Lost Legacy (A Zoe Chambers Mystery Book 2) by Annette Dashofy Page B

But when he slid down from the seat, the jarring impact sent daggers of pain shooting up his right leg. He caught Nate eyeing the cast. “I’m fine.”
    “I didn’t say a word. Do you want to take over command?”
    What Pete wanted was to get out there and look for his father. But thanks to his bum foot, that wasn’t going to happen. “Yeah.”
    Nate held out the clipboard and walkie-talkie, but Pete’s hands were occupied with the crutches.
    “I’ll take those.” Zoe collected the stuff from Nate and motioned toward the house.
    Once inside, she set the clipboard and radio on the kitchen table. Pete hopped to a chair and flung himself into it.
    Sylvia had trailed in behind them and stood fretting by the door.
    Pete studied the list of names and locations. Searchers and their assignments. Nate had done an excellent job planning out the search and tracking its progress.
    Where the hell was Harry? Was he injured? Or simply wandering around somewhere in a daze?
    The handheld radio crackled to life. “Metzger to base.”
    Pete snatched it up with a silent prayer for good news. “Base here.”
    “State Street is clear all the way to Lincoln.”
    Pete made a note next to Seth’s name. “Copy that. Start checking residences on Lincoln from State to Dunbar.”
    “Roger.”
    He looked up to see two worried females standing over him. “Sylvia, where was Harry the last time you saw him?”
    “Sitting right where you are now.” Sylvia pointed at a cold, half-full cup of coffee near Pete’s right hand. “He’d had his breakfast and was on his second cup. I got up to use the bathroom. I couldn’t have been gone more than five minutes.” Her voice broke. “When I came back, he was gone. I checked the bedrooms. I looked in the garage and outside around the yard. I called and called for him.” Tears streaked down her face. “I’m so sorry, Pete.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous.” He held out a hand which she clutched. “It’s not your fault. He sneaked out on me yesterday at the morgue, too.”
    “He did?”
    “Yeah.” Pete forced a grin. “Scared the hell outta me.”
    Sylvia tried to smile, but didn’t quite make it.
    Zoe put a hand on her shoulder. “I think the guys could probably use some coffee. Why don’t you put on a fresh pot, and I’ll tell Nate to spread the word.”
    Sylvia stood a little taller and puffed out her ample chest. A woman with a task. “Good idea.” She shuffled toward the kitchen counter.
    “Thank you,” Pete mouthed to Zoe.
    “What about you? Do you need anything?”
    Harry back safe and sound would be good. Plus a handful of Vicodin. “No. I’m fine.”
    “Okay. I’m going to talk to Nate. And Yancy, too. He and I have discussed forming a mounted search-and-rescue team. If they don’t find your dad in town, I can call in the gang from the barn and trailer the horses here to search the cuts.”
    Zoe headed for the door without waiting for a reply. Horses. Pete should call in the state canine unit, too.
    The walkie-talkie crackled again. “Piacenza to base.”
    “Base here.”
    “No sign of him on Veterans Way. I’m moving up to Main Street.”
    “Copy that, Kevin.” Pete slammed the radio on the table a little too hard and the battery cover popped off. Swearing, he fumbled with the piece of plastic. He wanted to be out there, finding his dad. Not stuck in his own kitchen.
    Sylvia dumped a pot of water into the coffee maker and flipped the switch. “Did you get a chance to talk to Warren?”
    Pete snapped the battery cover back in place. “I did.”
    “And?”
    “The man wasn’t much of an investigator.”
    “I never said he was. He was popular, but not because he solved a lot of cases.” Sylvia pulled out the chair across from Pete and sank into it. “Thankfully, back then there wasn’t a lot of crime in these parts. His job mostly involved writing speeding tickets and directing traffic if there was an accident.”
    “Well, he may have had a double murder