied. “Just during the week.”
“I hear it gets really busy on the weekends.”
“It sure does.”
“Will you be here this weekend since it’s opening weekend for the exhibit?”
She shrugged. “Probably.”
Cydney hit the remote unlock, listening to the car beep with Joseph still hanging on behind her.
“Have you worked here long?” he persisted.
She was uncomfortable with this man, no matter how good looking or polite he was, following her to her car.
“Almost eleven years,” she replied. She glanced at him as she opened the car door. “Well, best of luck to you with your new job. I’m sure we’ll see each other around.”
“Hopefully.”
He said it in a seductive voice, hoping she would catch it. All it succeeded in doing was frightening her. She bolted into her car with a final wave, slamming the door shut and locking it.
Joseph watched Cydney drive out of the parking lot as if the Devil was chasing her. He had a feeling he had failed to impress.
CHAPTER SIX
There were three cop cars in front of the house when he pulled up.
Ethan was looking forward to a wonderful evening until the moment he turned onto Cydney’s street and was greeted with two black and whites and a plain clothes unit parked right in front of her house. Then the fear set in and all thoughts of dinner with two lovely women fled from his mind. He kept his apprehension in check as he parked his 2012 BMW X5 and calmly walked to the front porch. The door was open and he could see a uniform standing just inside. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his FBI identification card.
He held it out as he walked in the house. The uniformed officer turned to him but he spoke before the man could question him.
“Special Agent Serreaux, FBI” he held up his identification card in plain sight. “Where’s Mrs. Hetherington?”
The words were barely out of his mouth when he heard someone calling his name. Cydney was sitting on her couch with a crew-cut detective next to her and another uniform standing over her. Ethan glanced around and saw at least two other uniformed officers walking through other rooms of the house. It was clear they were dusting for prints. He went straight for Cydney.
“Cydney?” he asked soft urgency. “What happened?”
Cydney looked as if she had been bawling her eyes out; the beautiful hazel eyes were red and swollen. A wad of Kleenex was in her hand. She tried to open her mouth to speak but all that came out was a sob. Ethan shoved the identification card in his pocket, sat down beside her and put his arms around her. He didn’t know what else to do.
Cydney clung to him and sobbed. Ethan put a hand on her head comfortingly, holding her close against his chest. His gaze found the detective seated on the other side of Cydney.
“What happened?” he tried to sound professional and not overly concerned.
“Are you a friend of the family?” the detective asked.
Ethan nodded because to say anything else would have been too complicated. “What’s going on?”
The detective glanced at the notebook in his hand. “Well, according to Mrs. Hetherington, she came home at after work to find several rooms of the house in some disarray and her fifteen year old daughter missing. She seems to think her daughter has been kidnapped.”
“Or course she’s been kidnapped,” Cydney suddenly came to life. “Can’t you see there has been a struggle all over this house? Someone broke in and took her!”
Ethan shushed her soothingly. “Cydney, look at me,” he put his
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